Despite The Odyssey receiving pre-release backlash from some people in the MAGA-verse, right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro is a fan of Christopher Nolan‘s take on the epic story.
“The movie is a masterpiece,” he declares in an 18-minute review posted to YouTube, in which he gives the film an 8.5/9 on a 10-point scale. He praises Matt Damon as Odysseus and Robert Pattinson as Antinous and Tom Holland as Telemachus and has little issue with Zendaya as Athena and Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy.
“I know a lot of people were like, ‘Oh my God, Lupita Nyong’o is supposed to look like Diane Kruger.’ I don’t know. Diane Kruger doesn’t look very Greek. She’s German,” Shapiro pushes back. Rapper Travis Scott as Bard is a bit jarring, but he has a small part. And Zendaya not looking especially Greek doesn’t bother Shapiro in the least.
“Casting Zendaya in that role doesn’t change anything … Zendaya does a fine job, doesn’t bother me at all,” he adds.
But Shapiro takes issue with Elliot Page as Sinon.
“I know there are a lot of conservatives who are getting pre-whipped up about the film. Because it’s stupid to cast Elliot Page as a dude. It’s just stupid,” Shapiro declares. His moviegoing sensibility that any casting that takes him far away from the film’s narrative is a negative goes into the red zone with Page, who reunites with Nolan after Inception.
“Elliot Page was a woman with mental issues who believes that she is a man and has had surgeries to make her appear more man-like, but still she is about five foot two inches and 105 pounds, soaking wet, and has the voice of a woman. It doesn’t work,” Shapiro argues, personally criticizing Page, who came out as trans in 2020. In fact, he can’t get over casting Page at all.
“It’s an unforced error. Now I’m not going to speculate as to why Nolan did this,” Shapiro says, before doing just that as he begins spinning conspiracy theories popular among podcasters. “Maybe he’s personally friendly with Elliot Page, feels bad for Elliot Page, because Elliot Page is a certain person, was friends of that person from the time they did they did Inception together. Maybe it’s in fact some sort of Oscar bait attempt.”
But conservatives should still go out to the multiplex to see The Odyssey, and not wish it a death at the box office with Page in the cast. “No, the movie’s not going to bomb because of that. It turns out that when people are willing to be entertained, they’re willing to entertain even bad flaws in the teeth, if it turns out the smile is nice,” Shapiro concluded.
So conservatives, whatever their outrage, should not dismiss The Odyssey, without first seeing it. “The broader theme of the movie is actually very much in line with many things that conservatives think. If you let Elliot Page kill that for you, I think you’re missing out on an incredible moviegoing experience,” Shapiro added.
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