Ben Shapiro calls The Odyssey a masterpiece amid outrage
Ben Shapiro calls The Odyssey a masterpiece in an 18-minute YouTube review, praising Christopher Nolan as the best working director today even as conservatives criticize the cast. The commentator defended Lupita Nyong’o’s Helen of Troy but questioned Elliot Page’s casting as Sinon.
Key Takeaways
- Shapiro posted an 18-minute YouTube review calling Nolan’s Greek epic a “masterpiece.”
- He named Nolan “the best director working today” and praised Matt Damon’s Odysseus.
- He defended Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy while calling Elliot Page’s Sinon an “absolute puzzler.”
- Nolan told The Telegraph that online backlash “comes with the territory” for blockbusters.
What did Ben Shapiro say about The Odyssey?
According to Variety, Ben Shapiro posted an 18-minute review of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” to his YouTube channel on Saturday. In the video, he called the Greek epic a “masterpiece” despite conservative outrage about the film’s cast and historical accuracy.
“Nolan is unparalleled. He’s the best director working today, without a doubt. He just creates iconic movie after iconic movie,” Shapiro said. The endorsement stands out because much of the right-wing noise around the film has focused on casting choices rather than craft.
Which cast members did Shapiro praise or criticize?
Shapiro had plenty of praise for star Matt Damon. “I think he’s great in nearly everything. He sort of disappears into the part in a way that he doesn’t in a lot of other movies. He’s great as Odysseus,” he said.
He also singled out supporting players: Robert Pattinson as Antinous (“excellent antagonist”), Tom Holland as Telemachus (“excellent, well cast”), and Anne Hathaway as Penelope (“does a great job”).
On Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, Shapiro pushed back at critics comparing her to Diane Kruger, saying Kruger “doesn’t look very Greek” and arguing Nolan’s script explains the war wasn’t really launched over Helen being gorgeous. He did, however, call Elliot Page’s casting as Sinon an “absolute puzzler,” concluding it “doesn’t work.”
How has Christopher Nolan responded to the backlash?
Despite outrage from right-wing voices like Elon Musk, Nolan recently told The Telegraph that he’s unbothered by the noise. He said online backlash “comes with the territory” when making a blockbuster, drawing on lessons from a decade spent on Batman.
“What you have to do is honor the original text by interpreting it in the strongest way you personally can,” Nolan explained. For more entertainment alerts like this one, browse Streaming & TV Alerts on BlasterPost.