Topline
Reviews of the much-anticipated “The Odyssey” rolled out Wednesday, and they’re uniformly excellent—with many critics hitting back at billionaire Elon Musk’s anti-woke crusade that targeted the casting of Black actress Lupita Nyong’o and transgender actor Elliot Page, with one calling it “racist and ugly.”
Musk has repeatedly criticized “The Odyssey” over director Christopher Nolan’s casting choices. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
“The Odyssey,” which opens in theaters this weekend, boasts a near-perfect 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and a “Certified Fresh” status based on the first 162 critics reviews.
The reviews are the best of director Christopher Nolan’s career, even higher than the 93% score for his 2023 Best Picture-winning “Oppenheimer.”
The movie’s one high-profile critic—Musk— repeatedly targeted it and Nolan in posts on his X, calling the director “racist against the Greek people” for casting Nyong’o and Page, and not Greek actors.
Musk also repeatedly amplified misinformation about the movie, boosting posts that claimed Page is playing Achilles (he is not) and making false claims about diversity standards used to qualify for Academy Awards consideration.
What Have Critics Said About Musk’s Anti-Woke Crusade?
Esquire’s review of “The Odyssey,” which praises the movie as “spectacular,” slammed Musk’s anti-”Odyssey” tirade as “contemptible,” saying the only “travesty” about casting Nyong’o as Helen of Troy is the “waste of her talent in such a small role.” In a five-star review, the Arizona Republic called Musk’s comments on Nyong’o “racist and ugly,” criticizing him for using historical accuracy as a justification. “I mean, is the cyclops accurate? Come on,” reviewer Bill Goodykoontz wrote, suggesting “haters should just go see” the movie. Samuel Clench, reviewer for Australia’s news.co.au, condemned Musk for deciding the movie was “an insult to both Greek and broader Western culture” months before release, “having not seen a single minute of the movie.” Clench noted Page does not play Achilles, as Musk had suggested, and praised the actor’s performance. Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney said he would “refuse to get into the tiresome online controversy about Nolan’s unconventional casting choices,” noting since “nobody here is Greek or Turkish, complaining about one or two actors dismissed as ‘DEI hires’ is absurd.” Rooney’s review named Nyong’o alongside Zendaya and Mia Goth as “vital presences,” despite their roles having “limited scope.”
How Has Nolan Responded To Musk?
In an interview last week, Nolan called the controversy over his casting choices “irrelevant” because nobody participating in the anti-woke backlash had actually seen the movie yet. Nolan said he has often dealt with such backlash throughout his career, including when he directed a trio of “Batman” movies, noting the character is decades old and “a lot of freighted thoughts were out there about what he represents.”
What Else Has Musk Said About “The Odyssey”?
Musk accused Nolan of “desecrating Homer” and said in response to a post criticizing Nyong’o’s casting that Nolan has “lost his integrity.” He also falsely accused Nolan of boosting his film’s diversity to qualify for Oscars consideration. Musk responded, “True,” to a post that falsely claimed films must meet three diversity standards to be eligible for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, including a claim 30% of a film’s cast must be non-white or non-straight people—but these are just some of the multiple criteria films can meet for eligibility.
what to watch for
How much “The Odyssey” will make in its opening weekend and beyond. The movie, produced on a massive $250 million budget, is expected to be a hit, as tickets went on sale months in advance and plenty of screenings are sold out. Variety projected an opening weekend sum of $90 million to $100 million, while Deadline projected an opening between $85 million and $100 million.
further reading
Musk Boosts Misinformation About ‘The Odyssey’ In Days-Long Crusade Against Christopher Nolan Movie (Forbes)