Ben Shapiro Just Called 'The Odyssey' A 'Masterpiece' Despite Relentless MAGA Outrage—And The Internet Can't Even

Well, this wasn't on many people's bingo cards. After months of MAGA outrage over The Odyssey, Ben Shapiro has emerged as one of Christopher Nolan's most surprising defenders, calling the film "a masterpiece."

In an 18-minute review posted to YouTube, the conservative commentator gave the film an 8.5/9 on a 10-point scale, praising performances from Matt Damon as Odysseus, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Tom Holland as Telemachus, while expressing little issue with Zendaya as Athena or Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy.

Discussing the film's casting, Shapiro remarked:

“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 did have one minor complaint, saying rapper Travis Scott's brief appearance as Bard felt jarring. Zendaya's casting, however, barely registered as an issue.

Explaining why her casting didn't bother him, Ben Shapiro said:

“Casting Zendaya in that role doesn’t change anything … Zendaya does a fine job, doesn’t bother me at all.”

Before anyone starts handing Shapiro flowers for embracing creative casting in a centuries-old myth, there was one performance he couldn't get past: Elliot Page as Sinon, a character from Virgil's Aeneid rather than Homer's The Odyssey.

Turning to Page's casting, he said:

“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.”

He then escalated into transphobic remarks about the actor:

“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.”

If you've followed Shapiro's commentary, this wasn't exactly a plot twist. He has spent years opposing transgender rights and repeatedly singling out Page as part of that broader campaign.

Shapiro then began speculating about Nolan's reasons for casting the actor.

“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.”

Page, meanwhile, has spoken warmly about reuniting with Nolan after Inception. The actor described filming The Odyssey after his transition as "a Chris Nolan experience all over again." Page added, "As you can imagine, being more comfortable in yourself makes these sorts of projects more enjoyable."

You can watch Shapiro’s full remarks below:

- YouTubeBen Shapiro

Shapiro almost got there. He spent much of the review praising The Odyssey before retreating into the same culture-war rhetoric that has surrounded the film for months. Naturally, the internet noticed the contradiction.

View the mixed reactions here:

Despite his objections to Page's casting, Shapiro ultimately argued conservatives shouldn't root for The Odyssey to fail over a single performer.

Encouraging audiences to see the film anyway, Shapiro said:

“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.”

For all the right-wing hand-wringing, The Odyssey has never been a story preserved under glass. Homer's epic has been retold for generations, with each adaptation reshaping the material. Eartha Kitt portrayed Helen of Troy in the 1954 film The Golden Mistress, proving that imaginative casting did not begin with Christopher Nolan.

Even Shapiro ultimately reached the point MAGA influencers keep missing: audiences can judge The Odyssey as a movie instead of treating every casting choice as another culture-war emergency.