The Odyssey Film's Negative Audience Reception and Allegations of Review Manipulation and Censorship

Rev says desu

Initial Audience Reception and Perceived Disrespect [00:00:13]

The video begins by addressing the highly negative audience reaction to a new film adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey," controversially attributed to Christopher Nolan.

• Trailer Dislikes: [00:00:54]
  • The official countdown trailer for "The Odyssey" garnered fewer than 100,000 likes but nearly 900,000 dislikes, signaling widespread audience dissatisfaction.

    

  • The presenter views this as clear evidence that people are not impressed with the film.
• Critique of Homer's Legacy: [00:00:44]
  • Hollywood's adaptation is described as an elaborate and calculated effort to dismantle and disgrace Homer's original epic.
  • The film is accused of disrespecting various aspects of Homer's work, Greek culture, and tradition.

Christopher Nolan's Creative Decisions Under Scrutiny [00:01:10]

The presenter criticizes specific creative decisions purportedly made by director Christopher Nolan regarding the adaptation.

• The "Nobody" Wordplay Controversy: [00:01:19]
  • Nolan allegedly wanted to include the famous "Nobody" wordplay from the Cyclops encounter but claimed it "didn't translate naturally into modern dialogue."
  • The presenter finds this explanation incredulous, stating that the pun is easily understood and translates effectively into modern English.

    

Allegations of Censorship and Content Removal [00:02:00]

The video claims that negative reactions and embarrassing clips from the film are being actively suppressed online.

• DMCA Takedowns: [00:02:07]
  • Content creators and users attempting to showcase "embarrassing scenes" from the film are facing DMCA takedowns.
  • This suppression includes various types of content, from direct film clips to parodies and AI-generated versions.

    

    

• Protection of Specific Appearances: [00:10:26]
  • Efforts are reportedly made to protect the appearance of trans actor Elliot Page in the film, with related content also being subject to takedowns.

    

Questionable Public Relations and "Shill" Accounts [00:02:12]

The video points to what it believes are manipulative PR tactics and the use of paid "shill" accounts to promote the film and dismiss criticism.

• Exaggerated Fan Claims: [00:02:18]
  • Posts from alleged "paid shill accounts" claim an extremely high demand for the film, with fans supposedly taking cross-country trips and even delaying pregnancy to see it.

    

  • The presenter dismisses these claims as unbelievable and "deranged."
• Dismissal of Critics as "Anti-Woke": [00:03:08]
  • A journalist, Paul Tassy, dismisses negative reactions as coming from an "edgy anti-woke movement" spamming buzzwords.
  • This is framed as a narrative encouraging people to "eat the slop," or accept subpar content without criticism.
  • Critics who question the film's social issues or consensus are accused of "manufacturing consensus" or being biased.

Discrepancies in Critical vs. Audience Scores [00:04:11]

A central argument of the video revolves around the vast differences in how "The Odyssey" is rated by critics versus general audiences, leading to accusations of a "manufactured consensus."

• Rotten Tomatoes Scores: [00:04:16]
  • The film reportedly achieved a 98-99% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it "the highest-rated Christopher Nolan film ever."
  • Verified audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes also showed a high 97%.

    

    

• Metacritic Disparity: [00:07:52]
  • In contrast, Metacritic shows a significant disparity: an 89 critic score but a very low 5.2 user score (out of 10).

    

  • This large gap highlights a disconnect between professional critics and the general audience.
• Pattern with Previous Controversial Films: [00:08:14]
  • This pattern of high critic/Rotten Tomatoes audience scores conflicting with low Metacritic user scores is observed in other controversial films like "The Woman King" and "The Little Mermaid," suggesting a trend of inflated scores.

    

• Critiques of Consensus Manufacturing: [00:05:30]
  • Critics are accused of manufacturing a consensus, acting more as propagandists than insightful reviewers.
  • Examples include multiple critics uploading identical reviews "word for word" to inflate scores.

Perceived Flaws and Unpopular Casting [00:09:56]

The video points out specific casting and character portrayals as key reasons for audience dissatisfaction and disrespect towards the source material.

• Helen of Troy Casting: [00:09:57]
  • The casting of Helen of Troy is singled out as one of the "worst casting choices ever," with an image of the actress shown.

    

• Elliot Page's Character and Screen Time: [00:10:40]
  • Elliot Page's character (Sinaon) is criticized for running in a "masculine way," which viewers found incongruous with a "fierce Greek warrior."
  • Despite having relatively short screen times (Sinaon at 5m 30s, Helen of Troy at 3m 42s), these appearances are seen as significantly detracting from the film's quality.