Filmmaker Scott Derrickson has publicly criticized Elon Musk following the billionaire’s comments about Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey.”
Musk had earlier called out the film over what he claimed were historical inaccuracies, prompting Derrickson to question the billionaire’s understanding of cinema.
Despite Musk’s criticism, “The Odyssey” has enjoyed strong success since its release on July 17.
In a now-deleted tweet, Derrickson criticized Musk over his comments about Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
Before the film’s release, Musk had already questioned Nolan’s casting choices and, following its debut, claimed that his AI tool, Grok Imagine, would create a “historically accurate” version of the story before the end of the year.
Musk’s remarks appeared to dismiss the creative effort and craftsmanship involved in producing a film of this scale, prompting Derrickson to respond with a sharply worded criticism of the tech mogul.
“Clearly @elonmusk doesn’t know sh-t about cinema & he stopped reading in his 20s,” the “Doctor Strange” director wrote on X. “His opinions on art are worthless.”
Elon Musk Faces Backlash After Scott Derrickson’s Criticism
Reacting to Derrickson’s comment, several social media users also criticized Musk.
“Not just cinema,” one user wrote. “Musk is an echo chamber of quislings, so his la la land.”
“Pretty much, his eye for aesthetics or understanding of anything other than the generic is absolutely worthless, as the director said,” another user commented.
Another critic argued that if Musk follows through with his plans, the result could end up being a mess.
“Grok will plagiarize the copyrighted work done by humans on real movies, fed to it by X employees, and will regurgitate incoherent AI slop,” the individual wrote.
Some support did come Musk’s way amid the backlash, with one user citing the tech mogul’s business track record.
“I wouldn’t bet against Musk, he seems to be pretty handy with various industries,” the user said.
Christopher Nolan Addressed ‘The Odyssey’ Backlash Before Release
Ahead of “The Odyssey’s” July 17 debut, Christopher Nolan addressed the backlash surrounding the film in an interview with The Telegraph.
He said he was not surprised by the reaction, adding that the criticism carried little weight before audiences had actually seen the film.
“But look, these conversations that happen before people see the film – they’re always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet,” he told the outlet.
Nolan went on to compare the scrutiny surrounding “The Odyssey” with the reaction he faced while directing his Batman trilogy, which began with 2005’s “Batman Begins.”
“What I learned over my time on that trilogy is you can’t worry about any of that at all,” Nolan said. “What you have to do is honor the original text by interpreting it in the strongest way you personally can.”
Christopher Nolan Says Sincerity Matters More Than Criticism
Reflecting further on that period, Nolan said his experience directing the Batman trilogy ultimately proved rewarding.
“In the end, fans of the property – even when we were doing something that was not what they would have done – enjoyed the sincerity of the attempt to put as good a version of it on screen as we could,” Nolan said.
Now, he hopes audiences will respond similarly to “The Odyssey” as its box office run continues.
“All I can do is make the best film I possibly can in the most sincere way. It’s very different from how anyone else would do it, but that’s what adaptation is,” he remarked.
‘The Odyssey’ Scores Huge Opening Despite Early Backlash
“The Odyssey” is already proving to be a box office success despite the criticism it faced before its release.
The film debuted with more than $264 million worldwide during its opening weekend, with revenue split almost evenly between domestic theaters and international markets.
Much of the skepticism surrounding the film also appears to have faded, as critics are now praising its performances and production design.
It is already being considered a potential Oscar contender, including for Best Picture and Best Actor for Matt Damon’s performance.
