Christopher Nolan has brought to life one of the most epic films of his career: The Odyssey. Based on the epic Greek poem by Homer, the movie follows Matt Damon as Odysseus, King of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the Trojan War. But just like the Trojan War was no simple feat, Odysseus soon learns that the Gods have other plans for him. And going home will be an epic journey that requires all of his wit, guile, and courage to survive.
It’s fitting that Nolan is at the helm of this epic story. He’s one of the most commercially successful directors in recent time. His films are ambitious, his scripts mind-boggling, and his casts are nothing shy of legendary. And The Odyssey fits right in with all of that. The cast alone is an all-star ensemble that promises to be just as mythical as the story the movie is based on.
The Odyssey is one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. And with the anticipation, interest in all things mythology has also risen. Whether you want to wait for the fervor to die down or simply want to continue on a mythological adventure, we’ve got you covered.
Here are 11 movies based on famous myths.
Troy (2004)
Before Odysseus journeys home, he first traveled to the shores of Troy after Prince Paris smuggles King Menelaus’s wife Helen away. Based on The Iliad, the story stars Brad Pitt as Achilles, as he chooses the promise of eternal glory over a quiet life and follows Odysseus to war. But taking Troy is a much harder endeavor than anyone prepared for. And as the war drags on for nearly ten years, lives are lost, legends are born, and eventually, the fate of a city will be determined.
O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)
Loosely based on The Odyssey, the film follows Ulysses (the Roman version of Odysseus) and his two fellow escapees as they make their way home where Ulysses can stop his wife from getting remarried. Along the way they encounter a one-eyed mugger (the cyclops), a menacing sheriff (Poseidon), a blind seer (Tiresias), and singing women (sirens). It’s easy to watch the film without knowing it’s an adaptation, but once you know what to look for, it’s a ton of fun to find the references.
The Return (2024)
It took 10 years to win the war with Troy. Another ten to return to his beloved Ithaca. And when he arrives, the battles Odysseus must face are far from over. While much is often made of his arduous journey home, The Return focuses on the final step. A kingdom in decline, his home invaded by suitors, and his family under siege. Using his guile, and with the help of two herders, Odysseus exacts a plan to learn the truth about who he can trust and exact revenge against those he can’t.
The Mummy (1999)
Though Imhotep wasn’t murdered for having an affair, Ankhesenamun was wife to Tutankhamun, and mummies don’t come to life, The Mummy is still a movie rife with Egyptian mythology that’s frankly a blast. When librarian Evelyn discovers a map that could lead them to the legendary City of the Dead, she convinces adventurer and treasure hunter Rick O’Connell to take her. But when they get there, they accidentally wake a powerful high priest determined to bring his love back to life. And the only thing that can stop him is the dangerous Book of the Dead.
The Green Knight (2021)
Based on the epic poem, The Green Knight follows Sir Gawain as he attends a feast at the Round Table. During their meal, a magical rite summons the Green Knight who issues a challenge. Whoever can strike a blow against him will gain his mythical green axe for one year. Sir Gawain accepts, and using Excalibur, beheads the Knight. But before he leaves, the Knight reminds Gawain that in one year he must return to the Green Chapel where he will receive an equal blow in return.
The Northman (2022)
The movie is based on the legend of Amleth in the Gesta Danorum written by Saxo Grammaticus, one of the oldest and most complete sources documenting early Danish life. Amleth is an exiled Viking prince determined to avenge his father’s murder by killing the man responsible: his uncle. If the story sounds familiar that’s because Amleth also inspired Shakespeare when he created the character, Prince Hamlet.
The 13th Warrior (1999)
Loosely based on the epic poem Beowulf and grounded in historical events, the film follows exiled Muslim ambassador Ahmad ibn Fadlan as he finds himself living among the Vikings. As they travel throughout Europe, they hear about an evil presence. As it gets closer, the group is forced to fight the terrifying entity that they once only thought existed in myths and legends.
Hercules (2014)
Hercules fans might prefer the Disney adaptation, but we don't mind the live-action version starring The Rock, either.
People whisper that Hercules is a demigod. That his unnatural strength and ability to heal is proof that he is the son of Zeus. They don’t talk about how he went mad. How he slaughtered his family. How he had to pay a penance. Or how dreams and visions still haunt him. But when a terrifying new enemy threatens the lives of innocents, Hercules and his men find themselves in the middle of a war that they may not survive.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
One of the few movies made capturing the 3rd-century BC poem, The Argonautica, this classic film is well worth enduring the choppy stop-motion animation that was considered cutting-edge at the time. After his father is usurped and he is forced to grow up in exile, Jason learns that obtaining the legendary Golden Fleece might be the only way he can avenge his family’s death and reclaim his throne.
Clash of the Titans (2010)
Perseus, another son of Zeus, is widely considered one of the great ancient Greek heros. Locked in a chest with his mother and tossed to the sea, Perseus was raised by the fisherman who found him. But his life was not destined to be small. When he falls in love with a princess doomed to be sacrificed to the Kraken, Perseus embarks on a quest to discover how to kill the terrifying creature. But to save Andromeda, he must take the head of Medusa, a deadly gorgon that resides in the Underworld.
The 1981 version is also well worth checking out, especially if you want to go a bit deeper into the myth.
Immortals (2011)
Even though the film doesn’t exactly hold true to the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur very well, it is one of the only films made about the legend, so it deserves to be on the list. As power hungry King Hyperion plunders Greece searching for the long-lost Bow of Epirus so he can conquer Mount Olympus, an oracle convinces a young stonemason that he is the key to stopping him.
