Ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, a ranking of the 20 best mythological films has been unveiled, celebrating how ancient myths, legends, and fables have been adapted for the big screen. The list spans from Greek epics to biblical blockbusters, highlighting both classic and modern interpretations.
20. Immortals (2011)
Featuring a young Henry Cavill as Theseus, this Hellenic reimagination lacks deep mythological significance but offers striking visuals from director Tarsem Singh. Unforgettable images include the Titans locked in a magical prison like table-football players and a campy Mount Olympus resembling a Vegas set.
19. Clash of the Titans (2010)
Modern CGI replaces the uncanny stop-motion of the original, but Ralph Fiennes delivers a standout performance as Hades, with smoke, whispered dialogue, and sibling resentment. The film drifts into generic fantasy territory, according to the ranking.
18. Troy (2004)
Brad Pitt stars as Achilles in this spectacle-heavy adaptation that sidelines the Homeric notion of heroism for Hollywood buffness. The homoerotic bond with Patroclus is replaced by Achilles storming the beach like a one-man army.
17. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
The Coen brothers' loose adaptation of Homer's Odyssey shifts the setting to the American South, with a blabbermouthed hero named Ulysses and John Goodman as a Cyclops-like Ku Klux Klan member. The film wrings comic mileage from its relaxed narrative.
16. The Northman (2022)
Robert Eggers' epic is steeped in Norse mythos, featuring Amleth's revenge quest with guidance from Willem Dafoe's jester and Björk's shaman. The climax involves a confrontation in the realm of Hel inside a volcano.
15. The Return (2024)
Uberto Pasolini's version of Odysseus's homecoming stars Ralph Fiennes as a traumatized war veteran. The reunion with Penelope (Juliette Binoche) is no fairytale but a hardcore reckoning, reinforcing the cycle of violence.
14. Noah (2014)
Darren Aronofsky's Old Testament foray mixes elemental storytelling with gnostic elements, including fallen angels and a Genesis sequence compressing millions of years. The film's eco-commandments reflect contemporary concerns.
13. Black Orpheus (1959)
Marcel Camus' film reimagines the Orpheus and Eurydice tragedy in Rio de Janeiro during carnival, with Breno Mello as a tram conductor whose guitar makes the sun rise. Despite accusations of exoticism, it remains an infectious plunge into spiritual underworlds.
12. Ne Zha 2 (2025)
This blockbuster animation, based on the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods, is the highest-grossing animation worldwide and the fifth highest-grossing film overall. Director Jiaozi delivers a sublimely animated tale of a demigod defending his village, blending Chinese mythology, Taoism, and Buddhism.
11. Die Nibelungen (1924)
Fritz Lang's two-part silent epic, dedicated to the German people, features high-fantasy imagery that influenced Tolkien. Despite its lambent visuals, Siegfried comes across as an arrogant prig, and the film was reportedly Hitler's comfort watch.
10. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Python debut mercilessly skewers the epic mindset with iconic scenes like the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch and the police abruptly ending the Round Table's antics. It's a bathetic take on Arthurian legend.
9. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects, including the iconic skeleton fight, earn this film a top 10 spot. However, the rest of the film is considered ropey, with a bland Jason and callow Argonauts.
8. Gods of Egypt (2016)
Alex Proyas' film is a rare outing for Egyptian gods like Horus and Set, featuring proggy excess and primal weirdness. Gods bleed gold, Ra fights an apocalyptic chaos dragon, and a thief dodges cobra-riding dominatrix goddesses.
7. Oedipus Rex (1967)
Pier Paolo Pasolini's punk take on Freud's favorite story stars Franco Citti as Oedipus, who fulfills the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. The film lambasts authority with Marxist ire, bookended by a modern-day framing.
6. The Green Knight (2021)
David Lowery's haunting picaresque features the Green Knight's Christmas challenge to Arthur's Round Table, unpacking pagan severity. Dev Patel's chivalry is tested with big questions about morality and nature.
5. Mayabazar (1957)
This Telugu classic remixes the Mahabharata, with SV Ranga Rao as the demon Ghatotkacha hilariously sabotaging a wedding. Special effects include flying weapons and self-replenishing feasts, with deities watching each other through scrying devices.
4. Spirited Away (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki's classic brims with Shinto borrowings, including susuwatari dustball helpers, the dragon Haku, and witch Yubaba. The folkloric bathhouse represents Studio Ghibli's finest hour.
3. Clash of the Titans (1981)
Harry Hamlin's Perseus is moved like a chess piece by the goddess Thetis in this improvement over Jason and the Argonauts. Featuring a greatest hits of the Greek bestiary and a fruitily pronounced 'Krrrr-aken', it was a Christmas TV staple.
2. Baahubali (2015/2017)
SS Rajamouli's two-part Telugu colossus is pure Mahabharata fan fiction, with a hero carrying a cast-iron shrine down a river. The valour dial is ramped up to 11, offering a treat over nearly five hours.
1. Orphée (1950)
Jean Cocteau's take on Orpheus sets the myth in smalltown bohemia, with Jean Marais as a past-his-prime poet drawn to a femme fatale. The film's contemporary correspondences, like a Rolls-Royce radio and Bacchantes led by Juliette Gréco, seamlessly weave the metaphysical into the everyday. It continues to echo in works like David Lynch's and The Matrix, confirming art's primacy.
