The best movies like The Odyssey are Ulysses, Troy, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, Hercules, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Green Knight, Master and Commander, Gladiator, 300, The Northman, and Dune. Each one has the myths, the quest, or the epic scale of The Odyssey.
The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan's take on Homer's epic poem. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, who fights his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, with Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, and Zendaya as Athena. Nolan shot it entirely on IMAX film cameras, and it's rated R. The list is grouped by what pulled you in.
Straight from Homer and the Greek myths
Ulysses (1954)
Kirk Douglas plays Ulysses in this earlier adaptation of the Odyssey, with Silvana Mangano as both Penelope and Circe and Anthony Quinn as a suitor. Mario Camerini directed it. The cyclops and Circe's island are both here, so it's fun to compare with Nolan's version.
Troy (2004)
Brad Pitt plays Achilles and Eric Bana plays Hector in the Trojan War, with Orlando Bloom. Wolfgang Petersen directed it, and it's loosely based on Homer's Iliad. It's rated R. It's the war Odysseus is trying to get home from.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Jason sets out to find the legendary Golden Fleece. Don Chaffey directed it, and Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects include a famous fight with seven skeleton warriors. It's the classic Greek myth adventure.
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Perseus, played by Harry Hamlin, has to bring back Medusa's head to stop the Kraken. Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith co-star. It was Ray Harryhausen's last film.
Hercules (1997)
Disney's animated musical follows Hercules, who has to prove he's a true hero to earn his place on Mount Olympus while Hades, voiced by James Woods, plots against him. John Musker and Ron Clements directed it. It's rated G, and it's the Greek myth pick for families.
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Quests and long journeys
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Three convicts escape a Mississippi chain gang in 1937 and set off to find buried treasure. Joel and Ethan Coen loosely based it on the Odyssey, with George Clooney as the Odysseus figure. It's funny, musical, and full of Homer nods.
The Green Knight (2021)
Dev Patel plays Gawain, who sets out on a strange journey to face the Green Knight a year after a Christmas challenge. David Lowery directed it from the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It's a quest story that takes its time. It's rated R.
In 1805, Captain Jack Aubrey, played by Russell Crowe, chases a French privateer from the coast of Brazil to the Galápagos. Peter Weir directed it from Patrick O'Brian's novels. If you loved the sea voyage in The Odyssey, this is the one.
Heroes, battles, and revenge
Gladiator (2000)
A Roman general, played by Russell Crowe, is betrayed by the new emperor, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and fights his way back as a gladiator. Ridley Scott directed it. It's a revenge epic set in the ancient world. It's rated R.
300 (2006)
King Leonidas leads 300 Spartans against the Persian army at Thermopylae. Zack Snyder directed it from Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's comic series. It's stylized, loud, and all about the battle. It's rated R.
The Northman (2022)
An exiled Viking prince, played by Alexander Skarsgård, sets out to avenge his father. Robert Eggers directed it from the legend of Amleth, with Nicole Kidman and Anya Taylor-Joy. It has the same mix of myth and brutal journey. It's rated R.
Dune (2021)
Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, is thrown into a war over the desert planet Arrakis. Denis Villeneuve directed it from Frank Herbert's novel, and Zendaya is in the cast here too. It's an epic on the same giant scale, just set in space.
Where to start
If you want more Homer, start with Troy. For gods and monsters, go with Jason and the Argonauts. For a funny spin on the same story, pick O Brother, Where Art Thou? For another giant epic, watch Gladiator or Dune.
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Frequently asked questions
Ulysses, Troy, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and Hercules come straight from Greek myth. O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Green Knight, and Master and Commander are journeys and quests. Gladiator, 300, The Northman, and Dune are epics on the same scale.
Yes. Ulysses (1954) stars Kirk Douglas and adapts Homer's Odyssey. O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a looser, funnier version set in 1930s Mississippi.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, with Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya as Athena, and Charlize Theron as Calypso. Christopher Nolan wrote and directed it.
Dune comes from Frank Herbert's novel, and Master and Commander comes from Patrick O'Brian's novels. Troy and Ulysses draw on Homer's poems, and 300 comes from Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's comic series.
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