8 Best Movies Based on Antique Myths to Watch While Waiting for 'The Odyssey'
These films prove that ancient tales never grow old – they simply wait for their moment to return to the big screen.
Myths are an inexhaustible source of plots for world cinema – we've all seen Cyclopes, sirens, gods descending from Olympus, and heroes defying fate on screen dozens of times.
However, the true gems of the genre don't just retell well-known legends, they reimagine them and find new meaning in them.
1. 'Jason and the Argonauts', 1963
IMDb Score: 7.3/10
Pelias conquered Thessaly and killed King Aristo and his entire family. However, Aristo's youngest son, Jason, survives thanks to the protection of the goddess Hera.
Years later, the grown hero resolved to restore justice and reclaim the lands that were rightfully his.
To prove the favor of the gods and grant his people a miracle, Jason embarks on a dangerous adventure in search of the Golden Fleece.
2. 'Baahubali: The Beginning', 2015
IMDb Score: 8.0/10
Wounded and holding her newborn baby, Shivagamini attempts to escape the pursuit of enemy warriors. When she reaches the river at the foot of a waterfall, she begs the gods to save the boy destined to ascend the throne of Mahishmati.
Mahendra Baahubali miraculously survives and is raised under a different name. He dreams of climbing to the top of that very waterfall.
There, he is destined to meet his highest goal – he will discover his origins, fight against tyranny, and accomplish many heroic deeds.
3. 'Troy', 2004
IMDb Score: 7.3/10
The recently established peace between Spartan ruler Menelaus and Trojan princes Hector and Paris is once again in jeopardy.
While visiting Sparta, Paris fell in love with Menelaus' wife, the beautiful Helen. They fell in love, and Helen decided to elope with Paris.
Upon learning of this, Menelaus sets off for Mycenae to enlist his brother Agamemnon's support for a campaign against impregnable Troy.
4. 'The First King', 2019
IMDb Score: 6.5/10
A natural disaster caused the brothers Romulus and Remus to be captured in the Latin city of Alba Longa. Not willing to accept their fate, the brothers revolted and freed all the slaves, including Satnei, a priestess of the goddess Vesta.
She prophesied that one of the brothers would face eternal darkness by the will of the gods, while the other would attain glory and power over a mighty kingdom. However, for the prophecy to come true, one brother had to kill the other.
5. 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief', 2010
IMDb Score: 5.9/10
Percy Jackson is an ordinary New York high school student and the son of Poseidon, though he doesn't suspect it.
He remains unaware until Zeus accuses him of stealing the god's lightning bolts. The entire ancient Greek pantheon of gods and monsters then descends on New York City in search of the stolen goods.
Percy encounters the Olympian gods, a centaur, the Minotaur, Medusa, and other creatures from Greek mythology and even attends a camp for demigod children on Long Island.
6. '300', 2006
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
The events of the movie unfold in the 5th century BCE. Sparta's ruling king, Leonidas I, a descendant of Heracles, kills an envoy who demands that Sparta submit to the Persian ruler, Xerxes.
After rejecting the ultimatum, the Spartan leader devises a plan to destroy the superior Persian army.
He decides to lure the Persians into the narrow Pass of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors under his command will await them.
7. 'Gods of Egypt', 2016
IMDb Score: 5.4/10
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The kingdom was ruled by two brothers: Osiris, the god of life, and Set, who presided over the lifeless desert. Everything was going well until Osiris decided to hand the throne over to his son, Horus.
During Horus' coronation, Set killed Osiris and assumed sole power. Together with a group of brave men and gods, Horus organizes a resistance determined to overthrow the usurper and restore the rightful heir to power.
8. 'Immortals', 2011
IMDb Score: 6.0/10
Ancient Greece, 1228 BCE. The cruel King Hyperion seeks the Epirus Bow to free the Titans from their imprisonment beneath Mount Tartarus. With this power, he hopes to overthrow the Olympian gods and gain control of the world.
He kidnaps the seer Phaedra to exploit her abilities for his own benefit. Hyperion's army advances, capturing the village where the young demigod Theseus lives with his mother and the old man who taught him martial arts.
It seems that Theseus is the only one who can stand against Hyperion.
