If tragedy + time = comedy, Troy might just be the best romcom ever.
From love to lightning, Zeus to Aphrodite, when it came to the personification of attributes and elements, no one had a “god complex” quite like the ancient Greeks.
With their founding of theatre and its irrevocable tie to modern day acting, the combination of Greek mythology and the hamming it up of Hollywood actors is a no-brainer, which is why we’ve been making movies about ancient figures since the invention of film.
Whether you're a fan of the drama, the gods, or just hunky hams with spray-on abs, Greek mythololgy's got something for everyone.
15. Immortals (2011)
Hyperion masquerading in his best stag beetle headdress.
Combining several aspects of Greek myths, we somehow ended up with a movie that felt like anything but.
It’s as if someone told the writers “just go Google Greek myths and make a story out of it;” and a few drunken sessions later we have Immortals.
The plot focuses around the warmongering King Hyperion of ancient Crete seeking the fabled “Epirus Bow” so he can free the titans from the bondage of the gods. (I know, kinky right?)
Well, our hero Theseus is having none of this, and vows to stop Hyperion from accomplishing his nefarious goals.
Between Hyperion’s sadly recycled "bitt character, the god’s helmets looking like light fixtures from Sharper Image, and Ares getting hit so hard he creates an Ares-shaped hole in the wall like a Looney Tunes character, I just couldn’t reconcile the beautiful scenery with the hilariously disjointed storyline and toneless acting.
Immortals makes the list only thanks to wonderfully choreographed fight scenes and Singh’s beautiful artwork.
14. Alexander (2004)
Even an all-star cast can't fix choppy writing and clunky storyline
This modern retelling of Alexander the Great and his rise to power succeeds in recreating the battles even though it fails as a movie.
Definitely fitting into the “epic” category of antiquity period pieces, no expense was spared in this retelling of the ancient conqueror. The movie itself drags on with meandering dialogue and lackadaisical acting, but the fight scenes are a much-needed respite from Colin Farrel screaming at you.
The battles themselves are huge, bloody, and do a great job of looking chaotic (though I’m not sure if that was for historical accuracy or just bad coordination.) Either way the battle scenes are great and his encounter with the Indian king and his army is especially brutal.
Whatever your thoughts are on the movie itself, I still recommend a watch if for nothing else than the outstanding action scenes.
13. 300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
With limb-slicing, bone-crushing battle scenes, 300: RoaE, just like its predecessor, delivers the same stylized combat of ancient Greek warfare.
Led by Themysticles, (AKA: King Neckbeard) the much smaller Athenian fleet must stop the much larger Persian navy by drawing them into close-quarters combat where their numbers count for nothing…hmm is anyone else getting déjà vu?
Though it is tempting to dismiss this sequel as “the one with the boats,” RoaE’s gimmick actually turns out pretty well.
With amazing sea battles between Themistocles’ Athenians and Artemisia’s Persians, one can almost forgive the “romance” plot awkwardly phoned in.
Though the movie tries to invoke the power of the original 300, the effort sinks like so many Persian and Greek ships, but the battles and story behind it are important enough to help Rise of an Empire stay afloat.
12. Clash of the Titans (2010)
Even if you haven’t seen the original, the story of Perseus fighting Medusa and the Krakken is probably one you’ve heard before.
Perseus is back in this remake because apparently risking his life to save his hometown from the gods and giant sea monsters just once wasn’t enough.
As a stand-alone movie, CotT is about as action-packed as they come, even if the acting is a bit...well, absent.
The money was well spent to add life to the myth life with new story, creatures, and characters, though the overabundance of CGI can at times be more blinding than Zeus’ armor.
Overall, if you already know the original story and just want to see a new direction, or just updated graphics, you won’t get a better view from the back of Pegasus itself.
11. Alexander the Great (1956)
Telling the life story of this larger-than-life character is about as difficult as it sounds, and this film is no different.
Recounting the life of one of the world’s most prolific conquerors, this 1956 version delivers relatively loyal dialogue with all the drama of a Shakespearean play (hilarious headwear and all.)
The action scenes are evenly-spaced and accurate enough, and the battles between Alexander and Darius do a great job of capturing the action without compromising the flow of the story.
It can be a hard watch just because of how dated it is, but as with any historical drama, knowing the context is crucial to understanding the dialogue, and it’s even truer for a movie written 70 years ago.
Looking passed its age, Alexander is a great retelling of the ancient leader's life.
10. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
After hearing about a hidden trove of cash, three prisoners: Pete, Delmar, and Ulysses, escape their chain gang in pursuit of the cash and their individual dreams of how to spend it.
It seems like an odd one out on this list, but this light-hearted Coen Brothers adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey has plenty of action, comedy, lessons, and all with a lot less dead Greeks.
Set in Depression Era Mississippi, the three companions (representing Odysseus and his men) set out with dreams of home in their heads, only to be beset by one unexpected turn after the other.
Combining characters inspired by both American Southwest folklore and Greek mythology, such as the gangster George “Babyface” Nelson, and Poseidon's role as the gang’s ruthless pursuer, the film creates a sense of wonder and enchantment where it can be impossible to guess what’s coming next.
Funny, exciting, and sometimes totally bizarre, this unique retelling is a great and welcomed addition to Greek mythology movies.
9. Disney’s Hercules (1997)
If you know the mythology, you know that Heracles (Hercules) didn’t exactly have the most kid-friendly of storylines (being a family-murdering bastard son of a womanizing deity and an infanticidal step-mother does not, in fact, an acceptable protagonist make.)
Disney, however, does what it does best: whip up some catchy songs, PC-up the plot, and let the animators do the rest.
It's a simple recipe but hey, so are french fries.
The reimagined origin story has Zeus and Hera happily watching over baby Herc while the scheming Hades, in fear of the child’s strength, attempts to strip him of his immortality.
Hercules is adopted by the mortal Alcmene, (as opposed to her giving birth to him), who raises the boy. His vast power however, soon alienates him from others, making his mighty strength feel like his greatest weakness. Only through understanding his true origins will he gain the ability to conquer his own flaws.
If you haven’t seen the movie already, or it’s just been a while, Disney’s Hercules is worth a watch if for no other reason than the nostalgia of Danny Davito as a skirt-chasing satyr, and James Woods as a perpetually exasperated Hades absolutely losing his sh*t.
8. Wonder Woman (2017)
Making her debut in this origin story, Princess Diana must learn the truth about who she is and the world outside before she faces down a vengeful god… and she looks great every high-heeled kick of the way.
If you’re a fan of DC, Wonder Woman, or just superhero movies in general, you’ll love the dynamic and vivid action sequences showing off Diana’s powers and fighting ability, which is starkly contrasted to the rest of the characters in the story.
If you’ll pardon the pun, the characters are comically 2-dimensional. Caricatures like Ludendorff and the ever-so-inconspicuously monikered “Dr. Poison,” are just a couple of the Disneyfied aspects of the movie, along with Chris Pine who, as always, finds a motorcycle to ride and fly something that explodes.
All scruples aside, Gal Gadot nails the role, bringing power and light to the drab and grey WW1 backdrops, and winning Wonder Woman not the war and her place on this list.
7. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
If you have a general understanding of Greek mythological stories you’ll notice a trend of the “lost” hero; Jason is no exception.
In JatA, Jason and a ragtag group of adventurers aboard the ship “Argos” (get it now?) set out to retrieve the magically healing Golden Fleece from a far away land.
The audience watches through the awkward expository provided by Zeus and Hera who sound like the parents from Leave it to Beaver.
Even though the movie is almost 60 years old, Harryhousen’s stop-motion animation is still impressive, better than many later movies’ special effects.
While the movie has a couple odd downsides (Jason being awkwardly dubbed over, for example) it nevertheless stays relatively loyal to the myth while keeping the action scenes frequent and fresh.
6. Hercules (2014)
More of a fanfiction than a retelling of any Herculean epic, its story arc is more similar to famous films like the iconic Seven Samurai.
Hercules and friends are enlisted to defend a town being raided by a group of barbarians who happen to be centaurs: half-horse, half-man creatures.
Taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to the original mythology, this legend of Herc's strength lies not in his muscles but in his companions, who, along with the innocent child of the archetypal damsel-in-distress single mother, work to create an exposition of a less Hulk and more Avengers type Hercules.
While this new plot completely undermines the original myth by replacing the idea of repentance with vengeance, if you’re just lookin’ for a good popcorn-scarfing action-hero flick, this one gets the job done.
5. Agora (2009)
If everything you and your family had ever worked for was taken, would you ever be able to fully rebuild?
In a tumultuous 4th c. CE, Egypt, the Serepeum was all that was left of the Library of Alexandria, a place of such illumination that it held a steam turbine over a thousand years before the invention of steam engines.
This was the world of Hypatia, a Greco-Roman mathematician and philosopher who taught at the Serepeum during a time of civil strife and religious schisms.
While the history and subsequent theme of the movie is not entirely accurate, Agora gives a poignant and reflective insight into our ancient past, and how unchecked culmination of political and religious tensions tear apart every aspect of society, including those like Hypatia and what she stood for.
While the history of the movie is a bit inaccurate, it still rings clear as a poignant and reflective insight into our ancient past and what happens when political and religious strife take hold of an empire.
4. Clash Of The Titans (1981)
So, your town is flooded, the gods are pissed, and your fiancé’s crazy troll of an ex-boyfriend is trying to kill you, what’s a half-god to do?
Based on the legend of Perseus, what starts out as a squabble in the heavens ultimately gets Perseus netted into the role of hero as he attempts to save both a princess and a city from the dreaded Kraken.
Even with the hilariously outdated effects, CotT shows us that graphics are not necessary to tell a good story.
Unlike the remakes, which are extremely CGI heavy, the 1981 version at least allows us to appreciate the acting, even if it is a bit hammy at times.
This works to the movie's advantage by making the fights more believable and less Michael Bay-y.
All things considered, it's still a solid retelling of one of history’s oldest legends.
3. Troy (2004)
Ah, yes finally, a Hollywood big-budget adaptation of the Trojan ; where the characters are flat, the storyline doesn't matter, and the Trojans all have British accents for some reason.
The story of Troy (if you haven’t heard) is basically what happened in the ancient world if you violated the “don’t mess with your friend’s girl” bro-code.
While not exactly loyal to the mythology, the high production value of the battles alone put this movie on the list.
Troy is filled with all the bloody and brutal fight scenes between the Trojans and Greeks and probably the most action-packed, realistic, and loyal Hector vs Achilles fight to date.
The real tragedy of “Troy” isn’t the fate of the city; a big budget can buy A-list actors and artistic license but in doing so we easily lose sight of the bigger picture that shows us the follies of mankind.
2. 300 (2006)
Set in ancient Greece, 300 is the story of King Leonidas and his Spartan warriors standing up to an army roughly a thousand times larger.
If you don’t know the story yet, I recommend watching a YouTube video (or reading) about the Greek/Persian rivalry at the time. While the movie itself is littered with ridiculously xenophobic undertones and history-altering artistic license (especially in Leonidas’ intentions and cutting out all the other Greeks at the battle) the action of 300 has become iconic.
Beautifully choreographed scenes of hoplites bulldozing through enemy units is a site to behold; and all faults aside, 300 wonderfully demonstrates the difference between an homage and an exaggeration by being a bit of both.
In the end it brightly shines through that someone's freedom will not be taken lightly.
1. The Odyssey (1997)
The ultimate message passed down from our ancestors telling men everywhere to “just stop and ask for directions”: The Odyssey.
This two-part made-for-tv movie from 1997 has actually become known as one of the most loyal representations of the original story.
Starting with his summoning to Troy and an uncomfortably underwhelming presentation of Hector, Odysseus and his men set sail on their journey home, only to get lost and turn the otherwise short errand into a real odyssey (get it?)
Known for his cunning, Odysseus and his men find themselves in many difficult situations over their journey, with wily Odysseus often the one who must find a way out (even if his friends have to pay the price.)
His cunning must have been legendary indeed to play off having various women rub olive oil on his nipples for 12 years to his loyal wife. Hey, those togas can chafe!
All psycho-analytic, anti-cheavenstic social commentaries aside, the movie is tautly paced, well acted, and remains a staple in modern Homeric media for its accurate and faithful portrayal.
