20 Movies About Greek Mythology For History Lovers

When not busy sitting around spouting philosophy in the fierce Mediterranean sun or tweaking the concept of democracy for future generations, the ancient Greeks liked nothing more than a damn good yarn. In an age before the internet, smartphones, Kindles, game consoles, TV, and movies, a soul could get easily bored and a tad twitchy on a dreary midweek evening. Naturally, an engaging tale and the telling of it was just the tonic. The ancient Greeks were storytellers par excellence and their tales of gods, goddesses, supernatural beings, dastardly deeds, and heroic adventures were so good they took on mythical proportions. Sagas of dysfunctional divinities sticking their noses into the affairs of mere mortals soon became all the rage in the ancient world.

Like an infinite soap opera, the Greek myths have endured because who cannot relate to epic sagas of flawed heroes, egotistical gods, charismatic villains, cursed beasts, and wise immortals who are all too human? When Perseus slew the Medusa, when Pandora opened the box, when Narcissus fell in love with his reflection, or when Atlas shouldered the weight of the world, it struck a chord that echoed down through the centuries and eventually made its way onto the big screen. Greek mythology bestows order upon the chaos of the natural world and the affairs of man and nature. It also makes for some fine-as-wine movies. Here are 20 of the best that reinterpret and retell the myths of ages for a new audience, guaranteed to tickle the tastes of history lovers everywhere.

At a spritely 39 years of age, Brad Pitt got himself in awesome physical shape to play Achilles in the 2004 ode to love, betrayal, and extreme acts of violence and valor that is director Wolfgang Petersen's "Troy." Based loosely on Homer's epic poem The Iliad, the film takes a few liberties with timelines, plot, and characterization, but it ties so many elements of Greek myth into a satisfying whole that you can forgive it almost anything. It brings the Trojan Horse and Achilles' heel myths to life in grandiose fashion, plus you'll understand why it's always a mistake to fall in love with Helen of Troy, who in Greek mythology is believed to be the daughter of Zeus and Leda.

Yet it's the grandstanding Achilles who steals the show. He was hailed as the most formidable and fierce of all Greek warriors and in "Troy" he definitely pulls no punches. Arriving on the scene with his Myrmidons, Achilles takes the fighting to a different level and his way with a sword is evenly matched by his way with a threat. Prior to slaying Hector (Eric Bana) and dragging away his corpse, he snarls at the clearly anxious Trojan, "You won't have eyes tonight. You won't have ears or a tongue. You'll wander the underworld blind, deaf and dumb, and all the dead will know: This is Hector, the fool who thought he killed Achilles." It's not really the sort of thing you want to hear from one of history's greatest warriors when they're holding a sword and their blood is up.

One of the most intriguing aspects of "300" was the character of King Xerxes. The flamboyant, make-up-wearing, bling-loving, buffed-up, and bald-headed giant prone to hysterics and wanton acts of violence was definitely an enigma. Was he a god or just an emotional fantasist whose delusions of grandeur had been indulged by an overly-supportive mother? Set just before, during, and after events in the original film, and based in part on the Battle of Artemisium and Battle of Salamis, "300: Rise of an Empire" works well as Xerxes' origin story but fails on all other fronts. After learning of the death of his father King Darius at the hands of the Greeks, Xerxes vows vengeance and finds a cave full of an otherworldly liquid he can take a quick bath in. The mystical bubbles turn him into an eight-foot giant god-king with a peculiar voice who sets out to dominate the world.

It's at this point that director Noam Murro's film gets a bit patchy. Xerxes' chief foe is General Themistocles of Athens, who killed Xerxes' father at the Battle of Marathon, but Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) lacks the charisma, presence and wild-eyed intensity of Leonidas. Sadly, the audience is bored into an almost humorless indifference concerning the fate of an individual who is fighting for a free Greece against the forces of supernatural fascism. The film is also top-heavy with carnage and lacks the emotional impact of its predecessor. Yet Xerxes continues to shine like a born pantomime villain, while Eva Green sparkles as his equally wicked naval commander Artemisia.

She may be a superhero, but Wonder Woman was also a member of a race of warrior women that had their roots in Greek mythology. This aspect of Diana Prince's origin story is explored to great effect in director Patty Jenkins's 2017 film "Wonder Woman." Although it brings a Christian interpretation to various elements of ancient myth and streamlines certain narratives for the sake of convenience, the tale of Ares the God of War corrupting the hearts of men is a compelling and timeless one. More importantly, it introduces the audience to the Amazons and gives Diana of Themyscira (Gal Gadot) a universal significance. She's an eternal warrior from a race of fighting females, battling for the perseverance of humanity in the face of macho gods acting like bloodthirsty idiots.

By taking a sprinkle of Greek myth, a dash of the First World War, and a whole heaping of comic book culture, "Wonder Woman" is a potent brew that still stands as one of the DC Extended Universe's finest hours. The daughter of Queen Hippolyta is a woman on a mission to use her own unique, inherent fighting skills to prevent further violence. Yet Wonder Woman's ferocity in a fight is equaled by her compassion and a fitting tribute to the real Amazons of antiquity. When you take one look at Wonder Woman in a rage, you're left with no doubt why Greek heroes such as Achilles, Theseus, and Hercules had to prove their worth in combat by fighting an Amazon warrior queen.

Perhaps unhappy at their reception in director Louis Leterrier's 2010 version of "Clash of the Titans," the Titans weren't just clashing in 2012 but were angry as well. With "Wrath of the Titans," audiences finally hoped they would get the sort of film the old gods and goddesses deserved. Set a decade after the events of the previous film, director Jonathan Liebesman's bite at the Greek myth apple fails to hit the sweet spot continually but does have some memorable moments for fans of Greek mythology. The special effects are bang on the buck and it's always a joy to see creatures of myth brought to life just to battle it out on the big screen.

The film's basic concept of the gods losing control of the caged Titans due to humanity's growing lack of belief and prayers is also an intriguing one. Perseus (Sam Worthington) is once again summoned, but this time to rescue his dad Zeus and form a father-and-son team-up that will smash the Titans to kingdom come. In complete contrast to Laurence Olivier's Zeus in "Clash of the Titans," Liam Neeson is a lot less hammy and a lot more stoic, failing magnificently to engage the audience. The film is less about Greek myth as a meaningful narrative but more like a who's who in the world of gods and goddesses. Nevertheless, for fans of Greek mythology, such blockbusters are always worth a watch, if only for what the Germans call the "Sturm und Drang."

The life of Alexander of Macedonia often reads like a myth. Tutored by Aristotle, the young Greek was taming wild stallions by the time he was 12. Four years later he was leading men into battle and by the age of 20, he was king. Alexander's reputation as a fearless and brilliantly strategic military commander would see him build one of history's largest empires by the time he turned 30 and he did it all without losing a battle. It's no wonder history would regard him as Alexander the Great and Oliver Stone would choose to make a film about him in 2004.

Although often believed to be the son of Zeus, Alexander was a real person and much of what takes place in Stone's film is based on historical fact. However, there are elements to the film that make it seem like a Greek myth as opposed to a run-of-the-mill historic drama. Played by Colin Farrell, this Alexander has a strange Irish lilt to his voice, but as the film is all about subjective interpretation and the building of a myth, all is forgiven. The film is not one of Stone's best and can be a bit plodding at times, albeit in a very poetic manner. Yet it gives a real taste of a man who achieved so much before his death at the age of 32 — a fitting tribute to an individual who existed in history but has since attained the status of myth. 

The Minotaur is one of the best-known Greek myths, and also one of the most disturbing. The monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull who lives in an underground labyrinth, brooding about his lot and fermenting a deep resentment of other life forms, is quite unsettling and lends itself perfectly to the horror genre. This is probably why in 2006, director Jonathan English had a stab at making a horror flick about the ill-conceived offspring of Pasiphae and the Cretan Bull. Although it deviates from traditional Greek myth, the tale of eight young people being sacrificed to the Minotaur in his underground lair every year has all the darkness, despair, and symbolism of the ancient tales.

Tom Hardy takes on the traditional role of Theseus as he attempts to outwit the predatory beast and lead his friends to freedom. Along the way, the sight and sound of the bestial Minotaur grunting and charging at people, before impaling them on its horns, captures the animalistic savagery at the heart of this particular Greek myth. The Minotaur in this film was born out of bestiality and a woman's desire to create a living god, and the audience gets a true taste of how such an egotistical ambition backfires spectacularly. "Minotaur" is not a great film, but it does remind the viewer that when the ancient Greeks talked about the labyrinth and the Minotaur, they were deploying a nuanced metaphor for the human condition.

Before he was an overweight, balding, yellow cartoon, Homer was better known as an author and epic poet from ancient Greece who wrote "The Odyssey." It is this saga that Mario Camerini's 1954 film is based upon. Featuring Kirk Douglas as Ulysses, the movie finds our hero quite literally washed up on a strange shore with no memory of his heroics at the siege of Troy. That all changes in the space of one hot minute when he has a flashback that reminds him of his eternal greatness. Realizing he has been kept from his homeland and memories for years because he got on the wrong side of Neptune, Ulysses relives his adventures when striving to return home after 10 long years at war.

"Ulysses" is a film that has largely slipped under the radar in the canon of Greek mythology adaptations, which is unfortunate because Douglas in his usual fierce and frank way delivers a memorable performance. For some reason, the film substitutes the Greek sea god Poseidon for its Roman variant Neptune and does the same with Odysseus (Ulysses). Yet those small gripes aside, the film is worth a watch just to see the Cyclops Polyphemus. The 35-foot-tall mechanical giant doesn't quite live up to the special effects standard "Jason and the Argonauts" set nine years later, but for the era, it's a decent effort. The film is also worth persevering with for the ending, which stays true to Homer's bloody climax.

Before Zack Snyder hurled the legend of the battle-hardened Spartans into the public's consciousness like a well-placed spear, there was a 1962 movie which had already documented the exploits of King Leonidas and his steadfast 300. Directed by Rudolph Mate, "The 300 Spartans" is worth 114 minutes of your time just to compare and contrast with the 2006 version. The bones of the story are of course identical. King Xerxes is on the rampage and wants to write his philosophy of "one world ruled by one master" in blood and conquest. Sparta has other ideas, and 300 of the best and bravest take the fight to the hordes of Persia.

The original has a lot less spectacle and violence than Snyder's version but a little more historical accuracy. Both the Spartans and Persians wear outfits that are far more historically on-the-ball than in Snyder's film. Both films also use famous Spartan comments — as recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus – for much of the dialogue, which gives them the kind of authenticity CGI just cannot buy. When Leonidas replies to a Persian's threat that their "arrows will blot out the sun" with the classic "Then we will fight in the shade," you're hearing a conversation straight from antiquity. Yet the greatest legacy of "The 300 Spartans" may be its influence on writer Frank Miller. He was six when he first saw "The 300 Spartans" and credits it with inspiring him to write the graphic novel on which "300" is based. What goes around comes around!

Alongside "The Blood of a Poet" (1930), and "The Testament of Orpheus" (1960), "Orpheus" (1950) forms Jean Cocteau's "Orphic Trilogy." Based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, "Orpheus" is widely considered as Jean Cocteau's most linear film. Anyone familiar with the director's work will realize this still makes it as far removed from modern blockbuster fare as possible. Yet Cocteau's hypnotic, dreamlike filmmaking lends itself superbly to the elusive and surreal qualities of Greek myth. Roger Ebert wrote, "Seeing 'Orpheus' today is like glimpsing a cinematic realm that has passed completely from the scene." Ebert adds that with Cocteau at the helm, the myth becomes even more complex and explores the dangerous disassociation from humanity artists can suffer for their art.

The film updates the ancient Greek tale and sets it in modern Paris, yet in typical Cocteau fashion, the film is open to interpretation. Is it all in the imagination of Orpheus himself? Or is he an evil poet who kills what he loves simply so he can sing about it? There is even a suggestion that Orpehus's true love is death itself and the glory of becoming an immortal poet. Is the film a reflection on reincarnation, or perhaps it is little more than a dream within a dream? In the final analysis neither the question nor answers matter, but just the visual spectacle that worms its way into the viewer's subconscious like liquid mercury and sets fire to the imagination.

At first glance, you might think the Coen brothers' "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is just a humorous, entertaining film about three convicts on the lam during the Great Depression in search of lost loot, but think again. Within that wisecracking tomfoolery and those barnstorming folk tunes, there's a journey to be found and that journey, as the opening credits tell us, is based on Homer's "Odyssey." As Ulysses (George Clooney), Pete (John Turturro), and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), begin their quest in search of the glittering prize, a blind man on the railway sounds an ominous warning that the fortune they will find will not be the one they seek. Along the way the three adventurers encounter a guitar player who sold his soul to the devil, sirens washing their clothes in a river who later drug them with corn whiskey, and a host of other characters straight out of the pages of Greek myth.

The bible salesman and Ku Klux Klan member Daniel "Big Dan" Teague ( John Goodman) is the cyclops Polyphemus, Ulysses's wife Penny (Holly Hunter) is Penelope, and the ruthless Sherrif Cooley (Daniel von Bargen) is Poseidon. It's a refreshing take on a tale as old as the hills. By incorporating the spirit of "The Odyssey" into a chapter of American history that is already rich with its own burgeoning mythology, the film proves poignantly that the old myths never die, they simply adapt and endure.