The timeless stories portrayed in Greek mythology have been reinterpreted for modern audiences in engaging and beloved movies many times over.
The stories which were popular in ancient Greece clearly have staying power throughout the millennia, with some of the movies below capturing the imaginations of audiences around the world since the invention of cinema.
Sagas of dysfunctional divinities sticking their noses into the affairs of mere mortals were all the rage in the ancient world.
We have compiled a list of the best that reinterpret and retell the myths of ages for a new audience, which is guaranteed to tickle the tastes of history lovers everywhere.
We present to you 5 GREAT MOVIES ABOUT GREEK MYTHOLOGY.
- 300
If there’s one key takeaway from watching Zack Snyder’s 300, it’s that under no circumstances should you get on the wrong side of a Spartan.
Here Are Five Movies About Mythology
Renowned for its warriors, Sparta was a city-state of Athens that was full of fighting types who were always up for a rumble, no matter the odds.
Based on Frank Miller’s comic book of the same name, to which the film stays remarkably true, the 2006 movie is based on the Battle of Thermopylae that occurred during the year four hundred and eighty BC.
In the film, King Leonidas is so disgusted by King Xerxes’ offer of complete and utter subjugation of Sparta to Persia that he can barely give vent to his concerns, so he doesn’t.
What he does do is kick Xerxes’ emissary down a well, scream “Sparta,” and lead 300 of his bravest men to face down a horde of tyrants who would enslave them.
It’s the stuff legends are made of and although it’s not historically accurate, it superbly captures in mythic terms the honor, integrity, and determination of the underdog.
- MINOTAUR
The Minotaur is one of the best-known Greek myths, and also one of the most disturbing.
MINOTAUR
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.
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.
- WONDER WOMAN
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.
Here Are Five Movies About Mythology
This aspect of Diana Prince’s origin story is explored to great effect in director Patty Jenkins’s 2017 film ‘Wonder Woman.’
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 a universal significance.
She’s an eternal warrior from a race which according to Greek mythology was Artemis’ band of strong female warriors and hunters battling for the perseverance of humanity in the face of macho gods acting like bloodthirsty idiots.
The daughter of Queen Hippolyta is a woman on a mission to use her own unique, inherent fighting skills to prevent further violence.
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.
- IMMORTALS
In Greek mythology, Theseus is most renowned for outwitting and slaying the half-man, half-bull hybrid that is the Minotaur.
Here Are Five Movies About Mythology
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the legends that surround this hero of the ancient world. The founder of Athens and son of Poseidon is a heavy-hitter in the world of myth and director Tarsem Singh’s 2011 film riffs on all of them.
Starring Henry Cavill in the lead role as the mortal handpicked by sky god Zeus to battle evil and bring balance to the world, Theseus has a lot on his plate from the get-go but he’s more than up for it.
Immortals is a visual rollercoaster ride dripping with as much mythology as you can stomach. If you want Titans, gods, and big players from the golden age, you’ve got them.
From Poseidon, Apollo, and Ares to Athena, Heracles and Helios, nearly all the gods are here and fighting for screen time.
Scene after scene is lavishly shot and sprinkled generously with CGI to transport the audience back to a time when gods walked amongst us and wouldn’t leave us alone.
- TROY
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.”
Here Are Five Movies About Mythology
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.
See the video below for more!
