In the wake of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, why not take a journey into these ten other cinematic odysseys…
It’s the season of The Odyssey with Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation out in the world. The project has been contentious to say the least, with internet folk voicing their opinions on everything from the armor to the casting to the anachronistic dialogue. Still, regardless of whether one agrees with Nolan’s creative or casting choices, the arrival of any new Nolan picture is always welcome, particularly as a filmmaker still vehemently trying to capture as much as possible with practical FX and old-school filmmaking. He also does large scale spectacle as well as anyone around right now.
Adapting such revered and widely known (many have at least a passing knowledge of characters and moments from Homer’s story) comes with risks. It’s often been considered an incredibly difficult and ambitious work to adapt in depth, though some have opted to adapt it loosely. The themes, though, and the arduous quest have become a hugely popular movie trope, many of which pay homage (either directly or indirectly) to Greek mythological odysseys. An arduous quest has been at the heart of so much literature for millennia, and proved to be a great starting point for exciting escapist cinema. For fans fresh off Matt Damon and company’s long, perilous journey, here are ten more great odyssey movies for your watch list…
Krull
Coming during the bustling period of fantasy cinema in the 80s, Krull saw Bullitt director Peter Yates direct this rollicking film that’s got shades of Greek mythology as well as nods to 50s B pictures and even Star Wars. An evil alien force comes down to the planet Krull. A battle ensues, a King dies, and his son, Prince Colwyn, must flee and find a way to defeat the evil beast and rescue his betrothed Princess.
Like many 80s sword and sorcery films, this came out greeted with mediocre reviews. Also, like many, it found that the box office lure of Star Wars didn’t quite work elsewhere (with a few exceptions), and with a fairly sizable budget, it tanked. Also, like many of those films, time and hindsight have been kind. It looks incredible, James Horner’s score is rousing, the cast is impressive, and the FX are really impressive. The spider web sequence is particularly great. Hell, you’ve also got Bernard Bresslaw as a Cyclops. It may have taken the best part of 30 years plus and the benefit of nostalgia, but Krull really is great.
Jason and the Argonauts
Based on the Ancient Greek poem, Argonautica (by Apollonius Rhodius), this loose adaptation adds in a host of more recognisable elements and Gods in this epic quest that sees the titular Jason having to do battle with Titans in his quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
The film is iconic thanks to the stop motion visual effects from Ray Harryhausen, with the skeleton soldiers sequence still dazzling. That aside, an eclectic cast, including a number of British stalwarts such as Honor Blackman and Nigel Green, and a compelling journey help keep this ship sailing nicely. It’s just filled with B-movie adventure charm, too, and no doubt a perfect appetizer ahead of your viewing of Nolan’s new film.
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Another literary character, dating all the way back to the 8th or 9th century, synonymous with odyssey quests, is Sinbad the sailor. There have been numerous movie adaptations over the years, but none more memorable than the run of films with Harryhausen aboard to provide the spectacle.
The first of the Harryhausen Sinbad opuses is probably the best, and one of the highlights is a fearsome cyclops that Sinbad and his crew must face in their quest to find a magic lamp and reverse the evil magic that has cursed his wife to be. It’s a gorgeous Technicolor adventure with plenty of memorable creature sequences and a great score by Bernard Herrmann.
The President’s Cake
For most of us, pulling together the ingredients to make a cake involves a trip to the supermarket and, at its most perilous, a potential parking dispute. For 9-year-old Lamia, it’s an entirely more life-changing and arduous journey from Iraqi marshlands to the bustle of Baghdad in the early 90s. Having been selected by lottery to provide a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday, this is a mission Lamia cannot refuse, nor her friend Saeed, who accompanies her, with his own task to bring fruit to the party.
Shot in Iraq, Hasan Hadi’s film is gorgeously shot. It captures both the dust, grit, and earthiness of the surroundings, but also adds a hyperreal and evocative sheen in certain sequences. The quest itself is bittersweet, charming but also at times tense and harrowing. It’s a superb cinematic achievement and one which will hopefully gather more attention. Baneen Ahmad Nayyef’s performance as Lamia is sensational. There’s a bravery in centering a film on such a young protagonist because if the child actor can’t carry the picture, it all falls apart, and for such a gamut of emotions and subtle nuance, Nayyef handles the pressure magnificently.
It Was Just an Accident
Meanwhile, Iranian cinema is in the midst of a golden era with some truly astounding works in the last decade. It Was Just an Accident is another odyssey that sees a group of people brought together with a single connection, the torturer they all once endured. When haunted taxi driver, Vahid, believes he’s found the former tormentor and kidnaps him, he requires more confirmation, leading him one by one to those connected individuals as they seek absolute assurance they have the right person.
The film simmers and slowly builds its tension whilst retaining a more emotional grounding. Most of the cast are non-actors who bring a real level of authenticity to proceedings, thanks to the expert direction of Jafar Panahi. It goes to unexpected places too, and contains a degree of humour tinged with the macabre at times, and yet Panahi manages to hit hard with powerful moments.
Conan the Barbarian
An epic quest for revenge is one thing, but for Conan, his lust for vengeance takes us on a journey from his childhood, through to his listless misadventures as a thief, to finally facing his mortal enemy to avenge the death of his parents and retrieve his father’s sword. Along the way, he hears the voice of Crom, a God who values steel.
The film was dismissed as dumb brawny hokum upon release, even by the critics who largely appreciated it but this has more depth than it gets credit for. Oliver Stone and John Milius craft a very good script filled with great dialogue that is also rationed in favour of visual storytelling. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pitch-perfect as the Barbarian, even as raw as he was back then. Sandahl Bergman is great too, and both glide and move as if choreographed to a film that feels grand and operatic at times. That too is aided by Basil Poledouris’ score for the ages, which is a great 50s style throwback musical score that underpins its (at the time) very up-to-date sensibilities. James Earl Jones is mesmerising too as the villain, Thulsa Doom. All told, with stunning visuals too.
O Brother, Where Art Thou
In recent Hollywood memory, Christopher Nolan isn’t the only person to adapt The Odyssey. The Coen Brothers took an atypically quirky and comedic approach in loosely adapting Homer’s story into something a little bit different.
George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson are three escaped convicts who head off in search of a treasure, with a lawman giving them chase. It’s shot by Roger Deakins, so it looks glorious, and the goofball humour, musical numbers, and colourful performances make this journey a lot of fun.
Hercules
Back to Ancient Greece again, and it’s Hercules. The character appeared with Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece, and as far as Greek mythology in film, Hercules may well be the most prolific character. We’ve seen many versions from Steve Reeves to Dwayne Johnson to Arnold to Disney animation. So I’m gonna go for the Lou Ferrigno version. Yep, go figure.
Put out by Cannon Films, this Hercules movie, directed by Italian Horror/exploitation pic favourite, Luigi Cozzi, is one of the innumerable Italian-made B movies from the 80s. Featuring corny dubbing (including for Ferrigno) and cheap costumes, sets, and FX, this has a lot of charm. You might call it so bad it’s good as the meandering plot incorporates a number of stories and mythological creatures in a hodgepodge of ideas (whilst inventing a host of elements too). During Hercules trials, he fights a bear (or a man dressed in a bear suit, intercut with stock footage of an actual bear). Despite largely shoddy FX, some come off pretty well, the cinematography is intermittently impressive, and Pino Donaggio (Carrie) delivers a great score that’s probably way too good for the movie.
Project Hail Mary
A good old odyssey doesn’t necessarily have to take place on solid ground. It’s time to head out on a space odyssey. Not Kubrick, we’re going with Lord and Miller and Project Hail Mary. Ryan Gosling heads this big-budget journey across the galaxies to save an ailing Earth.
We’ve seen it before, and it’s certainly adjacent to Nolan’s Interstellar, too. Project Hail Mary is more light-hearted but still manages to carry a lot of emotional weight. Hell, it made me weep over a goddamn rock alien. Great soundtrack, stunning visuals, and a gripping journey that holds surprises (if you haven’t read Andy Weir’s source material), and Gosling holds it all together brilliantly (likewise, Rocky).
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Greek mythology inspired many things, including comic books and adventure serials. The latter were a huge source of inspiration to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg when it came to unleashing an adventuring archaeologist onto the cinema.
Harrison Ford is the perfect heroic and fallible leading man here, and Spielberg took Indy on a gruelling journey to find the Ark of the Covenant, whilst evading Nazi capture and hoping to get ahead of them. As far as adventure movies go, this became an archetype, and for good reason. It’s pretty much unrivalled. Every jump Spielberg takes here, he nails the landing, whilst the script that Lawrence Kasdan creates from Lucas and Philip Kaufman’s story is superb. Then there’s John Williams’ legendary score. One of his many instantly recognisable (and rousing) themes. Raiders is about as close to perfect as you can get in escapist cinema.
What is your favourite cinematic odyssey? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
