The Perfect Movie To Watch After The Odyssey Is Finally Getting The Audience It Always Deserved

Published Jul 22, 2026, 10:05 AM EDT Senior Music Editor at Screen Rant, Sarah's love of sound and story drive the beat. A globetrotting brand whisperer and award-winning journalist, she’s built cross-cultural narratives around the world—but music has always been her true north. She launched DJ Mag North America, successfully introducing the iconic UK brand to the U.S. market. Previously, she carved a space for EDM inside the pages of VIBE, blending electronic and hip-hop culture long before it was trendy. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has done something Hollywood has not managed in years: it has made ancient mythology feel like must-see blockbuster entertainment again. The film's enormous box office has reminded audiences that stories first written thousands of years ago can still fill multiplexes when they're given the scale, ambition, and emotional weight they deserve. Whenever a movie becomes a genuine cultural event, viewers inevitably go searching for something that captures a similar feeling. Sometimes that means revisiting obvious franchise entries. Other times it leads to older movies that were appreciated in their day but never quite received the lasting reputation they deserved. That appears to be happening now, as interest in one of the biggest Greek epics of the 2000s has quietly surged in the wake of The Odyssey's release. Unlike Nolan's adaptation of Homer's poem, this film takes a far more grounded approach to ancient mythology. The gods are absent, prophecies are treated with skepticism, and the focus remains squarely on flawed, deeply human warriors whose pride and ambition ultimately prove just as destructive as any supernatural force. It transforms one of history's most famous legends into a sweeping historical war drama without losing the tragedy that made the original story endure for centuries. If The Odyssey has left you wanting another grand adventure filled with legendary heroes, massive practical battle sequences, unforgettable duels, and one of cinema's greatest depictions of honor in wartime, there is one movie that deserves to be at the top of your watchlist. More than two decades after its release, Wolfgang Petersen's Troy is finally finding the audience it always deserved. Troy Captures The Scale That Makes Great Ancient Epics So Addictive Credit: Everett Collection Even before audiences knew Christopher Nolan was developing The Odyssey, Hollywood had largely abandoned large-scale sword-and-sandal epics. Studios occasionally revisited gladiators or historical adventures, but very few productions attempted to recreate entire civilizations with the sheer practical ambition that defined classics like Ben-Hur or Lawrence of Arabia. Troy remains one of the last major examples of that filmmaking philosophy. Petersen assembled an extraordinary ensemble led by Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando Bloom as Paris, Diane Kruger as Helen, Sean Bean as Odysseus, Brian Cox as Agamemnon, Peter O'Toole as King Priam, Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus, and Rose Byrne as Briseis. Instead of relying primarily on digital spectacle, much of the film's scale comes from enormous practical sets, thousands of costumed extras, and battle choreography that still carries remarkable physical weight. Its greatest achievement, however, is understanding that the Trojan War has never really been about winning. Whether told by Homer or Hollywood, the conflict is ultimately a tragedy driven by ego, loyalty, revenge, and impossible choices. Achilles may be the film's most famous character, but Bana's noble Hector arguably provides its emotional center, giving the story a heartbreaking moral complexity that elevates it beyond a conventional action blockbuster. Troy Isn't Completely Faithful To Homer—But That's Exactly Why It Works As A Follow-Up To The Odyssey Purists have long criticized Troy for taking liberties with Greek mythology. The Olympian gods barely factor into the story, many characters receive revised fates, and the screenplay favors historical realism over divine intervention. Those criticisms are fair, but they also explain why the movie has aged surprisingly well. Rather than attempting to recreate every supernatural element of Homer's world, Petersen grounds the conflict in recognizable human motivations. The result feels less like fantasy and more like an enormous historical drama populated by legendary figures whose reputations have grown larger than life over time. That approach makes the film especially accessible for viewers who may not already know the intricacies of Greek mythology. Ironically, The Odyssey may be the best thing that has happened to Troy in years. Nolan's adaptation has reminded audiences how compelling these ancient stories remain when filmmakers treat them with genuine ambition instead of irony. For anyone leaving the theater wanting another sweeping journey through the world of Greek heroes, there is no better place to start. The Odyssey may be the best thing that has happened to Troy in years. More than 20 years after its release, Troy feels less like a relic of the early 2000s and more like the missing companion piece audiences did not realize they were looking for. It may not be the definitive adaptation of Homer, but it remains one of Hollywood's last truly massive historical epics—and thanks to The Odyssey, it is finally getting another well-earned moment in the spotlight. Release Date May 14, 2004 Runtime 163 Minutes Director Wolfgang Petersen Writers Homer, David Benioff