Christopher Nolan is bringing an ancient Greek epic to the IMAX screen, but the Oppenheimer director is nowhere near the first filmmaker to take inspiration from one of the most recognised tales ever written. From wacky comedies to heart-wrenching dramas, so many Hollywood movies are based on The Odyssey, you just don't know it.
The Odyssey is a collection of poems attributed to the Greek poet Homer, following warrior Odysseus' decade-long journey home after the Trojan War. You can read more about the original story in our The Odyssey beginner's guide. Nolan's The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as the greek soldier, who faces rough seas, a one-eyed monster, and demi-gods, all while his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) struggles to hold down the fort at home, and wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) swats away suitors with ulterior motives.
Sure, there have been many direct adaptations of the legendary tale throughout the years, but below we dive into some of the more offbeat titles that take inspiration from Odysseus' journey of a lifetime. Here are the 5 films you didn't know were inspired by The Odyssey.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou is probably the most faithful Odyssey adaptation on this list, but due to the Coen brothers 00s comedy film swapping the ancient Greek setting for 1930s Depression-era Mississippi, it is easy to miss the connections. The movie stars George Clooney as a convict named Ulysses, who, alongside Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro, breaks out of prison and embarks on a journey to find hidden treasure.
Clooney's protagonist shares a lot of similarities with Odysseus (whose name translates to Ulysses in Latin), such as their blinding pride and their need to get back home before their wives remarry. But just like the Greek warrior, Ulysses encounters some questionable and rather familiar characters along the way, such as siren-like seductresses, a Cyclops-like one-eyed Bible salesman, and a blind railroad conductor who predicts his fate. However, unlike Clooney, we don't think Damon will be breaking out in song in Nolan's take.
Dude, Where's My Car?
Odysseus' story in The Odyssey picks up with the warrior waking up in a strange place with little memory of how he got there. Odysseus must pull himself together and find his way home before time runs out. But he encounters a string of strange creatures and dangerous situations along the way. Now, that sounds almost exactly like the plot of a certain 2000s movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott.
Although it is by no means a full adaptation of the Greek epic, Dude, Where's My Car? takes all of the ridiculous details from The Odyssey and recontextualizes them in a goofy buddy comedy about an impossible journey home. If you were to draw Odysseus' journey home on a map of Greece, you would see that the hero took as many wrong turns as Jesse and Chester do in search of their missing ride. At the core, both tales are about journeys so impactful that they have the power to change lives.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
The beloved Nickelodeon show loves to play around with ocean folklore, which includes ancient myths. So, it is not a huge surprise to learn that The SpongeBob SquarePants movie takes a lot of inspiration from The Odyssey and Greek mythology in general. The 2004 animated movie kicks off with our heroes, SpongeBob and Patrick, setting off from the Krusty Krab and embarking on a lengthy voyage to Shell City. There, they plan to retrieve King Neptune’s stolen crown and release their home, Bikini Bottom, from doom.
Now, the SpongeBob movie does differ from The Odyssey in terms of the direction of the journey. However, the kids' film bases some of its most interesting characters on those from Homer's works. King Neptune shares a lot of similarities with the arrogant and hotheaded Poseidon, who retaliates against Odysseus. But King Neptune's daughter, Princess Mindy, takes on the role of Athena and guides the sponge and star as they face fearsome monsters both above and below sea level.
The Warriors
Directed by Walter Hill, The Warriors follows a gang of young men who are framed for the death of a respected gang leader. With many troublesome characters hot on their tails, the Warriors set off on a dangerous journey home to Coney Island. Does that ring any bells? Despite The Warriors sharing many similarities with The Odyssey, the 1979 movie is actually based on the Anabasis, which is the historical account of the ten thousand Greek soldiers who had to fight their way out of Persia and get back to the ocean.
However, the Anabasis is often described as a real-life version of The Odyssey, with many believing Homer was influenced by this real event and many others like it. Nevertheless, the Warriors' sense of brotherhood and fight for survival link to Odysseus' relationship with his men. Soon after the Greek army left the Trojan War victorious, they faced terrifying ordeals at sea, much like The Warriors did across the streets and subway network of New York.
Big Fish
Like every other movie in this list, Big Fish follows one man's epic journey of a lifetime. However, the parallels between Tim Burton's 2003 movie and Homer's epic run much deeper than that. While Edward Bloom sits on his deathbed, we are taken back through his life, including unbelievable tales of one-eyed witches, great giants, and scary monsters, whom he met on his many adventures.
But what other films on this list fail to do is take Odysseus's son, Telemachus, into account. In The Odyssey, Telemachus doesn't really know his father, but learns of his true nature through others talking of his accolades and traits. In The Odyssey trailer, we see Robert Pattinson's suitor mock Tom Holland's Telemachus over him pining "for a daddy." Similarly, Big Fish sees Bloom's struggle with his paternal needs. But he finds the truth of who his father really was through colourful, immortalizing stories passed down from those who knew him.
The Odyssey is in theaters on July 17. For more, check out our list of the best Christopher Nolan movies, and keep up to date with all the movie release dates coming this year.
