These are 20 of the best mythology movies you can watch. I’ve watched them all and highly recommend them if you have a keen interest in mythology.
I don’t just describe what the movies are basically about (don’t worry, no spoilers) but also explain the mythology that the movies are based on. It’s fascinating stuff when you delve deep into the myths and legends in these movies.
If you’re wondering what a ‘backpacking’ site has to do with mythology, well I tend to read a lot about the mythology behind the places I visit and recommend books and movies to get an insight into legends of times past.
If you love mythology, then you will love these mythology movies.
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the images in this post. They are used under fair-usage terms to discuss these mythology movies.
I’ve added links throughout the article where you can watch these mythology movies. They are affiliate links which means I get a small commission at no extra cost to you and this helps me keep my website running and writing more guides like these. Thanks.
Tip: You can get a 1-month free trial of Amazon Prime (get with that link) where you can watch these mythology movies if you don’t already have an account.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Pan’s Labyrinth is not only a beautiful movie and brilliantly acted but also takes a look at some ancient myths. I’m putting this one first as it’s not only one of my favourite mythology movies but one of my favourite films of all time.
In the movie, a young girl moves into a house in the forest at the end of the Spanish Civil War and ends up discovering ancient places and characters of lore.
The Faun in Pan’s Labyrinth is a take on the myth of Pan. Pan is an Ancient Greek god of the wild which suits the character of the Faun.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Beowulf (2007)
Beowulf is a classic Medieval English poem roughly from the 10th century and it’s set in 6th century Scandinavia, a land of pagans.
There is a lot of scholarly debate on who and where the poem was done but what does matter is the story itself.
There are mythical elements in the story although it is mostly about the real ancestors of the Anglo-Saxons. A kind of medieval fiction one could say.
It follows Beowulf who is a hero and comes to the aid of the King of the Danes who is under attack by Grendel who is “a creature of darkness, exiled from happiness and accursed of God, the destroyer and devourer of our humankind”.
Beowulf… defeats Grendel and then Grendel’s mother comes to seek revenge for Grendel’s death.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Spirited Away (2001)
Spirited Away is my favourite Japanese animation of all time. It’s about a young girl called Chihirowho, with her father and mother, getting lost in the wild and ending up at a mysterious festival place that is deserted.
The mother and father end up turning into pigs and the young girl must work for a witch who runs a bathhouse for gods and spirits, to help free them.
The Japanese folklore in Spirited Away runs deep and you can see the references if you know what to look for.
There is a Japanese water spirit known as a kappa. A water dragon is known as a Mizuchi. The concept of kamikakushi is where a human is taken into the spirit world. There’s even an agricultural spirit.
Even though it’s an animated movie you will get a better glimpse into some Japanese mythology than many other movies out there.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Japanese animation is some of the best in the world and in many of the movies, ancient Japanese mythologies run throughout.
Princess Mononoke focuses on a girl of the wild and her wolf companions as they confront humans that are encroaching on the forest and she tries to protect it, helped along the way by mythological creatures, some of which are famous mythology creatures in Japanese mythology.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
The Green Knight (2021)
The Green Knight is one of the more recent mythology movies and is a great retelling of the Green Knight legend in Arthurian lore.
Although a little slow in parts, stick with it, and what you will get is a moody mythology experience, along with a somewhat life lesson.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Jason and The Argonauts (1963)
This is a very old one of these movies and the ‘mythical figures’ certainly have aged badly, but it’s one of the most classic mythology movies you can watch and good fun as well.
I also thought there had to be some of the old mythology movies represented here.
Greek mythology oozes out of this movie and it’s one of the famous Greek mythology retellings and a classic in Greek literature. Many mythical creatures appear in this, such as the Hydra. Jason is the leader of the Argonauts and is himself an Ancient Greek mythological hero descended from the god Hermes.
He and the Argonauts go on a quest to find the Golden Fleece which is the golden wool from the ram Chrysomallos.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Clash of The Titans (2010)
Clash of The Titans is a fun journey through some of the famous Greek myths.
It follows Perseus, who is a demigod, as he goes on a journey to battle the underworld and fight Hades to stop them from taking over the Earth.
There are plenty of classical Greek mythical characters in this so if you have an interest in Greek mythology, then this mythology movie is for you.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Troll (2022)
Troll is one of the more recent mythology movies and a lot of fun.
Trolls were a big part of Scandinavian mythology and this movie is about a troll who is awoken in the Norwegian mountains when an explosion goes off. A palaeontologist is assigned by officials in government to try and stop it, with help from the military, of course.
This one is available to watch on NetFlix:
Trailer:
The Mummy Movies (1999-2008)
The mummy is such a fun movie, although, like many mythology movies, it can be a bit over the top at times. But that’s part of the entertainment.
Given the name of the movie, it’s obvious this is about the myths of the Egyptian mummies, specifically the mummies of the pharaohs.
The series of movies is a trilogy, with the first two being about Egyptian mythology and the last about Chinese mythology. The first movie is the best.
Start with the first one:
Clip from the first one:
Stargate (1994)
Stargate is another movie where Egyptian mythology runs deep, although this is more on the ‘sci-fi’ end of things. It follows an archaeologist who is recruited by the U.S. military after an ancient portal to other worlds is discovered and then goes through it with a team of soldiers to investigate.
Once in this new world, they come across ancient places that seem similar and connected to Egypt of our world, but there is a sinister alien presence at work.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Thor (2011)
Who doesn’t know the legend of Thor? He’s the classic god in Norse mythology (think Vikings).
In this movie, Thor is cast out of the abode of the gods, which is known as Asgard, into the realm of humans where he soon gets into adventures with them and ends up fighting for them.
This is set in the Marvel Universe and be sure to follow the sequel Thor mythology movies that came out.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Tip: If you want to learn more about Norse mythology then the aptly named Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman is the best one to get.
Troy (2004)
The legend of the lost city of Troy is famous and has run deep in Greek myths for millennia.
Out of the mythology movies listed here, Troy has some of the better more true-to-real-life historical settings and stories.
It’s about a prince from Troy named Paris who falls in love with another man’s wife named Helen from another territory, and after the husband finds out about the affair he wages war on Troy.
This shows how the famous Trojan horse came about in legend.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Wolfwalkers (2020)
This is easily the best animated movie I have seen in recent years. It’s beautifully done by the team at Cartoon Saloon, an Irish animation studio (be sure to check out their other animated movies).
Being an Irish animated movie there is a lot of Irish folklore and history in the story. It follows a young English girl and her dad who is a hunter. The father is sent to Ireland to work for a terrible governor who wants all the wolves in the nearby forest killed.
The girl encounters ‘other beings’ and befriends them and Irish folklore ensues.
This one is available on Apple TV:
Trailer:
Harry Potter Movies (2001-2010)
Yes, yes, I know. Maybe you love Harry Potter, maybe you hate it. But you have to admit there is a hell of a lot of mythology in Harry Potter, especially regarding the bestiary creatures.
The mythological creatures such as gryphons, goblins, dragons, giants, centaurs, the phoenix, a basilisk, etc, are to be seen there, as well as the main storylines sometimes, such as the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ which is based on myth.
It would take an entire lecture to go into it all but if you’re looking for some mythological movies then the Harry Potter series is a great place to start.
Watch the first movie here:
Trailer for the first movie:
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
The Lord of the Rings is a famous movie trilogy based on the epic J.R.R. Tolkien book of the same name. It’s an immense fantasy world that immerses you completely with its myths and legends throughout.
As far as other-worldly mythology and fantasy go, this one is hard to beat. Although it is largely made up of its own mythology, some of it can be traced to influences from myth and lore in our world.
Watch the first movie here:
Trailer for the first movie:
Hercules (2014)
Hercules! The mighty god in Greek mythology. Played by the equally mighty Dwayne Johnson.
Hercules is a mercenary who heads to Greece along with his 5 fighting friends to make money fighting. Luckily, for them, the king of Thrace needs good fighters to help defend his kingdom from an aggressive warlord.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
The First King: Birth of an Empire (2019)
The First King is another recent one of the mythology movies to watch and is an Italian historical movie. The dialogue is even in old Latin so you will have to watch with subtitles.
It’s the classic story of Romulus and Remus who are two brothers that go on an epic journey that begins with the founding of Rome.
If you have an interest in ancient Roman history then this is a must-watch.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Jack The Giant Slayer (2013)
A story about Jack who kills giants. Ok, yeah I could leave it at that as the title is self-explanatory but I’ll go into more depth about the tale of Jack the Giant Slayer as it rings close to home for me.
The original legend this is based on is Jack the Giant Killer which is part of old Cornish myths from Cornwall in the UK.
Cornwall is steeped in history and mythology, and it’s also near the area where my father’s family is from so I have known about many of these legends since a child.
Arthurian legends abound in Cornwall, such as the lost land of Lyonesse, and Jack the Giant Killer is among them.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Tip: If you want to learn more about the mythology of Cornwall then Cornish Folk Tales of Place is one of the best books to read about it.
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Want to play a game of chess with death? Yeah, my skills are not really up to that either! But for Max von Sydow’s (rest in peace) character in this movie that is exactly what happens.
In The Seventh Seal, a medieval knight coming back from the Crusades has to play death at chess and must win to save himself and his compatriots.
Quick fact: Chess was a game invented in medieval times.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Wrath of The Titans (2012)
A sequel to Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans follows a demigod named Perseus who goes on a quest to save his father, Zeus, who has been taken prisoner by Hades and Ares.
The quest is hard though as not only does Perseus have to handle Hades and Ares, but also has to take on the Titans.
Watch it here:
Trailer:
Extra Recommendation: Invisible City
This is not a movie, but if you have an interest in mythology, and by the fact you are reading this post you probably do, then this excellent series from Brazil called Invisible City from 2021 (watch on Netflix) explores the myths and legends from Brazil.
Mythology Movies
So that’s my take on some of the best mythology movies you can watch. I’ll continuously add to this article as new movies based on mythology come out. There are plenty of other mythology movies out there, but these are the ones that should be on top of your list to see.
Again, a tip: You can get a 1-month free trial of Amazon Prime (get with that link) where you can watch these mythology movies if you don’t already have an account.
For more movies take a look at the 21 best medieval movies to watch.
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