From Greek epics to biblical blockbusters: the 20 best mythological movies – ranked!
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- Orphée (1950) by Jean Cocteau takes the #1 spot in the ranking of the 20 best mythological movies
- Ne Zha 2 (2025) lands at #12 — described as the highest-grossing animation ever worldwide and the fifth highest-grossing film overall, loosely based on a 16th-century novel
- Die Nibelungen (1924), Fritz Lang's silent two-part German epic dedicated "to the German people," was reportedly Hitler's preferred comfort watch
- Baahubali (2015/2017), SS Rajamouli's two-part Telugu colossus, is described as "pure Mahabharata fan fiction"
- Noah (2014) takes a gnostic detour from biblical sources with a tale of fallen angels and contemporary eco-commandments
- Black Orpheus (1959) has been accused of exoticizing Afro-Brazilians — "by Barack Obama, among others"
- The list spans traditions including Greek (Troy, Clash of the Titans), Norse (The Northman), Hindu (Mayabazar), Japanese Shintoism (Spirited Away), and Egyptian (Gods of Egypt)
Why it matters: The list elevates a 1950 French art-house film (Cocteau's Orphée) over Hollywood epics like Troy and Clash of the Titans, while including Ne Zha 2 — now the highest-grossing animation ever worldwide — and the Telugu-language Baahubali. Its breadth reframes mythological cinema as a global art form, not a Greek-to-Hollywood pipeline, offering film programmers and critics a canonical reference list spanning Norse, Hindu, Japanese, Egyptian, and Chinese traditions.
