8 Epic Swords-And-Sandals Movies To Watch After The Odyssey
In a recent interview for The Odyssey, Matt Damon made headlines by suggesting that Cristopher Nolan's latest epic would be the last movie of its kind.
This is an interesting take to consider—firstly for whether there's still an appetite for these kinds of stories; and secondly for the plain fact that perhaps only Nolan has the kind of pull to get one made. If you're worried about a lack of Odyssey-sized movies in the near future, though, there is no shortage of swords 'n' sandals epics to enjoy from Hollywood's past.
Going back to its early days, Hollywood has had a long history of turning biblical stories and legends of antiquity into unfathomably large-scale productions—the kind where actors wear sandals and horses (god love them) don't always live long enough to get their paycheque.
In the list below, you’ll find eight stone-cold classics of this ancient genre—some of which were released during the Hollywood epics mid-century golden age and others which arrived during a massive '00s revival.
Read on for a little more on each of them, along with info on where to see them in all the usual spots.
If you didn't walk out of The Odyssey with a burning desire to see Wolgang Peterson’s Troy, I think you might be due a rewatch. The movie, released in 2004, has aged like a fine (checks notes) Assyrtiko wine. The battles look incredible, Brian Cox plays Agamemnon, there’s a baby faced Rose Byrne, and Brad Pitt (as Achilles) might be the best that anyone has ever looked, full stop.
Under-appreciated on release, Peterson’s movie, like another epic we’ll cover shortly, increased its reputation to no end thanks to an extended director’s cut that was released in 2007 (if you can get your hands on it, this is the version to watch). Peterson also adapted the movie from a script by David Benioff—so if you are a fan of Game of Thrones you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much of the show’s early seasons DNA is in here.
Does Gladiator need an introduction? Ridley Scott’s Roman epic was an immediate sensation, raking it in at the box office on its way to winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Miraculously its qualities (even the groundbreaking CGI images of the Colosseum still look convincing) have yet to dim.
Sure, it loses a little steam in the last half hour (this is one extended director’s cut you do not need in your life) but everything up until the battle with Tigris of Gaul is pure dynamite. If one man is responsible for that it’s probably less Scott than Russell Crowe: an actor with reserves of gravitas that the stars of Nolan’s epic can only dream of.
26 years later, we are still very much entertained.
Back-to-back Ridleys? I don’t see why not. Five years after leaving Rome, the curmudgeonly Northerner returned to the cinema of swords and sandals with Kingdom of Heaven—a movie about the crusades, starring Orlando Bloom, that was torn apart upon release then quickly reassessed as a critical darling with the release of the director’s cut six months after.
This, of course, was the same year that the USA invaded Iraq—a real world tragedy that made the movie’s tale of Western kings attempting to conquer the Holy Land all the more potent. Like Ridley at his best, it's a movie that lets you feel the sweep of history as well as the crunch of battle.
Just make sure to go for the director's version with this one.
There are a number of Hollywood movies from the Golden Age of Biblical epics that most people consider to be all time classics. But at the risk of overstepping, I’d argue that a life spent without seeing movies like The Ten Commandments and The Greatest Story Ever Told would not be one wasted at all.
When it comes to Ben-Hur, however, we have a definitive exception to the rule—especially if you find yourself with a full day on the couch, preferably with lots of snacks and some rain pouring down outside. The movie is over three-and-a-half hours long but you won’t regret it. In fact, you’ll probably marvel at the chariot race just as much as you marvelled at Nolan’s cyclops, if not more.
I’ve never quite understood why Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus tends to get lobbed in with those biblical epics. This is a movie written by the blacklisted socialist Dalton Trumbo, after all, and one that notably features the most famous scene of worker solidarity ever captured on celluloid.
Kubrick’s epic 1960 telling of the slave revolt leader’s story also pretty much provided the blueprint for what Scott would do with Gladiator six decades later—so if you are a fan of Crowe’s Maximus, you will probably be a fan of Douglas’ Spartacus, too.
Jason and the Argonauts has been introducing young cinephiles to ancient Greek mythology for over 60 years now. The Hollywood epic came out during the same swords and sandals revival that had produced Spartacus a few years earlier, but this one has its own flavour thanks to the pioneering special effects work of Ray Harryhausen.
Seen today, Harryhausen’s uncanny stop frame animation (especially in the skeleton fight scenes), still looks eerily real—it's no surprise that Nolan has recently talked about him as a major inspiration for what he was trying to achieve.
Additionally, as one of the Argonauts is Odysseus’ father, Laertes, and some of the same foes are encountered on their quest (including Circe and the Sirens), there’s probably never been a better time for a rewatch than after Nolan’s Odyssey.
Considering how recent 300 is compared to some other movies on this list, it’s remarkable how badly some parts of it have aged—most infamously the movie's monstrous depictions of the Persians. That aside, Zack Snyder’s hugely successful 2006 movie still packs an almighty punch.
The movie recounts the legendary tale of a small group of Spartans who faced off against the Persian army in order to defend a narrow passageway. Snyder naturally plays loose and fast with the facts, but there’s no doubting his abilities as a movie stylist. If you like movies like Man of Steel and Watchmen, you’ll want to check this one out.
You won’t see any epic battles in this one—and by renting it out you’ll probably be putting a few cents into Mel Gibson’s bank account—but it’s hard to deny the cinematic eye and storytelling abilities of the disgraced director and former star.
His follow-up movie Apocalypto still trumps it, but Gibson’s R-Rated The Passion of the Christ was a genuine sensation when it was released in 2004—even without the support of the evangelical Christians who came out in droves to see it, it was still a box office smash.
Two Gibson directed sequels are set for release next year—at which point, may god help us all.
