Ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, the Guardian counts down its 20 best films drawn from myths, legends and fables, spanning Greek epics, Norse sagas, biblical tales and Chinese folklore. Here is the lower half of the ranking (positions 20 to 10).

– 20. Immortals (2011) — Henry Cavill's Theseus in a visually striking but shallow Hellenic reimagining by Tarsem Singh.
– 19. Clash of the Titans (2010) — a CGI-heavy remake redeemed by Ralph Fiennes as Hades.
– 18. Troy (2004) — Brad Pitt's Achilles, spectacle that swaps Homeric heroism for Hollywood.
– 17. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) — the Coens relocate Homer's Odyssey to the American south.
– 16. The Northman (2022) — Robert Eggers' Norse-steeped revenge epic.
– 15. The Return (2024) — Ralph Fiennes as a war-scarred Odysseus in Uberto Pasolini's homecoming tale.
– 14. Noah (2014) — Darren Aronofsky's elemental Old Testament epic.
– 13. Black Orpheus (1959) — Marcel Camus reworks Orpheus and Eurydice amid Brazilian carnival.
– 12. Ne Zha 2 (2025) — record-breaking Chinese animation drawn from Investiture of the Gods.
– 11. Die Nibelungen (1924) — Fritz Lang's silent two-part German national epic.
– 10. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) — the Pythons skewer the epic mindset.