You’ve heard and read of Greek and Hindu mythologies and even more local myths. But the fact that myths are taken up as plots and then fit into a movie is a whole new world. To see the myth portrayed with realism in front of your eyes, the colors, the dialogues, the music, and at times the great CGI and VFX! It’s an absolute blast when done right.
You may be well-versed or knowledgeable of your local myths, legends, or myths that originate in your own country, but it’s always better to be aware of other mythologies and folklore of different parts of the world. Mythological movies are not a new concept, but the movie industry has now evolved into diving deeper into various corners of the world to bring in new concepts and ideas for their movies.
Nowadays, movies not only completely base their storyline on mythologies but also pick and choose what aspects they want to use as a fantasy element involvement. Such is the list below, which is not based on any rankings or a specific country of origin.
50 Best Mythological Movies
The movies given below have 6+ IMDb ratings, with few exceptions of the movies being popular before release. Some are inspired by mythologies, and some are focused on mythologies.
1. Ramayana: The legend of Prince Rama(1993) 9.2/10
Starting strong with the highest IMDb ratings in this list, Ramayana: The Legend Of Prince Rama, the movie was released in 1993, with the collaboration of Indian Mythology (Ravi Varma), Us Disney, and Japanese animation.
Based on the Valmiki’s Ramayana, the story for this movie depicts the life of Prince Rama, The Prince of Ayodhya. His beauty and grace are still admired even through an animated style. The journey through his marriage to Sita Mata, his exile with his wife and brother, his victory over evil, and his return to his kingdom is portrayed beautifully.
- Watch on Official Youtube Channel
- IMDb ratings: 9.2/10
- Directors: Ram Mohan, Yugo Sako, Koichi Saski
2. Kantara
As one of the most popular movies of 2022, Kantara may come off as no surprise to the Indian audience. Kantara is based upon the folklore of South Karnataka, where the cultures of Kambala (buffalo race) and Bhoota Kola (a performance for ghosts/Gods) are mixed. The main guardian God shown in the movie is the Boar God, Panjurli. Though the setting is in the real world, the story of Kantara is fictional.
The plot outlines the story of Shiva, the main character, who is a rebel and a defender of his village. When outside forces come to take up their land, and internal disputes bring up unexpected betrayals, Shiva must take a stand for not only the protection of his home but also to ward off any curses by the local deity Panjurli.
- Watch Kantara
- IMDb ratings: 8.4/10
- Directors: Rishab Shetty
3. Brahmastra
Now, before you point out that this movie is obviously below 6+ ratings, then what is it doing on the list? Allow me to give valid reasons. Brahmastra has been an anticipated movie of the year, and despite its low IMDb ratings, there were a lot of people who watched the movie. The movie uses the whole of Hindu mythology to base its plot.
The movie follows Shiva, an orphan DJ who is immune to fire. He meets Isha at a festival and falls in love with her. But the premise of the movie gets going when we see some people trying to kill ‘The Scientist,’ and Shiva gets the vision of his death in real-time. And this happens during his pseudo-date with Isha. Here on, they embark on a quest to find the next people who may die and save the world from darkness.
- Watch Brahmastra Part One: Shiva
- IMDb ratings: 5.5/10
- Director: Ayan Mukherji
4. Bahubali
This movie may seem fictional to its audience, and they would be right! However, Bahubali is inspired by Hindu Epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharat. I’m sure the Indian audience can see many of the arcs reflecting such parallels between the epics and the superhit duology.
In the first part of ‘Bahubali: The Beginning,’ Prabhas plays the son of Bahubali, Shivudu. Shivudu falls in love with Avantika, a rebel, and goes on a quest to rescue Devsena, the imprisoned queen of Mahishmati. There he gets to know the secret of his birth and the glorious life of Mahendra Singh Bahubali.
Bahubali, portrayed by Prabhas, is a warrior prince of the kingdom of Mahishmati. In the second part, ‘Bahubali: The Conclusion,’ Bahubali is shown in exile as a turn of events and betrayed by those he trusted. Shivudu returns to Mahishmati to claim his birthright.
- Watch Bahubali: The Beginning
- IMDb ratings: 8.0/10
- Director: S.S. Rajmouli
5. Avatar
Coming a bit away from Indian films but not yet giving up on Hinduism-inspired movies, Avatar is next in line. You may not be surprised to find that Na’avi people are inspired by Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna. The Gods are often shown to have blue skin, and the director confirmed it himself in an interview in promotion of ‘Avatar: Way of the Water.’
However, the plotline of the movie is similar to that of the Europeans’ invasion of Native Americans. The movie focuses on humans in search of rare, expensive metal and a new planet to settle on, and trying to take it by any means possible from the Na’avi, native people of Pandora. Be it deception, inclusion, or even violence.
Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine, is eager to be of use and perform well for his Sergent, Quadritch. He is given an ‘Avatar,’ a body of Na’avi that will be connected to his body via technology. Jake has to become one with the people and earn their trust. What he does not see coming is his changing sides after learning to live like Na’avi and falling for Neytiri, the daughter of the chief.
- Watch Avatar
- IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
- Director: James Cameron
6. The Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
In the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, there have been many instances where mythical creatures have been used to further the plot. But in The Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, there exists a ‘Kraken.’ The Kraken, a huge sea monster with the shape of an octopus, who destroys ships and drowns the sailors, originates from Scandinavian mythology.
Captain Jack Sparrow is out to get his freedom from Davy Jones by using his heart which is locked in a treasure box. On his way, he must fend off many others who seek to fulfill their own goals and use the ‘heart’ for their greed.
- Watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
- IMDb ratings: 7.3/10
- Directors: Gore Verbinski
7. Frozen
Frozen may be a book-adapted movie (book ‘The Snow Queen’ by Hans Christian), but it adds in the Germanic mythological creatures called ‘Trolls.’ They get their roots from Norse mythology, and as represented in the movie, they live in the mountains together as a family.
Elsa, the heir of Arendelle, the older sister of Anna, possesses ice powers. In their childhood, Elsa accidentally strikes Anna with her powers, and she falls unconscious. Scared, their parents take them to the mountain trolls, who take away Annas’ memories and tell Elsa to keep her powers a secret.
When Elsa, on the day of her coronation, as luck would have it, gets her glove snatched by Anna and shoots out ice in a room full of other kings, queens, and ambassadors. Afraid, she runs away, leaving behind a stormy kingdom and a sister who tries to bring her back.
- Watch Frozen
- IMDb ratings: 7.4/10
- Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
8. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
As a fan of Rick Riordan, and specifically the Percy Jackson series, the movie did not do much justice to the book, which was such a huge part of my teenage years, resulting in not that high ratings. But I cannot deny loving the efforts taken to bring this series to life.
The whole world build-up in the series is based on Greek mythology. Percy Jackson is a demigod- son of Poseidon, the Greek God of the Seas, and human mother, Sally. Percy is unaware of his birth father is a god, living with his abusive stepfather, and is upset that his mother does not leave such a home.
According to the prophecy, the son of Poseidon will have the lightning bolt, the most powerful weapon Zeus has ever made. When Zeus loses his lightning bolt, he forbids the Gods to ever meet their half-human offspring.
Percy, who is dyslexic and has ADHD, goes on a museum tour with his class and best friend, Grover, who is crippled. There he is attacked by Miss. Dodds, his “pre-algebra teacher,” is looking for the lightning bolt. Grover (later revealed to be a Satyr and Percy’s guardian) and Sally take him to Camp Half-Blood, a haven for demigods like Percy on Earth.
- Watch Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
- IMDb ratings: 5.8/10
- Directors: Chris Columbus
9. Mayabazaar
This 1957 film has a 9.1/10 IMDb rating. This comedic drama-centered film is based on an arc of Mahabharat. The movie depicts the story of how Balrama, the older brother of Lord Krishna, had promised to marry off his daughter Sasirekha to Arjuna and Subhadra’s son Abhimanyu but later refused to fulfill it. His reason for doing so was influenced by Shakuni, the uncle of Kauravas.
The mythological depiction of Mayabazaar, which was created by Ghatotkacha, cousin of Abhimanyu, to humiliate the Kauravas and bring front the injustice done by them, was a great success of Vijaya Productions. The Telugu movie had a wide audience and a victorious response from them for the film, its casting, and the music.
- Watch Mayabazaar
- IMDb rating: 9.1/10
- Director:Kadiri Venkata Redyy
10. Thor
This article would be incomplete without our OG Marvel God and Avenger- Thor. Thor is completely based on the Norse mythology of Odin and Asgard. He is the son of Odin, King of Asgard and God of thunder. Asgard was in a war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, where Odin adopted Loki, the God of Mischief.
After a particular incident of Thor’s arrogance costs the crack of a peaceful truce between Jotunheim and Asgard, Odin banishes Thor to Earth and takes away his hammer- Mjolnir, which can summon lightning.
This situation is given a silver lining that Thor can earn back his hammer when he is worthy of it. However, things get complicated when Shield intervenes, and Thor has no godly power to take back Mjolnir.
He meets a few allies in the form of Dr. Jane Foster, an astrophysicist, her assistant Darcy Lewis and her mentor Dr. Erik Selvig, who, after learning his true identity, try to help him. Things take a turn for the worse when the ‘Destroyer,’ an automaton, comes to kill him.
- Watch Thor
- IMDb ratings:7.0/10
- Director: Kenneth Branagh
11. Shang-Chi
The legend of the Ten Rings may be a fictional concept, but Shang Chi has added a lot of Chinese mythological creatures to the creation of the village Ta Lo. For example, the cutest creature with no face, ‘Morris,’ was based on Hundun, the God of Chaos in Chinese mythology.
He is mostly described as a faceless being. Other mythical creatures you may notice are Huli Jings, also known as nine-tailed foxes, and Qilings- a chimera horse in Chinese legends.
But of course, we cannot ignore the most important and famous creature- The Dragon called Long, addressed as ‘The Great Protector’ in Shang Chi. Unlike the Norse or fantastical American versions, Chinese dragons are seen without wings and yet able to fly, often as a serpent-like figure gliding through the sky majestically.
Shang Chi and the legend of the ten rings show Shang Chi living a normal life as a valet when he is confronted by his dark history of being the son of Xu Wenwu and an assassin. When this threat comes in the form of darkness too tough to dispel alone, he embarks on a journey to find a solution to save the world.
- Watch Shang Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings on Hotstar
- IMDb ratings: 7.4/10
- Directors: Destin Daniel Cretton
12. 300
Based on the historical event of the Battle of Thermopylae of the Greco-Persian wars, this epic action movie by Zack Snyder is a must-watch. The movie stars Gerald Butler in the strong role of King Leonidas, who holds the border of protection for his land with just 300 Spartans against 300,000 Persians.
A hoplite named Dillios narrates the brave story of the soldiers who, with their strong will, stronger might, and a firm knowledge of strategy, held their ground to save their home, Sparta, from King Xerxes.
The Spartans gain allies in the form of the Greeks and Archadians in the battle. Here, the Hot Gates- a mountain pass, is used as an important war zone, which in Greek mythology is denoted as gates to Hell, or the greek translation as Thermopylae.
- Watch 300 on Prime Video
- IMDb rating:7.6/10
- Director: Zack Snyder
13. Wonder Woman
Another movie inspired by Greek mythology is Wonder Woman, a DC movie based on the Amazons. Amazons are warrior women who reside on an island called Themyscira and were created by the Olympian Gods to protect them.
When the return of the God Of War, Ares, seems inevitable, the Queen of Amazons, Hippolyta, and her sister General Antiope train princess Diana to become a warrior. After many years of staying hidden, in the period of World War I, a plane crash with its pilot Steve Trevor turns their lives upside down. Now, Diana must go out into the world and find Ares and kill him before he kills humanity.
- Watch Wonder Woman
- IMDb rating: 7.4/10
- Director: Patty Jenkins
14. Spiderwick Chronicles
A fantasy movie inspired by Celtic or many other English mythologies and mystical creatures, Spiderwick Chronicles is a great, fun movie based on the books with the same name. As twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace and their sister Mallory along with their mother Helen, move to Spiderwick estate in the middle of nowhere, grungy forest, strange things start to happen.
Jared, angry about the move, stumbles across a book in a hidden place inside the house. The book is a field journal consisting of Arthur Spiderwick’s observations of many mystical beasts.
From there on, Jared and his family meet different fantastical creatures such as a Brownie (also called a Hobgoblin in Scottish Folklore) who is a house fairy, sprites (based in European mythology), a goblin (origin based in many European mythologies), and a troll (Nordic mythology) in an attempt to keep the book safe from evil forces.
- Watch The Spiderwick Chronicles
- IMDb ratings: 6.5/10
- Director: Mark Waters
15. Troy
A war film that describes the true story of the Trojan War and is more or less based on Homer’s Illiad and, in addition, shows an ending taken from Quintun Smyrnaues’s Posthomerica. The movie cuts down the decade-long war into a few weeks.
The story focuses on Achilles and the love between Paris and Helen that brought about a war that killed thousands. There are many forces involved in taking over other kingdoms and defending their honor. Many famous well-known names, such as Achilles, Patrocholus, Helen, and Prince Hector, are seen in the movie. A classic movie that is a must-watch for history lovers.
- Watch Troy on Prime Video
- IMDb ratings: 7.3/10
- Director: Wolfgang Peterson
16. Hercules
Based on the Greek hero of the same name, Hercules is a Disney animated movie. Hercules is the son of Zeus and Hera, who Hades, the God of the Underworld, tries to kill due to a prophecy. The prophecy states that Hercules will be an obstacle in Hades overtaking Olympus, so Hades plans to murder baby Hercules but is only able to take away his immortality and not his strength.
Years late, Hercules trains to become a God and return home to Olympus, and few circumstances help him regain his Godhood, fame, and successes along the way. However, the catch comes in the form of Meg (Megara), who is a slave to Hades but falls in love with Hercules.
- Watch Hercules 1997
- IMDb: 7.3/10
- Directors: Ron Clements, Jon Musker
17. Ne Zha
One of the highest-grossing films in Chinese animation, Ne Zha, talks about a demon child, Ne Zha. In Chinese folklore, he is known as the ‘Third Lotus prince’ and is considered a protection deity. Many other aspects of NeZha are based on Chinese folklore and are inculcated to bring this movie to life. To name a few- Yuanshi Tianzun, the highest level deity in Taoism, along with his disciples Taiyi Zhenren and Shen Gongbao.
The story is based on a book and thus a product of fantasy. The story about Ne Zha represents the birth of a demon child who was replaced in the place of a spirit child. And how Ne Zha tries to fight back against his nature and emerge victorious.
- Watch Ne Zha
- IMDb ratings: 7.4/10
- Directors: Yu Yang
18. Hum Saath Saath Hai
Now, this movie may or may not surprise you in this list, but the parallels are undeniable. Yes, this classic Hindi drama film is inspired by the Ramayana epic. In a big family of 3 brothers living with their parents and a sister happily married to her husband, Hum Saath Saath Hai shows a beautiful, peaceful family.
With the love stories of the 3 brothers taking place almost parallel to each other, the story takes a sad turn when the eldest son has to leave his home according to the wishes of his mother.
- Watch Hum Saath Saath Hain
- IMDb ratings: 6.3/10
- Director: Soorj R. Barjatya
19. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The fans of this series have most definitely had a crush on at least one of the elves or been impressed by the grandeur of the production. The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien is heavily influenced by Norse Mythology.
The existence of Middle Earth is the fictional equivalent of Middengeard of Norse mythology and involves many other mythological creatures such as elves, dwarves, wizards, etc., and beasts such as orcs and trolls.
The plot revolves around One Ring, which is a powerful object made by a villainous force and is lost. Almost 2,500 years later, it is found by Gollum- a Stoor Hobbit. and when the ring abandons, Gollum is later discovered by Bilbo Baggins.
Decades down the one, Bilbo leaves the ring in possession of Frodo, his nephew. After knowing there is danger in possessing such an object, he, along with his group of friends, goes to find a way to destroy the ring.
- Watch The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Rings
- IMDb ratings: 8.8/10
- Director: Peter Jackson
20. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
After the harsh events of The fellowship of the ring, Frodo Baggins and Sam are on their way to the mountain pass of Emyn Muli to Mordor. Continuing with the heavily influenced world of Norse mythology, The Two Towers is also set in Tolkien’s fantasy world.
The story has three plots taking place with Frodo and Sam on their journey to destroy the Ring, Aragi, Legolas, and Gimli surviving a war and being united with Gandalf and Merry, and Pippin strategizing to attack Saruman.
- Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- IMDb ratings: 8.8/10
- Director: Peter Jackson
21. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King
The movie is the conclusion of the Lord of the Rings series, not the franchise. While on the one hand, the main characters, Frodo and Sam, are being led by Gollum to ‘Her’ without their knowledge. Merry, Legolas, Gandalf, Aragorn, and Pippin are striving to join forces and fight against the evil Sauron. J.R. Tolkien adds more mythical creatures of his own to make this arc even more interesting.
- Watch Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King
- IMDb Rating: 9.0/10
- Director: Peter Jackson
22. Rise Of The Guardians
One cannot deny being charmed by Jack Frost, a character based on the mythical spirit of mischief. He is taken from Norse mythology about a minor demigod called Jokul Frosti. Along with many others like Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, Toothfairy, and Sandman, the guardian of Dreams.
All of a child’s favorite mythical beings are appointed by Manny, the Man on the Moon, to protect the children of the world from Pitch, the king of Nightmares.
- Watch Rise of the Guardians
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Director: Peter Ramsey
23. The Mummy
One of the best movies ever to use Egyptian mythologies and make it an interesting watch, The Mummy is an adventure film about Adventurer Rick O’Connell acting as a guide for Egyptologist Evelyn and her brother Jonathan to find the city of Hamunapatra. Things take a rougher turn when they also wake up a mummy of Imhotep and now have to keep him from using Evelyn as a sacrifice to resurrect his old lover.
- Watch The Mummy
- IMDb ratings: 7.1/10
- Director: Stephen Sommers
24. The Mummy Returns
The Scorpion King, in 3067 BC, vowed to Anubis, the Egyptian God of the Underworld, to exchange his soul with the defeat of his enemies. After the condition is fulfilled, Anubis collects the souls of the army and drags the king to the underworld. Centuries later, in 1933, Rick O’Connell, with his wife Evelyn and son Alex, find themselves in a predicament when Evelyn is kidnapped to revive Imhotep by a cult.
And if this wasn’t bad enough, Imhotep and the cult later kidnap Alex (who has an ancient bracelet locked down onto his arm and works as a potential GPS) to track down the Scorpion King and defeat him to take over his army and the world. Now, Rick, Evelyn, and her brother Jonathan along with their friends Medjai Ardhath Bay and an aircraft pilot Izzy have to find Alex and stop Imhotep from waking up the Scorpion King.
- Watch The Mummy Returns
- IMDb ratings: 6.4/10
- Director: Stephen Sommers
25. The Ritual
A horror movie that encapsulates the existence of Jotunn, a monster from Norse mythology as the terrifying beast of ancient times. When 4 friends go on a hiking trip into a Swedish forest in memory of their fifth friend, they come across a petrifying organism in the forest that is not only stalking them and hunting them but demands them as a sacrifice.
In the desperate need to run away from the monster, the remaining surviving friends come across a village that they believe could be a haven. However, many more horrors await them. The monster Jotunn is also a creature often seen in Germanic mythologies.
- Watch The Ritual
- IMDb ratings: 6.3/10
- Director: David Bruckner
26. Beowolf
An animated movie surrounding Beowolf is based on an Old English epic poem with the same name. The epic poem is a story of bravery, strength, temptation, and deception all in one. The North Germanic Tribe called Geats has a warrior called Bewolf who takes up a request to help King Hrothgar to kill Grendel. Grendel is a descendant of Cain, according to mythologies.
After being successful, Bewolf, along with his friend Wiglaf, tries to kill Grendels mother so she is no longer a threat but is unable to succeed. Instead, she manages to entrap Bewolf and tempt him to sire a child with her. The story progresses with regret about his actions and his last attempt to make things right after he becomes the king.
- Watch Beowolf
- IMDb rating: 6.3/10
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
27. Karthikeya 2
A mystery thriller that takes inspiration from Hindu mythology and Lord Krishna. The movie focuses on Dr. Karthikeya, who is having a series of unfortunate events in his life. To his mother, this all seems like a punishment for not fulfilling a vow made to lord Krishna, and thus they leave for Dwarka.
Things take an interesting turn when Karthikeya is arrested falsely for the murder of Rao and rescued by his granddaughter. There on, he embarks on a quest to find the mystery behind Lord Krishna’s anklet, which is said to have all the answers for Kalyug.
- Watch Karthikeya 2 on Zee5
- IMDb ratings: 8.0/10
- Director: Chandoo Mondeti
28. Bruce Almighty
Jim Carry in a comedic role and Morgan Freeman as a God were iconic duos for this fantasy comedy film. Based on the concept of Christianity, God gives Bruce, a down-on-luck man, powers that of a …well, God when he challenges him under the pretext of, “God should be the one who is fired.”.
And now, Bruce, a normal reporter, is the temporary God and now has the power to right all the wrong done to him. He is having an absolute blast. But there is a catch. Bruce gets to know that maybe being a God isn’t all that great. Or easy. Seeing the world around him fall apart due to his actions, Bruce has to take responsibility and correct all these wrongdoings.
- Watch Bruce Almighty
- IMDb ratings: 6.8/10
- Director: Tom Shadyac
30. Dr. Strange
Are we surprised to see Dr. Strange on this list? I think not. Not when the most basic foundation of the plot is the Multiverse. We’ll address that later. A lot of fans have based their theory of Dr. Strange on Egyptian mythologies and Sumerian Gods. Many obvious clues about Hindu mythology refer to the Book of Vishanti on Atharvaveda. The wi-fi password is ‘Shambhaala,’ the birthplace of Goddess Kali.
Dr. Stephen Strange is a successful and high-handed neurosurgeon who loses his capability to operate after a huge car crash. Despite help from his girlfriend, Christine Palmer, he is unable to let go of his stubbornness to make his hands steady again. After getting to know a phenomenal case of a paraplegic who was able to gain use of his legs again, he goes to Kamar-Taj.
Kamar-Taj is a school of sorcerers taught by the Ancient One to shield the earth from evil forces of outside dimensions. Now, Strange has to not only learn to become a sorcerer but also save the world by bending a few rules and traveling in time.
- Watch Dr. Strange on Hotstar.
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Director: Scott Derrickson
31. Dr. Strange: The Multiverse Of Madness
To all those who keep up with the new generation of Marvel movies, you must be aware that *SPOILER* Dr. Strange turned back time and that no one knows who Spiderman is in Spiderman: No Way Home. However, it seems that he messed up a teeny-tiny bit in that spell he cast.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t a tiny mistake, but now that it happened, Dr. Strange has opened up a lot of realities, i.e., the multiverse. Now along with his friends, Wong and ally (?) Scarlett Witch must fight forces that wish to take over not just one world but the whole multiverse. Boy, talk about greed.
Multiverse, it is said, is a concept originating in Hindu mythologies. It is believed, in Hinduism, that there exist 14 Lokas. Arjuna, a Pandava in Mahabharat, is shown a glimpse into the multiverse by Lord Krishna, who is an Avatar of Lord Vishnu, the Lord of the Universe.
- Watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- IMDb ratings: 6.9/10
- Director: Sam Raimi
32. White Snake
A Chinese animation film that depicts the love story of Blanca (aka Bai Suzhen in Chinese fables), a white snake demon able to shift into a beautiful girl, and a snake hunter Xuan (aka Xi Xian). When in a battle, Blanca is injured and falls into a river, she loses her memories. Xuan rescues her, and through the days of recovery and circumstances that keep bringing them closer to one another, they fall in love.
Credits: IMDb
This angers Blanca’s sister, the Green Snake Verta, and on the order of the Snae-master, she sets out to kill Blanca, thinking of her as a traitor for falling for a snake catcher. Blanca, unaware of her true nature as a snake, has to go through hurdles and fight against her sister and clan for the man she loves.
- Watch White Snake
- IMDb ratings: 7.0/10
- Director: Amp Wong, Ji Zhao
33. Green Snake
A sequel to White Snake, Green Snake is about Verta, Blanca’s sister. In this movie, they are Verta and Blanca try to battle Fahai, a monk that kills demons, to save Blanca’s husband, Xian. However, after being defeated, Blanca is imprisoned under a Pagoda, and Blanca is put in a different dystopian world called Asuraville.
Now, Verta must survive this futuristic hell, get out of it and save Blanca. But everything is not what it seems in the Asuraville. Again, a lot many Chinese mythical creatures are used in this classic Chinese folktale, like Ox-Head and Horse-Faces. It, too, is inspired by ‘The Legend of The White Snake.’
- Watch Green Snake
- IMDb ratings: 6.8/10
- Director: Amp Wong
34. Spirited Away
A famous Studio Ghibli anime movie, Spirited Away, is about Chihiro Ogino, whose parents are turned into pigs, and she is forced to work in the bathhouse of the witch Yubaba to be able to save them. She loses her name and comes across different challenging situations that take her one step closer to freedom.
The movie utilizes many creatures from Japanese folklore, such as yokai, a shinigami, and Yubaba is herself based upon a Japanese Legend of the mountain witch ‘Yamauba.’ Spirited Away is one of the best anime films, and one can watch it to enter the anime world.
- Watch Spirited Away
- IMDb ratings: 8.6/10
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
35. Mulan
Based on the fictional folk character Mulan from the Northern and Southern dynasties era Chinese history. In this list, I am listing the animated Disney movie from 1998. Though the movie takes place in an unfounded Imperial dynasty, the tale takes place in Wei or Tang dynasty. It is said that during this period, the people of China were invaded by the Huns along the northern border.
The movie follows Fa Mulan, a loving daughter to her parents but not so loving potential bride. When the Huns threaten China, the Emperor sends out a decree to call in all soldiers or their sons. Mulans father has a limp and is unable to stand and fight, yet he accepts the decree.
Mulan is upset with his careless decision and decides to dress up as a man, pretend to be her fathers’ son, and take his place in the army secretly. Finding his daughter along with the decree, his armor, and his sword missing, Mulans father prays to his ancestors to look after her.
The ancestors send along a dragon called Mushu (based on Chinese mythology) to keep her safe and help her. Now, in the camp, Mulan must train herself to be the best soldier to survive the battlefield, all while never revealing her gender to any soldier, especially Captain Li Shang.
- Watch Mulan.
- IMDb ratings: 7.6/10
- Directors: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook
36. Arjuna: The Warrior Prince
A collaboration between Disney and UTV movies has resulted in the birth o this uniquely styled computer-animated movie called Arjuna: The Warrior Prince. The story is loosely based on the mythology of Mahabharata’s Arjuna and his life.
Though broadly, the movie covers mostly all arcs of Mahabharata. It mainly focuses on Prince Arjuna, his birth, his struggles, and his bravery. And above all, celebrating the warrior and great archer he was.
- Watch Arjuna: The Warrior Prince on Apple TV
- IMDb: 6.8/10
- Director: Arnab Choudhari, Pavan Buragohain
37. The Forbidden Kingdom
This movie sees the first time on-screen duo of two action legends, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Jason Tripitikas is a martial arts enthusiast and loves to watch action films. He frequently dreams about the battle between the Monkey King in Chinese mythology called, Sun Wukong, and soldiers from heaven.
It seems his dreams come true when he is transported into ancient China and has to deliver a staff back to Sun Wukong with the help of a few misfits- a drunk poet, a monk, and a girl out for revenge. As a Wuxia setting, a lot of mythology surrounding the Monkey King is used with the inclusion of ancient poet Lu Yan, the staff from mythology Ruyi Jingu Bang, Kunlun mountains, and the Jade Emperor.
- Watch The Forbidden Kingdom
- IMDb ratings: 6.5/10
- Director: Rob Minkoff
38. The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of Christ is about the crucifixion of Jesus. The biblical tale of the first death of Jesus Christ in Jerulesum is Christian mythology. The movie is based on the 12 excruciating hours of the day and covers it in 2 hours. After the betrayal of Judas and the people, Jesus (then the controversial son of God) is tormented and punished by the will of the people.
- Watch The Passion of the Christ
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Director: Mel Gibson
39. New Gods: Ne Zha Reborn
The sequel to Ne Zha, this movie continues the story of demon child turned spirit Ne Zha. Reborn, after 2000 years under the name of Yunxiang, a deliveryman, Ne Zha, has to face old enemies and new troubles.
- Watch New Gods: Ne Zha Reborn
- IMDb ratings: 6.8/10
- Director: Ji Zhao
40. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Entering into the Tolkienverse is a prequel to The Lord of The Rings. Bilbo Baggins, who is an uncle to Frodo Baggins and was introduced in the first movie of the series, is the main character in The Hobbit. He is a Hobbit out with Gandalf the Grey, a wizard, and a bunch of dwarves and gets back home from a terrifying dragon called Smaug.
Many characters along with that Bilbo are reintroduced, such as Gandalf and Gollum. Yep, the ‘my precious guy. Considering that it is a prequel set in the same universe, this movie, too, has mythical creatures from Scandinavian and Norse mythology- such as elves, orcs, trolls, and dwarves.
- Watch The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
- IMDb ratings: 7.8/10
- Director: Peter Jackson
41. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Bilbo is still on the journey to regain his home and gold from Smaug when many more troubles are awaiting him. Just that Gandalf now seems to have gone MIA on his down south. With a contract on his tail and an impending heist to the Secret Door, Bilbo has his hands full.
- Watch The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- IMDb ratings: 7.8/10
- Director: Peter Jackson
42. The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies
What started as just a journey to get a dragon’s gold, Bilbo Baggins now has to deal with impending doom in the form of a war against a dragon and the greed of other orcs, elves, and more. Thorin, with his band of dwarves, and Bilbo are successful in killing Smaug, and Gandalf is rescued from his imprisonment by Galadriel, Saruman, and Elrond.
Thranduil, Bard, and Thorin get into a dispute about sharing the dragon’s hoard, and to prevent a war, Bilbo intervenes. But it seems that a war is inevitable when the Azogs army of Orcs is on their way to fight for a share.
- Watch The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies
- IMDb ratings: 7.4/10
- Director: Peter Jackson
43. Taqdeerwala
Wanting to know your future may be a matter of curiosity for some and a horrifying idea for others. Well, our main guy, Suraj, has come across a book, “Bhavishya Vani” (or ‘destiny forecast’ in English) when Yamraj (the Hindu God Of Death) and Chitragupta (a Hindu deity responsible for keeping account of good and bad deeds of every living being) somehow manage to lose it on Earth.
Suraj wishes to gift his childhood home to his mother, and via a few situations, he even does so, but when he comes across the alarming truth of his mother’s death shortly, as stated in the book, he refuses to return the book to Yamraj and Chitragupta.
- Watch Taqdeerwala
- IMDb ratings: 6.5/10
- Director: K. Muralimohan Rao
44. Clash of The Titans
Another Greek Mythology based movie speaks about Perseus, a demigod wanting to avenge the death of his mortal family. When Hades and his creation- a Kraken kill many mortals at sea, Perseus’s family being a part of it, an enraged Perseus now vows to kill Hades.
In a series of events that use characters from Greek mythologies, such as the Gods of Olympus, the Kraken, the Pegasus, Stygian witches, and Medusa and Djinn from Islamic Arabic mythology, the story coveys the journey of vengeance of a demigod upon the Gods of the world.
- Watch Clash of The Titans
- IMDb rating: 5.8/10
- Director: Louis Leterrier
45. Ludo
In an interesting take on the use of the character of Chitragupta (a Hindu deity that keeps track of humans’ right and wrong deeds), Anurag Basu brings in 4 different stories that somehow come together at the end and form a big picture.
Credits: IMDb
Four parallel stories are on track to a particular destination, thus forming a game of Ludo. Bittu, who was previously a goon for his then-boss Sattu, is the red side. Sheeja and Rahul, are both live hard lives from the blue side.
The yellow side is made up of a couple- Akash and Shruti, who get their intimate video leaked on the net. And finally, the green side is that of Alu and Pinky, who plan to escape Pinky’s husband and, later on, become suspects in his murder case.
Watch Ludo on Netflix
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Director: Anurag Basu
46. Troll Hunter
With the use of mythological creatures from Norse mythology, this Norwegian film-documentary film depicts the story of how trolls exist, and so do Troll Hunters.
Credits: IMDb
A bunch of students leave to capture footage of many illegal bear killings near the forests when they come across the shocking news that the ones that are hunted aren’t bears but trolls, specifically, by TSS- Troll Security Service, a government body to keep trolls away from the human population and their existence, a secret.
IMDb ratings: 6.9/10
Director: Andre Ovredal
47. The Ten Commandments
Another biblically based movie, this one depicting the life of Moses, who is Hebrew by birth but gets adopted and raised in the house of Pharaohs.
After learning of the truth behind his birth, Moses is cast out and has to go back to Egypt. He is given the mission by God to free the Hebrews from slavery. The movie has a lot of scenes taken from books like Prince of Egypt, Pillar of fire, and ‘On Eagles Wing.’
- Watch The Ten Commandments
- IMDb ratings: 7.9/10
- Director: Cecil B. DeMille
48. Thor: Ragnarok
This is the third installment in the Thor Marvel movie series. This movie has the addition of many more Norse mythology characters and beasts. The sister of Thor and Loki, Hela, is introduced as the antagonist of the movie. And to add to that spice, she’s got backup in the form of Fenrir (who, according to Norse mythology, should’ve been Loki’s son).
Hela (daughter of Loki in mythology), Goddess of Death, is the daughter of Odin, who rules over Helheim (hell equivalent) and, after Odin’s death, comes to take over the throne of Asgard. She also singlehandedly smashes Mjolnir and leaves Thor defenseless. Now, Thor has to save Asgard, defeat Hela, and save his home from potential doom. If he can convince Loki and a few others to help him get off a planet too busy making people fight each other for money.
- Watch Thor Ragnarok
- IMDb ratings: 7.9/10
- Director: Taika Waititi
49. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
The second and possibly the last installment of the movie series is based on Rick Riordans’ Percy Jackson series that is inspired by Greek mythology. The good news for fans of the books is that there is a series with a more age-appropriate Percy on the way.
Percy has a tough time winning any camp competitions in the presence of Clarrise La Rue, daughter of Ares. When the camp is attacked by the son of Hermes, Luke Castellan, he goes on a quest to find the Golden Fleece to restore Thalia’s tree that protects the barrier around Camp Half-Blood from any monsters and threats.
Accompanying him are Grover (Satyr), Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena), and later Trevor (cyclops), who also happens to be the son of Poseidon and thus Percy’s half-brother. Many mythological aspects, such as the Sea of monsters (known as the Bermuda Triangle to humans), have sirens, Scylla, and Polyphemus. Above all, Kronos makes an appearance as the big villain in the movie.
- Watch Percy Jackson’s Sea of Monsters
- IMDb rating: 5.7/10
- Directors: Thor Freudenthal
50. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
Lara Croft is a famous name in video games and Angelina Jolie’s movies. In the second installment of such a movie series based on the video game of the same name, ‘Lara Croft Tomb Raider,’ Lara has to find an ancient artifact called Pandora’s box and keep it away from the hands of an evil scientist.
‘Pandora’s box’ is an ancient Greek mythological object that is said to bring chaos and destruction to the world if opened. The myth says that Pandora was forbidden to open such a box when she lived in a Utopian world full of happiness. However, she was curious and opened the box, and out came sadness and misery.
- Watch Lara Croft, Tomb Raider
- IMDb ratings: 5.5/10
- Director: Jan de Bont
That was it for this time, folks! Hope you find something entertaining to watch.
Also see: 35 Best Psychological Thrillers Movies To Watch On Netflix
