Mythology goes to Hollywood

Written by: Timothy Arrington

The continual reemergence of mythology and/or iconography is a fact and is best seen through its continual recurrence as the forefront of Hollywood’s focus. We have the blatant; in-your-face “mythology” movies such as “Clash of the Titans” and “Hercules”, along with the “we won’t tell you it is based on a myth until you research it” such as “Immortals”. However, there are other movies that the mythological presence may not be as in the forefront as those three films yet it is still quite prevalent.

 In the movie, “Count of Monte Cristo”, Dante is imprisoned and assumed dead but escapes to come back and gain revenge on those who sought to wrong him. Similarly, In Homer’s “Odyssey”,   Odysseus arrives home after a ten year journey and being assumed dead, to do kill those who are trying to marry his wife, and helping themselves to her hospitality. At first glance, one might say that neither of these two works of art have anything to do with each other, but ultimately both works of art use the basis of the “Odyssey”, which is human intelligence versus strength in order to right an unjust wrong.

 Multiple movies have used the Trojan horse story as a way of expressing how one group of warriors got past the defenses of its enemies in order to accomplish their mission. In both “Robin hood: Men in Tights” and “The Scorpion King”, the film’s heroes ended up disguised as women in order to sneak in and utilize a sneak attack against their enemies. This battle tactic is based on the Trojan horse maneuver and is still in use today. 

Mythology can be broken up into gods or people in power or those who are on a quest for a greater good. The quests could range from a war or a simple journey that can only be accomplished through a succession of deeds. Modern cinemas’ use of elements that are prevalent in mythology can appear almost anywhere. I think that the “Chronicles of Narnia” based on the C.S. Lewis books shows a prime example of how mythology can be blatantly and subtlety inserted into a film to enhance the watchability and mystery of it. The blatant examples are the characters that exist in both the mythological realm and in Narnia.

Whether it is giants, fauns, or centaurs, all exist in one form or another in the mythological world.  When talking about the Chronicles of Narnia, I prefer to look at it as a series rather than a single solitary movie.  These movies take on the mythological viewpoint of vengeance and it shines through a realm where the children are the most powerful. In the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, the theme takes elements from the story of Jason and the Argonauts. Both deal with missions in a quest to get back the land and titles that were stolen from their families.  While some may argue that there are more upfront and in your face movies that reflect the use of mythology in a modern media, to that I would say stop looking at what is obvious about the movie, but try to delve into it and devein the story the writes are truly trying to present to you.