Variety ranks Ben-Hur above Nolan’s The Odyssey in epic film list
Marlow Stern’s ranking puts William Wyler’s 1959 epic at No. 1, with Christopher Nolan’s new Homer adaptation landing third.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Christopher Nolan’s new “The Odyssey” has landed near the summit of Variety’s sword-and-sandal canon, but it did not knock Charlton Heston off the chariot.
In a ranking published Sunday, Variety chief correspondent Marlow Stern named William Wyler’s 1959 “Ben-Hur” the best film in the genre, placing Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” second and Nolan’s 2026 Homer adaptation third.
Stern framed the list around Nolan’s return to mythic spectacle. According to Variety, “The Odyssey” is the first film shot entirely in Imax 70mm and stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus.
The film follows Odysseus after the Trojan War as he tries to get back to Ithaca, where Penelope and Telemachus are dealing with suitors seeking her hand and his throne, Variety reported. Stern also wrote that the movie is likely to draw major Oscar attention.
Heston rules the top two
Variety’s No. 1 pick, “Ben-Hur,” stars Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who is imprisoned by the Romans, enslaved, becomes a chariot racer and later witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Stern singled out the movie’s nine-minute chariot race and noted that Wyler’s production used 10,000 extras, 2,500 horses and 200 camels. Variety also cited the film’s 11 Academy Awards, including best picture, best director and best actor.
Heston also stars in the second-place title, “The Ten Commandments,” DeMille’s 1956 Moses epic. Variety noted that the movie has aired around Passover on U.S. primetime network television every year since 1973, and said it cost $13 million, making it the most expensive film of its time.
The top 20
Variety’s full ranking runs from silent cinema to modern CGI muscle, with biblical epics, Greek myths, Roman politics and animated musical spectacle all in the mix.
- 1. “Ben-Hur” (1959)
- 2. “The Ten Commandments” (1956)
- 3. “The Odyssey” (2026)
- 4. “Spartacus” (1960)
- 5. “The Prince of Egypt” (1998)
- 6. “Gladiator” (2000)
- 7. “William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar” (1953)
- 8. “Quo Vadis” (1951)
- 9. “Cabiria” (1914)
- 10. “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963)
- 11. “History of the World, Part 1” (1981)
- 12. “Samson and Delilah” (1949)
- 13. “300” (2007)
- 14. “Cleopatra” (1963)
- 15. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (1966)
- 16. “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958)
- 17. “Conan the Barbarian” (1982)
- 18. “Caligula” (1980)
- 19. “Noah” (2014)
- 20. “Troy” (2004)
Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator,” which won five Oscars including best picture and best actor for Russell Crowe, placed sixth. Variety described the film as the fictional story of Maximus, a Roman general betrayed by Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix.
DreamWorks’ “The Prince of Egypt” took fifth. Variety highlighted its voice cast, which includes Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum and Danny Glover, as well as songs by Stephen Schwartz and a score by Hans Zimmer.
Further down the list, Variety noted the troubled history of “Cleopatra,” including its $44 million production and marketing cost and the on-set affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The magazine also pointed to “Noah” being banned in China and several majority-Muslim countries for religious reasons.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.