Before seeing Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, catch up on Homer's 2,800-year-old epic. Scholars Seth L. Schein and Sheila Murnaghan explain its enduring appeal as the original adventure template influencing works from Star Trek to Lord of the Rings.

The poem follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), his son Telemachus (Tom Holland), and wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) amid gods, monsters like Cyclops, and scheming suitors. Odysseus's ten-year journey home from Troy involves Calypso, Circe, Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and Poseidon's wrath.

He returns disguised, slaughters 108 suitors, and reunites with family. Core Greek values include hospitality, loyalty, strength, and cunning—Odysseus embodies both brawn and brains. Murnaghan notes it was vivid popular entertainment for ancient Greeks.