22 Best Movies That Follow the Hero’s Journey

Everyone who’s interested in how stories are made is bound to have heard the term “the Hero’s Journey.” Also known as the monomyth, it’s a story archetype coined and popularized by Joseph Campbell in the mid-1900s when he noticed that heroes in myths typically go through the same 17 stages in their journey, from the call to adventure that gets the character out of their comfort zone, to the freedom to live found at the end of the ordeals in their adventure.

This narrative template has served as the basis and inspiration of countless stories throughout history – including numerous outstanding films. From a grand fantastical story like Star Wars, to something more grounded in reality like O Brother, Where Art Thou?, these movies don’t always follow every single one of the steps outlined by Campbell, but they stick to more than enough to call each of them a hero’s journey. A tried-and-true way of telling successful stories that resonate with audiences of all ages and nationalities, movies that follow the Hero’s Journey, if well-written, are always a delight like no other.

22 ‘Men in Black’ (1997)

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

One of the most iconic movies you may not know is based on Marvel comics, Men in Black is the story of a cop (Will Smith) who, after a chase with an otherworldly being, is recruited by an organization that monitors and polices alien activity on Earth. There’s something for every sci-fi fan to enjoy in this movie, from visually stunning special effects to mind-blowing action and just the right amount of humor.

Men in Black follows the Hero’s Journey nearly to a tee, from Agent J getting the call to join the mission of protecting the planet from alien threats and initially refusing the call, to him finally learning to master his two worlds and become the hero he was meant to be. The result is a thrilling sci-fi action adventure that doesn’t get nearly enough praise nowadays, with a heroic protagonist who’s a joy to follow through his journey.

21 ‘Moana’ (2016)

Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements

21st-century Disney Animation hasn’t been able to go back to the level of quality of the Disney Renaissance, but they’ve come remarkably close with certain movies, one of the most notable ones beingMoana. It’s the story of the titular character, one of the best Disney princesses, as she answers the Ocean’s call to seek out the demigod Maui in the hopes of breaking a terrible curse.

As it’s so strongly inspired by ancient Polynesian mythology, it’s no surprise that Moana‘s story sticks so close to Campbell’s monomyth. With the Ocean’s message to Moana, there’s a literal call to action; and with the protagonist’s journey into the unknown of the sea and meeting of a guide in the form of Maui, the way the Hero’s Journey enhances the narrative of this beautiful film is clear.

20 ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014)

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Kingsman: The Secret Service, one of the funniest action movies of the 21st century so far, is based on the popular comic books of the same title. It’s about a super-secret spy organization that recruits a promising but rough-around-the-edges street kid into their training program, while a twisted tech genius emerges as a global threat. With a star-studded cast and Matthew Vaughn‘s colorful direction, it’s a delightfully entertaining film with a traditional Hero’s Journey narrative.

As traditional and monomythical as protagonist Eggsy’s journey toward heroism is, Vaughn and his co-screenwriter Jane Goldman still find ways to make the story feel fresh, exciting, and unpredictable. By the time the explosive third act comes around, audiences are delighted to see how far Eggsy has come and how badass the movie’s action sequences can be.

19 ‘Spider-Man’ (2002)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Who would have expected cult horror legend Sam Raimi to take the character of Spider-Man and make one of the most entertaining superhero movies ever? That’s precisely what he did in 2002 with Spider-Man, an origin story where, after being bitten by a genetically-modified spider, a shy teenager gains spider-like abilities that he uses to fight criminals as a masked superhero.

One of the best-ever big-screen adaptations of the Wall-Crawler’s adventures, Spider-Man was a phenomenal introduction to a new era of the character back in 2002, and remains beloved by fans today. A large part of its timelessness is the way it sticks close to the Hero’s Journey structure, making Peter’s transformation into the injustice-fighting Spider-Man simpler to follow and much more entertaining.

18 ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ (2000)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

The Coen brothers are masters of making some of the most entertaining crime movies, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? is definitely one of their best. Loosely based on Homer‘s The Odyssey, it’s about three fugitives roaming the southern U.S. in search of treasure with the law hot on their heels. Unlike the Greek classic, however, the Coens’ crime film has great Southern American music, traditional Western tropes, and stars George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Turturro.

The characters in O Brother, Where Art Thou? encounter mentors, face challenges, and go through profound transformations, just like the heroes in the monomyth do. The ensuing adventure is as humorous as it is exciting, an offbeat adaptation of a massively important and influential classic. You can’t go wrong with a well-written and well-directed Coen brothers movie, so O Brother should easily please all cinephiles’ palates.

17 ‘Batman Begins’ (2005)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Movies with Hero’s Journey archetypes are fun enough as they are, but mix those elements with a superhero origin story, and you get one of the best entries in the superhero genre. That’s what Batman Begins is, as it reinvents the story of Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) origins as the vigilante hero Batman, by placing the character on a journey to become the guardian that his beloved Gotham City deserves.

Christopher Nolan’s first installment in his Dark Knight Trilogy feels more like a character-driven thriller than a traditional superhero film, in the best sense possible. The director cleverly fits Bruce’s process of becoming the Dark Knight into Campbell’s monomyth, showing audiences how the hero is eventually able to master his new identity to save his city.

16 ‘The Northman’ (2022)

Directed by Robert Eggers

With his 2015 folk horror gem The Witch, Robert Eggers emerged as one of the most outstanding and exciting new voices in Hollywood. With his third outing, he departed from the horror genre to instead make one of the most barbaric action dramas of the 2020s so far: The Northman, the Hamlet-like tale of an exiled Viking prince on a quest to avenge his father’s murder.

The Northman is one of the best R-rated fantasy movies, employing Eggers’s unparalleled eye for visual and narrative details to tell a riveting story led by Alexander Skarsgård‘s surprisingly nuanced lead performance. As a story inspired by classic tales of old, The Northman sticks close to Hero’s Journey tropes, but always elevating them with nail-biting action and thrilling character work.

15 ‘Iron Man’ (2008)

Directed by Jon Favreau

As one of the most famous superheroes in existence and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s anchor being, Iron Man (played by a perfectly cast Robert Downey Jr.) is now a household name. Back in 2008, however, only hardcore Marvel fans knew who he was. That all changed with Jon Favreau‘s Iron Man, the movie that birthed the MCU, about a billionaire who engineers a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight crime.

Whereas the franchise that it spawned would go on to have a sprawling structure spanning many media, Iron Man wisely falls into a traditional heroic journey as it follows Tony Stark into the cave where he meets his mentor and creates his armor, and into his entailing odyssey of self-discovery and heroism. To this day, the result is remembered as one of the MCU’s greatest films.

14 ‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski

When the Wachowskis released The Matrix before the turn of the century, the world was taken by storm, and the sci-fi genre in films would never be the same again. In the movie that cemented him as an action star, Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a man who joins a group of insurgents in their fight against the powerful computers who rule Earth. To this day, The Matrix still receives praise as one of the best sci-fi movies ever.

With its visual innovations, clever cinematography, and unique philosophical themes that have been endlessly analyzed throughout the years, The Matrix was unlike anything audiences had seen before at the time of its release. Perhaps one of the main reasons why its story clicked so well with viewers around the world was because it closely follows the stages of the Hero’s Journey, as Neo goes from an average Joe to an all-powerful hero.

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13 ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (2008)

Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson

For those that think that family animated movies are exclusively for children, Kung Fu Panda is the perfect mind-changing watch. It follows Po (Jack Black), a lazy panda who dreams of being a kung fu hero, as he’s thrust into a journey of discovering his destiny as the Chosen One. There are many examples of the Hero’s Journey in movies that logically follow the same structure, but the creative things that Kung Fu Panda does with the archetype are entirely its own.

Just like all the compelling heroes of Campbell’s model, Po is called to action, goes through several life-threatening ordeals with help from friends and allies, and finds that the power to be the guardian of the Valley of Peace comes from within. Sprinkled with hilarious humor, outstanding voice acting, and some of the best action in any animated film, it’s undoubtedly one of DreamWorks Animation’s best efforts.

12 ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)

Directed by Andrew Stanton

Hero’s Journey movies are usually action-focused epics, and not often family-friendly stories about fish. That only makes Finding Nemo even more special. It’s the story of Marlin (Albert Brooks), a timid clownfish who, after his son Nemo (Alexander Gould in one of the best child voice performances in animated cinema) is kidnapped, sets out to find him against all the threats that the deep blue sea has to offer.

Though Finding Nemo isn’t your typical kind of hero’s journey, where the story is much more intimate and the biggest threats that the characters face are mostly internal, it very much follows the formula. What finds itself transformed in the end is the relationship between Marlin and Nemo, in one of the most touching endings of Pixar’s filmography.

11 ‘Dune’ Duology

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

The way Villeneuve’s expansive imagination mixes itself with Herbert’s is a delight. The writer — and, by proxy, the filmmaker — take a seemingly simple Hero’s Journey structure and build on top of it a riveting drama about the dangers of power, blind faith, and authoritative religious leaders. With their incredible sci-fi world-building and abundance of sharp sociopolitical commentary, these two outstanding movies prove that stories following the monomyth aren’t necessarily always simple.

10 ‘The Truman Show’ (1998)

Directed by Peter Weir

One of the most creative, smart, subversive, and philosophically profound comedies ever put to film, The Truman Show stars Jim Carrey (in one of the most inspired casting decisions of the ’90s) as the titular Truman Burbank, an insurance salesman oblivious to the fact that his entire life is a reality TV show and every single person in his town — including his family and friends — are actors.

The Truman Show proves that any story can follow the Hero’s Journey, not only genre action flicks. As he starts uncovering the truth, goes through an existential crisis, and eventually decides to escape his manufactured reality, the story of Truman sticks close to Campbell’s stages of a narrative. The result is a fascinating movie that finds the perfect balance between smart humor and poignant drama.

9 ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

Directed by Victor Fleming

An exciting adventure that uses both black-and-white and beautiful color, through a fantastical land that any movie fan would love to live in, The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy (Judy Garland) in her journey through the magical land of Oz, searching for a mysterious wizard who can send her back home.

The movie was an absolute sensation when it came out, and even after more than three-quarters of a century, it’s still remembered as one of the greatest American movie masterpieces. The stages of the monomyth are clear in The Wizard of Oz: the ordinary world is Kansas, Dorothy crosses a very literal threshold to a vastly different world, and her journey of transformation is full of faces both friendly and menacing.

8 ‘The Lion King’ (1994)

Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

1994’s The Lion King is a movie that needs no introduction. Many would say that it’s the best animated movie to ever come out of Disney, and it’s fully understandable, thanks to its timeless songs and the animated film’s brilliant depiction of grief. It’s the grand and epic story of Simba (Matthew Broderick), a lion cub prince who’s tricked into exile by his uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons), who wishes to have the throne for himself.

The animation is majestic, with some really charming character designs, and the story is compelling from beginning to end. Its philosophical themes of identity and self-discovery are beautiful, and the way they’re conveyed through a classic hero’s journey structure in The Lion King is simply perfect. The film is in certain ways an adaptation of William Shakespeare‘s Hamlet, but its fidelity to Campbell’s monomyth is much more interesting to dissect.

7 ‘Harry Potter’ Saga (2001–2011)

Directed by Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates

The Harry Potter series features not just one, but eight of the movies that best follow the Hero’s Journey. From Chris Columbus‘s Sorcerer’s Stone to David Yates‘s Deathly Hallows — Part 2, the franchise follows the coming-of-age story of the titular character (Daniel Radcliffe) and his two best friends, as they grow to become key players in a war against an evil wizard.

Everyone has a different favorite installment in the series, but every Harry Potter movie plays an equally crucial role in the overarching narrative of the story, which very closely follows the monomyth. Not only that, but each film follows a smaller version of the general model as well. It’s probably what makes these movies so easy to enjoy, since they so faithfully walk along the lines laid out by Campbell and so many filmmakers from before 2001.

6 ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg created Indiana Jones for the iconic Raiders of the Lost Ark, and from there, he instantly became the icon of the adventure movie genre. That was more than cemented by the third installment in the franchise, arguably the best of the bunch: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the archaeologist goes up against the Nazis to find his missing father and stop them from obtaining the powers of the fabled Holy Grail.

With its phenomenal performances (Sean Connery‘s spotlight-stealing supporting role standing out), many thrilling action sequences, and fantastic character writing, Last Crusade is the ultimate action adventure movie. Like many of Spielberg’s films, its story sticks close to the Hero’s Journey, following Indy from his call to action to his return home as he rides on horseback into the sunset.

5 ‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Master Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa is one of the best to ever do it, having inspired and influenced countless directors that came after him. He made many of the best films of all time throughout his career, but his most acclaimed is usually agreed to be Seven Samurai, a 3-and-a-half-hour-long action epic about seven samurai being hired for protection by a village of farmers exploited by bandits.

With Seven Samurai, Kurosawa pretty much invented the cinematic version of the Hero’s Journey, which would be imitated and followed by a myriad of filmmakers in the future. Easily the best and most influential samurai film ever made, Seven Samurai expands on Campbell’s monomyth and shows the range of enthralling stories that it’s able to give a foundation to.

4 ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy (2001–2003)

Directed by Peter Jackson

There are countless things that make Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy one of the best fantasy film franchises of all time, and one of the most important is the fact that all three installments in the trilogy truly feel like part of a greater whole, as they collaborate in telling the story of Frodo (Elijah Wood), the Fellowship of the Ring, and their efforts to destroy the greatest tool of an evil tyrant terrorizing Middle-earth.

Of course, the monomyth-following template was already there, set in stone by the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien when he wrote what’s undoubtedly one of the best series of fantasy books in history. Even yet, the way Jackson and company built on top of that, telling a story that feels undeniably cinematic, is admirable beyond measure.

3 ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)

Directed by David Lean

David Lean was the master of movie epics, and the best of them all is undoubtedly his Lawrence of Arabia. This war epic is the true story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who united and led the warring Arab tribes during World War I to fight the Turks. Lawrence was (and still is) a somewhat controversial figure, and Lean captures all the complexities of his character in a film that’s shockingly intimate-feeling despite its massive scope.

Lawrence of Arabia is the best desert warfare movie ever, thanks to its magnificently crafted combat scenes, its masterful pacing, and Peter O’Toole‘s groundbreaking performance as Lawrence. Throughout its nearly 4 hours of runtime, the film follows a traditional Hero’s Journey structure — the perfect way of condensing such a complex character’s life and work in a movie while still conveying the most essential parts of his identity in a compelling way.