What To Watch
11 Adventurous Movies and Series to Take You on an Epic Journey
There’s more than one type of odyssey.
By Caitlin Busch
July 17, 2026
11 Shows and Movies with Epic Journeys Like The Odyssey - Netflix Tudum
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. People have embarked on all kinds of excursions onscreen: personal odysseys across land and sea, heroic missions to space, magical expeditions to other worlds, and even smaller, more intimate explorations of the self. No two are alike, because no two people are alike. Whether a character is a lost king, a brave astronaut, a curious kid, or a wandering nomad, there’s no single right way to begin an epic journey.
You’ll find these kinds of adventures and more in the titles below on Netflix.
Apollo 13
Director Ron Howard’s Academy Award–winning docudrama launches Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump), Kevin Bacon (Leave the World Behind), and Bill Paxton (U-571) into space. The film dramatizes NASA’s eponymous 1970 mission to the moon, during which astronauts Jim Lovell (Hanks), Jack Swigert (Bacon), and Fred Haise (Paxton) were stranded after an explosive technical malfunction. As mission control rushes to find a way to bring the men home, the heroic trio struggles to survive in the relentless vacuum of space. Ed Harris (The Lost Daughter) and Kathleen Quinlan (Event Horizon) co-star.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Join Avatar Aang and his friends on their world-saving mission. A live-action reimagining of the acclaimed Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the fearless airbender Aang (Gordon Cormier) on his journey to master all four elements and stop the evil Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). With his newfound friends Sokka (Ian Ousley) and Katara (Kiawentiio) at his side, and with the help of the many allies they meet along the way, they just might be able to save the world — even with the driven Crown Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) at their heels.
Blood of Zeus
This three-season animated series will feel familiar to those who’ve dabbled in Greek mythology: The illegitimate, half-human son of the king of Olympus, the demigod Heron (voiced by Derek Phillips), embarks on a quest. But what begins as Heron’s search for the truth of his parentage becomes an apocalyptic epic that pits god against god — and a bunch of giants and Titans — with relentless fantasy action and plenty of that titular blood. Jason O’Mara (Hypnotic), Mamie Gummer (The End of the Tour), and Jessica Henwick (Vladimir) provide additional voices.
Enola Holmes 3
Romance, danger, and action are afoot. Adventure chases Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola Holmes to Malta, where personal and professional dreams collide in a case more tangled and treacherous than any she has faced before. In the threequel, Enola heads to the altar to wed Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), only to learn the distressing news that her brother Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) has been kidnapped. The gumshoe is immediately on the case, all while grappling with her complicated feelings about marriage.
Little House on the Prairie
Follow the Ingalls family — Ma (Crosby Fitzgerald), Pa (Luke Bracey), Mary (Skywalker Hughes), and Laura (Alice Halsey) — as they journey from the snow-packed forests of Wisconsin to the wide-open spaces of Kansas in order to settle just outside the small but quickly developing town of Independence in the late 1800s. Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved semi-autobiographical book series inspired by her own childhood on the frontier, the eight-episode adaptation is part family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West.
The Lost City
Sandra Bullock (Bird Box) leads this rom-com as Loretta, an archaeologist turned romance writer who is abducted by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) to track down a legendary treasure she’s written about in one of her novels. When the police don’t believe Loretta’s publisher (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) about her disappearance, Alan (Channing Tatum) — the handsome, lovestruck cover model for Loretta’s novels — takes matters into his own hands and vows to bring her home. Oscar Nuñez (Mr. Iglesias) and Brad Pitt (War Machine) co-star.
Lost in Space
A reimagining of the 1965 series of the same name, Lost in Space is set in 2046 and follows the Robinsons, a family of space colonists who find themselves stuck after crash-landing on a mysterious planet. Deep in the intergalactic unknown, the family must find ways to rescue one another from the many lurking dangers while trying to get back to their mission. It’s a classic sci-fi adventure updated for the modern age. Molly Parker (Doc), Toby Stephens (Black Sails), Maxwell Jenkins (Arcadian), and Taylor Russell (Bones and All) star.
Nomadland
Written and directed by Chloé Zhao (Hamnet), Nomadland stars Frances McDormand (Fargo) as the recently widowed Fern, who loses her factory job during the Great Recession and sells all of her belongings to buy a van. As she traverses across the country searching for meaning and connection, she takes odd jobs and meets fellow nomads who teach her how to survive — in every sense of the word. David Strathairn (A Man on the Inside) co-stars in this film, which won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress (McDormand).
The Northman
This period action drama, based on the legend from ancient Danish historian and theologian Saxo Grammaticus’s Gesta Danorum, stars Alexander Skarsgård (Mute) as Amleth, an exiled Viking prince on a quest for revenge. When Amleth was a child, his uncle, Fjölnir (Claes Bang), staged a coup and killed the king (Ethan Hawke). Years later, Amleth, now a near-mythic warrior, returns to claim the throne — and the usurper’s head. Nicole Kidman (The Perfect Couple), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), and Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) co-star in this movie, co-written and directed by Robert Eggers (Nosferatu).
NYAD
NYAD dramatizes the experiences of the titular Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), who in 2013, at the age of 64, became the first person to complete the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. This seemingly impossible feat is Nyad’s lifelong dream, having first attempted the crossing in her twenties. Several decades later, she’s spurred into trying it again and cheered on by her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster — who, like Bening, earned an Oscar nomination for her performance) and navigator John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans).
Slumberland
Nemo (Marlow Barkley) is grieving the loss of her father (Kyle Chandler) when she discovers a secret map that leads her to Slumberland, a dreamworld where all her greatest wishes can come true. While there, she meets Flip (Jason Momoa), an eccentric outlaw who helps her wander through her dreams and flee nightmares, with the hope that she’ll be able to see her dad again. From flying through the clouds to sailing across the sea, their adventure gives the phrase “sweet dreams” a whole new meaning. Chris O’Dowd (The Starling) also stars.
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