Christopher Nolan’s movie adaptation of “The Odyssey” features a cast of 5,000 extras. It was filmed in Morocco, Iceland, Italy, Scotland, and, of course, Greece. Every aspect of the production – from ships to costumes – is historically authentic. Well, apart from Odysseus’ American accent. We’ll let it slide, Matt Damon.

Perhaps surprisingly for one of humankind’s greatest stories, this is Hollywood’s first large-scale production of it. “It’s an odd gap in movie history,” Mr. Nolan told an interviewer. Yet Mr. Nolan’s epic arrives at a time when many colleges are ditching classes about Homer. Not to mention Virgil, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Some ask, Why should we bother with the classics?

We explore that question in this week’s magazine. The centerpiece is a conversation that I convened with three scholars. (For the full conversation, use the QR code on page 31). We discussed the resurgence of the classics in popular culture, their place in higher education, and why those works face ideological tussles between the left and the right.

In a related story, staff writer Emily Staunton reports on young people who are learning ancient Greek to better understand the classics. Film critic Peter Rainer ponders what elements make for successful “swords and sandals” epics. We’ve also compiled a guide to reading the classics, including an accessible entry point for kids.

Which takes us back to that central question of why the classics matter.

Well, here’s one reason. For a young generation accustomed to surface-level scrolling through social media, these ancient scrolls demand deep-dive immersion. One of our panelists, J. Walter Sterling, is president of a university entirely devoted to that endeavor. At St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, students embark on a Great Books curriculum. Many students arrive ill-prepared for the rigor it requires, says Mr. Sterling. Yet engaging with the classics helps build up essential life skills, including concentration and focus.