Tom Holland is Spider-Man alias Peter Parker. He is Telemachus in “The Odyssey.”

Both movies are showing simultaneously in Metro Manila and in the US. To the credit of the actor, his director, and the screenplay, you will not mistake one for the other, granting you’re watching both movies, one after the other. It also means that the actor is not afraid to compete with himself.

But then why should he? As Spidey he’s in costume most of the time, which means you don’t get to see his face, not even his eyes, except when he’s being Peter Parker. By the way, there are 32,000 species of spiders. As for Spider-Man/Spidey, I remember my grandmother once upon a time telling us kids not to harm spiders “because they eat mosquitoes.” (I did not want to harm a spider’s webs because I found them to be as pretty as lace.)

Sources say Mr. Holland was paid US$20 million for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and US$10 million for “Odyssey”– too many zeroes to multiply by 60 pesos to the dollar!

I cannot guess how much the two movies are making or have made in Metro Manila, but I’m sure that Spider-Man is more popular with the young crowd. The kids, from pre-teens to those old enough to vote, are more easily drawn to Spidey than Telewhatshisname. When young people were lining up to buy their tickets last weekend, I noticed that quite a few of them were wearing their Spider-Man jackets.

On the other hand, how many percent of moviegoers, whatever their ages, have read “The Odyssey”? The movie, like the epic poem, is about the seemingly endless travels of Odysseus and how his faithful wife Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway) waited for him to come home. Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, is portrayed by Lupita Nyong’o.

As a student of literature, I am thankful to Hollywood producers and actors who make it a point to go back to the classics now and then in their search for storylines with a more or less universal, timeless appeal.

I found such a book, “Mythology Land,” with lavish illustrations, at Fully Booked last week. The stories cover China, Japan, Egypt, India, and Africa.