Summary
- Fantasy movies have created magical worlds with tales of knights, monarchs, and demons.
- Some of the best fantasy films, like The Princess Bride and Harry Potter, have surpassed expectations.
- Movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings have reshaped the fantasy genre.
Movies are a gateway to different worlds that can bring monsters, knights, and warlocks to life. Films have come so far that worlds from some of the most mystical places ever thought up can be created for viewers' enjoyment on the silver screen. Grand stories of kingdoms, knights, and evil demons can be told that take movie-goers on magical adventures across a mythical fantasy world.
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There have been dozens upon dozens of fantasy movies released over the years, and as one of the most challenging types of films to make, only a small few have risen above expectations and accomplished successes just as grand as their budget. Here are some of the best fantasy movies that surpassed all expectations and still remain some of the best movies to watch today.
8 The Princess Bride
A Classic Tale With A Surprising Adventure And A Star-Studded Cast
The Princess Bride
- Release Date
- September 25, 1987
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
Cast
-
Cary ElwesWestley -
Robin WrightThe Princess Bride
WHERE TO WATCH
- Director
- Rob Reiner
William Goldman and Rob Reiner delivered a memorable masterpiece with The Princess Bride. Adapted from a novel by Goldman, The Princess Bride takes viewers on a magical journey of romance and corruption as a beautiful young woman named Buttercup is taken as the hostage bride of the corrupt Prince Humperdink.
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During a failed kidnapping, she is saved by a cutthroat named Pirate Roberts, who turns out to be her long-lost love. With the Prince and his Henchman hot on their tails, Buttercup and The Pirate Roberts must run for their lives. The Princess Bride is a medieval fantasy story that checks all the boxes of sword fights and magic potions. It is also a fantastic story that is a surprise, considering it lacks all the fancy CGI bells and whistles of other genre entries.
7 Hellboy
A Dark And Magical Take On A Superhero Movie
- Cast
- Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, John Hurt, Rupert Evans, Jeffrey Tambor, Ladislav Beran, Bridget Hodson, Karel Roden, Brian Steele, Corey Johnson, Kevin Trainor, Brian Caspe, James Babson, Stephen Fisher, Garth Cooper, Angus MacInnes, Jim Howick, Mark Taylor, Daniel Aarsman, Bettina Ask, Álvaro Navarro, Emilio Navarro, Rory Copus, Tara Hugo
- Runtime
- 122 minutes
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
Hellboy was an incredible creation from top to bottom, and while it started as a superhero movie, it instead transcended into an epic dark fantasy action movie. Ron Perlman stars as Hellboy, a demon from another dimension who is raised by a human and becomes a protector of the innocent against others of his kind.
As a hulking red-skinned devil, Hellboy fends off the things that go bump in the night while dreaming of standing in the sunlight free from judgement. The film is a breathtaking culmination of brilliant visuals and direction by Guillermo del Toro, known for The Shape of Water and Pan's Labyrinth.
6 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl
A Perfect Mixture Of Myth And Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Release Date
- July 9, 2003
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce
- Runtime
- 143 Minutes
- Director
- Gore Verbinski
In one of Johnny Depp's most beloved roles, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl tells the rebellious story of Captain Jack Sparrow and his quest to recover his stolen ship, The Black Pearl. Having been mutinied and deserted, Jack Sparrow finds his way to Port Royal, where a chance encounter with Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom, gets him locked in jail.
Coincidentally, this is on the same eve that the Black Pearl attacks the port and drags Jack Sparrow and Will Turner into a dark quest to free Turner's love, Elezabeth Turner, played by Kira Knightly, from the new captain of the Black Pearl, Barbosa. Pirates of the Caribbean melds worlds in an epic saga of films loaded with curses, monsters, undead pirates, and powerful goddesses.
5 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone
A Perfect Adaptation Of The World Of Magic And Monsters
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Fiona Shaw, Harry Melling, Richard Griffiths, John Cleese, Warwick Davis, Ian Hart, John Hurt, Alan Rickman
- Runtime
- 152 Minutes
- Director
- Chris Columbus
The name Harry Potter has become synonymous with fantasy, as the 2001 film surpassed all expectations and became a box office blast during its release. Based on the fantastic novel series by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first film in a nine-movie series that stands as the starting point for a magical cinematic universe.
Harry Potter is known far and wide in the world of witchcraft and wizardry as the boy who survived the power of the Dark Lord Voldemort. After living most of his life among human beings, he has been invited to the most prestigious school for magic users in the world, Hogwarts, to learn to use magic. However, Harry's arrival triggers a chain of events that threaten to break the wizarding world apart. Harry Potter was an unforeseen success, capturing all the magic of the books that inspired it, becoming a household name and changing the lives of thousands worldwide.
4 Shrek
A Perfect Film With Comedy And Excitement
- Cast
- Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel, Peter Dennis, Clive Pearse, Jim Cummings, Bobby Block, Chris Miller, Cody Cameron, Kathleen Freeman, Christopher Knights, Simon J. Smith, Conrad Vernon, Jacquie Barnbrook, Guillaume Aretos, John Bisom, Matthew Gonder, Calvin Remsberg, Jean-Paul Vignon, Val Bettin, Andrew Adamson, Gary A. Hecker
- Runtime
- 90 minutes
- Director
- Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Dreamworks is known for delivering incredible works of art, but none have stood the test of time and continued to provide laughs and cries like Shrek. Starring Mike Myers as the not-so-jolly Green Ogre, Shrek lives peacefully in his swamp until a nearby kingdom declares war on fairytale creatures, forcing them to flee into his territory.
Taking fate into his own hands, Shrek confronts the king of the neighboring kingdom to get to the bottom of this ordeal. This results in Shrek setting out on a quest to save a princess in return for the kingdom leaving his swamp alone. What starts as a comical adventure ends with a heartwarming romance that no viewers saw coming. Shrek has expanded into four films with a fifth on the way, greatly surpassing its original expectations.
3 Bridge To Terabithia
An Imaginative Adventure That Turns Into A Heartbreaking Story
- Cast
- Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Robert Patrick, Zooey Deschanel
- Runtime
- 95 Minutes
- Director
- Gabor Csupo
Director Gabo Csupo makes his debut with this iconic story about two young kids who discover each other and a magical world just when they are at their lowest. Josh Hutcherson plays Jessie Aarons, a poverty-stricken young boy living an unremarkable middle school life.
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With no friends and dealing with bullying every day, Jessie finds his first ally when Leslie moves to his town. Leslie and Jessie become fast friends and, while exploring, they birth a magical kingdom that allows them to escape the stress of their normal lives. Bridge to Terabithia is a magical tale that told a story no one expected and became a cult classic that received impressive acclaim.
2 The Mummy
The Perfect Package Of Magic, Action, And Drama
The Mummy
- Release Date
- May 7, 1999
- Runtime
- 125 minutes
- Director
- Stephen Sommers
- Cast
- Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Jonathan Hyde, Kevin J. O'Connor, Oded Fehr
The Mummy became one of the grandest movies of all time, revitalizing an old genre of horror movies and breathing new life into it by adding wondrous fantasy elements. After being imprisoned for nearly a decade, Rick O'Connell becomes the escort for Evelyn and Jonathan Carnahan as they travel to Egypt in search of fame and fortune.
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The journey turns dire when Evelyn reads a spell that returns an ancient evil to life, one that seeks to unleash a dire plague on the world. Now Rick, Evelyn, and her brother must put a stop to the evil before it's too late. The Mummy brought back the trope of a creeping ancient evil and turned it into a fantasy epic of primordial proportions.
1 The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
The Most Legendary Tale Ever Written Breaks The Mold In Live Action
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Release Date
- December 19, 2001
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis
- Runtime
- 178 Minutes
- Director
- Peter Jackson
Fantasy was changed forever with the publishing of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, which was highly praised and became the foundation of what most high fantasy is today. However, the sequel to the story, The Lord of the Rings, became a monumental success and once again reshaped the fantasy genre as a whole.
The Lord of the Rings received so much recognition over the years that it would receive a live-action adaptation fifty years after its publication, one that many long-time fans were skeptical could live up to the exceptional source material. However, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring would become just as memorable and successful as the original books it was based on, and became the crown jewel of fantasy movies for fans all over the world.
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