It’s hard to imagine another fantasy series topping The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but an attempt was made with The Hobbit movies. Also directed by Peter Jackson, this series disappointed fans and critics alike, and there were many factors involved in the failure of this fantasy property. It wasn’t like Bilbo Baggins’ story was less riveting than Frodo’s, but its cinematic execution could not live up to high expectations.
Stretching a single book into three mediocre movies was a bad idea from the start, but thankfully, several other fantasy films surpass The Hobbit in terms of plot, characters, visual effects, and audience satisfaction. The genre is vast, so there are enough titles that can scratch the itch for epics, fairytales, dark fantasy, and even animated fantasy stories, all better than The Hobbit and its sequels.
Edward Scissorhands Stays With the Viewer
Tim Burton’s distinctive gothic cinematic style comes to life in Edward Scissorhands, a subversive fantasy film set in a staid suburban neighborhood. The matriarch of the Bogg family, Pegg, finds a young humanoid with scissors for hands, quite unlike anyone she’s seen before, and decides to take him in. Her daughter, Kim, slowly falls for Edward, but is held back by societal expectations. While the neighborhood is initially ecstatic to have gentle and sweet Edward around, who uses his appendages to trim hedges and groom dogs, the jealous interventions of Kim’s boyfriend turn the neighbors against Edward.
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder are magnetic as the leading pair, adding the right amount of wistfulness and emotion to the almost surreal goth fantasy. Edward Scissorhands stands out for its rather gentle tone, with a lead character so unreal yet so haunting that fans can’t help coming back to him. It’s a little snapshot of a magical yet sad world, with deep meaning hidden underneath it all.
Pan’s Labyrinth Is a Hauntingly Dark Fantasy Film
Set in Francoist Spain, Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece can be found in every list of the greatest fantasy movies, and rightfully so. It comprises unforgettable characters like the Pale Man and a plot that straddles a fairytale, an adventure, and the real world with precision. Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia, a little girl who agrees to go into ancient labyrinths built for the soul of a lost princess, accompanied by a faun to guide her.
She faces horrifying monsters and difficult moral trials, which seem to mirror the violence of her stepfather, Vidal, in the real world. An Academy Award winner, Pan’s Labyrinth nailed every element of a top-notch fantasy film, with a complex universe, unique character design, and a seamless transition through worlds. It isn’t afraid to get dark, political, and complicated, but retains a sense of wonder in the darkness.
The Princess Bride Is Fantasy For All Ages
Often regarded as the fantasy film for every age group to enjoy, The Princess Bride has aged wonderfully well since 1987. Directed by Rob Reiner, the movie follows the young love between Princess Buttercup and her farmhand, Westley, which is interrupted when the latter goes out to make something of himself to be worthy of Buttercup. She is betrothed to Prince Humperdinck against her will and kidnapped by Sicilian criminals.
Westley sets out to rescue his princess, tackling pirates and evil criminals to get to her. The Princess Bride is quirky, funny, magical, and replete with swashbuckling action to form the perfect package. Its dialogue is its biggest strength. To date, quotes like “As you wish,” and “Inconceivable!” are repeated in pop culture, and its gentle satire of fantasy tropes remains refreshing.
Spirited Away Is Japanese Animation At Its Best
Studio Ghibli has produced quite a few gorgeous fantasy animations, and the studio’s entire oeuvre can be watched at any point for jaw-dropping visuals and touching stories. However, the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away stands out; the coming-of-age tale of a young girl named Chihiro, who accidentally enters the spirit world with her parents, who are turned into pigs for their gluttony.
Chihiro’s only way out is to become a slave for the witch Yubaba, working at a bathhouse where she meets the mysterious No-Face and Haku, a boy who is cursed to turn into a dragon. Hayao Miyazaki invites the viewer into the magical world of Japanese mythology with vibrant worlds and truly distinctive characters that have never been seen before. Spirited Away is an elevated animated fantasy that leaves the viewer with a sense of awe and fascination.
Enchanted Combines Traditional Animation With Live-Action With Ease
Sometimes dismissed as overly sentimental, even though it almost got an R-rating, Enchanted is one of those rare movies that is sincere yet amusing, balancing both and delivering, too. Crammed full of iconic Disney imagery, the animated fairytale collides with a bleaker real world in this Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey-starrer. Enchanted brings back traditional animation at the beginning of the movie, where a young damsel, Giselle, attracts a handsome Prince, Edward, with her beautiful voice.
His evil mother, Queen Narcissa, throws Giselle down a well… which opens as a manhole into New York City. A princess who has lived her life in a simple, fairytale world now has to find herself in the chaos of the real world, and she meets handsome Robert, who helps her through the transition. Enchanted takes Disney tropes and satirizes them, while keeping a genuine heart with a sweet adventure within it, making it a fantasy essential.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Is the Best of the Series
Prior to the third installment of the Harry Potter series, it was considered a clean, sweet children’s movie with astounding visual effects. However, Alfonso Cuarón veered the high fantasy series down a darker path in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to deal with higher stakes as Sirius Black came into the picture. Even visually, this movie was grimmer than its predecessors, signifying a tonal change in the maturity of the series as its protagonists turned into teenagers.
In their third year, the Golden Trio had to deal with the consequences of human error, lethal time travel, and actual danger, instead of the imagined ones. Their brushes with death came several times, whether it was being around a transitioning werewolf or the Dementors at the wrong time. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is considered the best movie of all the eight, even if it has that one divisive freeze frame at the end.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Is an Epic Adventure
C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia got its high fantasy adaptation in 2005, and while the franchise may have become largely forgotten gems, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe remains an iconic film. When Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are shipped off to a country home, the accidental discovery of a magical wardrobe leads them to an enchanted world called Narnia. Trapped in an eternal winter because of the White Witch, Narnia is a wondrous land of fauns, talking animals, and ancient magic.
Directed by Andrew Adamson, this movie explores not only the epic battles to end the winter in Narnia, but also the complex relationships that the siblings share. Morality is not black and white in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, a refreshing change for a movie that is targeted at a younger audience. The special effects also shine in this beautiful fantasy adventure, just another reason to indulge in it over the holidays.
Wicked Is a Musical Mega Hit
Adapting the wildly popular stage play for the screen, Jon M. Chu brings Elphaba and Glinda, played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, to roaring life in a musical that keeps audiences hooked for nearly three hours. Wicked rewound to a younger Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, who used to actually be close friends when they went to study together. It chronicled the unfortunate events that led to them getting separated, and Elphaba getting a dire reputation.
Wicked is not only a musical masterpiece, but also a striking fantasy film that doesn’t neglect its story for the songs. Larger-than-life visuals, nuanced storytelling, comical dialogues, and a universe with true depth, it does complete justice to its source material. Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero is also absolutely delightful in Wicked, refreshing the older character with his own flair.
Source link
