It takes a lot for a movie to be considered a masterpiece, and the standards are even higher when the film falls into thefantasygenre. Since speculative fiction isn’t an immediate hit with all audiences,the special effects, characters, and plot must all work seamlesslyfor the project to connect with everyone who watches the movie. The films that fit the bill are some of the most influential and groundbreaking and are frequently cited and referenced in contemporary works. Every decade holds unique and mesmerizing additions to the genre that will capture the hearts and minds of viewers.
Sometimes, these movies arefantasy box office flops that deserve betterand aren’t recognized for their skill and talent until long after these films have premiered. However, with many of them, the merit is immediately obvious to audiences and critics alike. Despite this,it takes more than accolades and monetary achievements to warrant being called a masterpiece; there is an ephemeral quality within these movies that sets them apart from the rest. When a fantasy movie is so moving that it is easily related to and makes a comment on the real world, that’s when it’s clear it’s a hit.
Jason And The Argonauts
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Jason And The Argonauts is a 1963 fantasy adventure film directed by Don Chaffey. It follows Jason’s quest to retrieve the legendary Golden Fleece, aided by a band of heroes known as the Argonauts. Along their journey, they face various mythical creatures and challenges. The film is renowned for its groundbreaking stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen. Todd Armstrong stars as Jason, with Nancy Kovack as Medea and Gary Raymond as Acastus.
Retellings of classic Greek myths are some of the most popular projects in film and television today,likePercy Jackson and the Olympians. However,Jason and the Argonautswas one of the early adopters of bringing these ancient tales to life and is notable for its use of stop-motion in the creation of many of the monsters and mystical elements. Of course,Jason and the Argonautstakes some liberties with the original myth, but it hits all the most important and epic beats.
Fortunately, the technical aspects of the film were immediately singled out for how brilliantly they imagined the otherworldly aspects of the story.
It took time forJason and the Argonautsto be recognized for its contributions to film history. However, once audiences and critics realized how groundbreaking the movie was, it hasn’t been forgotten. Fortunately, the technical aspects of the film were immediately singled out for how brilliantly they imagined the otherworldly aspects of the story. Though these are highlights of the movie,the story’s universal nature also sets it apart.As far as fantasy adventures go, few transport the viewer as completely asJason and the Argonauts.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
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10 Best Fantasy Movies Of The 1960s
Despite being often overlooked, the 1960s were a great decade for fantasy filmmaking and sparked innovation that inspired future movies.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit combines live-action and animation to create a world where humans and cartoon characters coexist. Set in 1940s Hollywood, the film follows a private investigator who is contracted to work on the case of a cartoon framed for murder, despite his dislike of cartoons. Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer, Christopher Lloyd, and Kathleen Turner all star.
Blending animation and live-action might happen fairly frequently today, but whenWho Framed Roger Rabbitpremiered, it was groundbreaking. The director, Robert Zemeckis, has had a varied career but is responsible for some major masterworks of fantasy and sci-fi, as he also directedBack to the Future. In conversation with some of the most iconic genres of movie history, like film noir and animation,Who Framed Roger Rabbitis a love letter to all cinema, not just fantasy.
ThoughWho Framed Roger Rabbitplays with form and uses its visual style to create many natural moments of humor,the story itself is dark. Themes of discrimination and segregation are touched upon in the narrative, even if they’re delivered in such a fantastical package.Who Framed Roger Rabbitis both a celebration and an indictment of the film industry, which is something that not as many fantasy films take on since the plots are often rooted in other worlds.
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: In Harry’s third year at Hogwarts, he faces more complex magical challenges and encounters fear-inducing Dementors. The escape of the notorious wizard Sirius Black from Azkaban casts a shadow over the school year, presenting new threats and mysteries for Harry and his friends to unravel.
Easily the best of all theHarry Pottermovies,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabandemonstrates why so many readers and audiences have become enraptured with the story’s world for so many years.The Prisoner of Azkabanis the strongest, thanks to the visionary direction of Alfonso Cuarón,who successfully transitions the narrative from childhood to early adolescence, tackling the darkness at the heart of the plot. Additionally, the story lends itself best to being able to watch the film as a standalone, which is rarely the case with the other movies.
One of thebest fantasy movies of the 2000s,The Prisoner of Azkabanis the most visually interesting and arresting of all theHarry Potterfilms and is the first that challenges the child actors to engage with nuanced emotions and morality. Thematically,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanis flawless, asCuarón blends time and mirror imagery into every moment of the project,providing foreshadowing without being too on the nose. When revisiting these films, the third movie is always the most compelling to rewatch.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
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Anglicized asBeauty and the Beast,La Belle et la Bêteis the original French screen iteration of the classic fairy tale. Unlike the famed Disney version,La Belle et la Bêteleans into the darker aspects of the story and is full of highly stylized elements. Directed by the famed French visionary Jean Cocteau,La Belle et la Bêtehas been highly noteworthy for its contributions to how fairy tales are adapted to the screen.Additionally, the amazing work of the practical effects is still magical and effective today.
Romance is a key feature of many fantasy films, and few communicate such a fantastical and sweeping love story as well asLa Belle et la Bête.
WhileLa Belle et la Bêteis noteworthy because of its magic, it’s also iconic thanks to the lead performances from Jean Marais and Josette Day as the Beast and Belle. Romance is a key feature of many fantasy films, and few communicate such a fantastical and sweeping love story as well asLa Belle et la Bête. It’s difficult to imagine what filmmaking would look like today without the precedent set by the movie.The film is a great introduction to French cinemaand international fantasy.
La Belle et la Bête (1946)
The Princess Bride
Based on the 1973 novel by William Goldman, The Princess Bride is a comical fantasy adventure film that tells a swashbuckling tale of a hero and a princess, read to a young, sick boy in bed by his grandfather. The story itself follows farmhand Westley, who embarks on an epic journey to save his beloved princess from an evil prince as he meets strange but reliable companions along the way.
The 1980s were a seminal decade for fantasy, and no film better demonstrates why thanThe Princess Bride. One of the most popular movies that was a crossover hit with longtime fantasy fans and wider audiences,The Princess Bridehits the perfect mark between satirical and genuinely moving.It’s easy to laugh at the hilarious lines and events in the story while simultaneously rooting for the central love story between Westley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright).
Like many great movies,The Princess Brideis based on a novel, which shines through in many of the best lines of dialogue.The Princess Brideis afantasy movie full of iconic quotes, which is part of the reason it has remained so popular with generations of audiences. However, it’s the fact that actors deliver these quotes with such sincerity and brilliant comedic timing that bringsThe Princess Brideto the next level. With swashbuckling adventure, swordplay, and touching romance,The Princess Bridehas the best of what makes fantasy memorable.
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The Dark Crystal
Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, and featuring Henson’s signature use of puppetry and animatronics, The Dark Crystal tells the story of two Gelflings, a fictional race of elf-like fantasy creatures, who must embark on a quest to restore balance to their world through the mending of an all-powerful crystal, broken and corrupted by a malevolent race known as the Skeksis. Stephen Garlick and Lisa Maxwell voice the protagonists, Jen and Kira.
Jim Henson’s work in the field of puppetry and practical effects has been highly influential and important, especially within works of fantasy. While Henson and his iconic company are best known for their work onThe Muppets,The Dark Crystalwas a departure for the studio, as it treads intense territory,and its production was unlike anything else in film or fantasy. Though the puppets and animatronics used for the story are what the movie is heralded for, they’re only so effective because of the moving story.
10 Fantasy Movies That Are Actually Pretty Dark
Though fantasy is typically thought of as an escapist genre, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of dark & grim moments within these movies.
ThoughThe Dark Crystalis often cited as a cult classic, within the fantasy genre,it could be considered required viewing thanks to the way it raised the bar on visual effects and creature creation.Thanks to the followingThe Dark Crystalhas found in the years since its release, the film received a one-season prequel TV series in 2019. Though projects likeThe Dark Crystalare ambitious and require a lot of resources, the payoff is well worth it and paves the way for innovative projects.
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The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal explores the journey of Swedish knight Antonius Block, returning from the Crusades to a plague-stricken homeland. He engages in a chess match with Death, seeking answers and redemption, while encountering a troupe of traveling players, navigating existential questions, and striving to delay his fate.
Ingmar Bergman has many masterpieces under his belt, butThe Seventh Sealis his best work of fantasy and is frequently referenced in cinema and media in general. Featuring the iconic chess game between the protagonist and Death,The Seventh Sealinteracts with Christianity and faith as major themes throughout the story.Set in Medieval Sweden, it’s true thatThe Seventh Sealtakes place in a world and setting unlike anything most modern viewers have experienced, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling.
Largely considered one of the best films ever made,The Seventh Sealhelps establish fantasy as part of high art in cinema.
Largely considered one of the best films ever made,The Seventh Sealhelps establish fantasy as part of high art in cinema. While many works of speculative fiction are often considered for children only or not dramatic enough to warrant serious consideration as a piece of art,The Seventh Sealdisrupts this and shows how fantasy can be a great delivery system for allegory and metaphorabout some of the most important artistic topics like fate, death, destiny, and religion.
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Spirited Away
Spirited Away, a masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki, is an animated fantasy film that follows the enchanting journey of a young girl named Chihiro. Trapped in a mystical world after her parents are transformed into pigs, Chihiro must navigate a realm filled with spirits and peculiar creatures to save her family.
Spirited Awaymight be targeted to audiences of all ages, but that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t grapple with dark and serious topics. The young Chihiro must take on much more adult responsibility and learn to be on her own for the first time in the midst of fantastical developments within the spirit world. Meeting colorful characters who are vividly realized through the movie’s gorgeous animation,the audience is swept up in Chihiro’s adventure and feels her joys and sorrows acutely.
The coming-of-age genre touches upon many common themes of growing up and loss of innocence, butSpirited Awaymakes these well-worn conversations feel fresh.WhileSpirited Awayuses its fantasy elements to heighten the experience of aging out of childhood, it’s faithful to the essential truths of coming-of-age that everyone can relate to. After watchingSpirited Away, it’s easy to see why it’s not just considered the best animated fantasy movie of all time but one of the best, regardless of genre.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia, a ten-year-old girl living in 1940s Spain who learns she is actually a long-lost fairy princess. With the help of a faun, she is set a series of tasks to complete in order to return to her true home in the fairy underworld. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, with Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, and Doug Jones making up the rest of the main cast.
Arguably thebest R-rated fantasy movieof all time,Pan’s Labyrinthis Guillermo del Toro’s most famous and synonymous work,introducing him to viewers who wouldn’t usually find themselves so engrossed in a fairy tale. However,Pan’s Labyrinthis no ordinary fairy tale, as it is directly in conversation with the history of fascist regimes in Spain and the ways children cope with loss and hardship through escapism. The protagonist, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), is arrestingly relatable to audiences young and old, as she represents the part of every child who wants to break free and live in a magical world.
Incorporating fearsome horror elements into the traditional structure of a children’s story can be a difficult line to walk, but del Toro strikes an even balance.
Visually, there are few movies as stunning asPan’s Labyrinth,with practical effects and creatures built with intricate designs that make the audience and characters feel as if they’ve stepped into another world. Incorporating fearsome horror elements into the traditional structure of a children’s story can be a difficult line to walk, but del Toro strikes an even balance.Pan’s Labyrinthtreats both the enormous tragedies and the individual sorrows of the characters and the world with equal weight.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King concludes the epic saga of the Fellowship’s quest to destroy the One Ring and put an end to Sauron’s reign of terror. As Frodo and Sam continue on their way to Mordor and Mount Doom, accompanied by Gollom, the rest of the Fellowship work to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron’s forces. The film’s ensemble cast includes Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Vigo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.
Making history as the firstfantasymovie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture,The Return of the Kingis the final installment of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the beloved books and remains the definitive version. Whileeach film in the trilogy is considered a masterclass of the genre,The Return of the Kingstands out because of how well the scale and weight of the story’s conclusion are translated to the screen. At this point in the narrative, the audience feels they’ve been on this harrowing journey with all the characters, and Jackson delivers a satisfying ending.
The performances also cannot be overlooked, as the actors who gave their all to the sweeping epic bring home their characters' journeys beautifully inThe Return of the King. There’s no reason to remakeThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy since it has been brought to life so perfectly. While the movies do take some liberties with J.R.R. Tolkien’s story,The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingunderstands the emotional truths and most important moments,earning respect from longtime fans and first-time viewers ofThe Lord of the Rings.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
