Top 10 Fantasy Movies?

nikolai · Aug 28, 2003

I just wanted to gather the boards opinion on what are the best fantasy movies. If people want to make suggestion for a "list-of-shame" of the worst I'm also more than happy to hear them. I know it's hardly the most well-done cinematic genre, but there has been a steady trickle of these films in the 80s and 90s.

Can we also put "Lord of the Rings" to one side, I've a feeling it'll top most lists, and I want to concentrate on the genre before Peter Jackson's invtervention.

nikolai.

Assenpfeffer · Aug 28, 2003

nikolai said:
I just wanted to gather the boards opinion on what are the best fantasy movies. If people want to make suggestion for a "list-of-shame" of the worst I'm also more than happy to hear them. I know it's hardly the most well-done cinematic genre, but there has been a steady trickle of these films in the 80s and 90s.

Can we also put "Lord of the Rings" to one side, I've a feeling it'll top most lists, and I want to concentrate on the genre before Peter Jackson's invtervention.

nikolai.

I'm not sure there are 10 good fantasy movies prior to LotR unless we broaden the definition to include stuff like The Wizard of Oz (which is certainly fantasy, just not our kind of fantasy.)

My favorites include:

Conan the Barbarian
Excalibur
Dragonslayer
Krull
The Sword & the Sorcerer
The Beastmaster

That's about it, and a couple of those are of debatable quality.

Cthulhu's Librarian · Aug 28, 2003

Assenpfeffer said:
I'm not sure there are 10 good fantasy movies prior to LotR unless we broaden the definition to include stuff like The Wizard of Oz (which is certainly fantasy, just not our kind of fantasy.)

My favorites include:

Conan the Barbarian
Excalibur
Dragonslayer
Krull
The Sword & the Sorcerer
The Beastmaster

That's about it, and a couple of those are of debatable quality.

What, you forgot about Dungeons & Dragons?

Seriously, I only have a couple more to add:

LadyHawke
Princess Mononoke
Jason and the Argonauts
7th Voyage of Sinbad
and an honorable mention to Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Corwyn · Aug 28, 2003

Don't forget

The Labyrinth

and

The Dark Cristal

Gnarlo · Aug 28, 2003

I've always been a big fan of Eric the Viking, it feels just like my D&D memories

Also enjoyed Dragonheart (the original, with Connery as Draco).

Dark Jezter · Aug 28, 2003

Wow, before LOTR, the only really good fantasy movie I can think of is Conan the Barbarian.

I also enjoyed The Scorpion King, The Beastmaster, and Kull the Conquerer. But those movies were light, campy fun. Not classics.

LuYangShih · Aug 28, 2003

Willow, Dragonheart, and Conan The Barbarian.

Assenpfeffer · Aug 29, 2003

While not a "classic," exactly, I fail to see where the original Beastmaster is particularly light or campy - it plays almost 100% straight.

The sequels are another story (and horrendously bad.)

Atridis · Aug 29, 2003

in the sword & sorcery category of fantasy films, I'd like to add the Chinese wuxia genre (aka "flying swordsman" movies). my top 5, in no order, are The Bride With White Hair, Moon Warriors, A Chinese Ghost Story, White Snake Green Snake, and Dragon Inn. they can be hard to find in the US, but they're worth a little extra effort, imho. another one in that style was Brotherhood of the Wolf. it wasn't Chinese, but you can rent it just about anywhere.

Shadowdancer · Aug 30, 2003

1.) Lord of the Rings. I consider all three to be one long movie, and even though it's not finished yet, it's better than anything else.

2.) Spirited Away.

3.) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

4.) Princess Mononoke.

5.) Conan the Barbarian.

6.) Princess Bride.

7.) Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

8.) Excalibur.

9.) Ladyhawke.

10.) Dragonheart.

I considered putting The 13th Warrior on the list, even though it's not a straight-forward fantasy, it has some subtle fantasy elements to it, and the whole feel of the movie is the same as a fantasy.