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.
no particular order; 10 of my favorites:
Beastmaster (I enjoyed the whole series.)
The Hobbit (the old cartoon version; surprised nobody has mentioned it)
Dragonslayer
Legend
13th Warrior*
Conan (both movies)
Clash of The Titans (I still prefer the old movie over the remake.)
The Wizard of Oz
Willow
Son of Hercules**
*as others have pointed out, 13th Warrior isn't exactly fantasy, but that movie is very very close to how I imagine a lot of gritty fantasy in my head.
** I'm unsure what the actual name of this movie is. I remember watching it on VHS while at my grandmother's house a long time ago. I tried doing a google search to find the movie I was thinking of, but my memory of the plot doesn't seem to match up with the search results I got.
I remember the main character being the Son of Hercules. During some early fight scenes between the kingdom which most of the movie takes place in and the enemy, there's a crackle of thunder and a warrior dressed somewhat like a stereotypical spartan appears. This mystery warrior turns the tide of a losing battle. Eventually, he is revealed to be the 'Son of Hercules.'
As a kid, I remember thinking the guy playing the Son of Hercules sorta had a big nose.
I remember there being a scene where he was in some sort of temple with a lot of women. Possibly a temple to Aphrodite, but I don't remember. I mostly remember the head priestess trying to convince the protagonist to stay with her and forget life outside. Through a combination of wine and eye candy, she tried to fog his mind, but eventually he willed himself to want to leave. I believe there may have been a female lead who was the reason why he wanted to leave.
I think I also remember a scene in which the protagonist was yelling at the sky and having a one-sided conversation with Hercules (who at this point had apparently ascended to godhood.) The conversation was about the struggles of living as a mortal on the mortal world.
The movie was in color, but I know it was a rather old movie. While my memory of it is vague, I remember it being a movie I liked. I watched it quite often when I would visit, but it's been so long that I still do not recall the name nor some of the other details about it.