Great fantasy films?

[I, Brian]

Well, I figure that any of the Lord of the Rings films will be up on this list...but I'd erally like to hear what others people would nominate.

Conan the Barbarian is a particular favourite - it's just sheer mythology and symbolism, and the undercurrent tension between the worlds of James Earl Jones and Arnold Swarzanegger is just great. Some very well filmed scenes as well (especially at the beginning and the end).

What about other films, though - how about Beastmaster - what about Krull? How about the various Sinbad films and Jason and Argonauts? Willow? Legend?

Which are the fantasy films that really stand out in the genre?

And, perhaps more importantly, are they properly representative of the genre - ie, is there too little and with the wrong them, to communicate what fantasy meansm and is as an experience?

[Foxbat]

I just acquired Conan on DVD and love it!

As for others, Clash of The Titans (and anything else by Harrhausen)
The one with the most style must be Legend.
Sword & Sorceror is another worth watching.

In saying that however, Fantasy has a serious problem in that, if most films are watched one after the other, they all blend into a melange of sword, leather, sandal and quest. It needs a serious injection of originality. Characterisation in most seems to be an afterthought and too reliant on the archetypal hero.
There are some fine films out there but I fear Fantasy's star (while at its peak with LOTR) may be about to dip below the horizon.

[McMurphy]

"Dark Crystal" is often overlooked in fantasy film genre. The work and imagination that went into that movie were incredible. Jim Henson's love for storytelling, children, puppeteering, and imagination in general is sorely missed.

[I, Brian]

Certainly agree on the loss of Jim Henson - but never actually watched Dark Crystal properly, though I've seen parts. Maybe something to hire out for the kids?

[Marianne]

My all time fav after LOTR(of course) would have to be Princess Bride. I have lost track of how many times I have watched it. The second place award goes to Ladyhawke...beautiful movie. When I am in the mood for mayhem I enjoy a good hack and slash such as the Conan movies... Labyrinth, with David Bowie is a classic. I remember being enthralled with Dragonslayer when it came out because there was really not much fantasy film to choose from back then. I haven't seen it in many years so I am not sure how it stands up to today's special effects.

I have to disagree that fantasy films are becoming an endangered species. I think the success of LOTR will spur other directors to make them.

[Foxbat]

I have to disagree that fantasy films are becoming an endangered species. I think the success of LOTR will spur other directors to make them.

It's not that I think they will become an endangered species - quite the opposite in fact. It's my opinion that there will be a glut of second rate fantasy movies jumping on to the LOTR bandwagon. All you have to do is look at the number of low quality SciFi movies that followed in the wake of the first Star Wars film. The problem, as I see it, is that it will cause audiences (now caught by the lure LOTR) to drift away from the fantasy genre when these start to appear. They will do more harm than good to the genre.

[littlemissattitude]

I have to agree with Marianne that "Ladyhawke" is a fine fantasy film. So are the two parts of LOTR that I have seen ("Fellowship" and "Return of the King"). Can we call "Time Bandits" fantasy? I think so, and I love that film. I'd also like to mention "Time After Time" (1979), starring Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen, in which H. G. Wells finds himself in contemporary San Francisco chasing after Jack the Ripper and finding love in the process. Great film.

Edit to add "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" (1964), which concerns a mysterious Asian circus in the old west. This is a George Pal film and great fun.

[dwndrgn]

I loved Ladyhawke. One of my all-time favorites, not only for the story itself but for the superb acting by Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick, three of my favorites. I can't recall who it was that played the evil cardinal but he certainly did a fine job as well.

The special effects were kept to a minimum and the meat of the story were character relationships.

My biggest test of the 'quality' of a movie is "Can I watch it again and again?", regardless of the actual 'quality' of the filmmaking itself. Since I've seen almost all of those posted here in this thread many times, I'd say are good quality fantasy films. I have yet to see "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao" but if I ever run accross a copy I will definitely check it out.

[dwndrgn]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

It's not that I think they will become an endangered species - quite the opposite in fact. It's my opinion that there will be a glut of second rate fantasy movies jumping on to the LOTR bandwagon. All you have to do is look at the number of low quality SciFi movies that followed in the wake of the first Star Wars film. The problem, as I see it, is that it will cause audiences (now caught by the lure LOTR) to drift away from the fantasy genre when these start to appear. They will do more harm than good to the genre.

I'm not sure I agree with you on this one Foxbat. Every filmmaker out there planning a fantasy has to be aware of the immense expense and time that was invested in the LOTR trilogy and will be wary of creating a poor copy. I think it might make fantasy filmmakers work harder to live up to the standard that Peter Jackson created. In fact, I am sure that the backers that filmmakers go to will make this part of the equation "Can you prove to me that you can make a film as good as LOTR that doesn't cost me as much or take as much time?". Peter Jackson did a wonderful job of recreating one of the most beloved novels of our time. A great deal of the success is the story itself. All he did (I say 'all' but it was quite a lot) was to create a pretty faithful rendition of a very familiar story. If the story itself had been bad, all the wonderful work he did with costuming and setting and backgrounds and filming would have been a waste.

Of course, we'll basically just have to wait and see where it does go. I'm ever hopeful that subsequent fantasy films will be of a better quality than many in the past. What we might see is that more successful fantasy novels will be translated - since the stories are already there and familiar to the readers, creating an automatic audience.

I've got my fingers crossed.

[Allyn]

There're third-rate movies in all genre's being released all the time. Whether or not it is in the fantasy genre remains to be seen.

However, LotR has been a very successful film, and the question is whether any other film could live up to the hype. As it was said, in a few years we'll see a lot of fantasy films come out. The odd one will be good, however, (IMO) most'll just be similar rip-off's of the LotR theme? why? money. Simple as that. why take a chance on an idea which could possibly backfire and leave you with 50 million debt on that film when all you need is someone to write a similar story and include the words "best since LotR" somewhere in the trailer, and you're set. Sit back and watch the money come in.

[jerchar]

my favorite is Excalibur starring Sam Neil as Merlin.

[nemogbr]

For the originality I'd go for these:
Ladyhawke
Princess Bride
and yes 7 faces of Dr. Lao.

There are many books on fantasy out there that can be turned into films as good as LoTR, but would they go to all the expense?

I'm still waiting for DragonRiders of Pern to come out at some point...

[ilthaniel]

I think that Princess Bride is indeed great fun, but I think that in the comic Fantasy-genre we shouldn't forget Willow, which in my humble opinion shouldn't just be rememberd because of some advantages in SFX.

But not all fantasy is Swords and Sorcery or plays in a medieval setting... I'm thinking of Hellboy, for example. A movie I really like and plays in a contemporary setting.

Unfortunately is a good book not automatically an assurance for a good movie; I'll just mention the mini-series Earthsea...

[swish]

Originally Posted by ilthaniel

I think that in the comic Fantasy-genre we shouldn't forget Willow

Unfortunately is a good book not automatically an assurance for a good movie; I'll just mention the mini-series Earthsea...

I will second both these statements! About Willow: My first crush was Mad Martigan. He was something of a Jack Sparrow character.

[the_faery_queen]

princess bride
labyrinth
i also like never ending story