A lot of people love J.K. Rowling’s famous Harry Potter book series and the ridiculously successful film franchise. That being said, not everyone is into it, and that’s fine! That doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of great fantasy films you’ll love!
Despite the stigma of fantasy being dorky, we all have a little of Dungeons & Dragons geek in us somewhere. What this list sets out to do is point out some other great sword and sorcery franchises and one-offs that just might be a better fit for you. Strap on your scabbard and make sure you’ve got a good company with you!
Lord Of The Rings (2001-2003)
The Lord Of The Rings is technically 3 movies, based on 3 books by J.R.R. Tolkien. This series is the quintessential fantasy story. It has everything you could want from a fantasy series! There’s the fun, party feeling of The Fellowship Of The Ring, the intrigue and betrayal of The Two Towers, and the all-out war between good and evil that you’ll find in The Return Of The King. Peter Jackson truly found his magnum opus with this trilogy.
The Golden Compass (2007)
This is another trilogy, however, only one of them got made into a movie. This film is based on the book of the same name from the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. It’s more or less a fantasy story for younger to older teens in the same way Harry Potter is and received the same backlash for some of its darker themes. If you can get past some of the slightly heretical Christian undertones, it’s a great film based on a great novel, complete with a beautifully crafted world.
The Chronicles Of Narnia (2005-2010)
The Chronicles Of Narnia is probably best known for an extremely popular film that existed as the first part of the franchise, titled The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe. This movie is also based on a franchise of books, which were the source for its sequels: Prince Caspian, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, and the upcoming The Silver Chair.
There are tons of entries in the series that haven’t been made into films and have even been skipped over, mostly because they don’t relate directly to the siblings who are the focus of the first film released.
The Hobbit (2012-2014)
Another entry on this list from the absolute genius of fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien. In addition to being the author of 2 incredibly popular book series set in the fictional Middle Earth, he was good friends with C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles Of Narnia. The Hobbit is a prequel series to The Lord Of The Rings films despite being written before, with the success of the latter being one of the reasons for the former. The movies are about Bilbo Baggins going on a journey with Gandalf and a gang of dwarves to reclaim the dwarves’ abandoned homeland.
Alice In Wonderland (1951)
Our only animated entry on this list, 1951’s version of Alice In Wonderland is a Disney classic. While it might seem an odd choice for the list, and maybe even a bit infantile as a “children’s film,” Alice In Wonderland is anything but a film that only kids can enjoy. It deals with some heavy subject matter, including psychedelic drugs, madness, and general nonsense. That’s not to say that it isn’t well-suited for kids though, because it’s handled delicately and with much tact. This film is worth watching for much more than just cultural references.
Stardust
Stardust, a 2008 film, is an underrated gem! It doesn’t get talked about often, but when it does, it’s usually by die-hard fans.
It’s based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, who could be considered a luminary of modern fantasy in his own right after writing the source works for contemporary classics such as Good Omens, American Gods, and The Sandman. Stardust is visually stunning, with a story that sounds like it could have come out of any old book of fables from yesteryear.
The Dark Crystal
The Dark Crystal is a film released in 1982. For a film created using puppets from Jim Henson’s workshop in 1982, it looks great. Aside from its rather unique visual style, the film tells an almost completely original story. It also includes tons of classic fantasy archetypes such as The Old Crone, The Hero’s Journey, and magical items. This film is notably much darker than you might expect, but still family-friendly overall.
Conan
Taking a dramatic shift from some of the films mentioned earlier of a more family nature, Conan is kind of an all-out exploration of the masculine image associated with fantasy. It’s not that Conan is self-aware and doing a deep exploration of this kind of thing, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Conan is absolutely a film by dudes, for dudes. If that’s your thing though, you really won’t be disappointed if you intend to give it a watch. What else would you expect from a fantasy movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger though?
The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story is probably the most confused entry on this list, as opposed to Conan which knows exactly what it’s doing. The film starts with our protagonist being bullied, ignored at home, and generally dumped on. He decides to steal a book from a store he escapes into, and when he begins reading it, he discovers that he’s the protagonist. This plot really does get into a metanarrative quickly which may be confusing for most kids, but that’s not a negative. What The Neverending Story does correctly, it does very well. It’s just a matter of who’s watching it, what they’re expecting, and what kind of envelopes a children’s fantasy film can push.
Clash Of The Titans
Clash Of The Titans is an old-school classic, which is something this list wouldn’t have been complete without. Not only is this an older film, but it’s also a sword and sandal feature, which is distinct from most of this list since it’s fantasy with a decidedly Greek or Roman edge, rather than the normal European one we see in most fantasy. If you can get past the cheesy older effects, you’ll definitely see the charm that this film brings to the table.
Next: The 10 Worst Fantasy Movies of the Decade (According to Rotten Tomatoes)
