Greetings, reader!
My deep dive into the world of genres continues, with this week's list focusing on my all-time favorite fantasy movies. It turned out to be a more difficult genre to define than I had anticipated, especially as my relationship to fantasy literature (something I've loved ever since I was tiny and that has continued to be a cornerstone for my love of literature) is quite different from my relationship to fantasy movies. When making this list, ranking these films purely based on how good they are as fantasy movies and not as overall cinema, I started to realize that a certain hard-to-define magical feel counts for a lot.
In terms of being a good fantasy movie to my taste, I prefer a film with a simple and only slightly outlandish premise but with a genuinely magical atmosphere thanks to elements like soundtrack and awe, to a film filled with high fantasy elements like dragons and goblins but where the atmosphere is generic. So basically, I ranked these films based on how much it feels like I as the viewer am being whisked away into a magical world, where things can happen that wouldn't happen in real life, because at the end of the day, that's what the genre is all about.
Here are my honorable mentions: Barbie (2023), Big (1988), Hugo (2011), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), The Green Mile (1999).
15. Encanto (2021)
Sometimes, all it takes to stick out of the crowd is a cool approach to the subject of magic. There are plenty of magic films out there, but every now and then a film will come up with its own fresh twist on the concept of magical powers, and that's what Encanto does. It's an animated kids' film that I saw at an adult age, but the way it dealt with its magical premise really resonated with my inner child, which is always a joy.
14. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
In a way, fantasy elements play a very small part in this timeless classic - yet it's absolutely crucial. We're introduced to it in the very beginning, then we're swept away into non-magical real-world narratives for so long that we forget its existence, until the magic intervenes at a key moment and changes everything. The story of It's a Wonderful Life wouldn't be anything without its fantasy element, something that was quite an uncommon addition to such a human drama in its time, but it worked so well that many have tried to copy it / pay homage to it for decades and decades.
13. Being John Malkovic (1999)
There are many things to love about the approach to fantasy in Being John Malkovic, one of the most creative movies written by the notoriously creative Charlie Kaufman. I mean, the premise alone - instead of coming up with a conventional fantasy idea like "Hey, what if this inanimate object came to life" or "Hey, what if someone woke up with cool new magic powers" et cetera, Kaufman's peculiar brain came up with "Hey, what it a guy found a door at his workplace that serves as a portal into the head of famous actor John Malkovic, so that walking through the door makes you see life through Malkovic's eyes for about 15 minutes and then you're thrown out?". So, uh, points for imagination.
I also absolutely love this film's answer to the classic dilemma of "How will the human characters react to the sudden existence of a fantasy element?". Many films have showcased versions of shock and awe on this matter, some being more 'realistic' in terms of human nature while others go for dramatic above all else - but in this film, everyone is hilariously mundane about it. Various characters react to the portal's existence with "Huh" and an unassuming shrug, and that makes for some spectacular humor.
12. Yesterday (2019)
This is a classic example of a fairly low-key fantasy premise (an individual magical occurrence takes place in an otherwise realistic depiction of 'the real world', and it has fascinating implications) done right. The oddly specific premise is this: for a bizarre and unexplained reason, history and thus our present-day reality is suddenly changed in one major way: The Beatles never existed.
I don't know who came up with this and why, but oh man, it works. As a neat twist, the protagonist of the film is a struggling musician and for whatever reason, he's the only person who can still remember The Beatles from the 'previous timeline'. So, naturally, he writes down all that he remembers from their songs, starts to present them as his compositions, and breaks into stardom. This leads to fascinating ethical dilemmas, thoughtful insights into the music industry, excellent humor, and a beautiful tribute to the greatest rock band of all time. Hats off to the filmmakers for the creative premise, and its brilliant execution.
11. Toy Story (1995)
One of the better instances of the 'what if inanimate object X came to life' narrative, popular in different ways in both the animated kids' movie and the horror genres, the original Toy Story is a whimsical journey.
While both Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 could be argued to be better movies than the original, I have the steadfast opinion that as a fantasy movie, the first one works with the most charm. The second film is the franchise's best as an exciting and adventurous kids' movie, while the third one excels in its more dramatic touch and emotionally powerful coming-of-age elements. But the magic is at its very strongest here, when we first see how the toys come to life, and it is a thing to behold.
10. Hocus Pocus (1993)
That special untouchable thing that makes some fantasy films feel more magical than others, a skillful combination of many factors that is hard to define but can be clearly felt by fans of the genre, was arguably at its strongest in the 90's - for whatever reason, that decade had its share of films where the feel of entering a world more magical than ours is strong and lovable. One of the finest examples is the peculiar, 83% comedy 17% family-friendly-horror witch adventure Hocus Pocus. The score, cinematography and costume design make for a perfect feel of magic with a creepy, Halloween-appropriate twist.
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Remember what I said earlier about more low-key fantasy films often feeling more authentically magical than high-fantasy films that feel even slightly generic? Because this film, which I chose to represent the cinematic adaptations of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia books because it's the best of the bunch, fits into that dilemma in an interesting manner.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is slightly more generic than it had the potential to be, which is why it isn't quite on the level of the best high fantasy movies and television shows. But, it's significantly less generic than many of its counterparts (Eragon, Percy Jackson and so many others come to mind), so that there are many authentically magical moments to enjoy. For the most part, it feels like a very proper adaptation of the magical world of Narnia, with many iconic locations and characters translating beautifully onto the big screen. Apart from the slight sense of "This all could've been even a touch better", it's a great viewing experience for fans of the book, and one of the better high fantasy efforts in cinema.
8. Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
For fans of the fantasy genre, this coming-of-age escapist tale gives us loads of cool creatures and concepts, in a way that makes the viewer feel exceptionally invested in the main characters played by then-teenagers Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb (both providing mature, layered and truly magical performances). It's a great film to watch, once (if you know, you know).
7. Last Action Hero (1993)
Back to vintage 90's low-fantasy cinema! Last Action Hero is a prime example of a fantasy premise that is only okay on paper, and should by all accounts make for cheesy B-class cinema - but something in the film's peculiar style just clicked, making it feel just a bit more authentically magical than so many more generic counterparts. It's a subjective thing for sure, but for a viewer like me, the feel of being transported to a magical world via cinema is exceptionally strong here.
It helps that the film is also delightfully entertaining, poking fun at the action genre's tropes via its fantasy premise while also feeling like a love letter to both genres. It's good fun for the whole family, and one of those films that leaves you with a slight sense of real magic.
6. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
I will defend this one with my life. Granted, the live-action film adaptations of the Scooby-Doo cartoons are goofy and cheesy (the second film even more than the first), and as an adult I have learned unfortunate facts that blew over my head as a child, like the borderline-fetishized over-sexualization of the female characters (*sighs* in the second film even more than the first). But, if you manage to take it as a product of its time and enjoy the wholesome parts while being painfully aware of the problematic parts, then this silly piece of child-friendly monster mayhem mystery fantasy is a magical experience.
Despite the overall corny style, the fantasy elements feel true - it's probably just because I watched this films several times as a kid who loved fantasy and Scooby-Doo, but even so, watching clips from this film still gives me goosebumps. The build-up and entrance of iconic monster characters like Captain Cutler, Tar Monster and Miner 49er felt so magical and scary (delightfully fun-scary and not real-scary) as a child that it still resonates today.
5. Night at the Museum (2006)
Yeah, I have a weird soft spot for this. I mean, Night at the Museum is a generally liked film and would probably make the "Top 50 fantasy movies of all time" list of hardly any film buff, but I recognize that many would see the all-time top five as a bit of a reach for a film directed by Shawn Levy, starring Ben Stiller, and scoring a 6.5 on IMDB. But, in my defense - I just really like this film!
Again, there's no scientific explanation for why some fantasy films feel more magical than others, and how this subjective factor varies from viewer to viewer. For me, Night at the Museum is quite simply up there with the greats. I won't even call it an overall underrated film, as I acknowledge elements like the humor being fairly lazy and the love story feeling like an unimaginative addition. But, the magic element - the film quite simply succeeds with that. The curious and mysterious score, the use of lighting and cinematography in unveiling the film's premise a bit by bit, it all just works and the end result feels appropriately, well, fantastic.
4. Shrek (2001)
Similarly to the Monty Python placement on my list of the greatest adventure films, as well as Scream among my favorite horror films, this is a tribute to the art of parodying the tropes of a genre while simultaneously managing to be an unironically decent representative of the genre - a tough line to walk. Shrek is essentially a spoof of, as well as a love letter to, the conventions of the fairytale wing of fantasy.
It's all there - the heroic quest by the hero and the sidekick, the goofy royals, the dragons and castles and magic objects and silly creatures et cetera. The end result works on many levels - for kids, it's a great introduction to the genre, and for adults well-versed with the genre, it's a delightful tale poking fun at what fantasy is all about.
3. Jumanji (1995)
I'd be curious to see whether or not this 90's classic hits as hard as it did as a kid, if I were to watch it now (I've only seen it once, and I was very young). My recollection of the original Jumanji is largely that it felt deeply magical, in a somewhat similar manner to other whimsical fantasy films but quite simply on a different level.
Director Joe Johnston utilizes horror-esque elements with a delicate balance that it feels genuinely creepy without being too scary for children, and elements like Robin Williams' performance and James Horner's score do so much heavy lifting to perfect the otherworldly atmosphere. I actually found the somewhat opinion-dividing 2017 reboot to feel surprisingly magical as well, more or less in the vein of the original, but there's still no beating the 1995 edition.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
For a fan of the genre in my generation, the question was less whether or not my list would include the Harry Potter franchise, and more which instalment of the childhood-shaping film series I would pick to best represent the fantasy element in the Potter films. Wonderfully cast, impeccably scored and skillfully adapted from a series of books so fantastical that they just magically appeared into the world for us to enjoy with no credit due to anyone (at least that's what I've chosen to believe), the Potter films are a blast. And the best of the bunch, at least from the perspective of the fantasy genre, is The Prisoner of Azkaban.
This has a lot to do with the director - four different directors have contributed to the Potter franchise, and while all of them brought their own strengths to the table, Alfonso Cuaron showcased a deeper understanding of the fantasy genre than any other. Chris Columbus brought a wonderfully whimsical family-friendly touch to the two first films, while Mike Newell made things more big-scale and Hollywood for the fourth, and David Yates nailed the darker and more dramatic touch as the franchise matured for films 5-8. But Cuaron, in directing The Prisoner of Azkaban, brought so much attention to detail - the amount of small everyday magic in the background, with pretty much every shot containing something working in a fun and magical fashion, that the Potter world feels even more authentically magical than it does in the other instalments.
1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)
Yeah, it had to be The Lord of the Rings at #1. You may call it cheating that I'm counting the whole trilogy as one, but really, I couldn't pick one over the other. As movies, I have a clear ranking of the three masterpieces, but ranked as fantasy films, they're all sharing a spot in the God-tier. J.R.R. Tolkien is the greatest fantasy storyteller to ever have lived, and while no movie can quite emulate all that his books accomplished to a 100-percent degree, Peter Jackson's adaptation is as good as it gets, and a large portion of the greatness in the Lord of the Rings books does translate beautifully onto the big screen, and you can't really top that accomplishment as a fantasy filmmaker. Nailing The Lord of the Rings is the Holy Grail.
Howard Shore makes hearts soar with the greatest film score of all time creating the epic atmosphere, while the well-aged visuals and magnificent New-Zealand-nature-utilizing set design bring to life some of the fantasy genre's greatest ideas: the plains of Rohan, the paradise greenery of the Shire, the hidden beauty of Rivendell, the scorching fires of Mordor, not to mention creatures like the Balrog of Morgoth and the Uruk-Hai of Isengard, as well as magic concepts like Gandalf's spells and the enchanting powers of the One Ring. Even the dialogue hits deep in the vein of the genre, as the epic lore of Tolkien's fantasy world is fleshed out for full enjoyment. It's perfection.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my final instalment of this fall's genre series - the top 15 movie musicals of all time.
No comments:
Post a Comment