Fantasy Movies

[Raven]

Okay, so we're talking about fantasy authors, so we need a fantasy movies thread because we live in the media age. Feel free to contribute by posting a film, a short description, and what you think of it.

The 10th Kingdom:
This is a great mini-series rolled into a movie adventure, almost 7 hours, of a New Yorker getting sucked into the land of fairy tales after it's prime. I'll admit to liking this one a lot. Some of the acting is cheesy, but it fits the story in a good way. Lots of good one-liners. I quote 10th Kingdom a fair amount.

The Princess Bride:
Perhaps the most classic fantasy film from my childhood, re-watched an untold number of times. The classic love story of Wesley and Buttercup, the fencing of Inigo Montoya, the whole thing is beautifully done. And it is infinitely quotable.

Lady Hawk:
An older fantasy flick about a man and woman who are cursed to be always apart and always together. It is an interesting film, if dated at times by its soundtrack.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I love the Ladyhawke soundtrack, as well as the movie (almost anything by Richard Donner is good), but yes, the Alan Parsons Project is a strange choice for a medieval background.

Legend (Ridley Scott, 1985):
A young forest boy has to save both a princess and the last living unicorn to stop the Devil from plunging the world into eternal night. Evokes a more ancient, darker telling of a fairy tale. Wonderful film with incredible atmosphere and tremendous set and makeup design; its New Age electronic score is surprisingly complementary to the mood of the film. It's not perfect - there are some plot holes and undefined elements - but it remains one of my favorites and a fine representation of Scott's particular style which also appears in Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator. (NOTE: The major memories I have just recounted, including the soundtrack by German electronica group Tangerine Dream, come from the commonly released American print. There is also, however, a Director's Cut in circulation which adds about 24 excised minutes to the original film and utilizes the original, more traditional score by legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith.)

[Raven]

Yeah, Legend is a classic.


Here's a relatively recent one.


Stardust (2007). This is a coming of age film about a young man who crossed over a wall into a magical world and ends up rescuing a star that fell from the heavens. In the process, he has a number of adventures and meets some fun characters. Overall, I think this is a very nice fantasy flick and I've seen it a couple times and enjoyed it both. It is not a hack and slash sort of fantasy movie, which is a plus. There are certain tropes that are fairly common -- having to devour beauty to retain it -- but they work and are a recipe for a pretty nice film.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Haven't seen Stardust yet, but I believe I can attest its "goodness" to the fact that it's based off of a book by Neil Gaiman, a rather popular and well regarded author of comic books (The Sandman) and, of course, fantasy novels for both kids and adults (Coraline, American Gods, The Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, etc.).

Willow (Ron Howard, 1988):
Once again, the fate of the world rests in the hands of the little people - in question, a humble farmer/practicing sorcerer named Willow Ufgood who happens upon an infant human destined to unseat the cruel occultic queen in power. Joining him are an egotistical yet talented swordsman, a pair of mischievous Brownies, an elderly sorceress cursed to animal form, and eventually the queen's own warrior-daughter. This tale, sprung from the mind of George Lucas, is a charming one, though it's definitely no Star Wars, in spite of Lucas's intentions. There are definitely stronger films out there, but the cast is well selected in my opinion (enough to put the whole project above average) and the effects for the time are pretty good. It's a true cult classic, and sometimes that's better.

[Raven]

Okay, so far we've been discussing classics with a newer big budget film thrown in (Stardust). I'm gonna take the next entry way down the B or even C film trail, but if you get a cold or the flu, this is a must see movie for the sheer enjoyable badness and B fantasy flick joy of it. It reminds me of when Jhay (of the Old Lost Pathway) and I used to hunt down B fantasy flicks and watch them.

The movie is:


Dragonfyre (2013): It has surprisingly little to do with dragons, but is mostly about a guy with guns battling hordes of Lord of the Rings extras who are invading our planet through a magic gateway. Throw in some cliché stuff and B film actors and you've got a good all around sick day watch.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2333508/

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

One good, one bad.

La Belle et la Bête (Jean Cocteau, 1946):
You know the tale: a merchant, lost in the woods, is accosted by an aristocratic beast and forced to exchange his daughter for his life. Now a guest at the Beast's castle, the "captive" grows increasingly fond of him, though a family illness and her scheming sisters threaten to cause them tragedy. This French film, which the Disney version appears to draw inspiration from, as well as the original Beaumont story, is a surreal masterpiece. Everything is dreamlike and stylized, as well as well-acted (though you'll need subtitles). It's a true fairy tale in every sense of the world.

Dungeons & Dragons (Courtney Solomon, 2000):
Released one year before The Lord of the Rings - by the same company, no less (New Line Cinema) - the film follows a pair of thieves, a librarian mage, a dwarf (isn't it always?) and an elf soldier (always...) as they have to keep a rod capable of controlling red dragons out of the hands of the mage who eyes the empire. Basically, it's a film that goes so wrong that it goes right. Whether overacted (see Jeremy Irons as the lead villain eviscerate the scenery), underacted (the empress is......whatever) or just done for no reason at all, it's a treat to care so little for what they want to you care most about. Recommended for a laugh.

[Raven]

Dragon Movies, good and bad.



Dragon  Heart (1996):
      Dragon Heart is a classic that I don't really hear lauded that often, to be honest. Sean Connery voicing the dragon is perhaps the best part. David Thewlis as a younger man than his Harry Potter Prof. Lupin appearances plays a suitably dislikable movie bad guy. It is the funnest dragon romp that I know of, with plenty of classic fantasy film humor.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116136/


Age of Dragons (2011):
    I saw at least a chunk of this on tv a long time ago, so I think it may have had a lot of the sexual stuff cut out, but this retelling of Herman Mellville's Moby Dick, making Moby Dick a white dragon and the Ahab character played by Danny Glover, ranks in the bad category. Overall, the reviews are pretty terrible, which is a shame because the idea seems solid enough to potentially make a good film.
    One thing it has going for it, which is a northern wintery setting, which is one of my favorite types of fantasy settings.

[Raven]

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008).
This was a fun fantasy film. It's just the sort of low fantasy film that I like -- children exploring an old estate with fantastical secrets, magical creatures, woodland adventures. I honestly wish there were more to this series (both in terms of books and movies, even though I've just started the books). As fantasy series go, it is rather brief, and there is only one movie to my knowledge.

And for a new release:

The BFG (2016).
I have to say, I smiled and laughed through this film. It made me feel like a kid in some ways. This was truly an enjoyable fantastical excursion. Favorite moments include the London scenes, the dream-related scenes,and scenes in the BFG's home and workshop. This is a film I plan to watch again, and I also plan to read the book as a result of how much I liked the movie. The film is written as a children's fantasy, but it is surprisingly deep and emotionally sensitive at times, with a lot of things going unspoken or implied. There was plenty of outright wonder and plenty of subtleties. This was some grade A storytelling.

[Raven]

A postmodern classic:

Trollhunter (2010) is a Norwegian film about a documentary team that follows a government hunter and explores a world that the Norwegian government wants to hide. This is a fantastic film in the Norwegian language (subtitles available) that whimsically walks the line between comedy, suspense thriller, and fantasy film. I expect this to become a classic among lovers of odd-ball fantasy films.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740707/

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Hope it's alright that I bump up an old topic, if only because it's still rather good and I got a bit more to say.

Dragonslayer (Matthew Robbins, 1981)

A co-production of Paramount and Walt Disney(!), this dark film (this is pre-PG-13, that special kind of 80's dark) is a fine piece of work from the director of the later lighthearted sci-fi flick Batteries Not Included. The plot is relatively simple - an apprentice wizard is called up to stop a terrible dragon that's terrorizing a kingdom, which sacrifices maidens through a lottery to satiate the beast. The production design of this movie is fantastic, and as wonderful as Dragonheart is, the film arguably has THE BEST onscreen dragon to ever appear in any film, a "fact" attested to by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and author George R. R. Martin; this is probably due to it being superb practical effects courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic. I really recommend it. Honestly, if you don't like any of the characters, just watch it for the dragon.

[Raven]

I remember Dragonslayer from years and years ago. I'd have to rewatch it to see if it is any good to me, now.


Have we mentioned Pan's Labyrinth?
Very well made film. Brutal. Thought it was very good but I don't think I could bring myself to watch it again.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Anything by Guillermo del Toro is good. He's one of the best directors working today. For that matter, here's three more films of his that could interest you.

Cronos (1993)

Del Toro's first feature film, this outstanding modern take on the vampire tale follows an elderly antique dealer who discovers an alchemical device which restores his youthful vitality at the expense of a taste for blood; meanwhile, an unscrupulous businessman and his cruel nephew are also searching for the device. I found this to be a mesmerizing piece, particularly as the protagonist is an old man and a good chunk of the drama rests on his relationship with his granddaughter.

Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Bases on the phenomenally stylized comic book by Mike Mignola, these two films form what was to be a trilogy that was sadly shelved; the main draw of them is the incredible style and makeup work. The first film follows the title character - a demon summoned by the Nazis but raised by the Allies - as he uncovers a plot by the infamous Rasputin to summon abominable gods and usher in the end of the world. The second film deals with the ancient realm of Faerie - in particular, a bitter elven prince - trying to reclaim the modern world from humanity. I highly recommend both films, though the second one may be of more interest to fantasy fans.

[Raven]

I may have to check out Cronos, but I admit that the Hellboy movies were a miss for me. Some friends back in college wanted me to watch them, and I think I did watch part or all of one. I was not a fan of the style of the films visually or the particular kind of sci-fi/fantasy that they represent. That's just me, though.


Okay, for my entry, another 1980s classic.
Time Bandits (1981). This is a really interesting older fantasy movie that's well worth the watch, I'd say. It's a quirky "low fantasy" film, involving some dwarfs and a boy from the "real world." It's got a lot of that classic 80's fantasy vibe.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Oh well. I thought you would have liked the elves and the Troll Market in the second one.

As for your choice.....ah, the first of Terry Gilliam's loose "Trilogy of Imagination", that one being viewed through the lens of childhood. I love that film. the highlight for me being David Warner as Evil - maliciously screwy, as any villain in a Gilliam movie should be. I'll add the other "entries" in the "trilogy", plus a foreign film.

Brazil (1985)

A government employee with a menial job gets stuck with the task of correcting an error by bureaucratic machines and ends up getting pulled into a plot regarding a suspected terrorist. It's more science fiction than fantasy, but it's still quite fantastic, being an extremely well-made and slapsticky parody of Orwell's 1984 while retaining the paranoia, materialism, and sense of oppressive government intrusion into everyday life.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)

As an unnamed European city is under attack by the Ottoman Empire, the legendary Baron Munchausen, master of self-embellished tall tales, finds himself paired with a young girl from a theatre troupe and forced by circumstances to defend the populace. But first he must round up his old crew of fantastic individuals - the world's fastest runner, a sharpshooter with incredible eyesight, a dwarf with superhuman hearing and lung capacity, and a man of immense physical strength - which will take him all the way from the moon and its king of split minds, to the center of the earth and the halls of Vulcan and Venus themselves, to the stomach of a sea monster, all the way back to the hordes of the Turkish army. As my description should indicate, this is a fantastically imaginative movie; it had a troubled production design, but the finished project is some of the funniest, liveliest, sweet-natured bull put to film. I'd argue that it's my favorite of the "Trilogy."

The City of Lost Children (1995)

This surrealistic French film follows a scientist's evil creation who, unable to dream, must abduct children to power his dream machine; the older brother of one of the kidnapped children, accompanied by a wily orphan girl, must seek out the monster's lair after contending with both a gang of orphans and the creature's sinister mechanisms. It's a dreamlike steampunk film with a sense of humor about it that makes for a rather modern fairy tale.

[Philosoraptor]

Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki, 2006. A young girl traveling with her parents watches them fall under a spell and enters a magical bathhouse as a worker to try and free them. Enchantment, love, and beauty abound.