10 Awful Fantasy Movies That Tried To Be the Next ‘Lord of the Rings’

The strange thing is that some of these films came from very successful books and had strong casts. That’s probably why it got so, so frustrating at a time. You could clearly see a copy of something you have already seen and it didn't seem very smart. These ten are some of the clearest examples of such films.

10 ‘Seventh Son’ (2014)

Seventh Son had the kind of setup that could have worked. A young apprentice, a feared witch, an old master carrying secrets from the past, all the pieces were there. Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) is taken in by Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) to learn how to fight dark forces after Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) escapes imprisonment. At first, it sounds like the beginning of a larger fantasy world. While watching it, though, it becomes clear pretty quickly that the film never gives you any substance.

The biggest problem is how fast everything moves. Tom is thrown from one danger to another before there is much reason to care about him or the people around him. Alicia Vikander’s Alice (Alicia Vikander) could have added something more personal to the story, though even that feels underdeveloped. There are creatures, battles, and plenty of visual effects, yet very little stays with you once it ends.

9 ‘The Last Airbender’ (2010)

A lot of fantasy stories ask the audience to learn about a new fantasy world very quickly, though The Last Airbender makes that much harder than it needed to be. Aang (Noah Ringer) is introduced as the boy who can bring balance back to a world divided between nations, and the story already had strong material to build from because of the animated series. Katara (Nicola Peltz) and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) are there to guide him, and the larger conflict with Prince Zuko (Dev Patel) should have given the film a clear emotional center.

Instead, everything feels strangely distant. There were some important moments, though they rarely landed with much force because the film kept moving before anything had time to settle. The world itself should have felt rich and lived-in, especially with its different cultures and elemental powers, yet much of it feels flat. By the end, it feels like a story being hurried through before it has found its footing.

8 ‘The Dark Tower’ (2017)

The Dark Tower had years of expectation behind it, which made the outcome feel even more frustrating. Stephen King’s books had built a strange and ambitious fantasy world, one that mixed western, science fiction, and horror in a way that felt unusual from the start. The film follows Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, as he tries to stop Walter Padick (Matthew McConaughey) from destroying the Dark Tower itself. Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) becomes part of that fight after visions begin pulling him toward Roland’s world.

The problem is how little time the film spends letting any of that breathe. The big ideas are introduced and then pushed aside almost immediately. Roland should have felt like a figure carrying years of history, though the film barely slows down enough to let that come through.

7 ‘Dragonball Evolution’ (2009)

Dragonball Evolution had a built-in audience before it even aired. The original series already had a huge following, and that gave the film a strong starting point. Goku (Justin Chatwin) is presented as an ordinary teenager who learns that he has a larger role in stopping Lord Piccolo (James Marsters). Bulma (Emmy Rossum) and Master Roshi (Chow Yun-fat) join him, and the film clearly wants to turn that into the beginning of a fantasy adventure.

Watching it, though, the story never really settles into anything convincing. The characters feel thinner than they should, and the world around them never feels fully formed. Even scenes that are meant to carry energy or excitement often pass by without much impact. The original had a very distinct personality, while this version feels oddly generic.

6 ‘Eragon’ (2006)

Eragon came at a time when studios were clearly searching for another fantasy franchise to build around. The story follows Eragon (Ed Speleers), a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and suddenly finds himself tied to something much larger than the life he has known. Brom (Jeremy Irons) becomes his guide, and from there the film starts moving toward the familiar shape of a young hero learning about power, destiny, and a kingdom under threat.

That basic setup could have worked because there is enough there to build something larger than life. The problem is that the film moves through its most important moments too quickly. Eragon changes extremely fast, and before long, it feels like the story is trying to cover far more ground than it has time for. Saphira (Rachel Weisz) should have given a lot of ground to work on emotionally, but even that relationship was rushed.

5 ‘Warcraft’ (2016)

Warcraft opens in the middle of a world that already feels old and crowded. Humans and orcs are pushed toward war, and the film asks the audience to catch up quickly. Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel) is trying to understand the threat approaching his kingdom, while Durotan (Toby Kebbell) begins to see that his own people are being driven toward something darker. That split could have given the story real tension because both sides have reasons to fight and reasons to hesitate.

The problem is that the film keeps introducing names, places, and conflicts so quickly that very little has time to settle. A lot is happening, though not much of it lands with actual force because the story keeps moving before one moment can properly connect to the next. For a film that clearly wanted to launch something big, it spends too much time explaining and not enough time letting the audience feel anything.

4 ‘Gods of Egypt’ (2016)

The film, Gods of Egypt starts on a huge scale. The gods live above ordinary people, and cities stretch into the sky. Bek (Brenton Thwaites) gets pulled into the conflict after Set (Gerard Butler) takes power and throws the kingdom into chaos. Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) becomes his unlikely ally, and from there the story moves toward restoring what has been lost.

The scale is easy to notice, though the story underneath it never feels as strong. Characters move from one set piece to another, and there is rarely enough time for anyone to feel fully formed. Even the friendship between Bek and Horus, which should have held the film together, often feels like it is racing to keep up with everything around it. By the end, there is plenty to look at, though very little that leaves much of an impression once the film is over.

3 ‘The Brothers Grimm’ (2005)

The Brothers Grimm starts with an idea that should have been hard to mess up. Wilhelm Grimm (Matt Damon) and Jacob Grimm (Heath Ledger) make a living by staging fake monster hunts and taking money from frightened villages. That setup gives the film a playful edge right away because the brothers know exactly how fear works and how easily people can be fooled. Things change when they arrive in a village where young girls have started disappearing in the woods, and for the first time, they are dealing with something they cannot explain away.

That early stretch is easily the best part of the film because it keeps the brothers at the center. Wilhelm stays practical, Jacob is more willing to believe there may be something real behind the stories, and that difference gives their scenes some life. After that, the film starts pulling in too many directions at once. There are striking moments and strange images throughout, though it never fully turns that clever opening into something richer.

2 ‘The Golden Compass’ (2007)

The Golden Compass had a very strong opening idea. Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) lives in a place where every person’s soul exists outside the body as an animal companion. That is the kind of detail that immediately catches your attention because it tells you something about people before anyone has even spoken much. When children begin disappearing, Lyra gets pulled into a larger conflict involving scholars, authority, and people who clearly know more than they are saying.

Lyra’s journey works best when the film slows down and lets her react to what she is discovering. There is real curiosity in those early scenes, especially when she starts seeing how much has been hidden from her. That is why the second half feels frustrating. It keeps moving from one major revelation to another so quickly that some of the stronger moments barely have time to settle. Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellen) brings real presence when he appears, though by then the film already feels like it is rushing toward the next chapter.

1 ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’ (2016)

The Huntsman: Winter’s War already had characters people knew, which should have made things easier. Eric (Chris Hemsworth) is drawn back in when Ravenna (Charlize Theron) returns, though the film also spends a lot of time going backwards. It introduces Freya (Emily Blunt) and shows how her grief changes the course of everything that follows. At the center of that earlier story are Eric and Sara (Jessica Chastain), two fighters raised under Freya’s rule who are told from the beginning that love is forbidden.

That part actually gives the film something personal to hold onto. Eric and Sara have history, they have anger, and they have years of misunderstanding sitting between them. Those scenes should have carried much more of the film than they do. Instead, it keeps jumping ahead to another confrontation or another reveal before those moments can really breathe.