The fantasy genre has long been one of the most versatile and creative in the world of cinema. It has always been a way for creatives to push the limits of technology to bring to life unique worlds with which to tell human stories. As such, the fantasy genre has only gotten better with time.
The last twenty five years, in particular, have been among the apex of fantasy movies. Following the success of Sir Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was proven that fantasy movies could be blockbusters and reach mainstream popularity. While not every movie released since then has reached the same height, many films over the last quarter of a century have made their mark thanks to their creativity and strong themes.
10 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
As a child, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) met Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) when he was rescued from a shipwreck, and confiscated his golden medallion so that he wouldn't be mistaken for a pirate. Years later, Elizabeth falls into the water while wearing the medallion, which summons a ghost ship called the Black Pearl to Port Royal, captained by Hector Barbossa (Geoffry Rush). He kidnaps Elizabeth, and to rescue her, Will enlists the help of the eccentric pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who used to captain the Black Pearl before Barbossa mutinied against him.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearlovercame a troubled production and was a smash hit that kicked off one of Disney's most lucrative franchises. It is a beautiful mix of swashbuckling clichés with dark fantasy, told through the Aztec curse that has trapped the pirates in a state of undeath. Combine that with unforgettable characters, engaging action scenes, and one of Hanz Zimmer's best musical scores, and you have a movie that proves that anything, even a theme park ride, can be made into a film with the right care and people behind it.
Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean without a ship or crew. His timing is inopportune, however, because later that evening the town is besieged by a pirate ship. The pirates kidnap the governor's daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who's in possession of a valuable coin that is linked to a curse that has transformed the pirates into the undead. A gallant blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) in love with Elizabeth allies with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates.
Release Date July 9, 2003
Runtime 143 Minutes
9 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' (2004)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Image via Warner Bros.
Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) third year at Hogwarts doesn't start off well: he accidentally inflates his mean aunt like a balloon, learns that the dangerous criminal Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison, and gets targeted by Azkaban's happiness-draining guards, Dementors, as they hunt for Black. To protect himself, he begins training under Professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), a friend of his late parents, who teaches him how to conjure a Patronus charm. As the year goes on, Harry finds himself uncovering secrets from the past that shed more light on how he lost his parents.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is widely considered the best film in the franchise, thanks in large part to the creative choices made by directorAlfonso Cuarón. Rather than capture the whimsical magic of the first two films directed by Chris Columbus, Cuarón opted for darker imagery to reflect how the series was shifting to more mature storytelling, and more creative ways to showcase the magical world, such as using the Whomping Willow as a framing device to show the passing of time. The acting from everyone is phenomenal, with Thewlis and Oldman getting the most praise thanks to how complex and multifaceted their characters are.
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.
Eager to prove himself a dragon-slaying warrior, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel) uses a machine to shoot down a deadly Night Fury but finds he can't bring himself to kill the dragon. Due to a tail injury, the dragon can't fly away, allowing Hiccup to observe him and name him Toothless (Randy Thom). Hiccup eventually forms a bond with Toothless that makes him believe peace between humans and dragons is possible, all while his father, Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), prepares to attack the dragon's nest to put an end to their raiding.
How to Train Your Dragon kicked off one of DreamWorks' best franchises thanks to is simple story told with a tremendous amount of heart. It shows both sides of the dragon-Viking conflict without painting either side as wrong, and through the efforts of Hiccup and Toothless, demonstrates that peace can be achieved, though often at great cost. Meanwhile, the animation is gorgeous and perfectly captures the epic fantasy of being able to ride a dragon.
A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.
Release Date March 18, 2010
Director Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders
Runtime 98 Minutes
7 'Shrek' (2001)
Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson
Image via DreamWorks Pictures
Shrek (Mike Myers) is an ogre who wants to be left alone in his swamp, but unfortunately, he finds himself playing host to a swarm of fairytale creatures banished from their homes by Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Aided by a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek confronts Farquaad in his castle and negotiates the return of his land in exchange for rescuing Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a dragon-guarded castle. Shrek succeeds, but it turns out that he and the princess might have more in common than they first thought.
Shrek remains a cultural juggernaut thanks to its satirical take on fairytale clichés, especially those used by Disney in their animated classics. Its jokes are clever and often crass, which helped DreamWorks establish an identity for itself in the changing landscapes of the early 2000s. Yet what really helped Shrek last is its heart: the film has a very mature message about making quick assumptions and how societal expectations can lead to long-lasting consequences.
An ogre named Shrek finds his swamp invaded by banished fairy tale characters. To reclaim his peaceful solitude, Shrek strikes a deal with the diminutive tyrant Lord Farquaad to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded castle. An unlikely friendship forms between Shrek, Fiona, and a talkative Donkey, leading to comedic adventures and lessons about true love and acceptance.
Release Date May 18, 2001
Runtime 90 minutes
6 'Being John Malkovich' (1999)
Directed by Spike Jonze
Image via Focus Features
Unable to find work as a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) accepts a job as a file clerk for the eccentric Dr. Lester (Orson Bean). One day, he discovers a hidden door that leads him inside the mind of actor John Malkovich, though he is ejected after a few minutes. Craig shares the discovery with his wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), and co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener), leading to the three of them using the discovery for personal gain, profit, and discovery.
Being John Malkovich is one of the trippiest films to come from the 1990s, but that's also what makes it such a great fantasy film. It goes all in with its off-the-wall premise, exploring the horror of realizing you may not be in control of your actions and the psychological effects of trying to escape through someone else's life rather than bettering your own. Yet rather than wallow in the despair of these ideas, the film presents them through a comedic lens, and you can't help but laugh at how surreal and insane things get by the end.
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Being John Malkovich
Being John Malkovich is a 1999 surreal comedy that tells the story of puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), who discovers a portal that leads directly into the mind of real-life actor John Malkovich. Directed by Spike Jonze and featuring an all-star cast that includes Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener, the film explores themes of identity, obsession, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction.
Release Date October 29, 1999
Cast John Cusack , John Malkovich , Cameron Diaz , Catherine Keener , Mary Kay Place , Orson Bean , Charlie Sheen , Reggie Hayes , W. Earl Brown , Carlos Jacott , Willie Garson , K.K. Dodds , Byrne Piven , Judith Wetzell , Gregory Sporleder , Octavia Spencer , Ned Bellamy , Eric Weinstein , Madison Lanc , Kevin Carroll , Gerald Emerick , Richard Fancy , Patti Tippo , Daniel Hansen , Mariah O'Brien
Runtime 113 minutes
5 'The Shape of Water' (2017)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Image Via Searchlight Pictures
Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) is a mute woman working at a secret government facility during the Cold War. One day, she learns that Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) has returned from South America with a strange humanoid amphibian creature (Doug Jones) that he hopes can be used to help America pull ahead of the Soviet Union in the Space Race. Unable to let the creature be killed, Elisa enlists the help of her friends to get him out of the lab, and while coming up with a plan to release him into the wild, she and the creature fall in love.
Director Guillermo del Torohas made a name for himself with dark and surreal fantasy stories, and The Shape of Wateris one of his best. It's a story that focuses on "others": numerous people in the film are ostracized and looked down upon because they don't fit in, be it in an obvious sense like the creature or Elsa's muteness, or less obvious, such as Elisa's friend Giles (Richard Jenkins), who is a closeted gay man. Del Toro uses these characters and their struggles to tear down the idea of the "other" and show that they are people like anyone else just trying to survive and live the best life they can.
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The Shape of Water
At a top-secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.
Release Date December 1, 2017
Runtime 123 Minutes
4 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' (2022)
Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
Upon learning that he is down to his last life, and narrowly escaping a deadly encounter with a wolf (Wagner Moura), Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) gives up his life as a swashbuckling outlaw to live as a domestic house cat. His faith is only restored when he learns of a map that leads to a wishing star, which he can use to regain his missing lives. With others such as Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and her bear crime family and the evil baker Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney) also after the wish, Puss is forced to team up with his old flame, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), and a friendly dog (Harvey Guillén) to get there first.
Despite being the sequel to a lackluster spin-off movie, the crew put their all into Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which received critical and audience praise for its writing, character work, and Western-inspired cinematography. Unlike other films in the Shrek universe, which satirize fairy tales, this film embraces its nature as one with vibrant colors, thematic character designs, and a tone that is both chilling and whimsical. All of this helps to prop up the film's mature themes regarding the inevitability of death and what truly matters in life to make it worth living.
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Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Release Date December 21, 2022
Director Joel Crawford
Runtime 102 minutes
3 'Spirited Away' (2001)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Image via Studio Ghibli
As Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) and her parents move to a new house, they accidentally cross over into the spirit world, and her parents transform into pigs when they eat spirit food. To save them, Chihiro takes a job at the local bathhouse run by an evil witch named Yubaba (Mari Natsuki/Suzanne Pleshette), who takes Chihiro's name as collateral for her employment. Fortunately, Chihiro, now called Sen, receives aid from an enigmatic boy named Haku (Miyu Irino/Jason Marsden), who helps her settle in and encourages her to find a way to beat Yubaba at her own game.
Spirited Away was the first foreign film to win the Acadamy Award for Best Animated Feature, and is seen by many to be the crown jewel of the illustrious career of Hayao Miyazaki. This is thanks to how creative the movie is: every spirit has a unique design that displays their personality, the rules of the spirit world are slowly fed to the audience while never giving a full picture, and every character has a hidden side to them which shows the complexity of the human heart. Yet with all of this going on, it never loses focus on Chihiro's story, which is a phenomenal coming-of-age tale.
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, a world where humans are changed into beasts.
Taking place in Francoist Spain, ten-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) lives with her pregnant mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) and her new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López). One night, she follows a fairy into an underground labyrinth and meets a Faun (Doug Jones), who explains that Ofelia is a reincarnation of the princess of the underworld. To reclaim her throne, she must perform three tasks that pit her against various horrors of human and mythical origins.
Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fantasy film, but it never loses sight of the fact that it is also a fairy tale. It uses the various dark images that Ofelia encounters in the labyrinth to explain and parallel the darkness of her human life, which then makes her heroic and selfless actions shine all the brighter. The film also boasts terrific practical effects, seen both in the Faun and the film's most iconic monster, the sallow-skinned Pale Man (Doug Jones) with eyes located in the palms of his hands.
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Pan's Labyrinth
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
Release Date January 19, 2007
Runtime 118 minutes
1 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy (2001-'03)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Image via New Line Cinema
In the green land of the Shire, the hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) comes into possession of a golden ring that belonged to his uncle, Bilbo (Ian Holm). The wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) reveals that it is the One Ring forged by the Dark Lord, Sauron (Alan Howard), and that, should he claim it, he will be able to dominate all of Middle-earth. Frodo takes up the monumental task of carrying the ring to be destroyed in the same volcano it was forged in, while the rest of Middle-earth does what it can to withstand incursions from Sauron's legions of orcs.
Just as the books by J. R. R. Tolkien inspired the modern fantasy genre, Jackson's trilogy created the modern landscape of fantasy films. Even with the advancement in technology, the movies are still regarded as one of the best film trilogies because of how perfectly they capture the human soul and the spirit of the genre. The epic battles and sweeping music are nice, but Lord of the Rings shines best in the smaller moments when the heroes summon their courage to push through adversity and strike small but meaningful victories which bring light to a darkening world.
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Custom Image by Federico Napoli
Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution 
Image via Warner Bros. 
Image via Paramount Pictures 
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Image Via Searchlight Pictures 
Image via Studio Ghibli 
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures 
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