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There is an inherent strength within the medium of film of being able to bring to life otherworldly concepts and ideas spawned directly from the wildest and most impossible fantasies. The fantasy genre has sought to directly explore these creative fantasies, with the 2020s already having an exceptionally high number of great fantasy films that have impacted audiences. From family-friendly animated films like Soul and Nimona to sprawling live-action epics like The Northman and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, modern fantasy filmmaking has countless great choices.
However, with such a high number of great fantasy films being released during the decade, there are bound to be a few that fall through the cracks and fail to achieve the recognition that they deserve. The massive amount of content being released in the digital era makes it impossible to watch everything being released, yet these fantasy films are easily some of the decade's defining hidden gems. Ranging from box-office failures that didn't find their audience until streaming to international fantasy films unexplored by U.S. audiences, you can't go wrong with any of these fantasy films.
10 'Mandibles' (2020)
Directed by Quentin Dupieux
Image via Magnolia Pictures A French absurdist comedy film that is massively amplified by its strange fantasy elements, Mandibles combines low-stakes dialogue-based humor with a wildly chaotic premise to achieve comedy gold. The film follows a duo of dimwitted best friends who, while in the middle of dropping off a package for profit, discover a giant overgrown fly in the trunk of their car. They decide to abandon the job they were doing to be able to go all in on this giant fly, hoping that they can use it to get untold riches after training it.
French director Quentin Dupieux is highly regarded for his wildly outlandish concepts used to create exceptional humor, with the inherent comedic fantasy elements of treating a giant fly like a pet speaking for itself. What transforms the film as more than just a run-of-the-mill absurdist comedy, however, is the chemistry and back and forth between its two leads, whose bumbling attitudes and moronic behaviors only further amplify the film's comedy.
9 'Orion and the Dark' (2024)
Directed by Sean Charmatz
Image via Netflix DreamWorks Animation has certainly been in a sort of renaissance with their films in the 2020s, with films like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Wild Robot soaring to new heights for the studio. However, one of their more overlooked yet highly effective fantasy outings during the decade has been Orion and the Dark, a forgotten collaboration between the studio and acclaimed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. The film follows a father relating the story of how he got over his fear of the dark to his daughter, with him having gone on an adventure with the physical manifestation of darkness.
More than just a simple fantasy story of a child getting over his fears, Orion and the Dark pleasantly surprises as a complex film about growth between generations and acceptance of fear itself. While Kaufman has a reputation for creating wildly complex stories that are so meta that they can be overwhelming at times, Orion and the Dark finds a great balance between the writer's signature style and a wholesome, fun family adventure. The film is easily in contention for being one of the most underrated animated movies of the 2020s.
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Orion and the Dark
Release Date February 2, 2024
Director Sean Charmatz
Runtime 93 minutes
8 'Strawberry Mansion' (2021)
Directed by Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley
Dreams are a type of limitless potential concept in the world of fantasy that inherently lends itself to weaving together any possibility imaginable, with Strawberry Mansion perfectly exemplifying the otherworldly nature of dreams. The film takes place in a future where a surveillance state conducts audits on people's dreams, collecting taxes on the things that people dream about. When a mild-mannered government agent travels to audit the dreams of an eccentric, aging artist, he ends up uncovering numerous truths hidden within her vast and expansive dreamscape.
While looking back and traveling within dreams is far from the most original concept in filmmaking, Strawberry Mansion isn't afraid to show the more abstract and unexplainable nature that dreams can hold. It uses the very essence of dreaming to tap into numerous themes of overreaching government, forced advertising, and a somber love story that spans across the cosmos. It's certainly a strange watch that may grow too otherworldly for certain audiences, but the film has a distinct charm that never fades in its short, quaint runtime.
7 'Nightbooks' (2021)
Directed by David Yarovesky
Image via Netflix Acting as a modernization of classic, family-oriented ghost stories, Nightbooks is an effective fantasy love letter to everyone who was a fan of horror at a young age. The film follows Alex, a young boy obsessed with scary stories who finds himself trapped by a witch in a modern yet magical New York City apartment. Alex is forced to relay horror stories to the witch every night as his only method of survival, as he attempts to spend the rest of the day searching for a way back to his home.
Nightbooks has an effective understanding of the strengths and facets that make a children's horror story so effective, able to be just frightening enough for younger audiences without going too far in execution. Krysten Ritter specifically provides a committed performance as the vicious witch, evolving throughout the film as Alex learns more of her backstory. The film was largely overlooked due to getting an unceremonious release on Netflix, and is easily one of the most underrated family movies of the past decade.
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Nightbooks
Release Date September 15, 2021
Runtime 103 minutes
6 'Petite Maman' (2021)
Directed by Céline Sciamma
Petite Maman accomplishes the near impossible for modern family fantasy films in being an original story that evokes the same energy and emotions as a classic children's fairytale. The film follows young eight-year-old Nelly, who, after the sudden loss of her beloved grandmother, travels with her family to her mother's childhood home. While exploring the woods surrounding the home, Nelly ends up forming a friendship with a mysterious new friend who is the same age as her, embarking on a fantastical journey that helps her come to terms with the loss.
Petite Maman weaves together a distinct and effective tale of childhood innocence and bonding between generations, massively elevated by the simplistic yet realistic dynamics between family members and the timelessness of its themes. Joséphine Sanz provides what is easily one of the greatest child performances of recent memory, being deeply layered with innocence and thematic resonance. Even for those who aren't as familiar with French filmmaking, Petite Maman provides an effective cinematic experience that deserves to be experienced by everyone.
5 'The Civil Dead' (2022)
Directed by Clay Tatum
Image via Utopia A fun fantasy black comedy that handles the awkward reality that comes from a paranormal haunting, The Civil Dead effectively evolves from a simple comedy to one of much darker and painful reality by its end. The film follows the story of the misanthropic Clay, a struggling photographer who would much rather spend his days lounging around and watching television. He ends up reconnecting with desperate old friend Whit, who simply won't go away after revealing to Clay that he's a ghost and that Clay is the only person who has been able to see and communicate with him.
What starts as a fun, fantasy buddy comedy about all the possibilities when one of the friends is a ghostly apparition quickly transforms into an effective reflection on loneliness and disconnection. While it continues to keep up a fun comedic tone throughout thanks to the effective comedic chemistry of Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas, its darker turn into its characters' unlikable traits makes it a deeply memorable experience.
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The Civil Dead
Release Date February 1, 2023
Cast Whitmer Thomas , Clay Tatum , Whitney Weir , Budd Diaz , Robert Longstreet , Anna Seregina , Chris Thayer , DeMorge Brown , Christian Lee Hutson , Teresa Lee , Anthony Oberbeck , Megan Gailey
Runtime 104 minutes
Writers Whitmer Thomas
4 'Gretel & Hansel' (2020)
Directed by Osgood Perkins
Image via United Artists Releasing While Osgood Perkins is more commonly recognized for his work on horror juggernaut Longlegs, the director had previously proved his abilities in the realm of horror with the fantasy folk horror film Gretel & Hansel. The film acts as a gothic, dark rendition of the classic fairy tale, with young girl Gretel and her little brother Hansel traveling into the dark woods in search of food and work. They find themselves stumbling upon a mysterious cabin deep in the woods, where they initially are treated with hospitality by its lonesome resident before realizing the dreadful evil beneath the surface.
Hansel & Gretel already featured numerous horror elements in the original fairy tale, making its transformation into a full-on folk horror film a perfect fit for the material. Perkins evolves and transforms the original fairy tale not just to fit the essence of modern horror, but also to transform it into its own distinct story, with top-notch visuals and audio mixing creating maximum tension. The film is easily one of the most underrated horror films of the 2020s so far.
Release Date January 30, 2020
Runtime 87
3 'Nine Days' (2020)
Directed by Edson Oda
Image via Sony Pictures Classics While the concept of the afterlife is often explored and picked apart in filmmaking, Nine Days sets out to give a perspective on the rarely tackled world of the meeting place of souls before birth. The film follows the perspective of Will (Winston Duke), an arbiter who is tasked with judging souls before they inhabit bodies in the living, choosing one among a group of five to be given life after a series of interviews. However, Will's job has proven to be increasingly painful as he reflects on what happened to those souls that he gave life to in the past.
Nine Days's ingenious fantasy premise makes it the perfect subject to tackle the inherent beauty and joys of living life, finding refuge and peace from the innocuous and insignificant parts of everyday life. As much as it's a film about the birthing of life and new beginnings, it's also a film about the pains that come from the harsh ending of life, and how seemingly perfect stories can be stopped in their tracks in an instant. The film doesn't shy away from playing to its emotional side, making for a deeply impassionate viewing experience.
Release Date July 30, 2021
Director Edson Oda
Runtime 124 minutes
2 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' (2020)
Directed by David E. Talbert
Image via Netflix Musicals and fantasy had gone hand in hand long before the advent of feature-length filmmaking, with one of the 2020s best movie musicals also acting as an exceptionally underrated fantasy adventure. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a modern take on a classic Christmas tale, following an eccentric toymaker who has long since lost his passion for building toys after his blueprints were stolen decades ago. However, after being inspired by his young granddaughter, the once-legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) will create an invention that will change both of their lives forever.
Jingle Jangle provides one of the most unique and stylistic renditions of a Christmas world, having a beautifully creative steampunk fantasy aesthetic that gives the entire film a distinct charm and joy. The film also features a high number of catchy tunes and simple yet engaging character dynamics that make it one of the few modern Christmas films that lives up to the legacy and emotional weight of the all-time classics. Many overlooked the film due to its nature as a Netflix original, yet it's a genuine hidden gem that deserves to be a modern holiday classic.
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Jingle Jangle
Release Date November 13, 2020
Director David E. Talbert
Runtime 122 minutes
1 'Three Thousand Years of Longing' (2022)
Directed by George Miller
Image via MGM George Miller has a distinct cinematic voice that has made him one of the most acclaimed and beloved filmmakers of all time, between massive blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and cult classics like The Witches of Eastwick. However, one of Miller's most underrated films has been Three Thousand Years of Longing, whose strange fantasy romance premise simply didn't connect with general audiences. The film follows a literary scholar (Tilda Swinton) who accidentally releases a djinn (Idris Elba), who offers her three wishes, yet due to her reluctance, the djinn attempts to inspire her to make a wish with stories from his past.
Three Thousand Years of Longing is one of the most unique approaches to a genie story, switching between anthology-adjacent flashback stories to an unexpected romance between the genie and this scholar. Miller's distinct voice when it comes to directing and visual flair is what elevates the film, fully embellishing the magical weight of the djinn and his stories in true fantasy fashion. While the film's approach and strange story made it difficult to approach for general audiences, the masterful visuals are an undeniable force that cement the film as a modern hidden gem.
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Three Thousand Years of Longing
Release Date August 26, 2022
Director George Miller
Runtime 108 minutes
English (US) ·