If cinema is truly a medium in which the unimaginable can seem possible, then the fantasy genre has a unique power to enchant audiences. The term “fantasy” is often associated with medieval mythology, as shows like House of the Dragon and The Witcher have been increasingly popular within the last decade. However, fantasy can mean a lot of different things depending on the filmmaker’s approach; it's a flexible genre that can intertwine with comedy, drama, adventure, and music.
With the continued rise of streaming services like Netflix and the box office disappointments of several major blockbusters over the past decade, it can often feel like a hard time to be a movie fan. However, great fantasy films are instrumental in getting audiences excited about going to the movies again. These are the best fantasy movies of the last five years, including underrated gems and outright masterpieces that prove the genre is better than ever.
17 'The Life of Chuck' (2025)
Image via NeonThe Life of Chuck is one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations ever made, and a rare non-horror feature from Mike Flanagan. While Flanagan has often explored familial trauma within his dark fantasy films, The Life of Chuck is a deep, thoughtful meditation on the profundity of life that tells its story in three distinct segments, which are showcased in reverse order; it’s a beautifully personal way of creating a memory piece.
The Life of Chuck is a strong adaptation that captures the essence of King’s story while expanding the characters and creating immersive musical sequences. While Flanagan does not shy away from the more somber aspects of growing up and dealing with tragedy, The Life of Chuck is brave enough to tell a non-cynical, optimistic story, the likes of which cinema could use a lot more of in challenging times. —Liam Gaughan
16 'The Sheep Detectives' (2026)
Image via Amazon MGM StudiosThe Sheep Detectives is one of the most surprising films of the past decade because of how much better it is than its premise may have suggested. While there was an opportunity to make a cheesy slapstick comedy that was aimed only at children, The Sheep Detectives is a genuinely great detective story with a rather profound message about faith and the power of truth.
The Sheep Detectives is wonderfully written by Craig Mazin, a brilliant writer of prestige television who does not talk down to younger viewers, as it's a film that resonates equally as well for adults. This is the type of “family film” that Disney used to be best known for, and it’s one that is as heartfelt as it is funny; believe it or not, the goofy sheep comedy is one of 2026’s best films, and one that might even reduce its audience to tears. —Liam Gaughan
15 'Eternity' (2025)
Image via Apple TVEternity is a clever comedy set in the afterlife in which a woman (Elizabeth Olsen) who has recently died is given a choice of who she can spend the rest of her immortal existence with; while she could stay with her husband (Miles Teller) for many decades, she is also reintroduced to the first man (Callum Turner) who she ever fell in love.
Eternity asks existential questions whilst also being a great romantic comedy, with many overt allusions to the classic Albert Brooks comedy Defending Your Life. While quite sentimental and charming in a very old-fashioned way, Eternity is also a true showcase for the physical comedy skills of its cast. Teller, in particular, is absolutely hilarious as an older man who has to adjust to being brought back to his younger self’s body, and it's a performance that ranks among his very best. —Liam Gaughan
14 'Megalopolis' (2024)
Image via LionsgateMegalopolis is an easy film to make fun of because it makes bold artistic decisions and requires massive swings from its cast, but the work of a genius like Francis Ford Coppola should never be doubted. Coppola has often been ahead of the curve when it comes to larger-than-life ideas, and Megalopolis is a film that is designed to hold up to scrutiny many years down the road.
Megalopolis asks a fascinating question on whether the “now” is worth sacrificing for the sake of the “forever,” and crafts a clever satire of New York high society through its parallels to the Roman Empire. While clips are taken out of context to suggest that Megalopolis is unintentionally hilarious, the film was always intended to be funny, and Coppola certainly leans into the humor that can be found within his absurdist, maximalist vision. —Liam Gaughan
13 ‘Good Fortune’ (2025)
Image via TIFFGood Fortune is both a fun new spin on the “body swap” comedy and a sincere study of economic disenfranchisement that reflects the significant disparity in wealth between classes in America. Although writer/director Aziz Ansari shows a great deal of frustration with how inherently unfair the current system is, Good Fortune is also a thoughtful story about learning to accept one’s life and circumstances if they have the friendships to support them.
Good Fortune features great performances from Ansari and Seth Rogen, but the scene-stealer is Keanu Reeves as an angel who becomes trapped on Earth after a blunderous decision. Reeves has always been a self-aware actor, but Good Fortune features one of his best comedic performances ever, as his deadpan line delivery is surprisingly perfect for the role of a heavenly being who begins to find himself obsessed with humanity’s way of life. —Liam Gaughan
12 'Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers' (2022)
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesChip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is one of the biggest surprises in recent memory, as the expectations for what a Disney+ original based on an older cartoon series could be were not very high. However, the film was directed by the legendary The Lonely Island cast member Akiva Shaffer, who brought in a snarky sense of humor that allowed it to lampoon various generations of animation.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers feels like a modern-day version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as it combines characters from various studios to create a great adventure and mystery story. Although the eye-popping animation will surely entertain younger viewers getting used to this style for the first time (with much credit to the great voicework by Andy Samberg and John Mulaney), there are more than enough nostalgic throwbacks aimed at getting the investment of older viewers.
11 'The Northman' (2022)
Image via Focus FeaturesThe Northman is an elaborate historical revenge epic that draws from the story of William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet, but is set in the era of Vikings. While it is certainly a gritty action film that shows just how brutal this era of warfare could actually be, The Northman does insert some overt fantasy elements, including various dream sequences involving Björk that blur the line between reality and illusion.
The Northman proves once again why Robert Eggers is one of the best fantasy directors working today, as with The Witch and The Lighthouse, the film combines disturbing surrealist elements with aspects of historical fiction. The Northman is simply one of the most viscerally upsetting and visually stunning films of the past decade, and should even manage to impress those who generally do not consider themselves to be fans of the fantasy genre.
10 'Tuesday' (2024)
Image via A24Tuesday is an underrated A24 film that shows why the indie distributor is one of the best working today; although it has some metaphorical elements that may seem strange, Tuesday is an emotionally honest story about what it is like to be a single parent in a dysfunctional household. Although she is best known for her comedic work on Seinfeld and Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus delivers a powerful performance as a mother who struggles with the impending death of a child.
Tuesday imagines death as a literal bird that comes to collect souls from Earth in a metaphor that is handled brilliantly due to its simplicity. Although this concept could suggest that the film is aimed at younger audiences, Tuesday certainly proves to be far more mature and existential as the basis of its premise might have suggested that it was.
Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz
Which Lord of the Rings
Character Are You?
One Quiz · Ten Questions · Your Fate Revealed
The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly — the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.
💍Frodo
🌿Samwise
👑Aragorn
🔥Gandalf
🏹Legolas
⚒️Gimli
👁️Sauron
🪨Gollum
BEGIN YOUR QUEST →
01
You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do? The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.
AAccept it. Someone has to, and running changes nothing. BStay by the side of whoever carries it. They shouldn't go alone. CStep forward and lead. This is exactly what I was made for. DIt's mine now. I won't let anyone else have it.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You: True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.
AFollow them without hesitation. I'd rather die beside them than live without them. BRally others and forge a plan to help — strength in numbers. COffer wisdom and guidance. My counsel may save them where swords cannot. DLet them go. Only the strong survive, and sentiment is a weakness.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is: Power corrupts — but only those who reach for it.
ADestroy it. Nothing good comes from power this absolute. BUse it to protect those I love — just this once. CWield it wisely. I have the will and the knowledge to do good with it. DSeize it. I have waited long enough. It belongs to me.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What does "home" mean to you? Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.
AA simple, peaceful place — green hills, good food, no adventure required. BWherever the people I love are. Home is a feeling, not a place. CA kingdom I must earn before I can truly claim it as mine. DI lost it long ago. That loss is what drives everything I do.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
When a battle is upon you, your approach is: War reveals what we are made of — whether we like it or not.
ASurvive by any means. I'm not a fighter — but I'll do what I must. BFight for the person beside me, not for glory or honour. CLead the charge. Nothing inspires an army like a king at the front. DStrike from range, fast and precise — never let them get close.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You: Wisdom is not knowing all the answers — it's knowing which questions to ask.
AListen, then offer honest encouragement. Sometimes people just need belief. BGive them practical help — words are fine, but action is better. CSpeak carefully. I have seen much, and I know what counsel can cost. DTell them what they want to hear. Trust is a tool like any other.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
How do you see yourself, honestly? Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.
ASmall and ordinary — but perhaps that's exactly why I was chosen. BDefined entirely by who I serve and love. I am nothing without them. CForged by hardship into something the world has not yet fully seen. DDiminished from what I once was — and consumed by the need to reclaim it.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world? Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.
AI find peace in it — forests, rivers, open skies. Nature restores me. BI prefer the earth underfoot — stone, mines, solid and real things. CI have watched the world change for longer than most can comprehend. DNature offers hiding places, cold water, raw fish. That's enough for me.
NEXT QUESTION →
09
You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You: How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.
AShow mercy. Even the most broken souls deserve a chance at redemption. BPity them — but never trust them. They made their choices. CSee them as a tool. Their knowledge or skills may still serve a purpose. DDestroy them before they can cause more harm. Mercy is a luxury we cannot afford.
NEXT QUESTION →
10
When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you? In the end, we are all just stories.
AThat an ordinary person did an extraordinary thing — and came home. BThat I never abandoned the person who needed me most. CThat I was worthy of the crown — and everything it demanded. DNothing. I don't need songs. I needed it, and now it's gone.
REVEAL MY FATE →
The Fellowship Has Spoken Your Place in Middle-earth
The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.
💍 Frodo
🌿 Samwise
👑 Aragorn
🔥 Gandalf
🏹 Legolas
⚒️ Gimli
👁️ Sauron
🪨 Gollum
You carry something heavy — and you carry it alone, even when you don't have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.
You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated — but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you'd do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.
You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.
You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know — which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.
Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure — you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.
You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable — and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don't do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.
You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control — not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you're not entirely wrong — just entirely too far gone to course-correct.
You are a study in contradiction — pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes — but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.
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9 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)
Image via A24The Daniels created one of the most epic fantasy movies with Everything Everywhere All at Once. After getting audited by the IRS, Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh) must connect parallel universes together in order to stop a powerful entity from destroying everything. The movie is full of non-stop action and amazingly choreographed fight scenes.
At the heart of the movie, it's about family and the desire to belong somewhere. It's about wanting to feel accepted by the ones you love. The Daniels did an excellent job blending all of these elements together without any of it feeling forced. A little bit over two hours, the movie never feels like it slows down or leaves anything out. It's a spectacular fantasy adventure through the multiverse and deserves all the accolades and recognition it's received since its release.
8 'Dream Scenario' (2023)
Image via A24A black comedy written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, a Norwegian filmmaker, Dream Scenario is about a man named Paul Matthews who begins to appear in peoples' dreams. He can't explain why this is happening, but as more and more people start to dream about him, the stranger Paul's life gets.
Nicolas Cage is at his best when he's exploring strange fantasy worlds, and Dream Scenario is no different. The movie explores themes of identity as Paul struggles to understand why he's in people's dreams, and themes of existentialism as he grapples with the meaning of his existence and what he actually means to people. Dream Scenario has so much packed into it, but it still manages to be lighthearted at times. It's a great watch if you're looking for a fantasy movie that will really make you think.
English (US) ·