The 10 greatest fantasy movies ever made
Arguably there is no genre that better describes the state of contemporary cinema better than fantasy, with almost each and every successful blockbuster movie existing in a world of supernatural powers or wondrous dragon-filled skies. Evidence points to Disney’s Marvel Universe that teems with wondrous super-powered humans, or even the likes of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, The House of the Dragon, which is currently thriving on the small screen.
But, just how many of these films are any good? With the influx of Marvel movies and countless copycats, the fantasy landscape has been muddied, and it’s no longer all that easy to sort the gems from the trash.
Going way back to the 1930s for our list of the ten best fantasy movies of all time, we’ve taken a balanced look into some of the genre’s greatest films that closely concern themselves with dragons, pixies, angels and much more. Take a look at our list, below, including films from such icons as Harold Ramis, Peter Jackson, Wim Wenders, Guillermo del Toro and the Studio Ghibli master Hayao Miyazaki.
The 10 greatest fantasy movies ever made
10. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
This seminal 1990s comedy from Harold Ramis is highly respected in film circles, largely because it kick-started the cinematic device of narrative repetition, telling the story of Phil (Bill Murray), who finds himself in a strange time loop that he cannot get out of. An unconventional Hollywood fantasy, Ramis’ film embeds the fantastical narrative within a comedy, romance script that makes the most of Murray in the lead role.
For its cinematic significance alone, Groundhog Day deserves its place among the best ever fantasy movies.
9. The Dark Crystal (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, 1982)
Created and helmed by the man behind The Muppets, Jim Henson, The Dark Crystal shows a slightly darker side to the legendary puppeteer, taking his trade to a joyous fantasy world. A haunting film that plays off some neat family-friendly fantasy features, The Dark Crystal is set on another planet in a distant past in which a mysterious Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and restore order to his world.
A gothic, inventive world of pure wondrous mysticism, Henson and Frank Oz’s film is the perfect mix of Muppet magic and fantasy awe.
8. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Mel Stuart, 1971)
Perhaps the credit for this iconic 1971 fantasy movie goes to the author of the novel behind the children’s book of the same name, Roald Dahl, even if his world was gorgeously brought to life by Mel Stuart. Famously hating the final film, Dahl’s vision is nonetheless spectacular in this classic of fantasy cinema, telling the story of a young boy who is granted a golden ticket to visit an impossibly magical chocolate factory.
Led by the brilliant Gene Wilder as the titular confectionary inventor, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is a timeless classic that would inspire countless films to come.
7. A Matter of Life and Death (Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell, 1946)
A wartime romance elevated with a fantasy edge, A Matter of Life and Death from the British filmmaking duo Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell is a well-known classic that isn’t discussed enough in fantasy circles. Telling the story of a doomed RAF pilot, Peter Carter (David Niven), who crashes and finds himself at the gates of heaven, Powell and Pressburger’s curious war movie achieves far more than it seems from the outside.
Flirting with concepts of how people should run their lives in postwar Britain, the film sees Niven’s character go under trial in heaven, where celestial beings must decide his fate. It’s a surprising, heartfelt take on the typical war movie.
6. Alice in Wonderland (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, 1951)
A classic psychedelic animation, Alice in Wonderland remains a darling of the fantasy genre even over 70 years since its release in 1951. Reimagined in several different ways across the years, no version of Alice in Wonderland is better than Walt Disney’s. The story sees a young girl stumble across the magical world of Wonderland and encounter several bizarre creatures on her journey back to the real world.
A favourite of fans across the world, Alice in Wonderland has become the basis of countless remakes and real-life events for a reason.
5. Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
Scars of a city and country still yet to heal from its tumultuous past are visibly laid to bare in Wim Wenders’ fantasy classic Wings of Desire. Navigating the skies of the German capital an angel oversees Berlin life with dreams of one day becoming human as they sort through the ruined urban wastelands and pain of the tormented inhabitants. Though it does not reflect contemporary Berlin, it perfectly frames a post-war capital still reeling from its horrific involvement in WWII.
A longing story of emotional humanity, Wenders uses fantasy elements to tell a deeply human story of morality and identity after one of the most abhorrent events of 20th-century history.
4. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)
A landmark fantasy film for international horror, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth shows off some of the greatest monster designs in all of cinema. Both enchanting and aptly terrifying, the design and cinematography of this del Toro’s classic is branded onto the retinas of film fans across the world thanks to its gothic, visceral design that suffused fantasy with the bleak backdrop of the Spanish Civil War.
Fantasy spans multiple definitions, and del Toro’s dark tale is one of the best of the genre, telling a magical story that terrifies as much as it inspires.
3. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
No film of the 1930s can compare to the meteoric success of The Wizard of Oz, a film that defined contemporary cinema by introducing technicolour to the medium. Though colour films had existed long before its release, with A Visit to the Seaside, an eight-minute colour short film predating Oz by 31 years, it was the effect that Victor Fleming’s 1939 film had on the industry that would make it a timeless classic.
Stepping into the vibrant land of Oz was a real-life illustration of Hollywood evolving from the rigid, monochrome of the past into the colourful promise of the fantastical future. The technological innovation, together with the magical story itself, makes it an undisputed fantasy classic.
2. Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
The most spectacular epic in the studio’s filmography, Princess Mononoke’s sprawling narrative is nothing short of extraordinary, particularly as the animation used to carry the story is so rich in detail and pure imagination. Inspired by the westerns of John Ford, Hayao Miyazaki brought together “characters from outcast groups and oppressed minorities who rarely, if ever, appear in Japanese films,” to form the town at the centre of this grand tale.
A complex fantasy featuring stunning landscapes and intricately-designed characters, Princess Mononoke is one of Studio Ghibli’s most cinematic stories, imbued with the grandeur of Japanese mythos.
1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003)
Creating what would become the most iconic fantasy franchise of all time, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is a template not only for how any wondrous world should be explored but also for how every blockbuster film should be produced. Impossible to separate each of the three influential fantasy classics included within the trilogy, Jackson creates three movies that act seamlessly as one narrative whole.
Indeed, no film since has been able to match the majesty of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the sheer preparation and dedication that went into making the project, setting the fantasy series aside in an entire league of its own.
Enlisting a cast that includes Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen and Christopher Lee that each helped to bring Jackson’s vision to life, it is in the sheer authenticity of the New Zealand director’s magical world where the true wonder of The Lord of the Rings lies.
