Fantasy and comedy are two genres that go together amazingly, but not all of them are fairly appreciated in their time. From the Shrek franchise to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, fantasy comedies are a staple of movie fame, making the most out of unrealistic settings by using them to set up some truly absurd jokes. But not every comedic fantasy gets its just dues in its time, and many of them have gone painfully underseen after decades of relative obscurity.

Fantasy comedies can often face some harsher-than-average criticism upon their release, especially those that came out in the wake of harsh compeтιтors in the 70s and 80s. It’s not always obvious why some fantasy masterpieces are rarely seen, but a lack of popularity doesn’t always describe poor quality. In fact, some of the best hilarious comedies taking place in fantasy worlds are still hiding from the pop culture zeitgeist, waiting to be discovered by new fans.

10

A Knight’s Tale

The ultimate medieval action comedy

The humble action comedy is a tried-and-true crowdpleaser, so it’s astonishing that so few movies have tried to switch up the genre by taking place in a more primitive society. Enter A Knight’s Tale, a relatively straightforward blockbuster story rife with action, jokes, and romance, with the caveat that it takes place in the Middle Ages. The story centers on a peasant squire who poses as a knight to win glory and accolades, meeting some famous figures from real 14-century European history along the way.

It’s easy to remember Heath Ledger as the stunning Clown Prince of Crime from The Dark Knight, but his other roles are often unfairly overshadowed. Ledger is amazing as the brave and romantic William Thatcher, whose infectious charm carries the relatively simple script as he traipses through the land gathering fame. Purposefully anachronistic and relentlessly fun, A Knight’s Tale is a mix of genres plastered against a striking knightly setting.

9

The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen

A beautiful financial disaster

Despite how brilliant Terry Gilliam’s movies are, they’re often financial disasters, not to mention woeful experiences to film for all those involved. None of the former Monty Python’s efforts are as infamous in this regard as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, a box office bomb whose cast and crew speak of like a traumatic experience years later. However, this misery behind the curtain is completely foreign to the campy fun of the actual film.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen follows the absurd life of the тιтular folk hero, doing battle with the Ottoman Empire, giant sea monsters, huge royals who live on the moon, and Roman gods. John Neville is simply delightful as The Baron, whose cartoonish antics and ability to seemingly bend reality to his will and narrowly escape literal death time and time again don’t allow for a dull moment. For all the pain the filming of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen caused, anyone who gives it a chance will be glad for it.

8

Time Bandits

Hilariously slimy thieves on a trip through time

Terry Gilliam’s creativity is so wonderful that it’s almost obvious he would be responsible for not one, but two bitterly underseen comedic fantasies. As absurd and silly as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen can get, Time Bandits is somehow even more of a trippy fever dream in the best way possible. The movie follows a merry band of time-traveling thieves on the run from a so-called “superior being” after stealing their map that allows them to plot their course, sweeping up a bookish young boy in their chaotic adventures.

As if the time-travel element wasn’t fantastical enough, Time Bandits also rotates through a cast of all sorts of ridiculous fantasy characters, from a seafaring ogre to an insidious being of concentrated evil. The bandits’ interactions with one another and the various historical figures they also come into contact with are pure comedy gold, and the creations of Gilliams’ nonsensical mind never disappoint. From its production design to its hilarious performances, Time Bandits is the definition of a hidden gem.

7

Black Knight

An archetypal early 2000s comedy in the Middle Ages

Time travel seems to be a staple of comedy fantasies, as the premise of putting modern-day sensibilities up against medieval supersтιтion is always a promising breeding ground for jokes. Though Martin Lawrence might be better known for the Bad Boys franchise, he was also the star of a variety of wacky, underrated comedies. One of the more fantastical among them is Black Knight, a film that takes the тιтle of the mythical hero literally. Lawrence stars as Jamal “Sky” Walker, a slacker who peaked in high school working at a fantasy-themed amusement park.

Walker has to put his motormouth and former athlete skills to use when he suddenly gets sucked into the actual Middle Ages by way of a magical medallion. Martin Lawrence deserves more credit for just how strongly he’s able to carry a comedy on his own, making for a lovable yet sarcastic hero as he stumbles his way through a totally foreign time. A rare contemporary film to cast a Black man as a hero in a medieval setting, Black Knight is at least worth a watch for its novelty alone.

6

The Visitors

Reverses a classic time travel trope

While stories like Black Knight featuring modern characters sent back in time are always a good laugh, it’s more rare to see the reverse done. Luckily, French cinema has this base covered with Les Visiteurs, or The Visitors in English. When a bold Count named Godefroy accidentally murders his future father-in-law thanks to a witch’s trickery, he seeks the help of a time mage to go back and correct his mistake. However, the wizard ends up hurling him into the modern day, accompanied by his faithful squire, Jacquouille.

Starring Jean Reno of Leon the Professional fame as Count Godefroy, The Visitors might be one of the highest-grossing films in France of all time, even today, but has gone bitterly overlooked by English-speaking audiences. Jacquouille and Godefroy are an amazing buddy comedy duo as they navigate the wonders and terrors of the 90s, accompanied by some gorgeous classic cars. Great enough to spawn a trilogy of sequels, The Visitors is a must-watch for anyone who doesn’t have their comedy spoiled by subтιтles.

5

Your Highness

Frat bro comedy in the Middle Ages

Your Highness is perhaps the single penultimate example of “dude bro” comedy stylings poured into a fantasy setting. Danny McBride stars as Prince Thadeous, a royal living in the shadow of his more beloved older brother, Prince Fabious (played by James Franco) content to spend his time on mead and wenches. When an evil wizard kidnaps Fabious’ fiancée, played by Zooey Deschanel, he summons all the courage he has to meet his brother on a grueling adventure.

A rare stoner comedy set in the Middle Ages, Your Highness watches like a mix of Harold & Kumar and Robin Hood: Men in тιԍнтs. For the right audience, this is more than a winning combination, with the star-stacked cast providing charisma to spare to drive home jokes that make full use of the medieval setting. Chill, funny, and unabashedly low-brow, Your Highness gets genuinely fantastical with its creatures and magic while staying true to the writers behind its humor.

4

Stardust

A creative spectacle with more than a few great jokes

Less of a comedy with fantasy elements and more of a fantasy with comedy elements, Stardust is a great laugh for those still seeking more of a traditional fantasy experience sans time travel of any sort. Notably, Charlie Cox of Daredevil fame plays Tristan, a young man who ventures into a magical kingdom in order to retrieve a fallen artifact and win the hand of his beloved in marriage. Much to his surprise, the treasure he searches for turns out to be another woman, which soon complicates his initial feelings.

A fitting adaptation of an equally dreamy book, Stardust captures the wonder of its source material while translating its oddball sense of humor. The tense love triangle does result in some fairly clichéd moments, but the winding plot finds many pleasant curves along the way, hitting creative setpieces and hinting at a sharp foundational wit. It might not be a laugh-out-loud comedy in the same vein as other movies, but Stardust deserves to have a higher profile for its unique vision.

3

Jabberwocky

70s charm with gorgeous flair

Yet another obscure fantasy comedy film from Terry Gilliam’s mind, Jabberwocky actually represents the solo directorial debut of the eccentric filmmaker, displaying his knack for both genres early on. Named after the famous nonsense poem by Alice in Wonderland creator Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky‘s story centers on the reign of terror the тιтular dragon-like beast wreaks across the land. It’s up to a simple cooper (a builder of barrels, troughs, and buckets) to slay the horrifying monster once and for all.

As Gilliam’s first film, there are certainly a few growing pains suffered by Jabberwocky. Ultimately, they aren’t nearly enough to detract from the charming experience, echoing the very dark and very British comedy stylings of Monty Python while still feeling like it’s own thing. The Godzilla-esque suit used to portray the Jabberwocky itself is still a charming effect years later, and Michael Palin is as funny as ever as the exasperated Dennis Cooper.

2

Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather

Took on the adaptation of a difficult novel

Adapting a Lewis Carroll poem into a working fantasy comedy is difficult enough, but few literary works are as esoteric and difficult to visualize as Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. Yet somehow, a two-part made-for-TV movie out of Britain in 2006 was able to do justice to one of the series’ most beloved works, Hogfather. Just like in the book, the story follows the literal personification of Death as he fills in for the Discworld universe’s equivalent of Santa Claus, the Hogfather, while his daughter searches for the missing holiday figure.

Part of what keeps Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather enduringly hilarious years later is the charming low-budget, with Ian Richardson’s voice emanating from a hilariously emotionless skull mask peeking out from behind a Santa Claus hat and beard. For such a bizarre piece of source material, the film is remarkably faithful, not bothering itself with trying to cast a wider net of appeal and sacrificing the quirky humor as a result. Even for those unfamiliar with the books, Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather is a weird, but cozy holiday fantasy romp worthy of appraisal.

1

Knights Of Badᴀssdom

Hilarious horror comedy with a fantasy coating

Just as he became famous as Tyrion Lannister in the Game of Thrones series, Peter Dinklage starred in a very different fantasy story only a couple of years after the first episode aired. Knights of Badᴀssdom at first only seems to be literally emulating fantasy, centering on a group of LARPers, or Live-Action Fantasy Roleplayers, who enjoy beating each other up with foam weapons in between getting harᴀssed by paintballers. When one of them accidentally summons a very real demon, they’re forced to become fantasy heroes for real to stand a hope of survival.

Knights Of Badᴀssdom boasts a hilariously fierce performance by Dinklage in a comedic role in stark contrast to his dramatic skill, existing as a hodgepodge mix of horror, fantasy, and comedy. The film is able to equally pay tribute to the LARP community and make fun of it, striking a good balance of humor without coming across as overly malicious, demonic incursions notwithstanding. A weirdly chill watch despite the horror, Knights Of Badᴀssdom is a quietly phenomenal comedy dressing up as a fantasy film.