The fantasy genre has produced some of the best movies in cinema history, but there are also plenty of fantasy films that just miss the mark of being great. With its imaginative and magical worlds, the fantasy genre offers creators an opportunity to tell any story that they want, and it usually helps to push the boundaries of cinematic expression.

Bringing all the magic of fantasy to life is no easy task, and it usually takes great work from every part of the production team to succeed. As filmmaking technology has improved, it has made it easier to envision more and more fantastical ideas, but that doesn’t mean that modern fantasy is necessarily better than the films of the past.

At their heart, the best fantasy movies of all time are still excellent stories, and they have to be told well to be truly compelling. A lot of good fantasy films are usually missing one or more key pieces, and that holds them back from being perfect. Nevertheless, an imperfect fantasy film is still a pretty good viewing experience.

10

The Northman (2022)

Robert Eggers’ Viking Epic Is Nearly There

Drawing from Norse mythology, Robert Eggers’ The Northman blended fantasy with violent action and a compelling revenge plot. While it had all the pieces to make an exceptional fantasy film, there’s just a little something missing that keeps it from being perfect. The film is gorgeous to look at, and each detail is meticulously crafted, but the tone is wearing.

Every moment of the film is nihilistic, and it sometimes leaves the audience behind as it goes off on its own tangents. Had the film focused more on action, it would have detracted from the fantasy, and if the reverse was true it would have been boring. Ultimately, The Northman falls in an awkward limbo, despite its abundant positives.

9

Tales From Earthsea (2006)

One Of Studio Ghibli’s Rare Misses

Studio Ghibli’s movies have pushed the boundaries of animation for decades, and they often explore the fantastical to great results. However, 2006’s Tales from Earthsea is a puzzling addition to their filmography because of how unfocused it is. The fantasy elements of the movie are stock-standard, but the animation is unsurprisingly flawless, and carries the film.

With plot points that come out of nowhere, Earthsea struggles with a compelling arc because it keeps interrupting itself with small details from Le Guin’s books. Its running time is average, but it manages to feel overlong at times, and rushed at others. Technically, the film is great, but it ignores the basics of storytelling, which hampers the final product.

8

Hawk The Slayer (1980)

A Hidden Gem Of The Sword & Sorcery Genre

The early ’80s was a boom period for the sword and sorcery genre, but few of them were actually worth watching. Hawk the Slayer is a rare hidden gem from the era, and one of the earliest movies to cash in on the trend. The British film was made on a shoestring budget, but is anchored by a strong script.

The movie embraces fantasy tropes while doing something new with them, and there’s a simple-but-effective plot that drives everything forward. An ensemble cast of excellent character actors like William Morgan Sheppard means the film is well-acted. Unfortunately, the low budget is just too much to overcome, and it lacks a lot of excitement because action is expensive to film.

7

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Peter Jackson’s Return To Middle-earth Wasn’t As Good

A decade after his Lord of the Rings trilogy ended, director Peter Jackson returned to Middle-earth for the prequel, The Hobbit. Opting to split the short novel into three films, An Unexpected Journey was the opening installment and got viewers reacquainted with the fantasy realm once again. From the outset, though, it was clear that something was missing.

The glossy production lacked the same magic, and the dissection of the novel meant that the movie had an odd story structure. An Unexpected Journey is nearly a great movie, but it suffers from having to follow The Lord of the Rings. The two other Hobbit movies suffered from the same problems, and were even further from the mark.

6

Dragonheart (1996)

The ’90s Film Was Way Ahead Of Its Time

Dragonheart is one of those hidden gems from the ’90s that offers a lot of nostalgia value, but it is far from perfect. The ambitious fantasy epic used then-cutting-edge effects to bring a dragon to life on the big screen, and it looks pretty good for a movie approaching 30-years-old.

On the other hand, there’s just a bit too much cheese for its own good. The story isn’t paced well, and the script could have used a few more drafts to hammer certain details home. The performances are often hammy, though that’s actually a positive. Dragonheart doesn’t take itself too seriously, which keeps it from completely falling off a cliff.

5

The Pagemaster (1994)

The Live-Action/Animation Hybrid Should Have Been Amazing

On paper, The Pagemaster sounds like an imaginative masterpiece, but the final product is off the mark. The Macaulay Culkin vehicle uses live-action and animation to bring the world of books to life, and there’s even some splashy CGI thrown in too. Sadly, the sum of its parts is not greater than the whole, and the experience is hollow.

Though the fantasy film gets unfairly hated, The Pagemaster is guilty of not being particularly compelling as a narrative. The ideas are strong, and the visuals are eye-catching, but the story lacks an emotional core which is paramount to a children’s movie. For a film that’s trying to get kids to read, it makes books very frightening for younger viewers.

4

The Sword And The Sorcerer (1982)

A Fantasy Film That Deserves A Second Look

Director Albert Pyun might not be a household name, but he was one of the best B-movie directors of the ’80s and ’90s. He put his stamp on the fantasy genre with The Sword and the Sorcerer, and actually delivered a pretty good addition to the crowded subgenre of swords and magic.

Unlike other films of its ilk which immediately fall apart because of their tiny budgets, The Sword and the Sorcerer stretches every dollar effectively. The plot, however, is razor-thin, which is ultimately the movie’s undoing. While each detail is strong, they’re in service of an overarching storyline that is quite boring and far too simple.

3

The Beastmaster (1982)

A One-Of-A-Kind Sword & Sorcery Movie

Shortly after directing the indie horror classic, Phantasm, Don Coscarelli tried his hand at fantasy with 1982’s The Beastmaster. Instead of relying on tried-and-true tropes of the sword and sorcery subgenre, The Beastmaster adds a new wrinkle with the тιтle character’s ability to talk with animals.

The rest of the film mostly lacks anything particularly interesting, but it does have a clever sense of humor that is indicative of Coscarelli’s writing. The somewhat tongue-in-cheek tone elevates the film above its contemporaries, but it doesn’t go far enough. The Beastmaster straddles the line between serious and silly, which holds it back from being excellent.

2

Fire And Ice (1983)

Ralph Bakshi’s Beautifully Animated Fantasy Gem

During the sword and sorcery craze there were tons of live-action movies, but Ralph Bakshi’s Fire and Ice is one of the few animated examples. Inspired by the work of Frank Frazetta, the movie uses animation to create things that were impossible in live-action, and it has a pretty creative plot that sets it apart from the usual fantasy cliches.

Where Fire and Ice stumbles is in its pacing, and the movie drags because some scenes are too long while others are too short. There’s nothing overtly wrong with the film, but it still feels somewhat incomplete. It’s a curious piece of adult animation from the ’80s, but hasn’t earned a spot among the fantasy greats of the decade.

1

Reign Of Fire (2002)

A Post-Apocalyptic Dragon Movie

Of all the dragon movies out there, Reign of Fire was one with the most promise. Instead of a fantastical realm, the dragons have turned present-day Earth into a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and the film uses its clever concept to construct a visually compelling world as a backdrop for the story. Unfortunately, it’s the story that’s left out in the cold.

Reign of Fire has a great idea, but it mostly fails to execute on those concepts. The characters aren’t particularly fleshed-out, and the plot has no second gear. Therefore, the early Aughts fantasy movie just meanders along from one action scene to the next, but never gives the audience enough reason to care about what’s happening.