The fantasy genre has long been one of the most versatile and creative in the world of cinema. It has always been a way for creatives to push the limits of technology to bring to life unique worlds with which to tell human stories. As such, the fantasy genre has only gotten better with time.
The last 25 years, in particular, have been among the apex of fantasy movies. Following the success of Sir Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was proven that fantasy movies could be blockbusters and reach mainstream popularity. While not every movie released since then has reached the same height, many films over the last quarter of a century have made their mark thanks to their creativity and strong themes.
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‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
Image via A24
As a Christmas game unfolds in King Arthur’s court, Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), the king’s inexperienced and impulsive nephew, accepts a challenge from the mysterious Green Knight (Ralph Ineson). After striking the towering figure with an axe, Gawain is told to seek out the Green Knight one year later and receive the same blow in return. His journey across a mystical landscape becomes a test, ultimately testing his understanding of what it truly means to be a knight.
Director David Lowery transforms the classic Arthurian poem into a visually stunning fantasy unlike almost anything released in recent years. The Green Knight weaves together folklore and dreamlike storytelling instead of relying on traditional action or spectacle. Combined with Patel’s nuanced performance and breathtaking cinematography, it’s one of the boldest and best-looking fantasy films of the 21st century.
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‘Stardust’ (2007)
Image via Paramount Pictures
As the King of the magical kingdom of Stormhold (Peter O’Toole) dies while three of his sons still live, he tosses his ruby into the sky, telling the princes that whoever finds it will be king. The ruby knocks a star out of the sky, which crashes to the Earth and takes the form of a woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes). The event is witnessed by several people, including a young man named Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) who wishes to claim the star for his crush, and a trio of witches who want to use Yvaine’s heart to restore their youth.
Stardust adapts the story of the same name by Neil Gaiman into a fun, family-friendly romp that still has an edge of darkness. Each of the characters is fleshed out and brought to life by the perfect actors, while the healthy balance of action and romance keeps you invested in what obstacle will hit the characters next and how they’ll overcome it. While both of the leads are strong, the real scene-stealers are Mark Strong as the wicked Prince Septimus, Michelle Pfeiffer as the main witch-hunting Yvaine, and Robert De Niro as a flamboyant sky pirate.
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‘Coraline’ (2008)
Image via Focus Features
Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) is a young girl who has moved with her parents to the Pink Palace Apartments in Oregon, which is full of eccentric tenants. While exploring, Coraline discovers a door that leads to a parallel world constructed by her Other Mother (Teri Hatcher), where everyone has black buttons for eyes. Coraline becomes enraptured by the world and its many wonders, but a black cat (Keith David) who can travel between both worlds warns her that all is not as it seems.
Coraline is another Gaiman story and leans much more heavily into his unique mix of magic and horror. This is thanks largely to the fantastic stop-motion from Laika, which captures the sense of wonder and horror the Other World evokes, especially in the climax when everything starts to fall apart. Coraline herself is also a great protagonist thanks to solid character writing that sees her speak and act like a child her age would, and Fanning’s earnest performance that captures her spunky personality.
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‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003)
As a child, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) met Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) when he was rescued from a shipwreck, and she confiscated his golden medallion so that he wouldn’t be mistaken for a pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Years later, Elizabeth falls into the water while wearing the medallion, which summons a ghost ship called the Black Pearl to Port Royal, captained by Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). He kidnaps Elizabeth, and to rescue her, Will enlists the help of the eccentric pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who used to captain the Black Pearl before Barbossa mutinied against him.
The Curse of the Black Pearl overcame a troubled production and was a smash hit that kicked off one of Disney’s most lucrative franchises. It is a beautiful mix of swashbuckling clichés with dark fantasy, told through the Aztec curse that has trapped the pirates in a state of undeath. Combine that with unforgettable characters, engaging action scenes, and one of Hans Zimmer’s best musical scores, and you have a movie that proves that anything, even a theme park ride, can be made into a film with the right care and people behind it.
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‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ (2004)
