Fantasy movies are often, by their very nature, epic. While there are plenty of fantasy movies that deal with simpler magical realism or low-fantasy elements that don’t require a grand scale to accomplish, the biggest and best fantasy movies write their stories across the widest canvas possible. These are the high fantasy movies set in far-off lands where amazing beasts and magical creatures live together, or those that expand our world with magic existing right underneath or alongside it. Either way, they transport audiences to a world that, even when it might resemble their own, is wondrous and unbelievable and could only exist on the silver screen.
Fantasy films have been an integral part of cinema since the earliest days of silent film, and as budgets and effects technology have grown and advanced, so too have the worlds that filmmakers have been able to bring to life on screen. These movies are so big, grand and full of fantasy that the standard list of ten simply couldn’t contain them all. So instead, here’s a baker’s dozen of the greatest epic fantasy films ever made.
13
‘Wicked’ (2024)
The most recent fantasy epic to sweep audiences off their feet is also one tethered inexorably to the long-standing history of fantasy filmmaking. L. Frank Baum‘s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz became the iconic classic, The Wizard of Oz became the basis of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, became a smash hit on Broadway and finally led to the pop-cultural phenomenon that is Wicked. Energetically directed by Jon M. Chu and with a pair of perfect, Oscar-nominated performances from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, it’s an epic musical that truly defied gravity and left audiences walking on air.
Hyperbole and internet popularity aside, Wicked reinterprets the land of Oz for modern audiences by turning its lens on the time before Dorothy ever landed, focusing on witches Elphaba and Glinda as they attend university, contending with the prejudice and discrimination that exists beneath the brightly-colored exterior of their world. With engaging musical numbers, large-scale sets, and a star-studded cast, Wicked is designed to get your widen your eyes while your toes get tapping.
12
‘Legend’ (1985)
Image via Universal Pictures
Fantasy movies took a dark turn in the ’80s, with even studios like Disney reaching back to the less family-friendly origins of fairytales to craft some pure nightmare fuel for audiences. These films also took advantage of the major advancements in practical effects to accomplish some of the most visually outstanding fantasy films ever made. These were grand productions like Conan the Barbarian, Dragonslayer, The Dark Crystal and, most of all, Ridley Scott‘s epic fairytale Legend. As the director’s follow-up to the one-two sci-fi punch of Alien and Blade Runner, Scott decided to take the same visually arresting approach to the fantasy genre with a simplistic tale of good versus evil realized with the most visually elaborate techniques available.
The film follows the forest-dwelling Jack (Tom Cruise) as he must contend with the Lord of Darkness and his attempts to plunge the world into the shadows by killing the last unicorns. Shot entirely on soundstages, Legend has a visual language all its own, existing on an entirely different plane of its own reality. The makeup effects, by the legendary Rob Bottin, breathe life into some of the most vividly realized fantasy creatures, most of all in Tim Curry as Darkness. Never has there been a more epic portrayal of the Devil put on screen, and Curry, under pounds of makeup and fiberglass horns, eats every square inch of scenery within chewing distance. Legend notoriously has two different cuts available with vastly different musical scores and scene arrangements, but no matter which version you prefer, they both delivera singular visual experience.
11
‘Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain’ (1983)
Image via Paragon Films
Wuxia films don’t always combine their martial arts action with fantasy storytelling, but those that do are some of the most gloriously entertaining epics ever made. Films like Journey to the West and The Bride with White Hair engage with their fantastical elements openly, while Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero are more subdued in their approach, but if there’s one film that really scratches that fantasy epic itch with high-flying acrobatic combat, it’s Tsui Hark’s Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain.
Based on the 1932 novel Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu,the plot follows a Chinese soldier who deserts his army and quickly finds himself embroiled in a battle between supernatural entities as he becomes the apprentice to a master warrior who wants to combine legendary dual swords in order to defeat an evil Blood Monster. It’sa bonkers plot steeped in mythology and blown up by Hark’s kitchen sink approach, where wild scenes careen off each other. The director would r evisit </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b>>
10
‘Harry Potter and
the Prisoner
of Azkaban’
(2004)
<p
=
"
In
the
2000s,
fantasy
movies
became
a
hot
commodity
again,
thanks
to
a
couple
of
major
film
franchises
that
took
full
advantage
of
modern
visual
effects technology
to create fully immersive fantasy worlds on a scale never seen before.
One
of those franchises was
Harry Potter
,
based on
the eponymous book series.
The epic-sized film adaptations
of those books reached a whole new legion
of fans,
and
the greatest
of them all was
Prisoner
of Azkaban
.
<p
=
"
Based on
the third book in
the series,
this more mature film
progresses
the characters and themes
of
the previous two movies
with a shift in visuals and tone.
This change is certainly in line with
the source material,
but also due greatly to
the change in directors,
with Oscar winner
Alfonso Cuarón
taking over from
Chris Columbus.
Cuaron finds a deeper emotional well to explore as Harry and his friends face greater challenges in their third year at Hogwarts,
along with the escape of Sirius Black.
By streamlining
the lengthy plot of
the novel,
the film actually improves upon it in many ways.
And
Prisoner
of Azkaban
sets a new tone that would serve
the franchise well until its very end.
9
‘The Fall’ (2006)
8
‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
7
‘Excalibur’ (1981)
6
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
5
‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997)
4
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
8
‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
7
‘Excalibur’ (1981)
6
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
5
‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997)
4
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
6
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
5
‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997)
4
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
4
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
