Entertainment
60 Best Fantasy Movies of All Time, Ranked
Fantasy movies provide a true escape from reality, bringing viewers to faraway lands with magical powers, creatures, and beings. The farthest depths of imagination are brought to the surface in the different stories that fall under the category of fantasy. The extraordinary becomes the ordinary!
The best fantasy movies ever made are those that often inspire massive franchises, introduce novel aspects to the oversaturated genre, or are impactful and memorable enough to stay with audiences for years. These are also the ideal movies for viewers looking for must-see fantasy films, as they defined and continue to change the enduring genre. From recent adaptations of timeless classics like The Green Knight to old seminal masterworks like Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it’s easy to see that the best fantasy movies ever made tend to have an enduring influence on cinema. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of the very best films from the fantasy genre that fans should consider essential viewing.
60
‘Coraline’ (2009)
Based on Neil Gaiman‘s 2002 novella about a young girl who discovers a mysterious alternate universe behind a secret door in her new home, Coraline is far and away one of the darkest fairy tale movies of all time. It’s also a fantastic way to introduce the little ones of the family to dark fantasy and horror, but though it’s a family film, Coraline should be able to delight and terrify viewers of any age in equal measure.
Directed by Henry Selick, it’s the third-highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time—for good reason. With its vivid world-building, stunning visuals, enrapturing score, and emotionally compelling story, it’s undoubtedly one of the best family fantasy films of the 2000s. Dark, funny, and moving, it’s animated filmmaking at its very best.
59
‘Time of the Gypsies’ (1988)
Nowadays, there are many masterpieces from countries that no longer exist. Case in point: Yugoslavia, which has one of the most impressive national filmographies of any 20th-century European nation. It was the country that produced Emir Kusturica, one of the greatest European auteurs in movie history, whose Time of the Gypsies is a transcendental work of art. It’s a coming-of-age fantasy crime drama about Perhan, a telekinetic Romani teenager who becomes a criminal in Milan.
A masterclass in how to employ magic realism in movies, Time of the Gypsies is somehow still awfully underrated. It holds a well-deserved score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics have praised its incredibly vast scope and Kusturica’s airtight direction. It’s visually poetic, it has a haunting score by Goran Bregović, and the performances of its largely non-professional cast are all impressive. It’s arthouse fantasy at its most underappreciated.
58
‘Song of the Sea’ (2014)
They may not be as big as your Pixars or your DreamWorks, but the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon is nevertheless one of the most celebrated animation studios currently working in the industry. Their highest-rated film on Letterboxd and IMDb alike is Song of the Sea, about a 10-year-old Irish boy who discovers that his mute sister is a selkie.
It’s the kind of film that animation fans can’t believe isn’t more famous. It’s visually gorgeous, full of narrative and thematic depth, emotionally enthralling, and perfectly family-friendly. The performances of the exceptional voice cast are all fantastic, and the way the story borrows elements from Irish folklore to tell a tale about grief and the power of stories is profoundly moving.
57
‘Kwaidan’ (1964)
Kwaidan is one of the best-looking horror movies ever made, an engrossing Masaki Kobayashi anthology film consisting of four separate stories inspired by Japanese folktales. The film was stuck in development hell for a decade, but once it finally saw the light of day, audiences around the world were treated to what has aged as one of the greatest horror films of all time.
The film’s baroque aesthetic is decorated with a volume of colorful details so dense that it would take several re-watches to absorb everything that Kobayashi plasters on the screen. It’s a truly timeless adaptation of equally timeless pieces of folk storytelling, and with its eerie atmosphere and arthouse sensibilities, it’s a must-see for all those who love dark fantasy.
56
‘The Fall’ (2006)
Directed by Tarsem Singh, The Fall centers on a young girl who meets a stuntman at the hospital where they are both staying, and the latter tells her the tale of a group of heroes seeking revenge on an evil ruler. When it originally came out, the film split critics and performed very poorly at the box office. Two decades later, it has become one of the biggest fantasy cult classics of the 21st century.
With a thought-provoking story that will definitely not be for everyone and jaw-dropping visuals to make up for it, The Fall is one of the best hidden-gem fantasy masterpieces of the 21st century. Inspired by the work of filmmakers like Terry Gilliam and Alejandro Jodorowsky, this mind-bending extravaganza is a love letter to the power of stories, cinema, and fantasy.
55
‘Peter Pan’ (1953)
One of the best Disney classics of the ’50s, Peter Pan is a loving adaptation of Scottish writer J.M. Barrie‘s book. It’s the magical story of a girl and her brothers who are whisked away to the magical world of Neverland by its hero, Peter Pan, a dashing young boy who can never grow up. Though the story has been adapted for the screen on numerous occasions, this remains one of the best.
This beautifully animated movie is as timeless as classics come, enchanting for audiences of all ages. It’s one of the best fantasy adventure movies of its time, thanks to charming direction and a screenplay whose imagination and innocence soar far above whatever flaws the film may have. It may not have the complex themes or groundbreaking innovations that make other Disney classics far superior fantasy films, but it definitely comes close.
54
‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982)
Back in the ’80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the peak of his career as an action star, starring in increasingly wild and explosive films that allowed him to show off his strength (both literal and figurative). One of his best movies from this period is Conan the Barbarian, about a powerful warrior who sets out to avenge the genocide of his people at the hands of a cult.
This fantasy epic is one of the most entertaining sword & sandal films ever, with brutal yet delightful action and a fun B-picture tone. It was the movie that cemented Schwarzenegger’s place in the contemporary action movie canon, and nowadays, it’s still remembered as one of his most bewitching roles. While some directors could have chosen to make this a campy adventure, John Milius goes for a darker and more serious tone, which somehow works magnificently.
53
‘Barbie’ (2023)
Back when the live-action Barbie movie was first announced, no one expected it to be anything special. Even when the always-outstanding Greta Gerwig was announced to be attached to the project, people weren’t sure what to expect. As it turned out, Barbie proved to be worthy of the title of the most successful film of 2023. Colorful, quirky, and shockingly smart, it’s an emotionally complex story about Barbie and Ken having to travel from Barbie Land to the real world, where they discover both the joys and perils of being human.
Philosophically profound but also fully able to have tons of silly fun with itself, Barbie is one of the best comedies of the 2020s thus far. Its fantasy elements are kept relatively low-key throughout, but they do add a sweet air of imagination and innocence to the story. All in all, what Gerwig was able to achieve with Barbie is genre filmmaking at its finest.
52
‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
A visually stunning movie based on the 14th-century poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” director David Lowery’s 2021 masterpiece is an underrated story of courage, mortality, and what it means to be human. The Green Knight follows Gawain (Dev Patel) as he embarks on a perilous journey to keep his word to the titular character. Along the way, he meets otherworldly creatures and people with bad intentions.
With an enchanting atmosphere that holds viewers’ attention throughout Gawain’s magical odyssey, it’s easy to overlook The Green Knight’s philosophical themes and pressing questions about life and death. The protagonist’s journey is as much a quest to prove himself as it is to discover who he really is, pointing the mirror at audiences and their own paths forward.
51
‘A Monster Calls’ (2016)
Directed by J. A. Bayona, A Monster Calls is a modern classic that tells the heartfelt story of Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall), a young boy who struggles with his mother’s terminal illness. When the titular Monster (Liam Neeson) shows up at his bedroom window one night, the biggest adventure of his life begins.
Visually striking and emotionally powerful, A Monster Calls seamlessly blends reality and fantasy, highlighting the transformative power of magic and imagination (especially in the darkest times). Its unflinching depiction of grief and the healing effect that stories can have is unmatched, and will likely capture fans’ hearts for years to come.
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