The 10 Best Fantasy Movies in Film History

Fantasy has remained one of cinema’s most popular and prolific genres for over a century for a reason: There are very few movie genres better fit for the medium of cinema than these stories of magic, mythology, and grand imaginary worlds. As such, it’s no coincidence that several of the best fantasy movies in film history can also be counted among the best movies of all time, period.

After all, we’re talking about foundational Hollywood classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, cornerstones of international arthouse cinema like Wings of Desire, and modern masterpieces like Pan’s Labyrinth. Film history’s greatest fantasy movies are proof of what has kept this genre as one of the most timeless to have ever graced the big screen.

10

‘The Fall’ (2006)

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There are only a handful of R-rated fantasy movies that truly changed the genre forever. By this point, in spite of the fact that it’s still a relatively niche cult classic, it’s nevertheless quite reasonable to say that Tarsem Singh‘s The Fall is one such film. Due to an atrocious release strategy that largely stemmed from a bitter feud with Harvey Weinstein, The Fall was a massive flop upon release; but as the years have passed, cinephiles have woken up to its visionary genius.

The Fall was shot across more than two dozen countries over the course of four years, and that level of passion and dedication comes through in the form of some of the most stunning visuals, riveting storytelling, and deep character development that fantasy has seen this century. It’s an absolutely jaw-dropping artistic achievement unlike anything else any fantasy film fan has ever seen.

9

‘The Green Mile’ (1999)

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There is no artist in Hollywood better at adapting Stephen King stories than Frank Darabont, whose The Green Mile is one of the saddest Stephen King movies of all time. But as downright depressing as it may be, this three-hour-long magical realism masterpiece is one of the greatest prison dramas of the entire 20th century, and certainly in film history.

The Green Mile deals with the usual thematic elements that you’d expect in a prison drama, from critiquing the flaws of the American justice system to examining the layers of racial prejudice, but the fantastical elements it sprinkles in add a fascinating dimension to the story. It’s low fantasy at its most powerfully subtle, and one of the bigger tearjerkers in Hollywood film history.

8

‘Wings of Desire’ (1987)

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Fantasy movies without any flaws are so rare that when one comes across a film as practically perfect as Wim Wenders‘ Wings of Desire, one has to cherish them like they’ve run into a true treasure trove. This romantic fantasy drama earned Wenders a Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival, and it was a perfectly-deserved one, because this really is one of the most beautifully-constructed arthouse dramas the fantasy genre has ever delivered.

It’s a slow-moving movie, one that dives deep into the gorgeous intricacies of the mundanity of life and celebrates their simple wonders. Anchored by Bruno Ganz‘s subtly potent lead performance, this poetic meditation on the beauty of existence and mortality is every bit as thought-provoking and life-affirming as any fan of slow-burning fantasy could possibly expect.

7

‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ (1975)

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The legendarily hilarious British comedy troupe Monty Python were looking for a new creative challenge after Monty Python’s Flying Circus wrapped up. The clear answer was a feature film, and that ambitious mission resulted in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, now widely remembered as one of the greatest and funniest comedy movies the big screen has ever seen.

The film takes full advantage of its low budget and finds endless ways of leveraging it as part of its timeless charm, charm that makes it one of the most fun fantasy movies of all time. Serious and epic fantasy has delivered several masterpieces over the course of film history, but the genre has also seen the release of many of the funniest and most creative comedies ever made, a realm where Monty Python and the Holy Grail rules supreme.

6

‘Macario’ (1960)

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Every year, it’s tradition in Mexico to watch Roberto Gavaldón‘s Macario as the Day of the Dead approaches. Outside of Mexico, this is one of those perfect dark fantasy movies nobody remembers anymore, but that should absolutely not be the case. It may be designed around Mexican culture and folklore, but Macario is a fantasy masterpiece as universally engrossing as they come.

Creatively structured, perfectly paced, visually gorgeous, and full of deeply emotional and thought-provoking moments, this gem is a film all about death, wealth disparities, and culture. It’s as thematically profound as it is phenomenally performed, and 66 years later, it’s just as fascinating and wonderfully moving as it has always been.

5

‘Spirited Away’ (2001)

Hayao Miyazaki is both the master of anime filmmaking and one of the greatest cinematic auteurs in the history of Japanese cinema, which makes it unsurprising that he was responsible for the second-ever film (and first-ever international production) to win the Best Animated Feature Academy Award: Spirited Away, one of the most rewatchable fantasy movies ever made.

There are those who would go so far as to call this the greatest animated movie in history—certainly the greatest animated fantasy movie in history—, and it would be difficult to disagree. Mature, complex, and beautifully creative, it’s a family film so artful and universally appealing that anyone and everyone, no matter their age, should consider it a must-see.

4

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has been one of dark fantasy’s undeniable masters in Hollywood for many years, but what most people would consider his magnum opus is actually a Mexican-Spanish co-production. It’s Pan’s Labyrinth, of course, one of the best fantasy movies of the 21st century and of the entirety of film history.

For anyone who loves fantasy, what’s not to love about Pan’s Labyrinth? Del Toro’s direction is amazingly layered and tonally complex; the visuals are some of the most jaw-dropping that the genre has ever seen; and the narrative is a dark fairy tale that’s unlike anything else fantasy cinema has produced over the course of the last two decades.

3

‘Fanny and Alexander’ (1982)

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There will never be a filmmaker quite like Ingmar Bergman, master of Swedish cinema and one of the greatest European auteurs in history. The question of where the uninitiated can start when they want to dive into Bergman’s filmography is one bound to elicit many answers, and one of the most accessible (despite its daunting runtime) is the wonderful Fanny and Alexander.

This dramatic family saga is a whopping three hours long (over five hours in its extended miniseries version), but every second of that runtime is imbued with enrapturing magical realism, Bergman’s unmatched direction, and one of the best depictions of childhood in movie history. It’s certainly not fast-paced or action-packed fantasy, but it’s a masterpiece which proves that slow-burning fantasy can be every bit as powerful and every bit as riveting.

2

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)

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Frank Capra was one of Golden-Age Hollywood’s biggest visionaries, a director who was never afraid to push the boundaries of the Hays Code and show the unparalleled wonders that the Seventh Art was capable of. His first feature film after serving in World War II ended up becoming one of his very best: It’s a Wonderful Life, one of those 20th-century fantasy movies that are downright perfect.

It was probably Capra’s experiences during the War that helped him balance the pure joy of It’s a Wonderful Life‘s life-affirming messages with the poignant bittersweetness of many of its most emotionally punchy moments. An anti-suicide character drama is a concept so ambitious that you’d probably not expect it to come from Hollywood’s Golden Age, but that wonderful optimism and lust for life is precisely what has kept this Christmas classic timeless for so long.

1

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)

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There is no fantasy movie in the entirety of film history better, more impressive, or more unforgettable than Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as a whole was a titanic artistic achievement, transforming the most important fantasy book of the 20th century into a series of movies worthy of its legacy, but the trilogy’s conclusion is on a whole other level.

Return of the King is tied with Ben-Hur and Titanic as the winner of the most Oscars in history, with a whopping 11, which is but one of the myriad reasons why it’s one of the best movie sequels of all time. Its action sequences are grand and exciting, its tone is both epic and emotionally character-driven, and its production values have aged like fine wine. All in all, film history has never seen a fantasy movie quite like Return of the King, and it quite possibly never will again.