Showing posts with label best fantasy films all time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best fantasy films all time. Show all posts

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Fantasy Films: Top 25

image from The Wizard of Oz

Top 25 Fantasy Films

These are the top 25 fantasy films of all time, as determined by aggregating multiple lists (see resources at bottom of page) and factoring in the films’ overall status in Dave’s Movie Database. In cases where more than one movie from a series ranked in the top 25 (such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy), they were consolidated into one entry.


1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
2. The Lord of the Rings: 3. Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) (2006)
4. The Princess Bride (1987)
5. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

6. Harry Potter:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
7. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (2001)
8. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
9. Mary Poppins (1964)
10. Labyrinth (1986)

11. Pirates of the Caribbean:

  • The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
  • Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
  • At World’s End (2007)
  • On Stranger Tides (2011)
  • Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
12. The Never Ending Story (1984)
13. The Dark Crystal (1982)
14. Groundhog Day (1993)
15. Time Bandits (1981)

16. Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete) (1946)
17. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
18. The Hobbit:

  • An Unexpected Journey (2012)
  • The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
  • The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
19. Star Wars: 20. Avatar (2009)

21. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
22. Excalibur (1981)
23. King Kong (1933)
24. The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
25. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)


Resources:


Originally posted 9/6/2019; last updated 5/25/2023.

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers released

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers


Released: December 18, 2002


Studio: New Line Cinema


Genre: fantasy/adventure/drama


Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 342.60 Worldwide: 947.94


Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 566.34 Worldwide: 1418.90

Directing: Peter Jackson


Screenwriting: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson


Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler


Review:

In the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the fellowship has broken. “This is a considerably darker film” EM as the “series takes on more of a sweeping, Nordic feel.” E18 “Where the first movie developed its emotional tone from the brightness of The Shire to a darker climax, the sequel is more of a one-note affair, shadowy in both look and content.” E18

The hobbits Frodo (Wood) and Sam (Astin) continue their journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring, accompanied by the mysterious Gollum. “In an age where computer-generated characters and scenes are commonplace.” MSN The latter is “one of the most captivating CGI creatures to date,” MSN “a brilliant combination of computer trickery and raspy vocals from Andy Serkis.” EM “It does it again with Treebeard, a walking, talking tree that manages to keep the audience enchanted and glued to the screen.” MSN

Aragorn the warrior (Mortensen), Legolas the elf (Bloom), and Gimli (Rhys-Davies) the dwarf and the people of Rohan stand up to the evil Sauron’s allies. It all builds up “to Helm’s Deep, a ferocious action crescendo which features gratuitous scenes of dwarf-tossing.” E18

“Jackson cleverly tempers the louder, brasher sequences with some heartstring-tugging moments - peasants despondent as they are forced to abandon their villages, Aragorn and Arwen’s troubled relationship, and, of course, the return of Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen, superb as ever), one of the film's most powerful, memorable images that may well leave Ring devotees a little misty-eyed.” EM


Sources:

Awards/Honors/Lists:


Dave’s Movie Database Lists:


Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists:


Box Office:


Oscars:

Wins: 2: Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects

Nominations: 6, including Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing


Other Awards:


Other Lists/Honors:


Critics’ Picks:


First posted 9/6/2019; last updated 5/30/2023.

Friday, July 20, 2001

Spirited Away released in Japan

Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)


Released: July 20, 2001 in Japan


Studio: Toho


Genre: animation/fantasy/foreign


Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 12.40 Worldwide: 365.48


Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: ? Worldwide: 645.07 estimated

Directing: Hayao Miyazaki


Screenwriting: Hayao Miyazaki


Starring: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawagachi, Tsunehiko Kamijo

Review:

Initially released in Japan in 2001 as Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, this was released as Spirited Away in the United States by Disney Studios over a year later. Until 2016’s Your Name, it was the highest-grossing anime movie of all time. EM’18 The movie makes three different Dave’s Movie Database genre lists – animation, foreign, and fantasy.

“Master animation director Hayao Miyazaki follows up on his record-breaking 1997 opus Princess Mononoke with this surreal…tale about a lost little girl.” RT Spirited Away, his “most successful film…is truly a moving work of art, in both senses. Every frame bursts with vibrant detail and beautifully fantastical invention.” EM’18 “It’s a bit like Alice In Wonderland, but better.” EM’18

Chihiro is “a sullen 10-year-old girl” IMD on an outing with her family. They “come upon a blocked tunnel; her parents decide to have a look around – even though Chihiro finds the place very creepy. When they pass through the tunnel, they discover an abandoned amusement park…After her mother and father help themselves to some tasty purloined morsels, they turn into giant pigs.” RT

Chihiro “learns that this very weird place, where all sorts of bizarre gods and monsters reside, is a holiday resort for the supernatural after their exhausting tour of duty in the human world.” RT She “has to toil in a bath house for demons to return her piggy parents to human form.” EM’18 She also learns that “if she forgets her real name…then she will never be permitted to leave.” RT


Sources:

Awards/Honors/Lists:


Dave’s Movie Database Lists:


Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists:


Oscars:

Wins: 1 – Best Animated Feature

Nominations: 1


Other Awards:


Other Lists/Honors:


First posted 9/12/2019; last updated 5/28/2023.