Here is my list of My Top 10 Favorite Fantasy movies (Or Movie Series) of all time. As is true with any top 10 list, this is my personal preferences and could be different tomorrow.
10) Army of Darkness
This movie, Army of Darkness, is a sequel to the Horror classics Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. Ash (Bruce Campbell) is pulled back to the past and has to once again (reluctantly) save the the world. With fantastic repeatable one liners like “This is my Boomstick” and “Give me some sugar baby!” This is a fun fantasy horror movie.
I am not a fan of the first two Evil Dead movies. They aren’t my thing. But pull Ash back to the 1300s and have him first an army of darkness as a fantasy movie, I Love it.
9) Chronicles of Narnia (series)
The Chronicles of Narnia books was my entry point into fantasy novels. Both Lewis and Tolkien grabbed my imagination as a kid first in the animation world and then in the books. To see these adapted so well (even though it didn’t finish) was awesome.
This series of movies are beautiful and fun. They took the amazing adventures in this world of anamorphic animals. Intrigue filled adventure meets up with the eyes and heart of a child. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is the the shiny jewel of this movie series. To put this series at number 9 means there are a ton of awesome fantasy movies that I love.
8) Labyrinth
How can you not love David Bowie as the Goblin King, Jareth? He brings the right amount of weird but Koolness of Bowie along with his great voice. Early Jennifer Connelly is perfect for the role of Sarah and makes you love the character even though she is at fault for all that happens. You balance this with the wackiness of the the Labyrinth and the prefect Muppet characters, you have one of my favorite fantasy movies.
This movie does come with a lesson. It teaches us to be more considerate of our words and not lash out emotionally against those that we love. Beyond the message, it is such a fun and crazy movie.
“You remind me a babe. ”
7) Ladyhawke
Lady Hawke is often a forgotten movie. I am not sure if many people didn’t see it or just don’t remember. For me, it was unforgettable.
A thief, Gaston (before Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston), teams up with cursed lovers Navarre and Isabeau. By day, Isabeau is cursed to be a hawk and by night Navarre is cursed to be a wolf. At dawn and dusk, they can see either other for a split second before the other transforms. They were cursed by the Bishop of Aquila and Navarre seeks his revenge and hopefully to be a reverse to the curse.
Richard Donner directed this 1985 movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Rutger Hauer, and Matthew Broderick. This movie captured my heart and imagination back in the 80s. It is my second favorite Broderick film, only next to Ferris.
6) Dark Crystal
The first time I sat down to watch the Dark Crystal, I wasn’t sure what I was watching. It was so different than anything I had seen up to that time. The characters were all Muppets but were so unique. The story told of the unique world of Thra. A land of magic and strange characters. This story quickly captured my imagination. By the end of the my first viewing, I loved this movie but couldn’t really explain it. As the years went by, I realized it is the amazing and unique storytelling and world building. It was directed by Jim Henson who also puppeteered and voiced many of the characters.
I was thrilled when Netflix put out the prequel series, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. I really enjoyed the prequel series but not at the level of the original movie.
5)Willow
This telling of the hero’s journey has a special place in my heart. I love the world building, the story, and the characters in this movie. I love how it revolves around a baby and a prophecy. I adore how the prophecy is fulfilled in an unexpected manner.
Warwick Davis is amazing at the farmer who wants to be wizard turn adventure and protector. Val Kilmer’s role as Madmartigan is one of his best. It was directed by Ron Howard. There is a sequel series coming to Disney+ with the return of Davis as Willow.
In high school, I took a young lady out and we saw Willow. She hated it and I loved it. That was our only date.
4) Highlander
“There can only be one”. I didn’t include the rest of the Highlander movies in this selection unlike I have done for the other fantasy movie series. The rest of the films just don’t stack up to the original. The second one is a train wreck that that throws out the mythos entirely. The Television series was really good but not the rest of the movies.
A race of immortals get their immortality as they near death. They stay that age forever … well until they kill each other. An immortal can only die at the hands of another immortal by having their head removed. The immortals are all draw together in New York in the 80s for one final showdown called The Gathering. At the end of the day, There Can Only Be One! This movie is helped even further by Queen preforming the theme song.
3) Harry Potter (Series)
This coming of age and heroes journey of Harry, Ron, and Hermione is one of the best fantasy stories out there. The story of the boy who survived, his friends, and the school they attend are beautiful told adventures based on an even better book series. Harry Potter has undeniably changed the fantasy and young adult genre of books and movies.
I love all of the fun characters in this series. You find most of them relatable and the type of people we know from our youth.
I see all 8 movies (7 books) as an extension of one story. It is beautifully told in the movies and the books. When the movies were all done, it felt like I was missing a family member.
2) Lord of the Rings & Hobbit (series)
I put all of the Lord of the Rings movies and Hobbit movies all together. Tolkien’s wonderful fantasy world has a place in heart. I love the books even though Tolkien had a habit of becoming too descriptive of things like trees. These films did depart some for the books but did add in details from other books. Peter Jackson and the whole cast and crew did capture the amazing world of Middle Earth along with the essence of the characters.
These movies were stunningly beautiful. The special effects are amazing. I can watch these two trilogies over and over again. I love the fight at Helms Deep even though is it only a couple of pages long in the book.
There is a reason that all three of the LOTR Trilogy were nominated for Best Picture Oscars and Return of the King won. They are that good.
1) Princess Bride
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!”
This movie is one of my favorite movies of all time and tops my list of fantasy films. It has everything I could want in a movie. It is a romance and action and swashbuckling and comedy and pirate movies set in a fantasy film. I love the characters. I love beautiful cinematography. I love the humor. It is about as perfect as a movie as one can have.
Was there any doubt this movie would be the top of my fantasy list? It would be completely and utterly Inconceivable if it wasn’t. As Wesley would say…”As you wish!”
Honorable mentions: Movies that were in contention for the list but just didn’t make my top 10.
Stardust
Sword and Sorceress
Beast Master
Conan The Barbarian
Krull
Legend
Neverending Story
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Bridge to Terabithia
Edward Scissorhands
Time Bandits
We are always happy to hear your lists or what you think of our list. Tell us what we missed off the list or what should be left off but tell us why.
Stay Geeky!
