It is a good time to be a fantasy fan. The Lord of the Rings trilogy opened the door to the modern possibilities of portraying fantasy onscreen while Game of Thrones solidified the genre as an immensely popular vehicle for contemporary storytelling. Regardless, it can be difficult to make a decent work of fantasy. Yet, there are also many that have been overlooked or underappreciated for one reason or another.
Some of these may not even be the best that the genre could bring to bear, but perhaps they deserve more credit than they initially received. In a world full of viewers hungry for things to watch and numerous ways to get them, it is time to give a few of these films a second chance.
Return To Oz (1985)
This is a famously dark and strange follow-up to the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy Gale (Fairuza Balk), as the title suggests, returns to the land of Oz to find the Emerald City destroyed, the citizens now transformed into stone statues, and the friends she once knew and loved missing. Now, she must go on a new journey to rescue them and save Oz with the help of new allies while facing the villains that have taken over during her absence.
Directed by Walter Murch, this movie was criticized for being too bleak and scary during its initial release. Knowing this now, audiences should be able to understand and appreciate this more adult take on the Oz story, as well as the wondrously bizarre and rich visuals and production design.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)
In a post-apocalyptic Earth, the mysterious vampire hunter known simply as D must battle monsters and competing bounty hunters to save a young woman who has supposedly been kidnaped by a vampire nobleman.
World-building is a fundamental component of fantasy, and this movie boasts quite a unique and eclectic world, brought to life by gorgeous animation. The setting, design, and style take inspiration from a myriad of different sources, including westerns, horror movies, and science fiction. Not only does the film look great and distinctive, it has a very poignant and haunting narrative focused around D, one of the rival bounty hunters, the supposed villain, and his apparent captive.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Rebellious Jim Hawkins embarks on an adventure through space to find a mythical planet full of unimaginable wealth. Along the way, he forms a bond with the cyborg pirate John Silver, who also seeks the treasure.
Like Star Wars, this movie walks a tightrope between fantasy and science fiction. While the presence of aliens and futuristic technology suggest sci-fi, the atmosphere, characters, and even certain design choices like old-timey clothes and flying boats feel like they belong in a world of fantasy. If Treasure Planet's fascinating blend of elements is not enough to pique your interest, this movie also has a heartwarming story about a surrogate father and son relationship.
Big Fish (2003)
Edward Bloom loves to tell tall tales, which infuriates his son, Will. When Edward is on his deathbed, Will has to find a way to reconcile with his father while learning about his life, which is recounted to Will by Edward in his usual unbelievable manner.
For the majority of this underrated Tim Burton film, the fantasy elements are made to be ambiguous. Even though it actually shows you witches, werewolves, and a field of flowers that seemingly grew out of nowhere, you are led to believe that these things are present in a narrative being spun by a supposedly unreliable narrator, adding to the uniqueness of the movie. In the end, what is truly compelling about it is the whimsical and deeply touching story about the life of this man, Edward Bloom, from his younger days to his final ones spent talking about it with his son.
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Loosely based on the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West, this movie sees a young westerner inexplicably transported to ancient China. Once there, he must complete a quest to return a magical staff to the Monkey King with the help of a drunkard, a monk, and a vengeance-seeking young woman.
Forbidden Kingdom may not have been able to achieve the level of prestige of other wuxia films like Hero (2002) and House of Flying Daggers (2004), but it is still a fun and visually pleasing adventure full of impressive action sequences. If nothing else, the movie is worth watching just for the fight scene in which Jackie Chan and Jet Li duke it out using various martial arts styles.
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
Teenager Darren Shan had a pretty good life until his best friend's own life was threatened, leading him to make a deal with a vampire to save him. Unfortunately for Darren, this deal includes him becoming a vampire himself.
Adapted from a series of novels, this movie is not popular among fans of the books. If you can look past all that, there is a quirkiness which permeates through the film's style and fantasy elements, giving it a sense of identity often missing from most other movies like it. And while it suffers from having an impotent lead, there is still an under-appreciated performance here from John C. Reilly, who plays against type as the lead's mentor, a seasoned vampire warrior.
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent (2013)
In the third part to the animated trilogy adaptation of Kentaro Miura's trailblazing work, Guts returns to the Band of the Hawk. This time, he's there with the mission to rescue its captured leader, Griffith, who ultimately betrays them in order to ensure the continuation of his dream.
This sequel succeeds in being the best of a flawed trilogy by maintaining much of the emotional depth from the source material which was lacking in the previous films, and offering some stunning imagery that you will wish you had seen on the big screen. Having said all that, interested viewers should be warned that certain scenes in the movie are especially violent and graphic.
Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Released during the height of the young adult novel wave sweeping through Hollywood, this book-to-film adaptation about a small-town teenager who falls in love with a witch who fears her own dark side.
This entry possesses several qualities that movies of its kind should envy: compelling characters, a much-needed sense of humor, and more chemistry between its romantic leads than the majority of YA franchises could muster in the entirety of their runs.
Weathering With You (2019)
Telling the story of a young runaway who meets a city girl with the power to control the weather, this movie sadly suffers from existing in the shadow of the director Makoto Shinkai's previous work, Your Name (2016).
While there are certainly visual and narrative similarities, Weathering with You still has its own mythos, a stronger supporting cast, and a less straightforward ending. The love story may not be as imaginative as in Your Name, but it is more intimate.
New Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021)
Biker and smuggler Li Yunxiang discovers that he is the modern reincarnation of Nezha, the deity from Chinese folklore. He has to figure out how to use his new powers to protect his home of Donghai City from the sinister De Clan and its leader, the Dragon King of the East Sea.
This animated movie is very recent and is apparently getting a sequel, but wider audiences may not have even heard of it. The film features an intriguing combination of cyberpunk, steampunk, Chinese mythology, and superhero tropes. While it is debatable how well these elements work together, the creativity and passion on display are worth acknowledging and could serve to inspire new creators of fantasy.