Live Action Fantasy I've Seen
Fantasy has always been one of my favorite movie genres. This is partly because I think of movies as a way to escape from reality, and what better way to do that than to fantasize? But I also admire filmmakers who work in the genre, because it's a risky one. The premise and plot are often based on a personal vision of the fimmaker's, which may or may not jive with everyone else, meaning that these kinds of movies can be hit-or-miss. I particularly respect those who make their vision into a live action film, since that means working extra hard to make the unreal look believable. Whether they succeed or not, it's always a valiant attempt.
However, to keep the list from being too long and extraneous, I excluded certain films that could be considered Live Action Fantasy, and here's what I left out and why:
1) Science Fiction. Some people lump it with fantasy, but I see them as being different. Sci-fi is what could happen if we knew more about science than we do, whereas fantasy is about stuff that could not really happen.
2) Movies aimed primarily at young children. Yes, this means "The Wizard of Oz," the most-watched movie ever, doesn't make the cut. But it's bold and a bit rebellious when filmmakers try to prove the fantasy genre isn't just for kids.
3) Animated films. So no Disney fairytales. Apart from obviously not fitting into the list title, it's just too easy to do fantasy with animation.
4) Creature comedies. This means no "Harry and the Hendersons." These types of movies tend to take place just a little too much in the real world, and are basically just fish-out-of-water comedies.
5) Horror movies. Although these do often depict things that could not really happen, and might technically fit the bill, they're a genre of their own. So no movies with a plot based on a phobia.
6) Christmas movies. Similiar reasons as above. But again, they are their own genre.
So if your favorite fantasy movie passes the above test but isn't listed here, it's nothing personal. It probably just didn't fit the last two words of the title
However, to keep the list from being too long and extraneous, I excluded certain films that could be considered Live Action Fantasy, and here's what I left out and why:
1) Science Fiction. Some people lump it with fantasy, but I see them as being different. Sci-fi is what could happen if we knew more about science than we do, whereas fantasy is about stuff that could not really happen.
2) Movies aimed primarily at young children. Yes, this means "The Wizard of Oz," the most-watched movie ever, doesn't make the cut. But it's bold and a bit rebellious when filmmakers try to prove the fantasy genre isn't just for kids.
3) Animated films. So no Disney fairytales. Apart from obviously not fitting into the list title, it's just too easy to do fantasy with animation.
4) Creature comedies. This means no "Harry and the Hendersons." These types of movies tend to take place just a little too much in the real world, and are basically just fish-out-of-water comedies.
5) Horror movies. Although these do often depict things that could not really happen, and might technically fit the bill, they're a genre of their own. So no movies with a plot based on a phobia.
6) Christmas movies. Similiar reasons as above. But again, they are their own genre.
So if your favorite fantasy movie passes the above test but isn't listed here, it's nothing personal. It probably just didn't fit the last two words of the title
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- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJohn NevilleEric IdleSarah PolleyAn account of Baron Munchausen's supposed travels and fantastical experiences across late 18th-century Europe with his band of misfits.
- DirectorAlejandro SessaStarsMindi MillerPenelope Reed-WoodsJoseph WhippAn evil king made a deal with the devil and received a deadly power that will defeat anyone standing in his way. It's up to a fearless warrior to find a magical sword, which's the only weapon that could stop him.
- DirectorHéctor OliveraStarsLana ClarksonKatt SheaFrank ZagarinoA sword-wielding warrior, Amethea, and a few companions embark on a life-or-death mission to liberate her people from the clutches of a brutal monarch who destroyed her village and enslaved her people.
- DirectorJoe FinleyStarsLana ClarksonGreg WranglerRebecca WoodIn a final and epic battle in the thrilling sequel to the now classic "Barbarian Queen", Althalia, leads a revolt of peasants and female warriors against the wicked ruler, Arkaris, to regain her throne.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsMarc SingerTanya RobertsRip TornA sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a young man's search for revenge. Armed with supernatural powers, the handsome hero and his animal allies wage war against marauding forces.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsMatt DamonHeath LedgerMonica BellucciWill and Jake Grimm are traveling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires true courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.
- DirectorAndrew AdamsonStarsTilda SwintonGeorgie HenleyWilliam MoseleyWhile playing, Lucy and her siblings find a wardrobe that lands them in a mystical place called Narnia. Here they realize that it was fated and they must now unite with Aslan to defeat an evil queen.
- DirectorAndrew AdamsonStarsBen BarnesSkandar KeynesGeorgie HenleyThe Pevensie siblings return to Narnia, where they are enlisted to once again help ward off an evil king and restore the rightful heir to the land's throne, Prince Caspian.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsBen BarnesSkandar KeynesGeorgie HenleyLucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.
- DirectorDesmond DavisStarsLaurence OlivierHarry HamlinClaire BloomPerseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
- DirectorLouis LeterrierStarsSam WorthingtonLiam NeesonRalph FiennesPerseus, a demigod and the son of Zeus, battles the minions of Hades and the Underworld in order to stop them from conquering Olympus and Earth.Superior to the original in special effects, but not much else.
- DirectorJonathan LiebesmanStarsSam WorthingtonLiam NeesonRosamund PikePerseus braves the treacherous underworld to rescue his father, Zeus, captured by his son, Ares, and brother Hades who unleash the ancient Titans upon the world.
- DirectorJohn MiliusStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerJames Earl JonesMax von SydowA powerful warrior seeks to avenge the genocide of his people and the murder of his parents at the hands of a snake cult.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerGrace JonesOlivia d'AboConan leads a ragtag group of adventurers on a quest for a princess.
- DirectorJim HensonFrank OzStarsJim HensonKathryn MullenFrank OzOn another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and to restore order to his world.Will probably forever hold the distinction of being the only narrative live action film in which no humans are seen.
- DirectorRob CohenStarsDennis QuaidSean ConneryDina MeyerThe last dragon and a disillusioned dragonslaying Knight must cooperate to stop an evil King, who was given partial immortality.
- DirectorMatthew RobbinsStarsPeter MacNicolCaitlin ClarkeRalph RichardsonA young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.
- DirectorStefen FangmeierStarsEd SpeleersSienna GuilloryJeremy IronsIn his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realizes he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.
- DirectorTerry JonesStarsTim RobbinsJohn CleeseMickey RooneyErik the Viking and his men travel across the sea to find Valhalla to ask the gods to end the Age of Ragnarok.
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsNigel TerryHelen MirrenNicholas ClayMerlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
- DirectorChris WeitzStarsNicole KidmanDaniel CraigDakota Blue RichardsIn a parallel universe, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsDaniel RadcliffeRupert GrintEmma WatsonAn orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsDaniel RadcliffeRupert GrintEmma WatsonHarry Potter lives his second year at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione when a message on the wall announces that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The trio soon realize that, to save the school, it will take a lot of courage.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.
- DirectorMike NewellStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintWith their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsMartin FreemanIan McKellenRichard ArmitageA reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsIan McKellenMartin FreemanRichard ArmitageThe dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, their homeland, from the dragon Smaug.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsIan McKellenMartin FreemanRichard ArmitageBilbo Baggins and company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of a rising darkness.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDustin HoffmanRobin WilliamsJulia RobertsWhen Captain James Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.
- DirectorTarsem SinghStarsHenry CavillMickey RourkeJohn HurtTheseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsMichael PalinHarry H. CorbettJohn Le MesurierA young peasant with no interest in adventure or fortune is mistaken for the kingdom's only hope when a horrible monster threatens the countryside.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsNicholas HoultStanley TucciEwan McGregorThe ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.
- DirectorDon ChaffeyStarsTodd ArmstrongNancy KovackGary RaymondThe legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsRobin WilliamsKirsten DunstBonnie HuntWhen two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades - and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.
- DirectorJohn NicolellaStarsKevin SorboTia CarrereThomas Ian GriffithA barbarian warrior becomes a king when he defeats a king in armed combat and the king's heir conspire to overthrow him and reclaim the throne by resurrecting an evil sorceress.
- DirectorJim HensonStarsDavid BowieJennifer ConnellyToby FroudSixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsTom CruiseMia SaraTim CurryA young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenViggo MortensenWhile Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodViggo MortensenIan McKellenGandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsChristopher LambertRobin ShouLinden AshbyThree unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.This one managed to single-handedly turn me off from video game movies. At least, until 'Prince of Persia.'
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsNoah HathawayBarret OliverTami StronachA troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsJonathan BrandisKenny MorrisonClarissa BurtA young boy with a distant father enters a world of make-believe and magic through a portal within an antique book.If you thought Part I was dumbed down from the original book...
- DirectorPeter MacDonaldStarsJason James RichterMelody KayJack BlackA young boy must restore order when a group of bullies steal the magical book that acts as a portal between Earth and the imaginary world of Fantasia.If you thought Part II was dumbed down from Part I...
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsLogan LermanKevin McKiddSteve CooganA teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.
- DirectorThor FreudenthalStarsLogan LermanAlexandra DaddarioBrandon T. JacksonIn order to restore their dying safe haven, the son of Poseidon and his friends embark on a quest to the Sea of Monsters, to find the mythical Golden Fleece, all the while trying to stop an ancient evil from rising.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppGeoffrey RushOrlando BloomBlacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppOrlando BloomKeira KnightleyJack Sparrow races to recover the heart of Davy Jones to avoid enslaving his soul to Jones' service, as other friends and foes seek the heart for their own agenda as well.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppOrlando BloomKeira KnightleyCaptain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, find Jack Sparrow, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.
- DirectorRob MarshallStarsJohnny DeppPenélope CruzIan McShaneJack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.
- DirectorMike NewellStarsJake GyllenhaalGemma ArtertonBen KingsleyA young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time.Good, but not enough so to totally restore my faith in video-game movies.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerBrigitte NielsenSandahl BergmanThe fearless warrior Red Sonja sets out to avenge her family's murder and rid her kingdom from the tyrannical rule of evil Queen Gedren.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsKerwin MathewsKathryn GrantRichard EyerWhen a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.
- DirectorGordon HesslerStarsJohn Phillip LawCaroline MunroTom BakerSinbad and the vizier of Marabia, followed by evil magician Koura, seek the three golden tablets that can gain them access to the ancient temple of the Oracle of All Knowledge.
- DirectorSam WanamakerStarsPatrick WayneJane SeymourTaryn PowerSinbad the Sailor sails to deliver a cursed prince to a dangerous island in the face of deadly opposition from the powerful witch Zenobia, her son and their several monsters.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsPaul RichterMargarete SchönTheodor LoosSiegfried, son of King Siegmund of Xanten, sets off on a treacherous journey to the Kingdom of Burgundy to ask King Gunther for the hand of his sister, the beautiful Princess Kriemhild.
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsMary Grace CanfieldRichard DavalosJake DengelIn a small American town, a diabolical circus and its demonic proprietor prey on the townsfolk.This one almost didn't make the cut because it's a borderline horror movie. Creepy!
- DirectorJohn C. BroderickStarsDavid CarradineLuke AskewMaría SocasA fearsome swordsman, Kain, crosses the barren wastelands and comes upon a town where two arch enemies fight incessantly for control of the town's only well.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsVal KilmerJoanne WhalleyWarwick DavisA young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.The only movie I've seen that gives insight into how it feels to be a little person in a normal-sized person's world.