Swꦓords and sorcery, monsters and dragons – few genres capture the imagination like fantasy can. Before superheroes got bit by radioactive spiders and science fiction’s spaceships took to the stars, humans gathered around fires and spun tales of heroes and villains immersed in a world of magic.&nb💎sp;
Since the advent of cinema just under a hundred years ago, countless filmmakers have tapped into this ancient genre for inspiration. While plenty is owed to playwrights like Shakespeare and novelists like J.R.R. Tolkien, it’s still up to those behind and in front of the camera to execute on a vision that, for an audience, can impress over a lifetime. With that in mind, here are 35 of the greatest fantasy m🧸ovies of all time.
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35. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
When Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, directors of the sublime Game Night, took on the famous tabletop role-playing game, they rolled a natural 20. Wiping away the bad taste of previous D&D films, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves impressively splits the difference between old school fantasy heroics and Marvel-style self-aware humor. An eꦏxciting cast of Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, and Sophia Lillis use their +5 charisma to elevate the material to the next level.
34. Stardust (2007)
Before Matthew ⭕Vaughn eclipsed Hollywood with his Kingsman series, he helmed this charming gem of a romantic fantasy. An adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel, a young English man ꦏ(Charlie Cox) seeks to collect a falling star as a gift to his true love, only to find out the star is a beautiful woman (Claire Danes). Tonally reminiscent of The Princess Bride and its own darling story about love in unlikely places, Stardust flopped at the box office but found a dedicated audience on DVD and cable TV.
33. Dragonheart (1996)
We could just say "Sean Connery voices a wisecracking dragon" and move on. But this fantasy-adventure from Rob Cohen, starring Dennis Quaid, is more than meets the eye in its abundance of laughte🎉r and thrills. And for being as old as it is, the CGI dragon effects ain’t half bad. Like the cover of a paperback novel come to life, Dragonheart is often overlooked but deserves more than a passing glan🎶ce.
32. The Green Knight (2021)
An adaptation of sorts of the 14th century English poem featuring Sir Gawain, a knight in King Arthur’s Round Table who accepts a mysterious challenge on Christmas, director David Lowery avoids typical storybook formalism with a spellbinding meditation on masculinity, bravery, and temptation. It isn’t escapist popcorn fare, but The Green Knight, starrin🦩g Dev Patel as Sir 𒆙Gawain, is mesmerizing adult fantasy at its finest.
26. Dragonslayer (1981)
A co-production between Paramount and Disney, this classic ‘80s title skews older than the family-friendly fare Disn꧒ey was and still is known for. In a kingdom where young women are randomly selected for sacrifice to a dragon, a sorcerer’s apprentice (Peter MacNicol) seeks to slay both the dragon and the tyrannical rule that leverages fear for power. When both Guillermo del Toro and George R.R. Martin says this one is a favorite of theirs, you know you’re dealing with a beast of a movie.
17. The Dark Crystal (1982)
Skewing darker than anything Jim Henson made before it, this ep💧ic fantasy co-directed by Henson and Star Wars’ Frank Oz – set in an original universe of bird-like creatures, brought to life by Henson’s trademark puppetry – bombed at the box office over critics and audiences’ shared confusion regarding its intended audience. But time has been kind to The Dark Crystal, with modern reassessment deeming it a classic. When today’s blockbusters look more artificial than ever, The Dark Crystal’s tactile quality has made it even more beautiful to gawk at decadess later.
16. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Nathan Juran’s seminal epic forever raised the bar❀ for cinematic escapism with its then-innovative and still jaw-dropping stop motion animated creatures. Behold a cyclops wrestle a dragon and a skeleton taking up arms with a sword and shield, and ask yourself why today’s super fancy CGI still can’t match up to what the likes of Ray 🧸Harryhausen made with clay over half a century ago.
15. The Northman (2022)
After reshaping modern horror with The Witch and The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers focused his c🥃amera on Nordic folklore in his telling of the legend of Amleth – the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In this feral Viking fantasy, Alexander Skarsgård dominates the screen like a berserker as his Amleth seeks revenge for his fallen father. Fans of video games like God of War, Hellblade, and Dark Souls will find a lot to love here, but so will anyone else who digs pictures with ferocious vigor.
14. Spirited Away (2001)
While many of Hayao Miyazaki’s films belong on this list, Spirited Away stands tall as an all-encompassing representative for Miyazaki’s singular artistry and Studio Ghibli as a respected studio. A young girl, Chihiro (voiced by Rumi Hiira𒐪gi in the original Japanese language track and Daveigh Chase in the English dub) takes a job at a bathhouse run by a witch to turn her parents back after they’ve been transformed into pigs. An elaborate coming-of-age tale about lonesomeness and the sudden end of childhood upon entering the workforce, it’s no 💙wonder why millennials relate to Spirited Away.
13. Labyrinth (1986)
“You remind me of the babe.” In Jim Henson’s final directorial eff🍃ort, Jennifer Connelly and the unmatched David Bowie co-star in a total heavyweight of an ‘80s flick. Connelly stars as Sarah, a teen obsessed with fairytales who inadvertently wishes for goblins to kidnap her baby brother. She embarks on an adventure of her own to rescue him before time runs 🤡out. From adorable puppets of all shapes and sizes to Bowie’s sinister sensuality, Labyrinth makes it very easy to get lost in its dizzying world.
12. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Maurice Sendack’s formative book Where the Wild Things Are is just 10 sentences long, but Spike Jonze unearthed all the heart and soul contained in them in his poignant 2009 film version. A portrait of loneliness and the power in imagination, Where the Wild Things Are celebra꧙tes the fleeing nature of childhood, even if the movie isn’t necessarily for children.
11. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Disney was already a powerhouse when Sleeping Beauty opened in 1959, with 💞hits like Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, and Alice in Wonderland paving its path. But the studio’s destiny to rule was crystallized in Sleeping Beauty, based on the classic tale. All the recognizable tropes of Disney are present and perfected to its very specific wavelengths, from wicked witches to beautiful princesses to the handsome princes who rescue them. When Prince Phillips’ lips touched slumbering Aurora’s, the sleeping giant that was Walt Disney Productions truly woke u♏p.
10. Mary Poppins (1964)
Another Disney behemoth, Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke sing and dance t🙈heir way to immortality in this endearing tale about a London family swept off their feet (and off their roofs) by an enigmatic nanny from the skies. A stone cold classic with 13 Oscar nominations to its name (with A♋ndrews winning Best Actress), Mary Poppins has for generations made everyone sing out, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”
9. The Seventh Seal (1957)
Ingmar Bergman’s memorable scenes of a knight (M𒊎ax von Sydow) playing chess with Death (Bengt Ekerot) has been parodied to, ahem, death since the release of The Seventh Seal in 1957. But watching it today is still a chilling experience. It’s a haunting reminder about the futility of faith, and that life and death is simply a game of chance. There may not be bloodshed or monsters slain, but The Seventh Seal still ranks as among the greatest dark fantasies ever imagined.
8. The Secret of NIMH (1982)
Challenging notions that movies “for children” are thoughtless, The Secret of NIMH from renowned animator Don Bluth is an elegant adventure about the strength of motherhood and fear of the unknown. An adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s children’s novel, The Secret of NIMH immerses audiences into a kingdom of intelligent rats. Its hero isn’t a wisecracking Han Solo type, but a terrified mother (voiced by Elizabeth Hartman, in her final role) trying🔯 to save her son’s life. Acclaimed upon release, The Secret of NIMH was Bluth’s first project after leaving Disney, and sparked a red-hot run of hits that forced his former employer to up its game.
7. The Princess Bride (1987)
It’s impossible – nay, in﷽conceivable! – to imagine a world without Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride. Ignored at the box office, this witty rom-com in the disguise of a storybook fantasy found staying power on home video, where audiences sunk their teeth into its quotable script. Framed by a grandfather (Peter Falk) telling a bedtime story to his grandson (Fred Savage), The Princess Bride proves old fashioned romance never goes out of style, though it helps to have chemistry like Cary Elwes and Robin Wright.
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
A movie “based off” one of Disneyland’s oldest r🏅ides did not make studio executives sing “Yo, ho!” at first. But Disney struck gold with Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, a complete package of popcorn movie perfection made possible by the maximalist vision of Gore Verbinski and stars Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and an enthralling Johnny Depp. Before IP became king and zombies the dominantꦕ story genre of the 2000s, Curse of the Black Pearl proved Disney could compete in a new age ruled by Lord of the Rings and Spider-Man.
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Maybe the whole Harry Potter saga belongs on this list. But if we had to pick one, it must be Prisoner of Azkaban, a sequel helmed b🃏y decorated auteur Alfonso Cuarón. In Harry Potter’s third year at Hogwarts, the boy wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) confronts escaped prisoner Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has some untold connection to his parents. A turning point for the series where the Wizarding World felt darker and more unknowable – subtly underscored by the new wispy sounds of wands – Prisoner of Azkaban proved Harry Potter was ready to grow alongside its rapidly maturing audience.
4. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
In his sixth film, Gullermo del Toro earned auteur status in a modern classic that eloquently summarized the totality of his artistic vision and anti-fascist politics. In Pan’s Labyrinth, fairy tales and 1940s Francoist Spain collide when a young girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) meets a faun (played by Doug Jones) who tells her she may be the reincarnated princess oܫf the underworld. Gorgeous, haunting, and teeming with metaphor – look up what del Toro meant the Pale Man to symbolize – Pan’s Labyrinth is a visual and artistic triumph that defies categorization.
3. Excalibur (1981)
The legend of King Arthur, arguably the granddaddy of all medieval tales, gets the dark fantasy treatment in John Boorman’s astonishing epic. Basically a supernatural biopic, Excalibur traces the entirety of Arthur’s life — from his unholy conception to his death in battle — as it is shaped by the magical sword Excalibur. With a haunting score by Trevor Jones, Boorman’s film inspired generations of Dungeon Masters (including the creators of Dark Souls) and launched the careers of illustrious actors like Liam Nelson, Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne, and Ciaran Hinds in his first film role. King Arthur’s story has been told a million🅷 times, but still Excalibur is worthy to pull the sword from the stone.
2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Technically monumental and artistically resplendent, The Wizard of Oz is one of those rare movies that lives up to its legendary reputation. The second film version of L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, Victor ꦿFleming’s movie musical made Judy Garland an icon and “Over the Rainbow” the theme song for those who dare to dream of a better future. As a fantasy movie, it’s unmatched as the ultimate fish-out-of-water story; young Kansas farm girl Dorothy (Garland) is whisked to an impossible world and must find her way back home with the aid of new friends. Truly, there is no place like home, and there is no movie like The Wizard of Oz.
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Yes, the entirety of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy deserves a place on this list. But while Return of the King boasts the Oscar for Best Picture and The Two Towers has the Battle of Helm’s Deep, The Fellowship of the Ring is its own stunning achievement. It doesn’t just tonally set the table for the whole series, but tells its own transporting adventure from start to finish with all of Middle-earth stretching far beyond what even the cameras can capture. Wide-eyed Elijah Wood, surrounded by a stacked ensemble cast, stars as the humble but brave Frodo Baggins who embarks on a quest to destroy the One Ring in the dark heart of Mordor. Hear those first notes of Howard Shore’s immor🍨tal score and you just know exactly what kind of adventure awaits.
Eric Francisco is a freelance entertainment journalist and graduate of Rutgers University. If a movie or TV show has superheroes, spaceships, kung fu, or John Cena, he's your guy to make sense of it. A former senior writer at Inverse, his byline has also appeared at Vulture, The Daily Beast, Observer, and The Mary Sue. You can find him screaming a✱t Devils hockey games or dodging enemy fire in Call of Duty: Warzone.
