Top Ten Most Ravishing Fantasy Movies of All Time
Fantasy movies always titillate audiences with surreal, metaphorical, and ethereal cinematography and story. The immaculate visuals and technicalities that help showcase a realm beyond the boundaries of reality make Fantasy movies a distinct and alluring genre.
We might think that Fantasy is a modern and recently discovered genre, but Fantasy movies have existed since the 1930s.
Fantasy as a genre has always been a canvas or a vessel for screenwriters and filmmakers to pour their imaginations, artistic and creative side.
So there is a list of the top 10 best and pure fantasy films that focus on central elements of magic, mythology, folklore, and new imagined Utopian worlds.
Whether blockbusters, Oscar winners, or hidden gems, these movies are must-watches for fantasy lovers.
10. The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973)
| Director | Víctor Erice |
| Writer | Ángel Fernández Santos |
| Casts | Ana Torrent, Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera |
| Release Date | November, 1973 |
The Spirit of the Beehive (Spanish: El espíritu de la colmena) is a 1973 Spanish dark fantasy drama film.
The film is considered a masterpiece of Spanish Cinema, hailed as a “bewitching portrait of a child’s haunted inner life.”
The story is set in a small Castilian village in post-Civil War Spain, and the film revolves around a young girl named Ana.
The film explores themes of family and school dynamics. Similarly, it shows Little Ana’s fascination with the American Horror film Frankenstein and the controversial politics of that time.
In 1940, six-year-old Ana attended a traveling movie show of Frankenstein. The horror movie deeply impacts her, and she becomes possessed by its memory.
The movie beautifully displays the impressionable minds of children and how imaginative and creative they can be.
This coming-of-age dark fantasy is one of the most visually arresting movies ever made. It is a perfect blend of realism and fantasy, proficiently showcased from Ana’s innocent perspective.
9. Life of Pi (2012)
| Director | Ang Lee |
| Writer | Yann Martel, David Magee |
| Cast | Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu |
| Release Date | September 28, 2012 |
Life of Pi is a 2012 adventure fantasy drama film. It is based on the Canadian philosophical novel of the same name by Yann Martel, published in 2001.
The story revolves around a sixteen-year-old Indian boy named Pi Patel and a ferocious Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker. They are the survivors of a shipwreck stranded in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat for 227 days.
The film is masterfully crafted with surrealism, metaphors, immaculate visuals, beautiful philosophies, and stellar performances. Its perfect combination of realism and mysticism makes Life of Pi an extraordinary tale.
Moreover, the film explores the themes of father-son relationships, boyhood, one’s relationship with religion, humanity, and the sheer happiness of being alive.
Lastly, Life of Pi is a must-watch film for all youngsters who want to watch something that moves them deeply. The film leaves one with more questions about the intricacies of life.
8. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
| Director | Tim Burton |
| Writer | Caroline Thompson |
| Cast | Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest |
| Release Date | December 6, 1990 |
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American Gothic romantic fantasy film. The film is about an unfinished artificial humanoid, Edward, with scissor blades instead of hands. His life turns upside down when a suburban family takes him.
A scientist builds an animated human being named Edward(Johnny Depp). Unfortunately, he passes way before completely assembling Edward, which gives Edward a freakish appearance.
Loving and kind, Peg discovers Edward and takes him home. Eventually, he falls in love with Peg’s teenage daughter Kim(Winona Ryder).
Despite Edward’s gentleness, kindness, and artistic talent, his eccentric appearance makes him an outcast.
The fantastical film tells about societal confirmation and how everyone in a society adheres to invisible rules to confirm a certain belief and become accepted in a community.
The romantic arch is pure and beautiful, and the chemistry is great, making this movie a great watch for romantic fantasy lovers.
7. Big Fish(2003)
| Director | Tim Burton |
| Writer | Daniel Wallace, John August |
| Cast | Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup |
| Release Date | December 4, 2003 |
Big Fish is a 2003 American fantasy drama film based on Daniel Wallace‘s 1998 novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions.
The film’s storyline is emotional and bewitching. It follows the story of an ill Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) and his son William Bloom(Billy Crudup).
The father and son have a strained relationship because Edward has always told exaggerated stories about his life, William.
Edward still tells his son about his fantastical anecdotes on his deathbed. The journalist William starts investigating his father’s stories and finally understands his father and his fondness for storytelling.
Big Fish is a whimsical story about love, forgiveness, and reconciliation, about living life to the fullest and embracing death.
This story is deeply rooted in reality, and a sprinkle of Tim Burton’s artistic brilliance makes it a magical and otherworldly film.
It is a highly recommended film, as it depicts the emotions of being human and the celebration of life. Big Fish leaves viewers spellbound by its sheer beauty and depth.
6. Ugetsu (1953)
| Director | Kenji Mizoguchi |
| Writer | Matsutarô Kawaguchi, Yoshikata Yoda |
| Cast | Machiko Kyô, Mitsuko Mito, Kinuyo Tanaka |
| Release date | September 7, 1954 |
Ugetsu is a 1953 Japanese period fantasy film based on the stories “The House in the Thicket” and “The Lust of the White Serpent” from Ueda Akinari’s 1776 book Ugetsu Monogatari.
Moving between the terrestrial and the otherworldly, the film tells the story of a potter and hopeful samurai who leaves his wife and is seduced by a spirit. It is a tale of ambition, love, family and war.
Set amid the Japanese Civil War in the 16th century, Ugetsu reveals essential truths about the devastating effects of war, the predicament of women, and the pride of men metaphorically with whimsical visuals and characters.
Ugetsu depicts how humans’ desires, dissatisfaction, and lust will inevitably lead to disaster.
The film is considered a masterpiece of Japan’s Golden Age of Cinema and a must-watch for cinephiles who love cult classics.
5. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
| Director | Frank Capra |
| Writer | Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett |
| Cast | James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore |
| Release Date | December 20, 1946 |
It’s a Wonderful Life is an American Christmas fantasy family drama film based on the short story and booklet “The Greatest Gift,” which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943.
The story revolves around a small-town man named George Bailey (James Stuart) who wishes he was never born and contemplates suicide.
An angel is sent to the Earth to make George’s wish come true. Then George starts to realize how many lives he has changed and how they all would’ve been different if he had never existed.
This family-friendly fantasy movie is a must-watch during the Christmas and holiday seasons. It teaches us about the value of life, showing us that life is full of ups and downs but still goes on.
4. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
| Director | Guillermo del Toro |
| Writer | Guillermo del Toro |
| Cast | Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú |
| Release Date | October 15, 2006 |
Pan’s Labyrinth, a 2006 dark fantasy film, is set in Spain in the summer of 1944, during the early Francoist period in Spain.
This real world is entwined with a mythical world, an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth, and a mysterious faun creature with whom the main lead, Ofelia, interacts.
Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become valuable to her journey, helping her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden.
The film employs make-up, animatronics, and CGI effects to bring life to the creatures.
Del Toro’s great vision and creativity help to bring out the seamless blend of the two worlds, teaching the audience a moral lesson while showing the struggles of adulthood and growing up.
Lastly, Pan’s Labyrinth is unmissable and highly recommended for viewers to experience a gorgeously imagined, opulently designed, dream-like voyage of Ofelia’s spiritual journey and character development.
3.The Shape Of Water (2017)
| Director | Guillermo del Toro |
| Writer | Vanessa Taylor |
| Cast | Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones |
| Release Date | September 2, 2017 |
The Shape of Water is a 2017 romantic fantasy film that has been critically acclaimed and celebrated for its acting, screenplay, direction, visuals, production design, cinematography, and musical score.
The narrative follows a lonely, mute janitor who works in a government laboratory. She discovers an amphibian-humanoid creature named Asset held captive in the secret facility.
Gradually, she bonds with the creature, and they fall in love. She decides to let the creature escape from the facility and releases him from captivity.
The film depicts love as about letting go and freedom. The film also shows that we are never alone and that love transgresses all forms of refinements and obstacles.
One of the central themes of this film is the idea that “beauty is in the eyes of a beholder.”
Therefore, this movie must be at the top of your bucket list for its poignant love story and endearing performances by the ensemble cast.
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
| Director | David Fincher |
| Writer | Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| Cast | Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Julia Ormond |
| Release Date | December 25, 2008 |
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American romantic fantasy drama film loosely based on the short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1922.
The story of the film is very unique and focuses on a man named Benjamin Button born in 1918 who ages in reverse.
Through out his life, Benjamin experiences love, heart-break, ecstasy, sorrow, adventures and timelessness until he takes his last breath in Daisy’s arms as an infant in 2003 but chronologically he is over 84 years old.
The movie is a great watch and highly recommended for viewers in order to experience a unique tale of love, human existence and inevitable nature of time and death.
1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
| Director | Victor Fleming, King Vidor |
| Writer | Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson |
| Cast | Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger |
| Release Date | August 10, 1939 |
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film that is an adaptation of the 1900 children’s fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
Despite being released in 1939, the film was ahead of its time for using Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and memorable and eccentric characters.
In Kansas, a young girl named Dorothy who always dreams about a better fairy-tale like life somewhere over the rainbow. When a tornado catches Dorothy, she lands in a fantasy world.
The entire film is about Dorothy’s journey to find her way back home, subsequently meeting eccentric creatures, building friendships with them, and rediscovering herself.
This film is unmissable and a great watch to bring back nostalgia and blurry memories of our childhood.
For this reason, The Wizard of Oz is a great fantasy movie that can really heal our inner child and make us reminisce about the innocence of childhood.
