5 Forgotten Fantasy Movies That Are Incredible

There’s something about that world-building of fantasy films that pulls me in, even when the story takes its time. I remember watching The Lord of the Rings for the first time and not recovering from it for long. It just felt like I was inside a new world for a while, and I didn’t want to leave.

At the same time, not every fantasy film gets that kind of attention. Some of them come and go without much noise, even though they do a lot right in quieter ways. They may not have the same scale or recognition, but they still manage to hold your attention if you give them a chance. These are the ones that don’t always get mentioned first, yet they’re often the most interesting to go back to.

5

‘Ladyhawke’ (1985)

Image via Warner Bros.

Ladyhawke is one of those films that doesn’t rush to explain itself, and that actually works in its favor. Directed by Richard Donner, it follows Navarre (Rutger Hauer) and Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer), who are trapped in a curse that keeps them close but never together in the same form. One turns into a wolf at night, the other into a hawk during the day, so they only ever catch brief glimpses of each other. The film spends time sitting with that idea instead of trying to turn it into something dramatic too quickly.

You start to notice how much the story depends on those small, almost missed moments. Philippe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) brings in a lighter tone, but the film never lets you forget what Navarre and Isabeau are dealing with. Even when the story moves forward, it keeps circling back to that same feeling of being just out of reach, and it does that without overexplaining anything

4

‘The Fall’ (2006)

Image via Roadside Attractions

The Fall doesn’t follow a straight line, and that’s part of why it stays interesting. The movie is directed by Tarsem Singh. The film centers on Roy Walker (Lee Pace), a stuntman who is recovering in a hospital, and starts telling a story to Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), a young girl he befriends. The story he tells keeps shifting depending on how he feels, and Alexandria fills in the gaps with her own imagination, which makes the fantasy feel a little different every time it returns.

What stayed with me is how the film keeps bringing everything back to the two of them in that hospital room. The fantasy scenes are visually striking, but they never feel separate from what Roy is going through. At times, the story he tells becomes darker, and Alexandria reacts to it in ways that feel honest for a child. That back-and-forth between them ends up being the most important part of the film.

3

‘Stardust’ (2007)

Image via Paramount Pictures

A promise to bring back a fallen star sets Stardust in motion, and it sounds simple enough at first. Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) crosses into a hidden world to find it, only to realize the star is actually Yvaine (Claire Danes). From there, the story keeps widening as others start chasing the same thing for their own reasons. Princes are after power, witches are after youth, and Tristan is still trying to understand what he has walked into.

The film keeps returning to Tristan and Yvaine as everything else circles around them. She refuses to stay a prize, and that changes how the story moves forward. Their time together slowly shifts the tone without forcing it. Even with multiple threads running at once, the focus stays clear because every turn connects back to that first decision he made.

2

‘Willow’ (1988)

Image via MGM

Willow begins with responsibility placed on someone who never asked for it. Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) is drawn into protecting a child marked for something far beyond his world, and the film allows him to struggle with that from the start. He isn’t confident, and he doesn’t suddenly become capable overnight. Each step forward feels earned because of how unsure he is along the way.

That uncertainty stays present even as Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) enters the picture with a completely different energy. Their dynamic keeps the story grounded, especially as danger starts to close in. The child remains central to everything happening, and the film keeps bringing the focus back to that task. It gives the story a steady direction without needing to overcomplicate anything.

1

‘Excalibur’ (1981)

Image via Warner Bros.

Excalibur tells the story of King Arthur (Nigel Terry) in a direct and unpolished way, and that’s what makes it interesting to sit through. It doesn’t slow down to explain everything, and it doesn’t try to make the characters easy to understand right away. Arthur rises to power quickly, and from that point, the film keeps moving as his choices start affecting the people around him. Merlin (Nicol Williamson) stays close, watching things change in his own way, while Lancelot (Nicholas Clay) enters the story and changes how things begin to play out.

The film keeps bringing things back to Arthur and the people closest to him instead of getting lost in larger battles. His decisions don’t always feel right, and the story doesn’t try to fix them or make them look better than they are. That’s what makes it feel different, because it lets things stay messy and uncertain instead of wrapping everything up neatly.

Excalibur

Release Date

April 10, 1981

Runtime

141 Minutes