Fantasy has taken a new form in the last ten years. High fantasy, fairytales, myths and legends, and more are, of course, always welcome and eagerly anticipated. But modern fantasy movies have begun to push the limits of the genre and explore the idea of what fantasy is and what it can be.
No longer relying on old tropes and stereotypes, the best fantasy movies of the last decade have incorporated multiple genres and have introduced characters that make viewers question preconceived notions of good vs evil and what makes a good protagonist. The movies have been allowed to be more subtle in their storytelling, revealing themes not often spoken about in the genre. They’ve also been given the space to explore visuals and cinematography, allowing for surrealist imagery, distinct color palettes, and each camera angle to reveal something new to the audience.
The Green Knight Is Gorgeous and Absurd
This is a movie that audiences will either love dearly or they’ll loathe. Its polarizing nature comes from the fact that this movie does not follow “normal” fantasy patterns, themes, and stereotypes. But for those who like unique concepts within any genre, even fantasy, The Green Knight is a gorgeous and fascinating adaptation of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” an Arthurian poem from the 14th century.
Like many adaptations, this 2021 movie keeps the soul of the original but alters aspects to fit the silver screen. But unlike many adaptations, the changes to the source material are not what viewers care about when watching. Instead, viewers are fixated on the dreamlike imagery and visuals throughout the story. The film feels haunted in many ways, and both the viewer and Gawain (the protagonist) may feel as if they’re hallucinating in certain scenes. It is artistic and bizarre, but also a wonderful deep dive into the idea of heroism and destiny.
Your Name Perfectly Balances Light and Dark Topics
Written and created by Makoto Shinkai, an absolute powerhouse in the animation industry, Your Name follows two teenagers as they’re pushed along a story that includes body-swapping and natural disasters. That sentence, in and of itself, is innately bizarre. Body-swapping has traditionally been a trope used in comedies or even romances; it’s more light-hearted and used to create humorous situations. Natural disaster movies, however, are mainly darker in tone and themes.
Your Name manages to balance all of these with an ease that is awe-inspiring. Above all, this 2016 movie is a fantasy, but it’s also a romance, a comedy, a thriller, and a drama, with a bit of sci-fi and action thrown in. The moments of lightness are incredibly charming and make the heavier moments even more grounded. A masterclass in animation, the movie is gorgeous, and the storytelling is perfectly crafted, keeping a pace that both ensnares and thrills viewers.
The Shape of Water Is a Romance for the Ages
The love for this 2017 Guillermo del Toro film has been well documented, with many awards under its belt, including Best Picture at the 2018 Oscars. Set in 1962, the movie follows the love story between a mute worker at a government facility and an imprisoned creature that appears to be a mix of fish and man (but also not quite fitting the stereotype for mermen).
Being a del Toro movie means that The Shape of Water has a visual gothic brilliance to it, as well as a bit of horror interwoven into the fantasy storyline. The film could go further into the themes of what makes a human versus an animal, who and what deserve to be free or to live, and how people with disabilities struggled during that time period (and to be clear, they do touch on all of these), but the heart of the movie is a romance. The soft, tender love between Elisa and the creature is a further reflection that love has no limits, which is something that many audience members feel deeply.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Is a Shocking Masterclass in Storytelling
Some of the best movies and best movie-watching experiences come from when an audience is truly shocked. This could be from a storyline, to the art within, to a performance, but it could also be from the overall quality of the movie itself. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is one such movie. Coming from two already existing franchises (Shrek and Puss in Boots), expectations were not high for this film. And yet, somehow, this 2022 movie became one of the best animated movies and fantasy movies of the decade.
The film follows Puss and two comrades as he attempts to escape Death and retrieve a wish from a fallen star. Of course, he is not the only one looking for this wish, and the adventure they all go on is extremely exciting and weaves former storylines and fairytales together flawlessly. Taking on a new visual aesthetic that echoes the popular Spider-Verse movies, this movie’s fight scenes feel like something both out of a painting and a high-class martial arts movie.
Grounded, mature, and emotional, this movie depicts mental health in a perfect “show, don’t tell” way. Every character is deeply thought out and realistic, even the villain, who has no redeeming qualities. It truly is a perfect balance of thrilling action and emotional depth, even leading into a possible next Shrek movie in the final scene, which audiences hope will follow in this movie’s footsteps.
Petite Maman Has a Quiet, Soft Edge to Its Magic and Beauty
This 2021 French film proves that fantasy doesn’t need to include grand worlds that sweep viewers off their feet, with characters that have abilities beyond normal human means, or storylines that save kingdoms. The movie doesn’t have witches or warlocks, but it does have magic. Petite Maman follows a little girl named Nelly who is having a hard time understanding her mother’s grief, as well as her own, following the passing of her grandmother. One day, she goes into a forest and meets a little girl who becomes her friend.
The magic of the story is that the audience begins to realize that her friend is really Nelly’s mother at the same age that Nelly currently is. The forest, the play, and the nature of the time-warping are ways for Nelly to come to terms with the grief that they both feel. The idea of looking at the world through a child’s eyes is prevalent throughout the short timeline, and the fantasy is meant to highlight how differently children process things. The girls, mother and daughter, look like twins (and are actually played by twins), and their imaginations and interactions harken back to other women to a time in their childhood when logic wasn’t enough to show them how to feel.