Amazon’sLord of The RingsTV series is slowly closing in, and we are sure you must have already done several rewatches of theLord of The Ringsmovie series. TheLord of The Ringstrilogy rocked the box office and the Oscars in the early 2000s, breaking several records and creating new ones.Peter Jackson’s adaptation of bothThe HobbitandThe Lord of The Ringstrilogies, written byJ. R. R. Tolkien, are some of the most successful fantasy movies to date, and very few movies have come close to creating the kind of impact that Tolkien’s trilogies did.
With the much-awaited TV series nearly a year away, we can understand the anticipation of fantasy fans all over the world who are waiting eagerly to visit Middle-earth once again. So, here at Collider, we’ve brought together a collection of 15 fantasy films that’ll take you away to a mystical land, much like Tolkien’s Middle-earth, and cater to your tastes while you wait for Amazon’sLord of The Ringsseries to be finally here.
RELATED:Here’s How to Watch ‘The Hobbit and ‘The Lord of The Rings’ Movies in Order (Chronologically or by Release Date)
The Chronicles of Narnia Series
The Chronicles of Narniais one of the best-knownfantasy movie seriesof all time. Based onC. S. Lewis’ series of novels of the same name, the franchise adapted three of his books into live-action features, namely -The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe(2005),Prince Caspian(2008), andThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader(2010).The Chronicles of Narniamovie series is similar toLord of The Rings/The Hobbitin a lot of ways: young, seemingly harmless adventurers (in this case four little kids) venture off into Narnia, a magical world filled with mythical beasts, talking animals, and legendary weapons. Though the series took a darker turn later on, the first movieThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobereminds you of Frodo and Sam’s adventure fromThe Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring, when the Pevensie children tumble into the mystical world of Narnia through a wooden wardrobe, and quite unknowingly, set out on a dangerous journey that pits them against a great evil.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Of course, when we are talking about fantasy movies, how can we forget about the age-old mythical tale of the legendary king of England. So many characters of modern movies and stories have been inspired by King Arthur’s saga, and the movie in focus is the most recent film adaptation of his tale. StarringCharlie Hunnamin the titular role,King Arthur: Legend of the SwordshowsKing Arthur’s riseto the throne of England. This film shares a lot of similarities withLord of The Rings: The Return of The King, as both feature a legendary sword, the rightful heir to the throne, and a wise, white-haired powerful wizard. The tale of King Arthur might have been a source of inspiration for J. R. R. Tolkien when he was writing the novels, as we can clearly see a connection between Aragorn and Arthur.
The Monkey King Series
The Monkey Kingis a legendary mythical figure with a historical background that’s on par with the likes of King Arthur. Based on the fantasy novelJourney to the West, a 16th-century Chinese literary classic written in the Ming Dynasty byWu Cheng’en, the film tells the story of a legendary monkey God, named Sun Wukong (Donnie Yen). Wukong, after falling down to earth from heaven, has to learn about his purpose in life, and hence starts on an epic journey of his own, likeThe Fellowship of The Ring, that takes him to heaven and hell (quite literally). Sun Wukong might sound very familiar to you, as he is also the inspiration behind Son Goku, the famous protagonist of theDragon Ballanime series.
Harry Potter Series
TheHarry Pottermovies are perhaps the greatest sorcery-based film series of all time. The 8-part adaptation is based onJ. K. Rowling’s fantasy novels of the same name and achieved enormous success globally.The fantastical tale ofHarry Pottertakes the fans into the magical world of Hogwarts, which is very similar to Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends learn various magical spells, meet mythical creatures and fight great evil during the course of eight movies, and have a huge fan following even though the last film was released a decade ago.
The NeverEnding Story Series
Based on the 1979 novel of the same name byMichael Ende,The NeverEnding Storywas a 3-part series, of which the first and second adaptations were from the same book, while the third one was an original story. Much like theLord of The Ringsmovies,The NeverEnding Storytells the tale of a young and humble protagonist who accidentally finds himself pulled into an adventure via an old fantasy book. It serves as a portal to acolorful and magical world, and the hero is tasked with saving the imaginary world.
Willowis a 1988 American dark fantasy drama film produced byGeorge Lucasand written byBob Dolman. Lucas originally came up with the idea in 1972, but could only begin working on it in 1985. The film tells the story of a farmer and aspiring sorcerer, Willow, whosets out on a dangerous journeyto protect a young princess against the forces of an evil witch, who has sent her army to hunt the baby down. Willow plays the role of both Gandalf and Frodo in the film, and the ending reminds you of the concluding scene inReturn of The King, when the hobbits return to their village.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Pan’s Labyrinthis considered one of the best works byGuillermo del Toro. The dark fantasy is set in Spain during the summer of 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War. The main character, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), owing to her family issues, drifts off into an imaginary world consisting ofterrifying mythical creatures, who lead her through the trials of an old labyrinth garden. The film won numerous international accolades, including three Academy Awards and three BAFTA Awards.
Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons
A comedic adaptation of a 16th-century Chinese literary classic of the same name written byWu Cheng’en,Journey to the West: Conquering the Demonstells the tale of the origins of a humble Buddhist monk, Tang Sanzang (Wen Zhang). Having no skills and special powers, he sets out on a journey to hunt demons and find his destiny, which often leads him into hilarious and life-threatening problems. Much like Frodo, he is innocent and pure-hearted and is accompanied by a friend who changes his life forever.
Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of Heavenis a fictionalized tale of Balian of Ibelin, who was a blacksmith-turned-knight during the time of the Crusades. Directed and produced byRidley Scott, the 2005 movie centers around Balian (Orlando Bloom), a French village blacksmith who is unintentionally pulled into war after he leaves his village when his wife dies. He aids the Kingdom of Jerusalem in its defense against the Ayyubid Muslim Sultan, Saladin, who is fighting to claim back the city from the Christians which leads to the Battle of Hattin. The film beautifully replicates the level of detail and grandiosity of the Lord of The Rings movies, especially when it comes tobreathtaking visuals and awe-inspiring battle scenes, and is a must-watch for fantasy lovers.
Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithiais a 2007 fantasy drama based on the novel of the same name byKatherine Paterson. The film revolves around the tragic story of two 11-year-old kids, who manifest their real-life problems in an imaginary world they create in an abandoned treehouse. It provides a deeper perspective of a child’s psychology, and how they come up with their own monsters to tackle them. The children escape to the world of Terabithia, battling the monsters outside as well as the ones inside their minds, much like how Frodo fights the will of the Ring in theLord of The RingsFilms.
