5 Best Fantasy Movies Nobody Talks About Anymore

Of all the movie genres, fantasy is one of the oldest, with the first examples dating back to the late 1800s. What started out as shorts evolved into sprawling epics that include everything from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy to the Harry Potter franchise. There are countless near-perfect fantasy movies and cult classics alike, so there's plenty to pick from. As a result, tons of quality fantasy movies have been buried.

It seems that every new generation has a fantasy film they connect to, but that leaves a plethora of other movies largely forgotten. That's not to say that they aren't still enjoyed or brought up about every now and again, but you won't hear their praises being sung out in wider circles.

While not surprising, it's nonetheless a shame. Some of the best fantasy films of all time came out in the mid to late 20th century, and deserve to be talked about in the same conversations as "Spirited Away," "The Wizard of Oz," and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." These five fantasy movies fit that description, as they're excellent, but aren't discussed much anymore.

Long before "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Game of Thrones," dragons were brought to life via practical effects. Outside of traditional animation, the only way to create dragons in a movie for most of the 20th century was through stop-motion animation or puppetry. However, dragons didn't find their niche in live-action until 1981's "Dragonslayer" introduced the world to one of the best-named dragons in movie history: Vermithrax Pejorative.

The film is about slaying said dragon, and features a grand adventure, a final confrontation, and a massive, 40-foot puppet alongside the advanced stop motion technique, Go Motion. Set during the sixth century, "Dragonslayer" sees Galen Bradwarden (Peter MacNicol) set out on a quest to slay the 400-year-old beast to save its latest sacrifice, Princess Elspeth (Chloe Salaman). This is no "Pete's Dragon," being rather dark and horrifying for a Disney movie.

"Dragonslayer" received critical acclaim and Oscar nominations for its exceptional VFX and original score, but it's largely been lost amidst the massive pile of CGI dragons that have since permeated popular culture. For anyone who watched it in the '80s, "Dragonslayer" was a visual spectacle unlike anything before, helping the film achieve cult classic status. Today, it remains one of the most underrated fantasy movies of all time, but is a definite must-see for anyone who enjoys dragon movies.

While he got his start as an artist and animator, Terry Gilliam cut his comedy teeth on Monty Python. Gilliam co-directed "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," which set him on a fantasy-laden path that saw the release of more than a dozen films. One of his best is 1981's "Time Bandits," which is about a young boy named Kevin (Craig Warnock) who is taken on an adventure across time by a troupe of thieves intent on plundering history for its treasures.

After they steal a map that guides them across space and time, the group picks up Kevin while avoiding the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson). What follows are escapades delving into several key moments in history, including the Battle of Castiglione and the sinking of the RMS Titanic. They also encounter historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte (Ian Holm) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery). They even meet Robin Hood, played by the hilarious John Cleese.

Everything about "Time Bandits" is irreverently funny, but it's also quite deep, and ends in as ridiculous and indifferent a manner as possible. While "Time Bandits" is an '80s movie that got a reboot in the form of a failed 2024 TV series, most outside of Gen-Xers don't even know of its existence. That's unfortunate because, like most of Gilliam's films, "Time Bandits" is a thought-provoking satire of the highest order, and remains one of the director's greatest movies.

Fantasy and animation have long worked well together, and throughout the 1980s, several great animated movies came and went, including 1982's "The Last Unicorn." Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, the same duo responsible for "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "The Hobbit," and "The Flight of Dragons," produced and directed the film, which is based on Peter S. Beagle's 1968 novel of the same name. The movie centers around a unicorn (Mia Farrow) who is believed to be the last one alive, living in a magical forest.

After she learns that all other unicorns were driven off by the Red Bull, she sets out to find her kind. Many help her along the way, including an incompetent magician, Schmendrick (Alan Arkin). After a magical mishap, she's transformed into a human woman, which proves helpful but also problematic. The adventure sees her go up against an evil king, the Red Bull, and her own identity, resulting in a fantastic finale.

Like many exceptional fantasy films, "The Last Unicorn" bombed at the box office, thanks largely to audience misconception. "The Last Unicorn" is a dark morality tale, not a "pretty" unicorn movie, so it's not entirely suitable for young children. Regardless, the animation, score, and original songs by America make it one of the greatest animated movies of the 1980s, making it all the more unfortunate that nobody talks about it these days.

Director Terry Gilliam's streak of fantasy movies from the 1980s included several hidden gems that bombed at the box office. "The Adventure of Baron Munchausen" is one such film that, despite receiving praise from critics, flopped hard financially. The movie, which Gilliam co-wrote, features most of the cast of Monty Python alongside John Neville as the titular lead, and acts as a collection of tall tales loosely based on the real-life historical figure, Hieronymus Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen.

The stories are structured around an ongoing fight against the Ottoman Empire, which Munchausen effectively sparked after looting the Turkish coffers. Each new story is more fantastical than the last, and when the movie ends, it's never made clear whether Munchausen was fibbing, telling tall tales based on real events, or simply recounting his adventures.

These include a trip to the Moon where he has an affair with the Queen Ariadne (Valentina Cortese), much to the chagrin of the King of the Moon (Robin Williams). Like Gilliam's other work, "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" is a satire full of wit, with an emphasis on conflicted duality. While it bombed, the movie achieved cult classic status, though it's sadly been lost among the myriad of competitors. 

Fantasy was plentiful in the 21st century, with superhero movies and grand adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's work abound. There are many excellent fantasy films from more modern times that aren't discussed much, the best among them is "Stardust." The movie is based on Neil Gaiman's 1999 novel of the same name, and features a stacked cast, including Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ian McKellen, Robert De Niro, and even Henry Cavill in an interesting role everyone forgot about. 

You'd think that such a star-studded movie wouldn't fade from the public consciousness — but when's the last time you heard anyone bring up "Stardust?" The film sees two worlds separated by a wall; one being England and the other the fantastical kingdom of Stormhold. Tristan (Cox) journeys into Stormhold to find a fallen star, which is turns out to be a young woman named Yvaine (Danes), who he hopes to bring home as a present for his betrothed. 

In a somewhat unusual twist for a fantasy movie, "Stardust" didn't bomb at the box office, and even had a foothold in popular culture ... for a while. The original story and excellent cast elevated the movie, but it's since been supplanted by the countless fantasy films and television series that followed.