Pan's Labyrinth
The fantasy movie is back on the big screen this week as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is finally unveiled - and it is a cinema treat if you haven't had chance to see it yet.
So we thought to celebrate the return to Middle Earth we would take a look at some of the best fantasy movies every - and boy are there some corkers.
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Seeing as we are celebrating the return to Middle Earth that is perhaps the best place to start.
It was back in 2001 that The Fellowship of the Ring transported audiences to another world and for the following two years it was Lord of the Rings hysteria as the movies dominated the box office.
Jackson brought Tolkien's novels to life as he delivered three movies that were a total assault on your senses and transported you to that world.
While Jackson always stayed true to the heart and spirit of the novel he was not afraid to mix things up and put his own stamp on this well known story.
The Lord of the Rings thrilled, chilled, entertained and made us laugh and remains one of the greatest trilogies of all time.
- Pan's Labyrinth
One of the best movies in the genre in recent years was, without a doubt, Pan's Labyrinth which is Guillermo Del Toro's greatest movie.
Del Toro parallels two worlds seamlessly; Ofelia's imagination and the realities of Falangist Spain, while telling the same story in both, worlds of violence, tyranny, resistance ain the timeless struggle between good and evil.
It's a dark and twisted fantasy movie that, for a change, is aimed at an adult audience as de Toro creates some of cinema's most memorable characters including the Faun and the Pale Man, both beautifully depicted by Doug Jones.
Aesthetically Del Toro seamlessly blends the fantasy and fantastic with the cold and gritty harshness of reality with a range of strange and beautiful characters and sets that delve into a child's wild imagination.
If you have not seen this movie and you love fantasy film then you are missing a real treat as it is a movie that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
- Where The Wild Things Are
It was back in 2009 when Spike Jonze brought Maurice Sendak's wonderful novel Where The Wild Things Are to the big screen with triumphant results.
Forget the fact that this is an adaptation of a children’s book this movie is for anybody who has ever run around screaming, climbed trees, rolled in the dirt then laughed about it afterwards, we all remember those days when life was innocent and care free.
This movie follows a young boy who is drowning in darkness and loneliness, which may strike a chord with many of the audience at one point or another.
It’s a heart rendering story of family ties and how it’s difficult to be a family at times but nothing is more important than the people that love you.
I defy you to not shed a tear at the end of this totally fantastic movie.
- Big Fish
Tim Burton is one of the most visional filmmakers and he always creates intriguing and interesting worlds.
And while most of his movies deal with the dark and the gothic Big Fish went down a more fantast route.
With Big Fish Burton really lets his imagination spill onto the big screen and he encourages the audience to also let their imagination run wild as well.
And with that you get larger then life characters as well as Burton creating a very beautiful world.
This is a stunning piece of work from the filmmaker, remaining one of his best films, as it is heartwarming and full of passion as well as heartbreak and sadness.
- Princess Mononoke
Studio Ghibli movies all have a fantast element to them - Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle being two perfect examples - but Princess Mononoke is the best example.
Hayao Miyazaki is an animation genius and all of his movies deliver incredibly strong messages. And Princess Mononoke is not different as it delivers a powerful message that we are destroying our planet.
There is a real epic feel to this movie and Miyazaki has delivered a vast world that is as cruel and dangerous as it is beautiful.
Princess Mononoke is one the most powerful movies in the Studio Ghibli collection and is a tour de force in animation.
Our look at the greatest fantasy movies continues tomorrow.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw