Fancast Friday Five: Good Fantasy Films That Aren’t Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, side by side with Harry Potter and Narnia, have defined modern fantasy, but it’s a big genre, and there’s plenty of room for everyone. Here are five good fantasy flicks that are outside of the big three franchises.

Labyrinth [watch the trailer]: While Jareth’s (David Bowie) tight pants kickstarted puberty for an entire generation of young girls, this fun and fancy musical tale uses fantastic Muppeteering to caution young babysitters like young Jennifer Connelly against wishing their baby brothers would be abducted by goblins, lest they get what they wish for. Of course, they will then be forced to conquer a Byzantine maze in order to retrieve their siblings. Just… don’t remind Jareth of the babe.

Watch the trailer for Labyrinth.

Pan’s Labyrinth [watch the trailer]: Yes, apparently labyrinths make for good fantasy. One of the darkest films of the genre, Guillermo Del Toro’s reigning masterpiece centers around a young girl named Ofelia (the very sweet and charming Ivana Baquero), living in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in 1944, stranded in a remote country home while her bedridden mother struggles to give birth and her soulless stepfather strives to crush an insurgency not far away. Ofelia learns she hosts the spirit of an immortal princess of legend, and must complete three dangerous tasks to prove herself while avoiding the nonbelievers who are making her reality ever more bleak. It’s a masterfully crafted work of art.

Watch the trailer for Pan’s Labyrinth.

Willow [watch the trailer]: Warwick Davis, who is also featured in Prince Caspian, stars as the title character Willow Ufgood, a little fellow charged with protecting a sacred infant from an evil queen. Directed by Ron Howard from a story by executive-producer George Lucas (at the height of his power), the film helped advance visual effects technology (which you might expect with Lucas involved) and certainly has some Star Wars elements as well, with charming rogue Mad Mardigan (Val Kilmer) fitting the Han Solo mold. It rides the fine line between mocking the genre and reveling in it.

Watch the trailer for Willow.

Conan The Barbarian [watch the trailer]: Arnold Schwarzenegger first made a name for himself beyond the bodybuilding circuit with this epic saga of one unstoppable badass warrior on a quest for bloody revenge against the evil Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), who killed his family. When transforming himself from a frightened boy into a powerful killing machine, Conan is at one point asked the eternal question “What is best in life?” The answer is just as eternal: “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.”

Watch the trailer for Conan The Barbarian.

Ladyhawke [watch the trailer]: Ferris Bueller-era Matthew Broderick stars as a Phillipe, medieval pickpocket schmuck who must serve as a liaison between two cursed lovers - a knight (Rutger Hauer) who by night transforms into a wolf and a lady (Michelle Pfeiffer) who by day becomes a hawk - in order to discover a way to free them from the evil spell they’re under. A female protragonist who doesn’t exist solely to be rescued is always a good thing, and if you can sidestep some of the trappings of the 1980s, you’ve got a fun, strong romantic tale to enjoy, with great performances by everybody.

Watch the trailer for Ladyhawke.