Author Topic: Fantasy movies  (Read 12031 times)

CrystalDragonSpaceMarine

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Fantasy movies
« on: June 25, 2009, 11:17:53 pm »
There have been a lot of fantasy movies based on huge book series (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia, Eragon), but lately it seems there haven't been a lot of fantasy movies out there. Defined as "stuff with magic" in it.

It seems the fantasy genre is especially niche, hence why they don't do well apart from huge blockbuster franchises like LotR and Harry Potter. Lots of fantasy films from like the 80s seem to be cult classics, for the most part.

And for the most part, they seem pretty cliche.

I can't think of many others. I mean, there've been a few, but they were mostly bland.

I'd really appreciate a modern, non-cliche, original fantasy film (or at least one based a modern, non-cliche and more obscure book).



Actually, Stardust. I really liked Stardust. I read the book, too, before they made the movie.
The world needs more fantasy movies like Stardust.

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2009, 09:39:44 pm »
Man were there some good ones in the earlier years...Neverending Story, Legend, the Last Unicorn, Willow, Princess Bride, Krull... Sure, some a bit cliche, but...I thought they were still good old fashion fantasy.  But you're right, we can't really get a good fantasy tale these days.  I agree, Stardust was pretty good.  It's sad how rare a good fantasy movie is these days, though.

Razzly

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2009, 01:49:18 am »
I actually really liked stardust, too.
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RoninAngel

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2009, 04:01:20 am »
Alot of movie producers and studio exutives feel that big budget pictures need to be dumbed down to apeal to mass audiances, sort of a way to hedge bets on expensive special effects budgets.

My favorite fantasy movie is lord of the rings and I don't think it was badly done or cliche at all. Of course I read the books, I also know that most of the cliches that are in fantasy now weren't really cliches when Tolkien wrote his book, becuase that's where the cliches come from. Now it may seem trite to have perfect, hyper-competent elves, but in those days it was fresh. Anyways, if they want to do stories that are a little more out there, they can just pick a Peirs Anthony book.

Speaking of out there fantasy movies, the best ones are from the 80's. Some are more subtly fantastic, like Dream a Little Dream, and some are totally out there, like Labrinth and Legend.

I like those.   :-[

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CrystalDragonSpaceMarine

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2009, 03:50:21 pm »
Alot of movie producers and studio exutives feel that big budget pictures need to be dumbed down to apeal to mass audiances, sort of a way to hedge bets on expensive special effects budgets.


Yeah, but there's a difference between making a popcorn movie and a piece of shit.

You average person will be dazzled by special effects and cool moments. The problem is, they don't focus on that sort of thing, they focus on hamfisted romance attempts (Star Wars) and godawful comic relief characters (Transformers).

I really shudder at the thought of what will happen to the Last Airbender they are making.d


edit: Also, you don't need that many big budget special effects to make a good fantasy movie. Just make it a low-magic setting with no huge CGI monsters.

RoninAngel

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2009, 10:50:10 pm »
Alot of movie producers and studio exutives feel that big budget pictures need to be dumbed down to apeal to mass audiances, sort of a way to hedge bets on expensive special effects budgets.


Yeah, but there's a difference between making a popcorn movie and a piece of shit.

 


I know that, you know that, but studio exects apperently don't know that.

See, the thing is that sometimes a director or even an actor (I'm looking at you Arnold Swartenegger) is terrible at doing one kind of subplot that is required by the plot. Like they hire Arnold to star becuase they know he can make a good action movie. They hire Micheal Bay becuase, frankly, his car chases kick some fucking ass. However, the director sucks at romance for example. And Becuase this is Hollywood, everyone is on an ego trip. So instead of hire a pinch hitter or expunge the scene entirley, they hack there way to the box office. 
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CrystalDragonSpaceMarine

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2009, 10:11:41 am »
Alot of movie producers and studio exutives feel that big budget pictures need to be dumbed down to apeal to mass audiances, sort of a way to hedge bets on expensive special effects budgets.


Yeah, but there's a difference between making a popcorn movie and a piece of shit.

 

And they still make money because it doesn't matter about a quality product as long as you can hustle the masses.




I know that, you know that, but studio exects apperently don't know that.

See, the thing is that sometimes a director or even an actor (I'm looking at you Arnold Swartenegger) is terrible at doing one kind of subplot that is required by the plot. Like they hire Arnold to star becuase they know he can make a good action movie. They hire Micheal Bay becuase, frankly, his car chases kick some fucking ass. However, the director sucks at romance for example. And Becuase this is Hollywood, everyone is on an ego trip. So instead of hire a pinch hitter or expunge the scene entirley, they hack there way to the box office. 

Razzly

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2009, 10:45:27 am »
I'm with you Ronin. I LOVE LOTR. Absolutely adore it.

I read the books when I was a kid too, so the movies were wonderfully nostalgic and full of awesome. That, and the first movie is such eye-candy I can see it ten times in a row. <3
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RoninAngel

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2009, 11:25:19 am »
And they still make money because it doesn't matter about a quality product as long as you can hustle the masses.

Ahhhh- Is someone a Cynical Sal today?  :P

You're right of course.  :-\
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CrystalDragonSpaceMarine

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2009, 02:20:57 pm »
And they still make money because it doesn't matter about a quality product as long as you can hustle the masses.

Ahhhh- Is someone a Cynical Sal today?  :P

You're right of course.  :-\

I forgot to take my Optimism Pills this morning, sorry.

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2009, 02:46:15 pm »
Got any of those pills to spare CDSM?
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RoninAngel

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2009, 04:01:27 pm »
eat chocolate. It helps, seriously.
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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2009, 03:29:07 pm »
I was disappointed that The Golden Compass wasn't great, since I loved the book.  Does Pleasantvillecount as fantasy?  If so, that's one of my recent favorites, along with Pan's Labyrinth.

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2009, 02:38:06 am »
Pan's labyrinth was brutal... I had to look away on several occassions while watching it (I've seen it three times) but I still love it. It's an amazing movie, even though I never saw it as a 'fantasy' movie.
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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #14 on: October 30, 2009, 12:26:19 am »
I remember reading Narnicles back when I was a kid.  I don't remember much aside from really HATING it.  Never read the LotR books, but the movie trilogy was FUCKING EPIC.  As for the whole "little kid gets sucked into fantasy world" or "little kid gets powers", spare me.  The moment you have super powerful little kids or teens, my suspension of disbelief goes right out the window.

CrystalDragonSpaceMarine

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #15 on: October 30, 2009, 12:43:06 am »
I remember reading Narnicles back when I was a kid.  I don't remember much aside from really HATING it.  Never read the LotR books, but the movie trilogy was FUCKING EPIC.  As for the whole "little kid gets sucked into fantasy world" or "little kid gets powers", spare me.  The moment you have super powerful little kids or teens, my suspension of disbelief goes right out the window.

Especially when it's a kids' movie, and everything becomes ridiculous.

I could handle a story that had a super powerful kid or teen that acted like a superpowerful kid or teen, and fucked the plot up accordingly.

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #16 on: October 30, 2009, 01:41:54 am »
Belive me dg the LoTR films miss out a lot of important things so better off reading the books.
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charles

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Re: Fantasy movies
« Reply #17 on: October 30, 2009, 06:40:31 am »
LOTR, Pan's Labyrinth, Willow, Neverending story, Last Unicorn, stardust, etc were all awesome.  Sure LOTR skipped a fair bit, but I think it was a brilliant adaptation of the book into a movie.  Heck, Tolkien did do some terrible writing in there with multiple endings a slow start and all sorts of time discrepancies and confusion but in the end he told such a wonderful and epic tale that it didn't really matter.

I guess there have been a few but we might not have noticed them as redily because they weren't so cliche.  They also tend towards being animated films now-a-days and don't seem to get as much publicity.

Titan A.E. was pretty good as well as Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

I guess we've had Inkheart, The Golden Compass, City of Ember and Eragon but there was just something about them which didn't make them sit with me as well as the old ones.  I think they seemed to have a really good start and setup, but then died in the ending/conclusion.  Beyond that there's the Harry Potter series and OH! The Spiderwick Chronicles

...You know, now that I think about it there have been a fair few fantasy movies in the recent years but somehow I still can't bring myself to equate them with something even as simple as Willow from the 80's/90's.  Maybe it's just 'cos I was a kid when i first saw it and now I'm an adult I can never get that same feeling of wonder and then nostalgia when I seem them in later years *shrug*
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