Everyone wants to escape to a fantasy world that is less troubling than ours. We look for fantasy as an escape and approach it with feelings of wonder and fascination.
And fantasy movies, especially, make for a perfect visual escape from our harsh realities. Not to forget the epic worldbuilding, characters, and visually stunning worlds to look at.
The Peacock offers such a good collection of fantasy films that keep you engaged for quite a long time.
You have everything from dark fantasy to animation or real-world fantasy elements here.
phantasm
IMDb Rating: 4.9
rotten tomatoes: 54%
Cast: A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Dawn Cody
Phantasm is a fantasy horror film released back in 1979, directed, edited, and written by Don Coscarelli. The film is described as one of those rare movies that defy the traditional genre barriers for horror and fantasy.
The film is not entirely a fantasy, a horror, or a sci-fi but has all the elements in a unique way fused together to create this extremely moody and creepy story.
This cult classic movie is about two teenage brothers and their friend who come across this supernatural grave robber called The Tall Man.
Highlanders
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Rotten tomatoes: 11%
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown
If you’re short on time and can’t watch hours and hours of filmland, we recommend watching Highlander at the top of your list.
This is a fantasy action adventure movie released in 1986 featuring Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Larry Ferguson, and Peter Bellwood as the primary cast.
Russell Mulcahy’s directorial film is a must-watch fantasy movie for people who love to watch movies with different plots set in unique timelines woven together.
Spawn
IMDb Rating: 5.2
rotten tomatoes: 17%
Cast: Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, and Martin Sheen.
Spawn is more like a superhero movie but with dark fantasy and horror elements to it.
The movie was based on the image comics with the character of the same name.
It is the story of this elite mercenary who was killed in a conspiracy but brought back to the world by the Devil himself, who made a deal with him.
He becomes the hellspawn of the devil, somehow goes after the evildoers and murders them on behalf of Hell.
The Family Man
IMDb Rating: 6.8
rotten tomatoes: 53%
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle
The Family man is a fantasy romantic comedy movie written by David Diamond and David Weissman and directed by Brett Ratner.
Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a wealthy Wall Street Napoleon who awakens one day to find himself living in a typical suburban home with his love, Kate( Téa Leoni), and their kid.
At first, this new twilight zone change in his life shocked him, and he was just trying to return to his old life, where he was a wealthy man.
But over time, he realized what it means to live with love and family in his life, and maybe that’s what he wants.
The Twilight
IMDb Rating: 5.9
rotten tomatoes: 66%
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart
You cannot ignore the Twilight’s cultural impact in the pre- 2010s era. In fact, one would go to give this movie franchise for the popuarity of vampires among youngsters.
Not just the movie but more prominently the vampires romance novel series on which the movies are based upon, penned by Stephenie Meyer.
It was the young readers keen interest in the vampires which then attracted Hollywood to adapt the best-selling book to silver screen.
Shrek
IMDb Rating: 7.9
rotten tomatoes: 88%
Cast: Mike Myers(voice), Eddie Murphy(voice), Cameron Diaz(voice)
An computer animated fantasy movie that went on to become a franchise, was first came in 2001 introducing the Shrek character.
Shrek proved to be the a fresh breath of air after the Disney fatigue.
There is a satirical treatment towards the most common fairy tale and disney storyline along with consumerism about such content, we saw in the movie.
Shrek surpised people with lots of mature jokes and toilet humor and that too coming from non-traditional fairy tale story.
Drive Angry
IMDb Rating: 5.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 47%
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner
It doesn’t happen much when Nicholas Cage plays the agent of vengeance. Well, precisely, it happened only twice.
One we see in this 2011’s released movie Drive Angry where he breaks out from the Hell, so he can resuce her granddaughter from cult.
Satan who isn’t happy with his escape, send his best demon played by William Fichtner to bring back Milton to the worlds of underworld.
Shrek 2
IMDb Rating: 7.3
rotten tomatoes: 89%
Cast: Mike Myers(voice), Eddie Murphy(voice), Cameron Diaz(voice)
If someone ask you that whether the perfect sequel exist, you can surely point them to Shrek 2.
This movie released back in 2004 after four years of shrek proved to be the best example of how to pull off a good sequel.
The story continues from the shrek and Fiona on their honeymoon where the audience get to see the royal parents of Fiona in the far far kingdom.
Then, the family drama begins when Fiona’s parents are n’t happy about her daughter marrying a swamp-delling monster. But yet they comes to term with it.
Like the previous one, this movie also make social commentaries, and focus on the portrayal of what society says to be ‘normal’.
13 Going 30
IMDb Rating:6.2
rotten tomatoes: 65%
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer
13 Going 30 is a fantasy comedy movie, something along the lines of 1988-released Tom Hanks movie Big.
Just like that movie, this one also makes our protagonist’s wish true where they get to become adult and have freedom to what they want, but yet have heart of a teenager.
Even though, concept has been done quite a well, still entertaining and especially very well done with this film.
Jenna Rink, a 13 year old teen wakes up one day to find herself being 30, apparenlty flown over 17 years of her life in just single sleep. Now she has to face the challenges of adulthood in her teen. A dream come true, curse or a lesson in disguise?
Puss In Boots
IMDb Rating:6.6
rotten tomatoes: 86%
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis
Puss in Boots is a computer animated fantasy comedy film that comes from DreamWorks Animation, the same production who made Shrek and Shrek 2.
The director, in fact behind this film – Chris Miller is also the one who directed Shrek. This film was based on an Italian fairy tale that went further to Europe.
It was about this anthropomorphic cat who uses deceit and trickery to fool people and gain wealth and power from people.