Top 100 Fantasy Movies Review


“The 100 movies you’re about to read about represent my choices for the cinema’s most significant fantasy endeavors.  Sorry, no comic book superhero or animated features in this line-up, as they belong to very active subgenres (and future studies) of their own.  Ranking is a subjective party game, of course.  But all of the movies showcased here are worth experiencing, from the celebrated classics to way-below-the-radar obscurities and foreign efforts.” – Gary Gerani

As can be seen, we start out this walk through fantasy lane with a disclaimer – strict comic book superhero fans need not apply! This is not to say that as comic book fans, we cannot also share an affinity for the fantasy genre. No, instead, there is much overlap between the two – in fact many comic conventions kill two birds with one con, combining the best of comics and fantasy.

This happens to be why I decided to volunteer to read and review this book. I am a way bigger comic fan than I am fantasy, but I do indulge in the occasional trip through the wardrobe. In fact, I figure if I can give my perspective, from the nearly 100% comic side of the house, I may sway some of my comic loving brethren to take a glance at this decently complete listing of fantasy movies.

Oh, and don’t worry, I won’t spoil the list – nothing is worse than ruining that “I wonder what #1 is?” feeling. If you really want to know, just “Skip to the end!” and see for yourself, yet I do not believe it will surprise you…

Here is the official description from IDW:

Fanciful worlds of hobbits and pixies, magical glimpses into the future, doting guardian angels, and dangerous, seductive devils on our shoulder…this is the world of fantasy cinema, from the earliest silent days to the mega-budget extravaganzas of Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, and other world-class moviemakers who are obsessed with worlds beyond reality.

This is a coffee table book, of a book – 200 (or so) full color pages! No doubt you will find many (if not all) of your favorite fantasy movies between its soft cover exterior. Now, as critics (because all readers and movie goers are critics), you will not agree with all 100, nor will you agree with the placement for each. As Gary mentions, “ranking is a subjective party game”, but that won’t get him off everyone’s hook. Instead, I am sure people will comment, complain, throw an internet fit – which is all par for the course – in fact, it is what this kind of thing is all about. Passion. Passion for things that we love. It is obvious that Gary not only loves this genre, but also has a decently keen eye for its ins and outs.

The “ins and outs” that I am referring to encompass his description style for each pick on the list. He goes through and gives you a ton of information (most of the time this is something suited for the internet, but he does a fantastic job here): “Who Made It”, “What It’s About”, “Why It’s Important”, etc. He also includes a guide at the top, a legend of sorts, which provides: running time, aspect ratio, as well as stereo/mono soundtrack indications:

So, regardless of whether you believe in his choices, his ranking or even his descriptions, this book is likely worthwhile – if for nothing else, a great party icebreaker, or a quick guide while flipping through late night classic movie television stations.

Once you have made it down the “yellow brick road” all the way through the “Top 100” list, the adventure doesn’t stop! Nay, instead, you are provided an “Afterview” section, which is described as:

“Bubbling Under The Top 100 – More so than its cousin genres (horror and sci-fi), fantasy encompasses a wide range of movie types, from alternate universe epics to drawing room comedies.  The following films are all excellent, and didn’t make it into the main line-up mostly because it was tougher than usual to settle on a mere 100”

In this section, you are given 30 more titles to ponder, explore, argue with – a great way to get a few more movies in – and hey, if your favorite movie wasn’t in the Top 100, maybe it made it to this cauldron, simmering under the surface. One of mine did <fairy dust of a spoiler> – Highlander. After all, “there can be only one”.

Do you think it ends there? Not yet, though I am fast running out of fantasy puns. I may just start throwing out key phrases from fantasy movies if this keeps going!

“Moonchild!”

Errr- my apologies. My childhood got the better of me… which is one of the unsung features of this book – memories will emerge.

Okay. On to the remaining few pages of content in the “Afterview”… from the 30 extra titles list, we move to a section covering “Silent Fantasy Masterpieces”. This is not something I am particularly interested in, but hey, if anything Gary is thorough.

From there, we see a “Best of” list for titles such as “Best Fantasy Hero” and “Best Fantasy Framework for a Non-Fantasy Story” – uh, yeah. There are some really interesting topics to consider in that section.

Finally, on the last page of “Top” content, we have “The Top Ten Fantasy Filmmakers”, “The Top Ten Fantasy Film Actors”, “Top FX Capture Actor”, and “The Top Ten Fantasy Film Composers”. Wow. That is a lot of Tops.

But wait, there’s more! Well, the index. Which has, impressively, the smallest font in the world, at least for these tired eyes and especially after spending the previous hours learning Gary’s ranking system for the “Top 100 Fantasy Movies”! (and more).

So, what can be better than this? Well, on the 200th page, we get a “Coming Soon from Fantastic Press…”

THE TOP 100 COMIC BOOK MOVIES!

My gut reaction? – Wait, there are 100 comic book movies? 😉

4/5

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