Long before Game of Thrones, there was a time in history when HBO stood for “Hey, Beastmaster’s on!” A time when, if you asked for a dragon, you got a puppet instead of CGI. A time when the words “fantasy hero” didn’t call to mind a pensive Viggo Mortenson or a bespectacled Daniel Radcliffe—nay, but a shirtless, bemuscled Arnold Schwarzenegger (or cheaper facsimile) dripping with oil.
I have travelled back to that time to bring forth the Ultimate 1980s Fantasy Epic Ranking List Post! And By Crom, I swear I’ve gotten… most of them. Join me below to celebrate the 1980s fantasy epic, in all of its loincloth-wearing, phallic-sword-waving, secret-wing-unfurling, spandex-bulging, camel-punching glory.
Note: I’ve tried to make this sucker exhaustive, but I’m sure I’ve missed some classics here, so let me know in the comments! Also, this is purely a personal list. These picks in no way represent the opinions of my colleagues at Tor.com, Tor Books, or even my own family. And I’m sorry if The Beastmaster doesn’t rank as high as you think it should, but have you considered that you need professional help?
18. Cave Dwellers (AKA Ator l’invincibile 2, The Blade Master, Day of The Sword Man—1984)
Quote: “Thong, the fish is ready.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: I have watched the MST3K version of this film at least a dozen times, and I still have no idea what it’s about. Miles O’Keeffe is Ator, who is both invincible and a blade master, depending on the translation. He also fights people. Some of them live in caves.
Why It’s Number Eighteen: It was made to capitalize on the post-Conan fantasy boom, and found it’s fullest expression as an MST3K episode.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? ’80s! It sounds like a Casio.
Do We Hear a Single? Gosh I hope not.
How About Video? I’m pretty sure the whole film was shot on video.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Joel and The Bots! But they’re not awkward.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Ator makes a hang-glider!
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? “After the time of the Great Forming, there was a time when the world was populated by wild, cruel, and ignorant men.”
Does Love Conquer All? Sure? I don’t know.
17. Krull (1983)
Quote: “Do not use it until you need it.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Colwyn is supposed to marry Princess Lyssa, but she gets kidnapped by an evil shapeshifting Kraken, so he and his Glaive go on a quest to find her, collecting Robbie Coltrane, Liam Neeson, a blind seer, a cyclops, and a magician who can turn into a tiger along the way. This film has one truly great scene, when Colwyn’s mentor has to climb into a giant spiderweb to ask for a favor from his ex.
Why It’s Number Seventeen: What this movie’s actually about is the Glaive, but it only gets like ten minutes of screentime. This film was developed as a starring vehicle for the Glaive, the five-bladed boomerang-like weapon wielded by the hero. Unfortunately, the Glaive’s career never really took off: After one too many brawls at the Viper Room, and one two many sunrises spent waking up on the lawns of strangers, the weapon checked itself into a much-needed stint at Hazelden. Deciding that the Hollywood lifestyle just wasn’t enough to fill the void in its soul, the Glaive finally retired to Oregon, where it raises alpacas, and is said to be very happy.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Epic! Also, weirdly reminiscent of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Do We Hear a Single? Nope! Too busy being epic.
How About a Video? Same.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Ergo the Magician, who turns himself into a variety of animals.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? See above.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? We get a standard prophecy about a child who will rule the galaxy.
Does Love Conquer All? The Glaive conquers all. But yeah, love and stuff, I guess.
16. Highlander (1986)
Quotes: “I know! I know everything! I am everything! Oh oh. Oh. Oh. Unh.”
Oh, yeah, and of course: “There can be only one.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: There can be only one! Connor McLeod discovers he’s an Immortal in 16th-century Scotland. Since eventually There Can Be Only One Immortal, he needs to decapitate all the others in order to gain their power and win The Prize. The film skirts around this by supplying The Kurgan, an evil Immortal, who helpfully kills everyone off so that Connor can look like a good guy, instead of killing his friends one by one. Sean Connery shows up as a 2,000-year-old Egyptian dude who spent a few centuries in Spain, goes by the name Ramirez, wields a Japanese sword, and speaks with a Scottish accent. Just go with it.
Why It’s Number Sixteen: Do you want a hero who dresses like your mom? Connor McLeod’s sensible white sneakers and high-waisted, lightwash jeans will be perfect for a trip to the mall… or a decapitation in the mall’s parking lot! Do you also love casual misogyny, homophobia, and rape? Cause you get a lot of that in this film! In the plus column, a cop tells McLeod, “Don’t move pal. Don’t even breathe,” which I’m pretty sure actors were legally required to stop saying at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve 1989.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Oh, sweet lord, ’80s ’80s ’80s. The soundtrack is by QUEEN, suckers. Here We Are, the Princes of the Universe.
Do We Hear a Single? Several! But probably the best is “Who Wants to Live Forever.”
How About a Video? Of course!
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? There’s a scene where The Kurgan licks a priest?
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Much is made of Ramirez’s Japanese sword—the metal was folded 200 times!—but it isn’t magic or anything.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Both! Sean Connery reads us the opening card that explains who the Immortals are, and then we spend about half of the film in 1980s New York.
Does Love Conquer All? Love mostly makes you miserable when you know you’re going to outlive all of your girlfriends.
15. Masters of the Universe (1987)
Quote: “Don’t say goodbye. Say Good Journey.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: He-Man and friends gets zapped to Earth because of a magical synthesizer. I don’t know. Once they get here, they battle Skeletor with some help from a young Courteney Cox and her be-mulleted boyfriend Kevin, who went on to become Tom Paris on Star Trek: Voyager.
Why It’s Number Fifteen: Skeletor calls Earth “primitive and tasteless.” Teelah sounds like she’s been gargling with razor blades, and Dolph Lundgren sounds like… Dolph Lundgren. But even under his ridiculous rubber mask, Frank Langella makes a compelling and charismatic Skeletor, and Evil-Lyn, as always, is unbearably hot. Oh, and stay until the end of the credits! There’s a stinger!
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Epic! It sounds like a bunch of medieval heralds got free rein over a film score for the first time, and they are NOT going to waste their opportunity.
Do we Hear a Single? Honestly I was expecting a screechy high-pitched heavy metal song over the credits, but apparently they didn’t want to encroach on the glories of heraldry. It sounds like a king is being announced for five full minutes!
How About a Video? Sadly, no.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Say hi to Gwildor, everybody! He’s a troll-like engineer played by Billy Barty, and he’s here to fill this movie’s Orko-shaped hole.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Yeah! It’s the sword that allows He-man to HAAAAVE THE POWERRRRRR.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Both! We hear all about He-Man struggles in Eternia, and then we head over to small-town ’80s America.
Does Love Conquer All? Well, first He-Man’s refusal to bow to tyranny does, but then Courteney Cox decides to stay with her boyfriend, and is able to save her parents.
14. The Black Cauldron (1985)
Quote: “Oh, poor miserable Gurgi deserves fierce smackings and whackings on his poor, tender head. Always left with no munchings and crunchings.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: The Horned King wants to use the Black Cauldron to raise an unstoppable arm of the undead. It’s up to Assistant-Pig-Keeper Taran, Princess Eilonwy, wacky bard Fflewdurr Fflam, and terrifying liminal creature Gurgi to stop him!
Why It’s Number Fourteen: Based on the first two books of Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain, this was Disney trying to do something different. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. As you can see from the above quotes, the tone of this film ranges from nigh-Jar-Jar levels of annoying childish humor all the way to nigh-Sauron levels of evil, often within a single scene.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? EPIC! This was Elmer Bernstein’s score, and it’s great.
Do We Hear a Single? Nope. This isn’t one of those types of Disney movies.
How About a Video? Again nope, which is just as well.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Gurgi, Fflewdur Flam, Doli, the weird goblin sidekick… Half the movie is comic relief, and all of it’s awkward.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? The magic Sword, named Dyrnwyn in the books and unnamed in the movie; Eilonwy’s bauble, which has unspecified powers and then disappears from the film; the Cauldron itself, which can turn corpses into unstoppable killing machines, which is a handy trick.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? “Legend has it, in the mystic land of Prydain, there was once a king so cruel and so evil, that even the Gods feared him. Since no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into a crucible of molten iron. There his demonic spirit was captured in the form of a great, black cauldron. For uncounted centuries, the black cauldron lay hidden, waiting, while evil men searched for it, knowing whoever possessed it would have the power to resurrect an army of deathless warriors… and with them, rule the world.”
Does Love Conquer All? Well, there is a completely nonsensical resurrection that goes against the film’s internal logic and is never explained, so… I guess Love Did It?
13. The Beastmaster (1982)
Quote: Dar: “We will fight!” [lifts his ferrets triumphantly]
Tell Us About Your Quest: This movie is surprisingly complicated, but here’s the short version: The Beastmaster goes on a quest to defeat Rip Torn, a cult leader who is literally named Maax, which is just Max with an extra ‘a’ in it. Maax keeps chucking children into ceremonial fire in the name of a god who is literally named Ar. Ar. Along the way, he collects a posse of wild animals, a love interest who is his cousin, a young prince, and John Amos in a loincloth, and earns the respect of these terrifying bat creatures that digest people with their wings.
Why It’s Number Thirteen: How you feel about The Beastmaster will depend largely on how you feel about ferrets. Because, make no mistake here, The Beastmaster is not the hero of this film. He does not defeat the villain. He does not make the heroic sacrifice. You want to know who does? A ferret. The Beastmaster also does not rescue any endangered children from sacrifice, because he lets his eagle do that. He does not protect the prince, because he lets the tiger do all of the real muscle work. He is not The Beastmaster, he’s The Beastdelegator, or maybe The Beastshiftmanager. I will also note that if you care about animal welfare, and also want to enjoy this film, do not look at the IMDb’s trivia page.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Epic! They used an Italian orchestra and everything!
Do We Hear a Single? Alas no, but Beastmaster II: Through the Portal of Time features the straightforward anthem “I Want to be a Hero.” The sequel came out in 1991, and sends The Beastmaster to modern-day Los Angeles!
How About a Video? A deliciously fan-made one, yes.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Podo and Kodo!
How’s Your Local Evil Cult Leader Doing? Rip Torn is second only to James Earl Jones when it comes to Evil Cult Leading. He sacrifices babies for no reason! His followers commit suicide on command! He has a quintet of hags to do spells for him, and a creepy eyeball ring that allows him to spy on people! However, let’s remember: He is defeated by ferrets.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? There’s a multi-edged blade that is sort of a cross between a Glaive and a boomerang! The Beastmaster’s adopted dad passes it down him like it’s a big deal, but then he only uses it twice, and then passes he it on to the prince like it’s a big deal.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Neither, but here’s the tagline: “Born with the courage of an eagle, the strength of a black tiger, and the power of a god.” It doesn’t specify which god, but presumably not Ar.
Does Love Conquer All? Nope. Ferrets.
12. Excalibur (1981)
Quote: “I was not born to live a man’s life, but to be the stuff of future memory.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: It’s every King Arthur story in one place for easy reference!
Why It’s Number Twelve: Have you heard of an actor from Ireland or England? Yeah, he’s in this movie. So is she. It’s like the ’80s British version of Law and Order. However, it’s very slow, and a lot of the acting is strained at best, so it doesn’t quite work as the epic Arthurian tragedy it wants to be.
Soundtrack: Epic or 80s? EPIC. Carl Orff wasn’t good enough, so they threw some Wagner in there as well.
Do we Hear a Single? Ummm… Oh Fortuna?
How About a Video? Nope.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? No one laughs at Arthur’s mighty sword.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? I’m pretty sure there is… but I can’t seem to remember the name? Hang on, I’m sure it’ll come to me.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Again, there was something about a sword? I don’t know. It’s probably not important.
Does Love Conquer All? Ummm… love destroys everything. EVERYTHING. Way to go, Lancelot and Guinevere.
11. Clash of the Titans (1981)
Quote: “Release the Kraken!”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Perseus must save Zeus’ last winged horse, defeat a Gorgon, and rescue Andromeda from the monstrous Kraken, all while various gods scheme for and against him.
Why It’s Number Eleven: This movie has everything: a mostly-naked Harry Hamlin, a winged horse, and Bubo, the steampunk owl. Ray Harryhausen did the effects (this was his last film), and each new monster is lovingly hand-crafted and unique. The scene where Perseus outwits Medusa is still legitimately frightening. However, as with a few of these films, the hero runs out of steam before the end, and leaves Bubo to do the actual heavy lifting of rescuing Andromeda from the Kraken.
Soundtrack: Epic or 80s? Epic with occasional jauntiness.
Do We Hear a Single? No.
How About a Video? No.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Bubo! Except he isn’t awkward, cause he’s the best.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? The Gorgon’s head!
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? We begin on Olympus, at a council of gods. I think if the gods are saying it, it counts as prophecy.
Does Love Conquer All? Love, with a little help from Medusa and a clockwork owl.
10. Legend (1985)
Quote: “You think you have won! What is light without dark? What are you without me? I am a part of you all. You can never defeat me. We are brothers eternal!”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Jack, a child of the forest, has to rescue Princess Lily from what appears to be the Judeo-Christian Devil, while also restoring two unicorns to life. Otherwise, the land will remain in frozen darkness forever.
Why It’s Number Ten: Should I be worried that I’m more interested in the love story between Lily and the Devil than Lily and Jack? It’s just, the Devil makes some really solid points, and I think he and Lily make a fabulous couple. Tom Cruise and Mia Sara act by letting their mouths fall open and occasionally panting, which is weird, but it makes them kind of endearing in the same way my dog is when she wants to go for a walk. The unicorns are GREAT, though, and Tim Curry is amazing as the Devil. Lily, our virtuous heroine, is wooed to the Dark Side because an Alexander McQueen mannequin interpretive dances at her. There is a lot of subtext in this film, and I don’t understand it, but I think maybe Ridley Scott wanted evil to win?
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? It’s Tangerine Dream, it sounds like pseudo-medieval British Christmas music, and it’s desperately ’80s.
Do We Hear a Single? Bryan Ferry wants to know, “Is Your Love Strong Enough?”
How About a Video? Oh, yes. Yes there is.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Other than Tom Cruise’s acting? Three goblins named Blix, Blunder, and Pox. They live up to their names.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Lily’s ring, Unicorn horn, Tim Curry’s Satanic Existentialism.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Neither! We just get dropped straight into the magical forest.
Does Love Conquer All? Multiple times! Jack doesn’t shoot Lily, despite her evil appearance; Lily frees the unicorn, despite the Devil’s wrath; Jack defeats the Devil, probably because he loves Lily so much.
9. Willow (1988)
Quote:
Sorsha: What are you looking at?
Madmartigan: Your leg. I’d like to break it.
Tell Us About Your Quest: Willow has to save little Ellora Danan from the evil witch-queen’s infanticide. Along the way he picks up a crazy swordsman, a sorceress, and a warrior princess, and learns to have confidence in himself.
Why It’s Number Nine: So, the good news: Warwick Davis is charming as hell playing Willow. And Val Kilmer embodies insanity well, so Madmartigan is totally convincing. Plus, Ron Howard found the most charismatic babies ever to play Ellora. Unfortunately, since the film feels like a pastiche of other, superior films, it loses a lot of steam once Willow sets out on his quest. You’ve got Madmartigan standing in for Han Solo and Sorsha doing a great Princess Leia; two elderly magic-users battling with blue lightning; a prophesied leader floating down a river to escape an infant genocide; and people of small stature whom no one believes in saving a vaguely medieval world. We’ve seen everything in this movie already.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Epic! Bagpipes, vaguely Scottish, mystical, and choirs.
Do We Hear a Single? Nope!
How About a Video? Nope! But there is a highly awkward making-of special on the DVD.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? The brownies, played by Kevin Pollack and Rick Overton, occasionally say something funny in their squeaky little voices, but mostly you just want Madmartigan to step on them.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Ellora Danan herself, I guess? Plus the wand and the acorns, and Madmartigan’s cleavage.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? The Dark Prophecy is stated to the Queen, hence the infanticide.
Does Love Conquer All? Yeah! Willow repeatedly risks his life for Ellora, and Madmartigan and Sorsha team up against Sorsha’s evil mom.
8. Labyrinth (1986)
Quote: “Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Sarah wishes her crying baby brother would go poof, so Jareth the Goblin King shows up and grants her wish. She has to go on a dangerous quest through the Labyrinth to reclaim her brother.
Why It’s Number Eight: This is an intricate fairy tale about independence, growing up, and the power of storytelling that’s swaddled in so many goofy Muppets that people miss how important the story is. For added distraction, there’s David Bowie’s spandex, and contact juggling.
Soundtrack: Epic or 80s? The soundtrack starts with a medley of David Bowie’s songs, and just gets better from there.
Do we Hear a Single? “Dance Magic Dance”! Oh, wait, no “As the World Falls Down”! Oh, who am I kidding, they’re all my favorite.
How About a Video? Not officially, it seems, but here’s the masquerade! And here’s Dr. Beverley Crusher choreographing the masquerade!
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? While there are genuinely scary and moving moments, the whole film is light and funny compared with, say, The Dark Crystal. Many of the Muppets Sarah encounters have the anarchic sense of humor one would expect from the Python who wrote the script. I mean, the worst thing that can happen to you is to get thrown in the Bog of Eternal Stench.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Did I mention David Bowie’s massive… sorry. No, part of the point here is that power doesn’t have anything to do with what you carry with you (all of Sarah’s talismans are revealed to be junk in a key scene, after all); what matters is bravery and loyalty.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Sarah lives in modern America, and travels to the alternate dimension Labyrinth via magic.
Does Love Conquer All? Nope. While Sarah’s love for Toby is the catalyst for her adventure, and her love for her friends gives her strength, it’s her self-esteem and resilience that defeats Jareth in the end.
7. The Last Unicorn (1982)
Quote: “There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: When a Unicorn realizes she’s the last of her kind, she goes on a journey to find the others. Along the way she picks up second-rate magician (but first-rate pickpocket) Schmendrick, and a cook, Molly Grue. They learn that a chronically depressed king is employing a magical bull to drive unicorns into the sea. Schmendrick transforms the unicorn into a human to save her from the Bull, and many sad, mortality-facing antics ensue.
Why It’s Number Seven: To be honest, I’m not a giant fan of the Rankin-Bass animation, the stabs at humor are dated, and I also don’t think the songs fit. But… this story is so gorgeous and strange, and so brutally honest, that each time I’ve come back to this list I’ve moved it up a slot.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Can it be both? It’s sort of both. Jimmy Webb, the extraordinary songwriter behind “Galveston” and “Wichita Lineman” wrote a cycle of songs for the film, which was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, and the folk-pop group America, the guys who did “Horse with No Name” and “Sister Golden Hair.” Once again, the songs seem a bit modern and jarring when compared to the medieval setting of the film. (I mean no disrespect to Jimmy Webb here, guys. First, my dad would disown me, and second, “Galveston” makes me cry, but points for Mia Farrow and Jeff Bridges doing their own singing.)
Do we Hear a Single? The Last Unicorn has an extraordinary single.
How About a Video? You can see America perform it here, or you can watch the comedy duo Ninja Sex Party perform their heartfelt cover, which they made to help promote Peter Beagle’s live tour of the film.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? A butterfly which seems to only communicate in weird, early-Americana pop songs; an amorous feminine tree inadvertently conjured by Schmendrick; a drunk skeleton; and a peg-legged cat that talks like pirate.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Schmendrick’s True Magic, arguably the Unicorn’s bravery.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Neither! We’re dropped straight into the Unicorn Tapestry brought to animated life.
Does Love Conquer All? Somewhat! Prince Lir’s love of the Lady Amalthea slows the Red Bull, and inspires the Unicorn to fight back and save her people. However, where a traditional children’s film would probably pull a Gurgi and defy its own internal logic to make her human again (or transform Lir into a unicorn?) so the couple could end up together, The Last Unicorn is relentless. The Unicorn remains a Unicorn, Lir remains a mortal man, and they’ll love each other forever, while remaining forever apart.
6. Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Quote:
“What is best in life?”
“To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of the women.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Conan is tortured into becoming a great warrior, and eventually teams up with a thief named Valeria and a professional surfer named Subhotai to steal from Thulsa Doom’s evil cult, then to rescue the King’s daughter from Thulsa Doom, and then to exact sweet sweet revenge upon Thulsa Doom. Thulsa Doom.
Why It’s Number Six: For me, the greatest moment in this movie, or indeed, in the entire history of cinema, comes about halfway through the film. Our backwoods Barbarian sees a llama for the first time and loses his shit, gasping out “Can you believe that?” to Subhotai. Then he bumps into a camel, and, startled, punches the camel in the face. Now I love both llamas and camels, and would never want any harm to befall one, but the purity of this moment fills me with joy.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Pure epic. Lots of chanting choirs and occasionally jaunty montage music like you’d hear in a Renfest. I mean that in a good way.
Do we Hear a Single? No, Conan does not tolerate kitschy pop songs.
How About a Video? See above.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Mako, as a cackling wizard who argues with the gods more than he worships them. He actually took this role over playing Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? The whole opening credits are the forging of a mighty sword. Conan’s dad tells him that the only thing he can trust is his sword. Not men, not women, not beasts, just swords. However, it seems that any sword becomes epic when wielded by Conan.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? A sword is forged as none other than the great Mako tells us of Conan’s tragic childhood and training. It’s not exactly prophecy, but it is ominous.
Does Love Conquer All? Weirdly, yes? Valeria comes back from the dead, Valkyrie-style, to defend Conan at a key moment.
5. Dragonslayer (1981)
Quote: “In fact, if it weren’t for sorcerers, there wouldn’t be any dragons. Once, the skies were dotted with them. Magnificent horned backs, leathern wings… soaring… and their hot-breathed wind. Oh, I know this creature of yours… Vermithrax Pejorative. Look at these scales, these ridges. When a dragon gets this old, it knows nothing but pain, constant pain. It grows decrepit… crippled… pitiful. Spiteful!”
Tell Us About Your Quest: A sorcerer’s apprentice is tasked with slaying a virgin-eating dragon, but his quest ends up being far darker and more complicated than he expected.
Why It’s Number Five: This one was a pleasant surprise. What starts out as a sly subversion of a classic fairy story turns into a brutal depiction of a society built on violence and deception, before it takes another turn, and you start to realize that this is telling another kind of story entirely. What happens when old pagan magic is faced with the rise of Christianity? What happens when the social order is upended by a naïve young man?
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Epic! To quote Wikipedia, it’s a “polyphonic orchestral texture dominated by a medieval-style modal harmony” that was nominated for an Oscar!
Do we Hear a Single? Nope, too busy examining the clash between paganism and Christianity to be silly, thanks!
How About a Video? Nope, see above.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? The elderly Hodge (Engywook in The Neverending Story!) is treated as comic relief for a while, but after that this film becomes surprisingly serious. Also, Emperor Palpatine shows up as a priest, and he yells at a dragon! But again, things get serious pretty quick.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Galen’s pendant amplifies his magic, and the “Dragonslayer” of the title is a spear, which Galen then charms.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Nope! We’re dropped straight into a pre-Christian scrying session, and then we’re off.
Does Love Conquer All? Not remotely. But it does help.
4. Ladyhawke (1985)
Quote: “Do you know that hawks and wolves mate for life? The Bishop didn’t even leave us that… not even that.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer are cursed by an evil Bishop. By day, she’s a hawk, and by night, he’s a wolf. Hauer, who is an awesomely badass knight, is planning to murder the Bishop, but then a thief and a well-meaning monk team up to try to break the curse.
Why It’s Number Four: This one… oh, I’m conflicted about this one. When it works, this film is kind of miraculous, but then when it doesn’t there’s almost an audible clunk. So, to begin with the good! Rutger Hauer needed to always play medieval knights. Michelle Pfeiffer is gorgeous, but what’s cool is that doesn’t define her character. What’s the one thing you remember about Princess Buttercup? She was the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, yes? Well, Isabeau lives a terrifying half-life, spends each night alone, relying on her own resources to keep herself and her wolf mate safe, and even when she’s in hawk form she protects him. She spends years like that, and when we meet her she may still hope, but she has a tough intelligence. Plus the Bishop is truly despicable.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? ’80s! Andrew Powell and Alan Parsons combined forces and used all the world’s synths to create this toweringly prog rock soundtrack. It’s…not to my taste.
Do We Hear a Single? Weirdly no?
How About a Video? Also no.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Matthew Broderick as Philippe Gaston, The Mouse, a pickpocket who keeps up a steady running commentary directed at God, and who seems to be on loan from the set of a Neil Simon play. I don’t know how, but this works perfectly. His thoroughly modern snark directly calls out the artifice of the medieval setting and lightens up the high fantasy star-crossed love of the A-plot.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Etienne’s sword.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Neither! We’re dropped straight into the action, as Phillipe escapes from prison.
Does Love Conquer All? Yes, and it’s great.
3. The Dark Crystal (1982)
Quote:
Jen: “You have wings! …I don’t have wings.”
Kira: “Of course not! You’re a boy.”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Jen believes he is the last of the Gelflings. He was rescued by the gentle Mystics when the evil Skeksis massacred his people. To prevent the Skeksis from ruling forever, he must find a magical shard to heal the Dark Crystal. During his journey he finds another Gelfling, Kira, who becomes his partner, and they travel to the Skeksis Castle to fulfill the prophecy, and learns more about the nature of his world.
Why It’s Number Three: When I started this project, I thought The Dark Crystal would be at the top of my list. Watching it again, though, there are moments that drag, and for all the amazing Henson-ness, the quest itself seems forced, and Jen is too much of a cipher.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? No, it’s more of a serioustimes mystical chanting type deal.
Do We Hear a Single? No.
How About a Video? No.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Fizzgig! He’s sort of a Muppet Pomeranian, and he’s the only bit of lightness in the film.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? The Shard Itself! By replacing it, the Crystal will be able to use its full power, and unite the Mystics and Skeksis into UrSkeks.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? This movie is dedicated to its prophecy. We get a couple different spoken versions of it, Aughra comments on it, and then we see a pictograph version of it.
Does Love Conquer All? Jen begins his quest out of love for his Master, and then completes it out of dedication to Kira. So, yeah.
2. The Princess Bride (1987)
Quote: Too many to choose from, but a favorite is Andre’s classic “…anybody want a peanut?”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Westley has to rescue his ladylove, Princess Buttercup, from the the evil machinations of Prince Humperdinck. Along the way he matches wits with a cackling Sicilian, swords with a master Spaniard, and muscles with, well, with Andre the Giant. This may in all seriousness be a perfect film.
Why It’s Number Two: OK, what the hell can I say about The Princess Bride? It’s a brilliant film, a fascinating book, a childhood institution. The only reason it isn’t higher is that, for me, personally, the mesh of Catskillian snark and fairy tale tropes, while brilliant, keeps it from achieving the huge epic feel of some of the others on the list. But still—The Machine, the sword fight between Inigo and Westley, the pure grasping evil lurking behind Humperdick’s eyes when he threatens Buttercup at the end—it’s fucking magnificent.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? Epic…ish? Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits) and Guy Fletcher did a pretty great, epic-movie-type score, with occasional flourishy moments.
Do We Hear a Single? Willy DeVille wrote and sang “Storybook Love” which, um, narrates a story book love. It was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Dirty Dancing’s “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”—probably because Westley and Buttercup could never stick that big lift. Willy Deville used to front Mink DeVille, which was the house band of CBGB’s back when that existed, before New York was dead.
How About a Video? Do you like shadow puppetry? You can watch DeVille’s Oscar performance!
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? Every other line is comic relief, but none of it shatters the mood.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? Inigo’s sword, designed and forged by his murdered father. Westley has never seen its equal. Plus, I guess The Machine itself, and Andre the Giant, ’cause come on.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? The Grandfather is reading The Princess Bride to his sick grandson, and graciously leaving out most of the kissing.
Does Love Conquer All? “Death cannot stop True Love. All it can do is delay it for a little while.”
And finally, coming in at Number One…
1. The Neverending Story (1984)
Quote: “If we’re about to die anyway, I’d rather die fighting! Come for me, G’mork! I am Atreyu!”
Tell Us About Your Quest: Bastian is reading The Neverending Story, which tells the tale of Atreyu, who is sent on a journey to save the realm of Fantasia. Battles are fought, new names are given, and math tests are avoided.
Why it’s Number One: THIS IS A PERFECT FILM I WILL HEAR NO ARGUMENT. Welllll… OK, I’m willing to analyze it a little bit, but it does hold up remarkably well, especially on this list! The acting is uniformly good, with Barrett Oliver making a perfect impassioned nerd, and Noah Hathaway pulling off a great balance between “warrior” and “kid whose horse just ate it.” And maybe the Childlike Empress is a little over the top, but I was in love with her so shut up. The effects are solid, we definitely get a sense of an arduous quest, and all of these elements come together with a perfect ’80s-tastic score to create a film that is both of its time and timeless.
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s? A bit of both! Klaus Doldinger of the German jazz outfit Passport provides a score that runs the gamut from invasive to creepy.
Do We Hear a Single? Oh, only Limahl teaming up with Giorgio Moroder for their classic hit The Neverending Stoooooryyyyy, Whoa-ah-oh-whoah-ah-oh-whoa-ah-oh. It went to Number one in Sweden and Norway.
How About a Video? Yup.
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief? The Stupid Bat, The Racing Snail, The Rock Biter, Engywook… of course, they’re all swallowed by The Nothing in the end, SO WHO’S LAUGHING NOW.
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny? The Auryn, The Last Grain of Sand That is All That Remains of Fantasia, The Book Itself, The Empress’ New Name.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Bastian lives an unhappy life in the modern world until he’s pulled into Fantasia.
Does Love Conquer All? Nope. Imagination and confidence do the job quite well.
So… that’s it? We’ve come to the end of this massive post. What do you think? Did I miss anyone important? Should Krull have been higher? Let me know in the comments!
Leah Schnelbach figures it’ll be the last unicorn that will come to her. Come tell her about your quest on Twitter!
Masters of the Universe > Highlander?!
Really???
I think MOTU is a little underrated, but better than Highlander? C’mon!
You missed Hawk the Slayer. :)
Fun list though. Now I’m going to end up watching half these again over the next month….
I saw most of these in the theater, and have some of them on DVD.
No CIRCLE OF IRON? Ok, it was made in ’78 so technically not an ’80s movie. And ok, it’s sort a martial arts thing. But still. CIRCLE OF IRON!
Black Cauldron – sword is “Dyrnwyn” – please correct above.
Any 80s list that has Highlander at 16 (and worse than Black Cauldron, which was horrendous) smells like a fail. Just saying.
OK, Highlander is the best film of these, save possibly Princess Bride, but to claim this is a complete list of 80’s fantasy is nuts.
The Sword and the Sorcerer? Legend? Deathstalker?
Proper ranking would be 1. Highlander, 2. Princess Bride, 3. Ladyhawke, 4. Willow, 5. Neverending Story and then the rest.
You forgot Hawk The Slayer (I wish I could) Red Sonja and The Sword and The Sorcerer. I don’t know if you are avoiding sequels, if not, there’s Conan The Destroyer.
There are loads of other cheapies that came out in the 80’s – maybe even dozens. It’s become fashionable to complain about Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth films, but even the worst of them (Hobbit 1 IMHO) is better than most of those films, and if you narrow the field to just High Fantasy films, the gulf is huge.
not on the list… The Sword and the Sorcerer. I dont really remember the movie but the main character had a three bladed sword where two of the blades could shoot at someone.. LOL my middle school DnD gang loved that sword we incoporated it into almost all of our games for about a year.
I call foul: The Last Unicorn and The Black Cauldron are on this list, but where are the animated Hobbit & Lord of the Rings, or the wonderful Flight of Dragons animated movie? I LOVED Flight of Dragons, and it had the best opening song and title sequence. Talk about epic.
No Red Sonja? if Conan is on there, Red Sonja deserves a mention.
I actually like Krull and think it’s a bit better than it’s given credit for. I always found the cyclops, who knows exactly when and how he will die, to be rather tragic. The one thing he would wish for: “To forget.” Heartbreaking.
I also love Excalibur, but if you grew up in the US during the 70s, it has a moment of unintentional comedy right at the dramatic climax. There was a series of anti-child abuse (when that meant violence and verbal degradation, not sex) where the tag line, the poster heading, the bumper sticker was “Have you hugged your kid today?” So when Mordred, right before driving his massive spear through Arthur, says, “Come, father. Let us embrace.” Well…
Possibly forgotten, though not really a fantasy is Flesh and Blood. Never has a film been so aptly named. There’s a lot of both in this Paul Verhoeven picture. Technically, it’s more of a period piece (Renaissance Italy) than a fantasy, since there’s no magic or anything, but it was definitely capitalizing on the fantasy craze of the time. Rutger Hauer again, Jennifer Jason-Leigh. It’s trashy, but fun. (Well, a Verhoeven film, right?)
In Conan, take a closer look at what is happening behind the llama! What’s that guy doing back there?
OK, egg on my face: IMDB just taught me that these are 70s movies. So very sorry for doubting you.
Time Bandits! Where’s Time Bandits?
The proper quote for The Neverending Story is “Books, small rectangular objects that make no beep, beep, beep, beeps.”
Meanwhile, Hayao Miyazaki made Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service, which hold up rather better than most of the films on this list.
Don Coscarelli claims to have read all of Andre Norton‘s books as a boy. Norton is the author of a novel called “The Beastmaster”, in which this movie is loosely based. Andre Norton hated this film from what I understood
Pretty sure Princess Bride is supposed to be #1…
Hey! Where’s The Sword and the Scorcerer? 1982 low budget fantasy with horribly mixed cultural issues. (is this Engald or the middle east?) but loads of fun and more like a D&D game than any other film.
And I suppose you need to add Hawk the Slayer, but that’s one’s best forgotten anyway…
You missed Deathstalker, The Sword & The Sorcerer, Red Sonja, The Barbarians, Sword of the Valiant, and probably more that I don’t remember.
Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell would’ve been perfect on this list
The animated HOBBIT was released in 1977 and Ralph Bakshi’s LORD OF THE RINGS was 1978, so both are ineligible for the list.
No HAWK THE SLAYER is a travesty. See how it glows!
Sean Connery was fun as the Green Knight in Sword of the Valiant, http://youtu.be/9If7hE3evy0, and it sports another great hairdo from Miles O’Keefe.
Just because it was set in the modern world (like MOTU!) doesn’t mean Big Trouble in Little China shouldn’t be on this list. In fact, it should be atop this list!
Fire and Ice (1983), Ralph Bakshi’s animated…
wouldn’t mention it, but actually it was my first. First encounter with fantasy. Loved it when i was 6 or 7, then couldn’t find it anywhere, then finally watched it again last year and was like Whaaat? But it’s definitely 80’s.
The Neverending Story is almost a perfect fantasy film. The only problem with it is the ending, which was a VERY bizarre experience for anyone who had read the novel before they saw the movie. The movie basically ends about halfway through the novel (IIRC – this is over 30 years ago for me) right before the novel takes an extremely dark turn for a children’s book. I remember sitting in the theater, staring at the screen and going “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” The odd thing is that the movie ending is actually really fun, especially for the kind of bookish kid that would identify with Bastian — it just has very little connection to the novel.
</ramble> And now I need to reread the novel.
I’m curious as to the reviewer’s age.
@25 unpublished by moderator–feel free to argue with the rankings and point out movies that were left off the list, but please keep the conversation civil and be respectful of our bloggers and other commenters. We’re all fans, here, and there’s no reason to be insulted by–or insulting about–a friendly conversation. Thanks.
Krull should be higher. All hail the Glaive!
I would probably consider The Little Mermaid a fantasy. It’s at least better than the 2 animated movies that are included, but no where near as good as they Miyazaki movies mentioned above.
Not that I cared for it, but where is Red Sonja?
Tim Curry’s Satanic Existentialism sounds like the best punk rock band you’ve never heard of.
How can one talk about Legend, a fantastic film by all accounts, without mentioning Mucklebones Meg? She’s a darling:
Oh, and she’s also played by Robert Picardo. You know, the Cowboy from Inner Space. But I guess most sci-fi fans know him as the Doctor in Star Trek Voyager.
And then there’s the goblin Blix, who is modelled after Keith Richards. But personally, I just love this movie and its soundtrack. And I even like the sadly ousted Jerry Goldsmith score. They’re all good.
The top of your list pretty spot on, but I would have pushed Willow right near #1. It’s head-t0-head with The NeverEnding Story. I did name my son after Bastian, after all. :)
Only 16 for Highlander?!? For shame.
Other than that, great list.
@Stefan Raets – they made a sequel to The Neverending Story movie that covers Bastian’s adventures in Fantasia. As I recall it wasn’t nearly as well done.
A second vote for time Bandits, and what about The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as well?
The Black Cauldron was the first film I ever saw in the cinema (I would have been about four). I have no memory of it, and have never watched it since, perhaps I should.
No The Sword and The Sorcerer? That one somewhat defined dumb 80s fantasy movies for my crowd.
I like this list. I definitely would have put HIGHLANDER in the top ten, and I probably would’ve inverted PRINCESS BRIDE abs NEVERENDING STORY. Other than that (IMHO), it’s a solid list.
Damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen these movies. Time to dig out the DVDs… Thanks for the memories.
I remember renting “Wizards of the Lost Kingdom” many times during my childhood in the 80s. However, based on this trailer (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd5EKoqfWWM) I’m pretty sure it should be at the bottom of this list. (Though apparently there was a sequel in 1989.)
Re LADYHAWKE, I’d nominate Leo McKern’s frowsy monk as “comedy relief” over Broderick’s character, especially when he shows up with the wounded hawk, which McKern thinks is for supper:
“We can’t eat this bird!”
“What? Oh, no, is it Lent again already?”
Although, Broderick does get points for that rather eccentric “British” accent that he affects most of the time, and which sounds about as authentic as Dick Van Dyke’s “Cockney” accent in Mary Poppins.
Do the Ewok movies count as fantasy? Battle for Endor is almost 100% fantasy, with witches that transform into birds and so on.
Amazing list, love it. You guys should take a look at Fantasy-Faction’s recent article on the same subject. All great entries. I think all the ones from that one are in your article as well.
Again, I believe Time Bandits, Baron Munchausen, and Brazil should be noted as well :)
I think you missed Lovespell (1981 Tristan and Iseult movie) and Eric the Viking (I forgive you because I thought it might be 1990s as well).
Yeah if you’re missing Deathstalker, I don’t know how seriously I can take this listicle.
@20 – YES To the Barbarians! Everyone must find this movie and watch. Imagine if Drax the Destroyer had been born as twins and dropped into a bad Conan knockoff. An Emo Phillips wannabe is the leader of their motley crue of imbeciles, and the bad guy is Richard Lynch (inducted into both “That Guy” and “Generic Evil Dude” Halls of Fame in his first year of eligibility).
All quibbles about rankings and omissions aside, props for getting the entire list on one webpage, so I didn’t have to keep reloading ads. I really appreciate that.
may Crom grant me revenge upon you for such s misguided list! the last friggin unicorn? Highlander not in the top ten? are you kidding me?
I’d also vote for Time Bandits and Baron Munchausen. And Hearts and Armour, a mid-1980s Italian kind of Excalibur knock-off (I think based on Orlando Furioso?).
And across the Pacific you had gems like Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain and Chinese Ghost Story.
@51 unpublished by moderator. Again, feel free to argue with the rankings, but please keep the conversation civil and be respectful of our bloggers and other commenters. Thanks.
@51 has been smitten by the Gods. All is well.
Anyone remembers that weird Conan look-alike, Yor the hunter from the future?
@54
I thought about mentioning Yor, but technically speaking it’s science fiction, not fantasy. It was pretty awful, though.
@@@@@8
I actually own a copy of “The Sword and the Sorcerer”. It is hilariously bad in every sense.
@@@@@ OP
Yes, Krull should’ve been higher
Great listicle, but as others mentioned, there are some notable omissions, from Fire & Ice to The Sword & The Sorceror, Red Sonja, Deathstalker, Hawk the Slayer, and genre-bending fantasy films like Flesh and Blood (historical fantasy), Gandahar/Light Years (post apocalypse fantasy), Naussicaa (post apocalypse fantasy), Blood of Heroes (post apocalypse fantasy) and Heavy Metal (with the Den and Taarna segments warranting mention in any fantasy list).
And as ridiculous as it is, my buddies and I must have seen The Beastmaster close to a dozen times in the theater, because Tanya Roberts nekkid.
Some serious childhood angst has been stirred up here.
There are only a few of these that I have watched multiple times, still enjoy, and will eventually watch with my children: Willow, The Neverending Story (no sequels please), The Princess Bride, Ladyhawke, and Labyrinth.
The Dark Crystal is an amazing lesson in production design, but that’s about it. I feel that Willow should have taken its place in your list.
I’m looking forward to your next iteration. Sci Fi! The Last Starfighter’s Death Blossom is still one of the best movie moments of all time and makes my childhood nostalgia sing like an old Schoolhouse Rock! feature. Who knew that 9 volt battery connectors were such an integral feature of Gunstar flight computers? Defending the Frontier against Zur and the Ko-Dan Armada? Robert Preston’s greatest performance since The Music Man? The first Google Glass monocle? Bring it on!
Time Bandits! Best movie EVER. “God isn’t interested in technology. He knows nothing of the potential of the microchip or the silicon revolution. Look how he spends his time: Forty-three species of parrots! Nipples for men!”
Labrynth should have been much much higher. David Bowie’s package was a character all it’s own and was pheneomenal. But beyond that you failed to really mention the fact that Jareth was very much in love with Sarah. His attempts to woo her throughout her quest weren’t just a means of distracting her from her quest. He loved her and hoped that by the end of her journey she’d stay with him.
Hard to argue with 1, 2 and 3, but Time Bandits is easily a Top 5 fantasy movie from the 80’s. Also think Red Sonja and Conan the Destroyer should be on the list as well. Erik the Viking was late 80’s and kind of ridiculous, kind of in the same vein as Baron Munchhausen, but both are worth it to watch. I know it is more science fiction, but when I think of epic soundtracks from this time period, I always fall back to Flash Gordon.
If you are going to use an acronym, you need to use the full name once, then the acronym follows in braces. Stuff You Should Know Already (SYSKA). I have no idea what MST3K is. Does that mean I’m not your target audienceand shouldn’t bother reading your stuff?
Otherwise, it’s a fun list.
It was mentioned before, but the animated Hobbit movie was 1977. I also have no idea what MST3K is. Also…. why has it become fashonable to disparage PJ’s LotR movies? I thought they were, and still are, some of the best films ever made!!!
@62
MST3K or Mystery Science Theatre 3000 as any google search will tell you was a late night American tv series in the 90s that poked affectionate fun at a lot of terrible B movies and TV shows . I’ve never seen it, not being american, but it is fairly well known – if for no other reason than lots of people refer to it, and I think it screens regularly on days like Thanksgiving, when there is little else to watch..
#62: Good point about usage of acronyms — but in this specific case I see why this usage got past the copyedit, because MST3K is just that well known in general geek culture. (Even though I’ve never actually seen a full episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, I know enough about the series to know what the reference means.)
Also: I’m not saying Krull should have been higher on the list. But Krull is about the only movie listed here where I’m genuinely interested in the world and want to know more about it.
Since you brought up Mst3K in reference to Ator, I think the most memorable quote must be amended to “How much Keefe? Miles O’Keefe.” Also, What’s with all the questin marks?”
Another top ten vote for Highlander here, the Queen music is awesomely 80s but the Highlander Theme by Michael Kamen is awesomely epic too. In fact I’m listening to it now. Just remember that this film NEVER had any kind of sequels or spin-offs… EVER. (actually the Quest for Vengeance anime was pretty good)
Also Red Sonya should definitely be on the list somewhere.
Oh man, you missed Fire and Ice (83)! How could you?
Krull should be higher :(
The Labyrinth sould be higher :(
Have you seen the Director’s Cut of Dark Crystal? By Crom, DO IT NOW.
What the hell – Fill in the blanks as appropriate (I can’t remember very well by now)
?. Red Sonja (1985)
Quote: “I will tell the future in your entrails, Red Woman!”
“I know my future. You have none.”
Tell Us About Your Quest:
Why It’s Number ???:
Soundtrack: Epic or ’80s?
Do We Hear a Single?
How About a Video?
Wildly Mood-Shattering Comic Relief?
Awesome Weapon of Epic Destiny: The Talisman, The metal water-dragon thingy.
Ominous Prophecy or Modern Wraparound? Oddly, the heroine’s backstory is delivered to her personally just moments after she has experienced it and is very likely not in a mood to want to think about it (what with her freshly murdered family and raped self and all)
Does Love Conquer All? Not really but Arnie might be getting some at the end, so there’s that.
If TV Movies count, I’d also think The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire should be considered. I won’t say its any good, but it is unquestionably 80s fantasy. (With a considerably younger Marc Alaimo playing a treacherous slimeball who practically could have been an audition for his later role as Gul Dukat on DS9.) I recently found a copy after many years of looking and was surprised when I recognized him.
@69 — Dark Crystal director’s cut?!? Do tell …
(Although, for my money, the biggest thing they could’ve done to improve Dark Crystal would’ve been to dump Jen & Kira altogether. Everything else about the world was so wonderfully weird & gothic and they were just kind of … there.)
I had (and still do have) a soft spot for the Black Cauldron Disney movie :)
The review of Legend made me laugh SO hard. Also (and this probably came up on some other thread because I’m having some deja vu) I totally forgot Tim Curry was the devil, but he also voiced the Serpent in an animated Garden of Eden video I had.
I have actually never seen Labrynth in its entirety, or the Dark Crystal, but I always wanted to. They’re on my List of things.
I am also one of the few people who isn’t crazy about Princess Bride. I love Cary Elwes but that movie just doesn’t do it for me.
Can post apocalypse sorta fantastical movies be in? If so I would nominate 1989s The Blood of Heroes (now called Salute to the Jugger) for inclusion. No one seems to have ever seen this film but I love it. Plus it stars Rutger Hauer which should make it top ten automatically.
I wouldn’t have thought of Big Trouble in Little China as a fantasy movie but now that I think about it, it definitely is. Top three no question.
Let me echo what Wiredog said: Where is Time Bandits?
Amazing article,by crom!
80s Heroic fantasy rocks!!!
First of all, this is brilliant. I am going to go back and read all your listicles.
Second of all, ARE YOU HIGH? How can Conan not be number 1? You must have been smoking haga. If this list weren’t so smart and hilarious I would be livid. I sort of am anyway.
There is a porn version of Labyrinth out there. I’m told.
Master of the Universe above Highlander? One of the greatest sci-fantasy series of all time? It what universe does Masters even make a top 20 ranking of fantasy materials of the 1980s? It wouldn’t make my top 20 for fantasy from 1987 let alone the whole decade. If there were only 10 fantasy items released in 1987, it still wouldn’t make my top 50 for that year.
My top 5 (based on the ones listed here)…
1. Princess Bride
2. Neverending Story
3. Highlander
4. Willow
5. Labrynth
With some fudge based on my mood any given day.
Leah, I’m seriously in love with your writing style on this. I LOL’d several times reading it and I hope you do this again with scifi or another era. Seriously good stuff, even if we’re being picky. ;)
My personal list has Willow first (knocking it down for cliches is thin since everything here has that, haha), The Last Unicorn second, Princess Bride third. I really don’t care for Labyrinth or Dark Crystal (I love muppets, but they just never spoke to me and I AM a child of the 80s). Yeah, I would have Highlander higher, but it’s a faaar from perfect film! I own an embarassingly high amount of the movies on your list, actually. Ahem.
I see you aren’t doing sequels, is that why Red Sonja was dropped? It’s not a sequel, but Conan does make an appearance, so…. I’m also of the opinion that Beastmaster 2 was FAR better than the first one because it KNEW it was camp and just embraced it. The medieval sorcerer villain deciding to shop for new clothes in modern LA in the middle of a kidnapping and expecting his captive to just sit quietly outside the dressing room?? A villain get-away on a golf cart? OMG, that movie is hilarious!
Krull was plain awful you guys. The minor characters and some of the concepts were good, but the leads were just plain horrible. Would have been a decent movie without them!
1. A thousand times yes to Hawk the Slayer!
2. Time Bandits would fit, but it’s so amazing and all over time that it is almost its own animal. Terry Gilliam is a god.
3. The author’s order is fine, people. It’s well explained and not arbitrary.
4. No: late-70’s martial arts movies do not belong in this list.
5. No, no sequels or spin-offs. Those have to work 10x as hard to simply be acceptable.
6. Lighten up, Francis.
>6-a. No bloviating
A very good list, and a reminder of days long gone.
I would probably shuffle the top 7-8 titles around, although it’s hard to say that any single movie outshines the others overall.
Dragonslayer was supposedly cut to ribbons before being released, 45 minutes of footage ended up on the cutting room floor and the story suffered accordingly. The book is well worth reading, btw.
Two movies that I remember for the wrong reasons are Willow and The Black Cauldron. Both left me totally unmoved and unimpressed.
The Last Unicorn – what can I say? I jumped over to YouTube and watched a few clips, then rummaged in my old CD collection and found the original OST. I’d forgotten how epic the music was. I agree on the whole Rankin-Bass style thing, but this was a product of its time.
Many people have mentioned Hawk the Slayer. It hasn’t aged very well, it creaks around the edges and the script is wooden and predictable. But it was great fun at the time and should be in the list anyway :)
OMG I had forgotten all about the 3-bladed projectile sword! Very silly and great fun!
“Do we Hear a Single? No, Conan does not tolerate kitschy pop songs.
How About a Video? See above.”
WRONG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBGOQ7SsJrw
Wrong, wrong, wrong, SO wrong. May Crom forgive you.
OK, I read this whole thing intending to give you a hard time about Highlander being #16, (I was going to complain about Krull too – I saw it at a drive-in theatre as a kid and thought it was SO COOL – but yeah, #17) but then I get to the end and you’ve got The freaking Neverending Story as #1?? No. No way. That movie was OK when I was a kid, but I bought it a few years ago to watch with my girls and it was awful. That’s right, AWFUL. I think I apologized to my kids after we watched it. I’m not even sure we finished. We watched Willow instead and enjoyed that one quite a bit. Put The Neverending Story back at #16 (or #17 even, Krull has some good parts), move Highlander into the top 10, Legend and Willow into the top 5, and you’ve got a list that makes sense. I’d quibble about the relative merits of some the other films but it’s close. But just NO to The
NeverendingPlease Let this be the Ending Story.I came out of The Black Cauldron so furious at how they ruined the books, I’ve never watched it again. But I suppose the good part about it is I got it out of my system early, and I’m pretty chill about adaptations now.
The Legend director’s cut is better, and restores most of the Jerry Goldsmith original score, worth checking out if you haven’t seen it.
And I agree with above, I don’t think Neverending Story has held up that well, certainly by comparison with some of the others. Though I’ll always have a soft spot for the song.
I can still do a perfect Skeksis imitation. I t was one of my “go to Talents” I could pull out at the lunch table in school. Dark Crystal all the way. :)
The Legend DVD does have the non-Tangerine Dream soundtrack version, which sounds bizarrely wrong if you heard the other one first. (The Jerry Goldsmith mentioned above.)
That said, I would love to see someone do a re-soundtracked version of Ladyhawke, because while the Legend sountrack holds up, the Ladyhawke one does not….
This post and its comments are a sheer delight, whatever you think of the rankings.
I’d kind of put Zardoz among this list, were it not a little bit too sci-fi and not enough fantasy. And not from the 1970s, of course.
Jason (@71), thanks for nominating The Archer. It’s faded too far into obscurity. I saw it on TV when first shown and eagerly awaited the promised sequels that never materialized. When I’ve mentioned the Heartbow to people over the years, they always looked at me dumbfounded — as if I had imagined the movie. It’s good to know someone else has seen it, too.
Leah, you have absolutely outdone yourself. The only reason I didn’t giggle out loud reading this was because I was on a plane, and the woman next to me was trying to sleep. Brava for a brilliantly written, hilarious listicle!
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
The Secret of NIMH won Best Animated Film of 1982 at the 10th annual Saturn Awards, where it also received a nomination for Best Fantasy Film.
Just look at Nicodemus!! And the Great Owl!
As an 80s kid, these movies changed my life:
5.) The Secret of NIMH
4.) Clash of the Titans
3.) The NeverEnding Story
2.) The Dark Crystal
1.) Time Bandits
just as an fyi they didn’t even kill the main bad guy in Krull with the glaive. It gets stuck in him and they literally kill him with the fire of their union. So yeah, more like glaive is only good for smashing domes and getting lost. The movie hardly revolved around it.
Hawk the Slayer
Return of the King
Secret of Nimh
The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
Flight of the Dragons
Sword and the Sorceror
Deathstalker
Fire and Ice
Yor, Hunter from the Future
Thor the Conqueror
Warrior and the Sorceress
Barbarian Queen
The Dungeonmaster
Conan the Destroyer
Red Sonja
The Barbarians
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Adventures of Baron Munchasen
Erik the Viking
Little Mermaid
and that is without going into more modern fantasy like Time bandits, Inidana Jones, etc.
Two notable missing titles:
Honourable mention: The Barbarian Brothers
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092615/?ref_=nv_sr_1
And how does Clan of the Cavebear not make the list? Sure it’s prehistoric, but it’s still Fantasy. IMDB agrees!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090848/
Clan is certainly top 10.
Time Bandits?!?!?!?!? and thanks to whomever mentioned Hawk the Slayer. Also The Sword and the Sorcerer.
Fun list. The ranking wouldn’t quite match mine, and I think any titles I would add have already been mentioned, so just a factual correction/curiosity to add: there are official music videos to “As the World Falls Down” and “Underground”. You can find them on Youtube uploaded by EMImusic.
Compared the contempt I feel for the fact that Neverending Story is even *on* this list, you could have randomized all the rest, and I wouldn’t mind.
See, I *didn’t* see the movie as a child. I read the book as an adult, and still re-read it from time to time, and then when I finally watched the movie, I was disgusted. From Falkor the flying luch dachsund, to the fact that his father is actually “happy”, to, well, everything that was removed from the book, the movie was nearly completely unwatchable, and, in fact, utterly charmless.
Yes, I recognize some of you remember it fondly from your childhoods. I still like 70s pop music.
Now get off my lawn.
What! No Return to Oz? I’m aghast.
You also omitted Splash.
@89 – “hilarious testicle”?
Conan the Barbarian languishing back in the pack? Name another film, other than Star Wars, that has become the cultural icon and spawner of memes than Conan the Barbarian.
A big fan of LEGEND. I think it should’ve been placed a little higher at No 7 or No 8.
HIGHLANDER is a top 10 pick definitely.
You definitely missed Time Bandits, with half the Pythons plus songs & money by George Harrison! Also, wouldn’t Mad Max count as fantasy? At least the big budget one with Tina Turner, which was a staple of the 80’s as well.
As per the rankings, yes Highlander should be higher, also because of its huge cultural impact. Also, I can accept The Neverending Story as #1, but then Ladyhawke definitely is my #2. (And it isn’t true that it doesn’t span a single… ok, not in a charts way, but I remember trying forever to play the opening theme on the Yamaha keyboard I got for Christmas as a kid – especially the epic guitar solo.)
My only reason for watching the few movies on this list that I purposely caught was semi-naked dudes, since in those (pre-internet) days that was hard for a pre-teen boy to access. So my rankings would, of course, differ. As far as childhood memories, I’d have fonder recall for the science fiction films of the 80s.
Just to add one more animated film to the list; Fire and Ice. Also if you’re looking for schlocky ’80’s fantasy may I suggest The Barbarian Brothers. It’s so bad it’s fun.
What about Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey?
Another vote for Flight of Dragons – fab film, lovely music, Harry Morgan voicing one of the characters, and Don McLean singing the theme song. What’s not to love??
I know I posted earlier and I promise I’ll let this die but I thought of one additional factor; the Queen soundtrack alone puts Highlander in the top 10.
Joliet Jake: Was posting from my phone and was done in by autocorrect. Should’ve been “listicle,” and I’ve fixed it.
Also I must disagree with all those praising Highlander. I’m a huge fan of the TV series that spun off it, but the original movie is a disaster. For starters, Christopher Lambert can’t actually, y’know, act. And you know something’s wrong with your movie when half of it takes place in Scotland but the only actual Scottish actor you hire is playing an Egyptian disguised as a Spaniard……
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
whaddya mean there’s no video for “conan the barbarian”?! you obviously have missed out on one of the best things ever…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBGOQ7SsJrw
Flash Gordon anyone???
Highlander should be much, much, much higher on the list.
I love the selections for this list, but I admittedly don’t agree with the ranking at all. Beastmaster and Conan should be much higher!
I recently recorded a podcast about Fantasy movies with friends and came to different conclusions, maybe you wanna check it out:
http://thesupernaughts.com/breakfast-on-planet-x/breakfast-on-planet-x-sword-and-sorcery-fantasy-movies-interview-with-holly-wolf/
Biggest missing 80s fantasy movies from this (amazing) list:
From the “better ones”:
-The Secret of Nimh (1982)
-The Time Bandits (1981)
-The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
-Erik the Viking (1989)
-The Castle In the Sky (1986)
-Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
-Dragonslayer (1981)
-The Flight of Dragons (1982)
-The Return of the King (1980)
From the “worst ones”:
-The Barbarians (1987)
-Ator, the Fighting Eagle (aka The Invincible) (1982)
-Hundra (1983)
-Il Mondo di Yor (1983)
-The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
-The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984)
-El Caballero del Dragón (aka Star Knight) (1985)
and many more…. the best decade for fantasy!
When first found out that Beastmaster was “based on” Andre Norton’s book of the same title, my brain nearly fried out. Norton’s Beastmaster is SF. The main character has a telepathic link with some animals but he’s not unique. He’s retired soldier whose ability helped qualify him for what was basically Special Forces during a brutal war against aliens. An American Indian, his family and most of his people were wiped out when Earth was destroyed and he now lives on a colony world (with its own, indigenous population, and the main character does notice the similarity with his own people’s history). He’s keeping PTSD and survivor’s guilt at bay because, unlike a lot of other survivor’s, he’s learned of the survival of a human enemy (the aliens are gone) he can get some vengeance on. Finding him and getting revenge is what’s keeping his personal demons at bay.
Trying to reconcile that with Beastmaster is . . . painful. I’d even call it brain-exploding. And now you tell me the director actually read the book?
Flash Gordon is, strictly speaking, science fiction, not fantasy.
—KRAD
Excalibur and Clash Of The Titans are ranked much too low! Those are our hallmark fantasy movies of the 80’s. The only thing saving you is the fact that I am in complete agreement with The Neverending Story and I find myself singing the theme song to myself regularly. I also intend on having my own luck dragon before the dust settles. Falcooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
This list kinda sucks. Half these films don’t belong here and would have been better served with classic titles like “The Sword & the Sorcerer”, “Death Stalker” or even “Red Sonja.” Plus, why in the world are cartoons listed? That’s a cop-out. If throwing cartoons in then you may as well just put the whole Dungeons & Dragons series. And, nothing will ever top Conan! Princess Bride, though a great (and a favorite) film, doesn’t belong in this category.
How can you not mention the Conan the Barbarian: The musical for the video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBGOQ7SsJrw
I admit, I skimmed past some of these I wasn’t familiar with, and ended up going back to the Beastmaster entry and…OMG. My father is kind of obsessed with ferrets, so that whole thing highly amused me. Maybe I should have my dad rent this (he also can enjoy cheesy movies…).
Out of everything on the list I think the best 2 were Highlender and Willow and legend was also another movie unique in it;s own way dont get me wrong some of the others were ok but just had trouble keeping my attention maybe it’s my age and the modern movies have corrupted me :p who knows anyhow have a great day/night
Theonlyjb
http://www.theonlyjbs.com
@112 Dragonslayer (1981) is already in the list, at #5.
Came here for Deathstalker. At least some of you in the comments know what’s up.
Mio and The Land Of Faraway should’ve made the list (stars a young Christian Bale) same with Wizard of OZ 2 and The Dark Crystal. Good list tho! All my childhood faves!
Where is Drell Master? We’ll turn you into a TOAD.
http://www.amazon.com/Drell-Master-Poke-Runyon/dp/0971055203
If you bump Labrinth up to number 4 ahead of LadyHawk and you got a perfect top 4! :)
Love, love this list. Most of my favorite movies are on it. I’m excited I went to Pensacon just this past weekend and got to meet Noah Hathaway and Alan Oppenheimer (both from #1 on this list).
Like many of the other commenters, I have a few favorites from this decade that aren’t included, namely “Return to Oz” and “The Secret of Nimh”. However, I think this list is awesome otherwise. In fact, there are several on here that I haven’t seen or don’t remember that will be added to my “To Watch” list! Thanks!!
Excuse me, Josh – I love Labyrinth. But if you nudge Ladyhawk out of the top 4, well I just don’t know what I’ll do.
No Dune?
You are missing far too many films:
Altered States (no, it isn’t sci fi – spontaneous de-evolution is not scientifically possible), Flash Gordon, Hawk the Slayer, Return of the King, Xanadu, Heavy Metal, Time Bandits, Ator the Fighting Eagle, Flight of the Dragons, The Secret of Nimh, The Sword and the Sorcerer, The Dead Zone, Deathstalker, Fire and Ice, The Company of Wolves, Conan the Destroyer, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Ronia the Robber’s Daughter, Sheena, Splash, Sword of the Valiant, The Warrior and the Soceress, Barbarian Queen, Brazil, The Knight of the Dragon, The Dungeonmaster, Return to Oz, Red Sonja, Big Trouble in Little China, The Golden Child, A Chinese Ghost Story, Mannequin, The Witches of Eastwick, Beetlejuice, Big, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Always, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dream a Little Dream, Eric the Viking, Ghostbusters II, The Little Mermaid, Little Monsters…
We could also probably include the Indianna Jones movies (the first 3).
And those are just the ones I’ve seen. There’s another dozen or so more.
And if you were only interested in sword and sorcery movies, you’ll have a bunch to cut out of your list.
Also, your taste is not at all my taste. Of your top five, only the Pricess Bride would be in my top five, and I hated the main character of the Never ending story, so it’s down in the 20s for me. Time Bandits is certainly a top five peice of fantasy film making for that decade. And if we are talking about films we enjoyed, Big Trouble in Little China is way up there too.
Krad- there’s nothing really science fictiony about flying hawk people. Flash Gordon is science fantasy, but it is fantasy.
I think anytime one makes a list like this, you’re bound to miss a few films, but…
No Dune? No Secret of Nimh? And, my god, no SOLARBABIES?!
Ok, Solarbabies is a joke, but Dune and SoN were highlights of my 80s childhood (as were Time Bandits and some other space fantasy flicks which I’m assuming were applicable to the list?) – and as a result, non-inclusion here is blasphemous.
Decent list but how do Deathstalker (1983), Gor (1987), or She (1982) not make this list of movies????
@128 –
George R. R. Martin has said that the divide between science fiction and fantasy is less about what is “scientifically possible” and more about scenery and jargon.
Stuff looks modern or “futuristic” (for the time it was produced?), then it’s SF, even if the science is ludicrous. The work uses techno-babble? SF, even if patently impossible.
I’m not sure GRRM is right, but I agree that the common perception of the genres is along those lines.
Excalibur is #1, Conan #2, and you totally forgot Deathstalker,
Fail
@118, You should totally watch Beastmaster, it’s cool, some real creepy stuff(babies stolen from the womb, put in a cow).
Plus it’s got Tanya Roberts as a warrior princess(scantily clad, of course), and the weapon talked about in the post is like a forerunner to Xena’s chakram.
Since so many people are strecthing the definition of “fantasy” here, I would have liked seeing “Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone” on this list.
Yeah, I got a crush on Molly Ringwald, what of it?
If it’s got lasers it’s sci fi. End of argument. I’m also gonna remind you that Deathstalker 2 is missing and The Sword and the Sorcerer.
I might have placed Krull a little higher, but that might just be the nostalgia talking.
But Legend! That needed to go much higher. Well, the Director’s Cut of Legend, specifically, anyway.
The Director’s Cut does not feature Tangerine Dream, but instead has an Epic soundtrack, and the story is 3000% more coherent and imaginative. The Theatrical Release reads like a standard fantasy movie. The Director’s Cut reads like a rich AD&D campaign.
Another thing I love about Legend is the fact that unlike the standard fantasy adventure, it has 2 protagonist heroes with equally vital roles and quests: Jack, who must overcome his own fears, solve riddles and defeat physical obstacles to rescue Princess Lili; and Princess Lili, who must overcome her own temptations, outwit the demon Darkness, and save the whole world from eternal darkness by rescuing the last living Unicorn.
Sometimes what makes a movie great is not about the movie. When I saw Sword and the sorcerer I thought it was one of the best. Not because of the action which was ok or the laughs which were better, but because of the three stewardesses who were one row behind us who shrieked every time something even minor happened on screen. They lifted us four inches out of our chairs every time and made the show a great memory for me and my cousins.
Battle Beyond the Stars and The Last Starfighter both belong on this list. And Princess Bride should come at the top of the list. Also concur about Dune and the substantial list above. IMNSHO of course. 8)
The Last Starfighter, Ghostbusters, Battle beyond the stars, Dune, etc. These and more films don’t belong in this list. They belong in…
A Ranking of 1980s Sci-Fi That Would Please Zuul Herself!
So let’s hope Leah gets to write it sometime soon :)
In Legend, Tim Curry’s character is Darkness and not the Devil. Sorry, bit of a Ridley Scott purist here…
As soon as I read the article title I (internally) shouted: “WILLOW, DRAGONSLAYER, LADYHAWKE” and there they were. I showed all three of those to my husband and… he didn’t like them! D: He thinks I only have nostalgic attachment, I think he has clearly terrible taste. I admit… there were some cheesy moments in Willow… and Dragonslayer had Ghostbuster’s Janosz as a hero… and I did *not* remember the ridiculous 80s-ness of the Ladyhawke sountrack… BUT HE IS WRONG, THEY ARE GREAT. (He did appreciate Conan and Masters of the Universe, so I forgive him. Barely.)
There are a bunch more MST3K gems that could have crept in but I think other commenters have covered them. Fun trip down memory lane here.
Post #142 (and one response to it) deleted by moderator. Again, please, folks, it’s fine to disagree with the article, argue about the rankings, point out missing movies and so on – but do so without insulting the writers and/or other commenters. Please feel free to restate your opinion in a less offensive manner. The Tor.com moderation policy can be found here.
There is a distinct lack of Terry Gilliam from this list. As mentioned above Time Bandits being the biggest omission, but Brazil as well.
For animated. Secret of Nimh.
Thanks, mods.
People shouldn’t act as if some barbarian just walked up and punched their camel if Leah’s list comes in a different order than theirs.
@146: +1 vote for Mrs. Frisby/Brisby (depending if it’s the book or the movie) and the Rats of NIMH.
Great list and some good ideas for films to check out that I missed. I think Krull should be higher, if only because of Bernard Bresslaw as the Cyclops!
Like a few others, I was sorry to see Sword and the Sorcerer didn’t make the cut. I’ve forgotten most of it now, but I’ll never forget the immortal threat: “…or you’ll find your dubious balls hanging from the end of my sword!”
It was nice to see a lot of these movies on this list. Like most, i disagree with their order of importance. But hey, its not MY list, right? But allow me to spout some of my thoughts on the post and comments…
Time Bandits–mildly interesting, EXTREMELY overrated.
Red Sonja– female Conan, interesting story line, horrible acting, charicters, fight sequences. But still kinda worthy to be on the list. Still not sure why or how i can feel this way. Own this on DVD…
Highlander–amazing film, but a bit confuzing the first 3 times you watch it due to the disjointed flashbacks. Dont give a shit about the music. Ramirez was a very odd mishmash who’s death was verymuch forced and utterly not plausible the way it happened, i cry bullshit. Still a movie that verymuch captured me because i myself am a swordfighter who prefers japanese blades. Ironically found by chance on TBS when channel flipping out of sheer boredom.
Legend–low grade, hated the stupid muppits, stupid ending in bringing a dead unicorn back to life by touching its severed horn to its base. Tim Curry is in top form, practically BORN for the roll.
Labyrinth–hated EVERY aspect of this movie. The plot, the journey, the charicters, the STUPID FRAKKIN MUPPETS! And worst of all David Bowie, his rediculouse codpiece, and TOTALLY UNIMPRESSIVE excuses for music. You want impressive music, try the soundtrack for Krull….
Sword&the sorcerer–glad plenty of others mentioned this one. Nifty sword did anyone else notice that Cromwells sword is 4+ feel long and a half an inch thick? How much would that bitch weigh IRL?
Dark Crystal–EPIC… SonyuTaymar is actually part of my lexicon now. A muppet movie that actually works because its ALL muppets instead of some bullshit mix of live action and muppet.
Yor:hunter from the future–funny that this one was mentioned by someone. Yeah, i remember it, was comically bad. A fun one to reference from time to time in conversation when you want people to say, “huh?”
Never ending story–no, just no… not as #1. Was a great movie when i was a 15 year old girl. Not so much now. I acquired this on DVD about 2 years ago, and STILL havent watched it. Still love the music. Absolutely STUPID ending…
Masters of the universe–very badly done, even Dolfe is embarrassed and wishes it forgotten. Totally not worthy.
I could go on. I have seen a LOT of movies, but think i will stop here.
It’s hard to imagine this list without Time Bandits. That would be my #2 right after Princess Bride. Also…how about Heavy Metal?
Some great ones listed in the comments, but one that is missing and should fully be represented: YELLOWBEARD!
Whoa whoa whoa…..there now needs to be a sci-fi list, because Flash Gordon is awesome. Just pointing that out.
What about Army of Darkness. Surely it falls on this list somewhere.
So many good lines. “Well hello Mr Fancy Pants!” or I’ve got news for you pal, you ain’t leadin’ but two things, right now: Jack and shit… and Jack left town.”
Classic
In case no one mentioned it here, I want to ask why the animated movie “Fire & Ice” released in 1983 didn’t make the list. My favorite quote: Nekron – “Next time you present me with one of your little sluts, Mother dear… I’ll squash you like a bug.”
Any list that lacks Deathstalker is a fail.
I know I’m in the minority, but I hate The Princess Bride with every fiber of my being. I find the humor unfunny, the romance unromantic, and the fantasy unfantastical. Each distracts from the other to the point of making it a failure on every level. Any generational affection for it seems to rely on oft-repeated one-liners and nothing more.
@157: I’m not strongly opposed to The Princess Bride – but I do take your point. It could be viewed as a parody of its own genre, intentionally going over the top with every trope. And yet I know most of it by heart, and when a movie is that familiar, it’s hard to distinguish quality from sheer nostalgia. I’m not saying it’s bad – I like it – but I posit the notion that it is familiarity that breeds affection, and that you’d have to find someone who had never seen it – never been exposed to the concept – to determine if it’s actually a good movie.
Mio in the Land of Faraway sporting a young Christian Bale.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093543/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Return to Oz with a youn Fairuza Balk.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089908/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Lionheart with a young Eric Stoltz.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093424/?ref_=nv_sr_3
I could never like the Neverending Story as a film, because it is only part of the book, and I grew up reading the book. Unfortunately it’s also the part of the book that completely throws you off on what the book is actually about.
The film isn’t bad as such, it’s just a very pale shadow of such awesome source material that I’m always hugely disappointed when I watch it.
No mention of Patrick Stewart (Capt Picard) appearing in Excalibur? :O
“We don’t need another hero”…
(yes, I know it’s a sequel… and the original is 1979…)
This pretty much sums up my childhood, though the animated Tolkien flicks are missing from the list.
@157 – I kind of agree with you! I can’t say I hate it with every fiber (I do really like Cary Elwes) but I always get pretty bored with it once they get into the forest. I never watched it as a child, so I wasn’t that impressed with it when I first saw it. I also found the romance really hard to swallow.
I feel the same way about Monty Python and the Holy Grail. When I was in school I had some friends who quoted it CONSTANTLY. So at some point my mom rented it and by then it was so overquoted to me it just was not funny at all.
Why is “Highlander” so far down & below “Masters of the Universe”? I loved He-Man, but that movie was pretty horrendous. Also, where is “Red Sonja”?
For real, a tip of the hat to the magnificence of your list and movie descriptions. I’m sure everyone would have ranked things slightly differently but damn, you represented the best and in hard-to-dispute order. Slow clap for you, you awesome person. Tears of joy when reading Legend, Willow, Labyrinth and Conan. May Crom smile on you for this worthy gift to 80’s fantasy nerds.
I would have taken Time Bandits over Black Cauldren.
The scene in Conan the Barbarian where Conan spots a llama? The reason he exclaims “Can yoi believe that? Is because, if you look closely you can see that there is a person humping the llama. No foolin’
#154
Army of Darkness is great, but it’s from the 1990s.
Post #170 deleted by moderator. One more time, folks, it’s absolutely fine to disagree with the article, argue about the rankings, point out missing movies and so on – but only if you can do so without insulting the writer of the article and/or the other commenters here. Tor.com’s moderation policy can be found here.
FIRE AND ICE is missing?! FIRE AND ICE!!!!
I think the reviewer has totally misunderstood Krull. The Glaive was a cool visual and maybe there’s a directors cut where it does anything worth a damn. Power of love? The bad guy is *literally* defeated by it. The Glaive does nothing but keep spinning while the big bad laughs. As part of the earlier wedding ceremony, Colwyn gives Lyssa his fire to take into herself. This is actual fire. At the end she gives him back his fire, multiplied by her love for him and Colwyn literally blasts that love fire from his hands and wrecks the hell out of everything. It is the most “” Power Of Love” ending of any film in this list.
Crom endorses no film without fraking!!!
I disagree with the author’s take on Tangerine Dream. Their movie scores make the most mediocre movies seem good. No Fire and Ice or Wizards? Warrior and the Sorceress? Deathstalker. Cmon man!
Not a movie, but the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon from the 80’s deserves an honorable mention.
My favorite is “Time Bandits”, but from this list “Highlander” should have veen higher.
An effective list, surely. I, too, feel that Sword and the Sorcerer was missing from this list, but realize it was a B movie, and many missed it. It came out the same time as Conan. I remember it most fondly because I was in boarding school, and we had a town trip to Portland, and intended to see Conan, but as kids, the theater would not let us in to the R rated movie. But, they were less concerned at the theater playing Sword and the Sorcerer, so we saw that movie, instead. I had to wait a month to see Conan (which I LOVED).
Still, I had so much fun with my friends in the balcony, watching Sword and the Sorcerer. It’s riotously entertaining, with great moments, great quotes, and fun for all.
Also, your fond memory of Conan appears to be of the television cut of the film… I am sorry to say, the scene with the animals was far less innocent than you remember. Conan was not laughing at a Llama, he was laughing at a man, er… having his way with the animal. Clearly visible in the wide screen version, but perhaps cut off on television? And, then the camel spits on him, which outrages him, and he punches the camel, knocking it out. It’s a wonderful, hysterical scene. But… well, “charming” is not the word I’d give it.
My god man, where’s “THE SWORD AND THE SORCEROR??
@113 Ellynne
There was a time when women weren’t as welcome in SciFi, and had to masquerade their works as other more “acceptable” forms of speculative fiction.
And no, by “a time” I don’t mean last week, but I can see how you could still feel that way…
I’m with Jason Ipswitch. Where’s Hawk the Slayer? Who can pass up Jack Palance as the bad guy?
I’m surprise that Return To Oz isn’t on the list… doubly surprised it took 97 comments before someone pointed it out, and triply surprised that it was Eric Shanower who wrote all the great Oz adaptations for Marvel comics (illustrated by Skottie Young) and made a few amazing Oz stories of his own. Because of course the first person to comment on no Return to Oz is Eric Shanower. I love it!
But yeah, the big 5 notable absences were Reaturn to Oz, Sword snd Sorcerer, Red Sonja, Time Bandits and Secret of Nimh… (all so much bigger than Ator). Were the Studio Ghibli films released domestically in the 80’s? Do I smell a revision in the works after a certain writer does some home(video)work?. for now this list gets an incomplete (no real fussing over the order on my end)
I also think Highlander isn’t that great (to my wife’s continued dismay) and much prefer The Quickening (because I love 80’s sci-fi… so let’s have that list next!)
A bunch of medieval heralds would get “free rein“.
With that out of my system; I usually don’t worry about the rankings, just what makes a list. But I may be the only one who usually prefers Conan the Destroyer over Barbarian.
ETA: Gah.
No “Sword and the Sorcerer?”
Princess Bride is not number one? Inconceivable!
Good list, but like others said, some key missing components. I’m sure someone probably mentioned this, but if you’re going to have animated movies listed here, Secret Of Nimh was fantastic and should at least take The Last Unicorn’s spot… And I don’t know if the Hobbit or LOTR animations were 70’s or 80’s, but they were terrible… Does anyone remember the not suitable for kids scene in Black Cauldron where the frog is suffocating in a close up of giant boob cleavage?
How about “Hearts and Armour?” my buddy let me borrow his VHS copy a few years ago. Can’t believe I had never heard of it before but probably belongs here.
I’ve never seen Ladyhawke, but is that photo from a restored edition? The colors are really good, as well as the general definition of the photo.
Purple Rose of Cairo
Conan should be about # 50, and Princess Bride should be #1. Other than those, not a bad ranking.
So many of these are brilliant! Willow, Princess Bride, Legend, The Black Cauldron, Labrynth, & The Never ending story will forever be my childhood. Love this list!
??Britt
How can you leave out Red Sonja!!!
Highlander deserves to be in the top 10, and I would place The Neverending Story somewhere near the bottom of the list, but otherwise a solid ranking of my youth. Absolutely agree with the other commentors that The Sword and The Sorcerer is the one glaring omission.
Secret of NIHM, Time Bandits, Baron Munchausen, and Brazil
Clash of the Titans loses all the cheesy fun of Harryhausen’s other movies; all that’s left is all-star pomposity, which would put it even further down my list. cf your complaint that every English actor appears in Excalibur — which I would rate much higher (certainly above the next 3 on your list) for its breaking through cliches (Merlin is much more plausible than any other wizard of that time) and for not ducking the dark side of the Matter of Britain (rape, incest, …). Willow also belongs lower; when we saw it in first run, we tried to keep count of the number of fantasy cliches it hit but gave up somewhere in the teens.
I was very disappointed by Dark Crystal when it came out, and no happier on watching the DVD 25 years later; everybody was so busy making new muppets that they forgot to provide a substantial (or even believable) story for the muppets to appear in.
contra everyone mentioning Brazil: that’s science fiction, not fantasy. A great film (especially with the real ending, not the cut-at-the-pastoral-idyl version US distributors wanted), but not fantasy.
In Conan the Barbarian he says “Can you beleive that!?!?” because someone is having sex with the llama, not just because there is a llama. How have you missed this? Unless you’re trying to blank it out, got knows I still am.
A vote here for Deathstalker II. Like the Star Trek films, the even numbered ones are far superior . . .
KRULL should definately been higher. If for nothing more than the crystal spider stop-motion scene. It’s a gorgeous piece of work and the tragedy that surrounds the Widow of the Web deserves a higher place on the list. Some of the other special effects are sub-par, but all is forgiven by the crystal spider. I read a lengthy article in Cinefex mag. about the difficulty of making a transluscent creature. How to hide the joins, how to make it able to move…AND on eight legs, no less! I’ll always love this movie just for that scene.
I still have my “Last Unicorn” stuffed toy. *laughs* I liked Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.
Firing off a few dying neurons scanning your list (trying) to recall originally seeing the movies at the theaters.
I won’t argue the rankings (very subjective), but Time Bandits, Baron Munchausen, NIMH, and the Flight of Dragons should be on the list.
The stuff coming out of Hong Kong in the 1980s was FAN-tastic. Much better than the sword and sorcery stuff that was all the rage in America and Italy. Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain is one of the best fantasy films ever made, not just in the 1980s, and films like A Chinese Ghost Story, Witch from Nepal, et al. aren’t far behind it. I like Big Trouble in Little China, but it’s a pale shadow.
Also: The Little Mermaid? Seems like a fantasy film to me.
Thank you thank you thank you for your #1 pick. :D :D :D
I would also add my votes for Sword and the Sorcerer and Red Sonja as well as Flesh+Blood (sort of). Anyone know why Arnold wasn’t Conan in that? Was it because Conan was more or less public domain whereas Arnold’s likeness as Conan was not? I don’t know that Deathstalker and Barabarian Queen, etc., should be considered as it looks like this list mainly concerns itself with wider release films than those were. At least Gor didn’t make the list.
My only thing is how you can have a querstion about mood breaking comedy in Excalibur and not mention sex in full plate armor. I mean, that kind of did it for me for the whole movie. There was no coming back to appreciate how serious we were supposed to believe it was.
Actually, in the same vein, I wonder why Tom Cruise’s horrible horrible teeth aren’t mentioned in the bit on Legend? I’m with you. Tim Curry was much much better.
Umm….Flash Gordon. 1980.
What a fantastic list! Princess Bride always seems to have a lot of haters, but then again, the greats always do. The next list should be 80’s Superhero Movies. I nominate Condorman to start things off.[b][b] [/b][/b]
LEGEND!!! I remember when I saw it the first time on cable after school one afternoon in the fifth grade. It was so weird, and the push-pull of the fascinating-disgusting Devil?! Too much. Who knew that in all that mess would be the absolute perfection of Tim Curry’s casting? I bought the special edition DVD when it was released. I watched it just a couple weeks ago, again on cable. I still enjoy it. It still kinda freaks me out.
I was born in 1980, and the child that I was would probably list these as the greatest 80s fantasy movies (no order):
The Princess Bride
Neverending Story
Return to Oz
Flight of the Navigator
The Last Unicorn
He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword
Rainbow Brite: The Beginning of Rainbowland
The Little Mermaid
The Golden Child
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
some Casper the Friendly Ghost movies
As an adult looking back, it would be somewhat different. I just rewatched The Dark Crystal, by the way, and my kid and I found it extremely boring. But the Last Unicorn ages well, and so does Labyrinth.
Great list, except for its lack of HIGHLANDER in the top 5. How in the wide, wide world of sports is it ranked under BLACK CAULDRON?? Or… well, anything under #5!? I just don’t get it.
Highlander needs to be at the Top of the list not the Bottom!
And the animated “The Return of the King” by the same directors as the Last Unicorn should also be at the top of the list if for no other reason than the song “Where there is a Whip, There’s a Way”. I LOVE that song! It shoudl have been a single.
Mostly a decent list, but Highlander should be in the top 10. There was only one (Highlander movie, that is) and its soundtrack was BOTH 80s and epic. So say we all.
p.s. I presume Leah counted Time Bandits as sci-fi rather than fantasy. It’s a fair judgement call.
Where are…
The Hobbit (Bass Rankin)
Crossworlds
Beastmaster II (it should replace the first one on this list)
The Flight of Dragons (another Bass Rankin masterpiece)
Haha, for the Neverending Story I can understand why the Princess Bride was pushed to 2.
The one thing that really caught my attention? (I haven’t seen Krull, but…) The “Glaive” is totally not a glaive. I don’t know what a five-bladed boomerang thingy should be called, but a glaive is a single-bladed polearm.
I must say, the Neverending Story would not be my #1 choice, despite Atreyu, who was pretty awesome. I really didn’t like Falkor, and the ending didn’t make any sense (but clearly I need to read the book). My top five (fueled partly by nostalgia) would probably be Princess Bride, Labyrinth, Willow, Last Unicorn, Dark Crystal. And I have added Ladyhawke to my personal “want to see” list as a result of this article.
Princess Bride has to go at number 1. It has the best sword fight ever, the best kiss ever, Andre the Giant, Rodents of Unusual Size, and a Magician.
Flash Gordon needs to be at number 3 – Flash, he’ll save every one of us, the Queen soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks of any action adventure flick.
Highlander is number 4.
I love the movie ‘Legend’ but the version I have on DVD (and had on VHS before that) has the gorgeous score by John Barry. Even back then, Ridley Scott knew how to make an incredibly atmospheric movie!
Three specific notes:
* I’ll join the handful of commenters who boggled at the omission of Return to Oz, which absolutely belongs on this list (somewhere in the middle of the top 10, I’d argue).
* I’ll also second the one mention in 200+ posts of Daryl Hannah’s Splash — which I’d have expected to get far more mention in the comment-stream than it’s actually had. (A couple of other under-endorsed notables, also from #128: Beetlejuice and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
* I liked The Princess Bride, but I first came to that story via the novel, and for all that the film is a really well-made film, it feels incomplete to me without the Morgenstern framing device behind it. Mind, I totally understand the moviemakers’ choice not to try and include that element — it would have been difficult to impossible to actually pull off its inclusion — but that’s where the work’s real magic is for me.
General observation: what with all the eligible films mentioned to this point, we’re at a potential list of over 50 movies, which is…unwieldy, not to mention omitting yet a further handful of outlying cases (as, for instance, the second and third Muppet feature films). I think this calls for sub-division: there are enough straight sword-&-sorcery/heroic fantasy movies to populate a Top 10 or Top 20 by themselves, with a second list for adaptations (Return to Oz, Flight of Dragons, Black Cauldron, NIMH, etc.), and a third for original & modern fantasy (Splash, Big Trouble in Little China, Time Bandits, Golden Child, etc.).
#58, I agree with your choice of films, though I would add Excalibur, which I consider the definitive Arthurian film, and I’ve seen a few. It’s a pity that at the time when it was in the cinemas there was a coffee commercial that used O, Fortuna, so when it came on, there was a burst of laughter. And there is that scene in which Uther Pendragon has violent sex with Ygraine without taking off his armour! The actor himself cringes at the memory. But it was a beautiful film. I would have put The Princess Bride on top, myself.NES is lovely, but PB is the one from which people are still quoting after all these years, while NES is only of interest to 1980s fantasy film enthusiasts.
I adore Ladyhawke! And the music. I have the DVD at home and played it while I was completing the edits on my mediaeval werewolf novel, and it helped! :-)
Time Bandits! You forgot Time Bandits…there are so many fab 80’s fantasy flicks, you couldn’t have named them all. This was like reliving my childhood though. I remember many a Saturday reenacting most of these films (esepcially Neverending Story) with the neighbourhood kids.
Adventures of Baron Munchausen definitely should be in the list. A seriously underated movie.
Also, as long as we’re talking modern fantasy, I gotta confess that I love Big, with Tom Hanks.
And Wim Wenders’s Wings of Desire was sort of Vertigo-style fantasy, before there was Vertigo, or even before Neil Gaiman started Sandman.
As a child of the ’80s, this list is my childhood, but…
No BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA???
That’s top 5 for sure!
How could you leave out “Yor”?! Oh, right, there was no 50th best movie…
I honestly can’t believe that Beastmaster got included here…The movie was so epically bad that Andre Norton disowned the whole thing and demanded her name not be listed in the credits!
Yeah, I also loved Highlander, and thought Willow (ranked at #9) was a very weak movie, sort of Lucas trying to do a “typical” Lucas/Spielberg movie, but with too much cuteness and not enough edge.
I don’t usually last through a post this long, but it was delightful, including the comments. Please – more!
What about The Company of Wolves, Return to oz, The witches, or I don’t know.. Blade Runner??
Also, The Labyrinth did have a featured single as well as music video, it was ‘underground’.
Legend also had an alternate Uk version featuring a score by Jerry Goldsmith and a different single by Jon Anderson called ‘Loved by the Sun’.
I feel this list needs to get remade.
That is all. ????
What a great list!
I’ll not quibble about the ranking order, but I do think that the list is missing Time Bandits and Red Sonja – add those in somewhere, and you’ve got a nice even list of 20 movies.
Thanks for the flashback!
One more vote for “Time Bandits” and “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”. “Time Bandits” has been my favorite film since I saw it in a theatre as a wide-eyed little kid.
Jason and the Argonauts, The Sphinx, Sinbad and the eye of the tiger are Similar Movies.
Haven’t seen most of those but can’t stop laughing out out reading your article. Guess I’ll watch Highlander again just to hear the Egyptian dude talking with a Scottish blurr.
ah I had forgotten so many of these. Have to disagree with #2 as it was always really really way to silly for me even when I was a child (though I didn’t see it until the 90s when I was about 13 so that may be partialy why) #1 though oh man, I can’t believe I had forgotten that movie. So so so good. And one if I ever have kids I hope I can find to show them. Such a great classic film.
Willow should’ve been closer to # 3 or 4, epic film, otherwise I agree with your rankings.
Thanks for the post, now I am set to watch them all in order…
#12 – Ledgend- visually lovely- still. Amazed that you missed this: Jon Anderson wrote and sang the “single” Loved by the Sun in collaboration with with Tangerine Dream. A much-loved song by one of the most remarkable lyricists and vocalists of the age.
Is Your Love Strong Enough? has David Gilmour on guitar and bassist Gary Pratt in the mix.
Loved by the Sun was released in the US, but, not in the UK version of the film.
https://soundcloud.com/edward-bonilla-1/loved-by-the-sun-jon-anderson (Tim Curry, Brian Ferry, David Gilmor, Tangerine Dream, *and* Jon Anderson? With unicorns? Prog-lovers everywhere are still in love with this one.)
IMHO_ Tors eds- you are missing a shot if you don’t get someone on the case of creating a chapbook edition of Anderson’s lyrics as poetry. With Roger Dean illos.
Thanks for the fun read. It brought back memories. Obviously, Highlander belongs higher on the list. I’m not a fanboy, but its creativity and production values put it in a different category from derivative fantasy fare. Also, the rape isn’t casual, it’s part of the plot and its horror is appropriately communicated to the viewers.
Sadly, the sumptuously filmed Orlando falls just outside of the range of this list because it was made in 1992. That said, it’s well worth watching anyways and most fantasy lovers missed its existence because of the highly,unlikely author of the original book it’s based on (Virginia Woolf)
You’ve pretty much got this list in reverse. Neverending story is about the silliest fantasy I can tjhink of off the top of my head, absolutely hated it as a kid, and you have a Conan rip-off B movie ahead of Conan itself!
What this tells me is that whoever wrote this list thinks fantasy should be all fairy tales for children.
Red Sonja? That seems like a big one to miss out. Also, Conan should have been higher. That movie is everything.
HOW do you not have The Sword and the Sorcerer on this list??? In Dragon Magazine, Gary Gygax commented that the hero of that movie was much, much closer to the literary Conan the Barbarian than Swartzeneggar’s weirdly mute and frankly boring portrayal. And Gygax was absolutely right. Sword and the Sorcerer was better than most of the movies on this list, though this is otherwise a good list. For me, Ladyhawke’s #1 of the decade and Princess Bride #2 – overall, you have most of these films in what IMO is around the right ranking.
Frankly I’m not that fond of ‘The Neverending Story’. I prefer ‘The Last Unicorn’. The best things ‘Highlander’ has going for it is a, the Soundtrack and b, the Quickenings. I do love a good window smashing quickening! As far as I am concerned ‘Legend’ should have totally been about Lily seducing and besting Darkness and saving herself and the Unicorn. Forget Jack and his short backup crew. I am still madly in love with Sarah’s masquerade gown and especially her jewelry. As I recall ‘Krull’ the Glaive gets stuck in something and Corwyn and Lyssa end up saving themselves and everybody else with the power of their love – which turns Corwyn into a Lyssa powered flame thrower. And you got to love the marriage ceremony with the bride ‘taking fire from water’. I can totally live without Conan and rip-offs.
Tim Curry’s a fuggin LEGEND. Y’all should try watching BARON VON MUNCHAUSEN tho. Pretty sure it’s 80’s, I think. Either way it’s worthy of the list.
Correction: THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN. And it looks like it is 80’s.
I had the same question as Dirk @28. It seems strangely weighted towards kid’s movies.
I am someone who was 14-18 when most of these movies came out and I think my listing would be different.
Most of these were made for a much younger audience. Those that were not (because the were rated R and/or took themselves somewhat more seriously) you did not seem to like as much. The list is what it is, but that is my impression.
Because I just rewatched it last night: Had RETURN TO OZ come up anywhere in the comments?
KRULL should have been much higher on the list. Especially with its breathtaking cinematography and incredible epic score.
What, no mention of how awesome a dragon Vermithrax Perjorative is!?! Well, at least the movie is on here.
I love the sarcasm and the humor in the article.
But…
No Barbarians and Red Sonja?
80’s or Epic? Epic fail. :)
I like how love turns you into a flamethrower in Krull.
As far as I am concerned Legend is ALL about Lily and how she plays Darkness.
Ysabeau is marvelous, so beautiful and ethereal. So bold and resolute.
The Last Unicorn is simply wonderful.
The Neverending Story? Just okay?
Ok, this just made me want to watch all of them. I’ve seen a few, but I feel like I’m totally missing out on the others. Oh, and also, you totally forgot The Secret of Nimh 1982, which definitely would be near the top of this list. Also I’d have to disagree with you on the Last Unicorn soundtrack. I thought it was amazing. But then again, I may be biased because I probably watched that movie every night when I was a kid
Add my vote for The Sword and the Sorcerer. Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, George Maharis, Richard Moll and Richard Lynch!
What about Time Bandits? Man that one gave me nightmares for years!
theres this movie I’m trying to remember the name of, it’s from either the 80s, 90s, or early 2000s. I can’t remember what the plot is exactly, but I remember the villain is a very creepy man with scraggly hair and a messed up eye, maybe it’s black, maybe it’s pink, I can’t remember. There is also a scene where they visit the tooth fairy I believe and the entire castle is like made of teeth and there’s a pile of teeth in the center! It’s not pagemaster, it’s not stardust, it’s not willow, it’s nothing on this list, and I can’t find it anywhere on the internet! I feel like it’s called something along the lines of “the dream theif” or “the book keeper” something with the word thief, or master, or keeper… but I could be wrong. It has the same creepy fantasy vibe as the Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. Please if you know what it’s called tell me!
Yourgrandpa: pretty sure you’re describing the 2006 adaptation of Sir Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather.
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
@254: Possibly The Hogfather (2006). Mr. Teatime has scraggly hair and a solid black eye.
@77 One chews hagga…
Sara’s masquerade ball gown is over the top gorgeous, and so is David Bowie, eye makeup and eighties hair and all.
I like Lily’s costumes too, and just love the transformation dance.
Hilarious reviews, thanks. I totally lived through this era, and haunted video stores, looking for B ( or worse) sci-fi and fantasy VHS tapes in the 80s, and into the 90s.
There was a video for Labyrinth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qga12-bAS4A
@260 There was also a video for “As the World Falls Down.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1UEfgwiULo