If cinema is truly a medium in which the unimaginable can seem possible, then the fantasy genre has a unique power to enchant audiences. The term “fantasy” is often associated with medieval mythology, as shows like House of the Dragon, The Wheel of Time, and The Witcher have been increasingly popular within the last decade. However, fantasy can mean a lot of different things depending on the filmmaker’s approach; it’s a flexible genre that can intertwine with comedy, drama, adventure, and music.

It’s no secret that the film industry has faced some significant issues within the past five years. Between the theatrical shutdowns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the rise of streaming services like Netflix, and the box office disappointments of several major blockbusters, it can often feel like a hard time to be a movie fan. However, great fantasy films are instrumental in getting audiences excited about going to the movies again. These are the best fantasy movies of the last 5 years, including underrated gems and outright masterpieces that prove the genre is better than ever.

13 ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

The Daniels created one of the most epic fantasy movies with Everything Everywhere All at Once. After getting audited by the IRS, Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh) must connect parallel universes together in order to stop a powerful entity from destroying everything. The movie is full of non-stop action and amazingly choreographed fight scenes.

At the heart of the movie, it’s about family and the desire to belong somewhere. It’s about wanting to feel accepted by the ones you love. The Daniels did an excellent job blending all of these elements together without any of it feeling forced. A little bit over two hours, the movie never feels like it slows down or leaves anything out. It’s a spectacular fantasy adventure through the multiverse and deserves all the accolades and recognition it’s received since its release.

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12 ‘Dream Scenario’ (2023)

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli

A black comedy written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, a Norwegian filmmaker, Dream Scenario is about a man named Paul Matthews who begins to appear in peoples’ dreams. He can’t explain why this is happening, but as more and more people start to dream about him, the stranger Paul’s life gets.

Nic Cage is at his best when he’s exploring strange fantasy worlds, and Dream Scenario is no different. The movie explores themes of identity as Paul struggles to understand why he’s in people’s dreams, and themes of existentialism as he grapples with the meaning of his existence and what he actually means to people. Dream Scenario has so much packed into it, but it still manages to be lighthearted at times. It’s a great watch if you’re looking for a fantasy movie that will really make you think.

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11 ‘The Lighthouse’ (2019)

Directed by Robert Eggers

Starring Willem Defoe and Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse is about two lighthouse keepers in the nineteenth century who are stranded on an outpost in New England after a storm disconnected them from the mainland. The two spiral into madness as they attempt to survive by themselves in the lighthouse.

Robert Eggers created one of the strangest movies that most critics don’t even know how to categorize. It’s been called a fantasy movie, but also a horror and drama film. The movie was inspired by an unfinished story by Edgar Allan Poe of the same title and also the legend of an accident that happened at a nineteenth-century lighthouse in Wales called Smalls Lighthouse. The movie was met with positive reviews, with most saying that it’s a terrifying portrayal of the human psyche and an account of the horrible things that can happen when we’re left alone for too long.

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10 ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ (2022)

Directed by George Miller

While he’s best known for his work creating the Mad Max franchise, director George Miller made one of the boldest and most underrated films of his career with the fantasy epic Three Thousand Years of Longing. Based on a script that Miller developed with his daughter, the film centers on a romance between a professor (Tilda Swinton) and a djinn (Idris Elba) who has become stuck in a bottle. As he recounts his life’s story, the djinn realizes he’s falling in love.

As with all of Miller’s films, Three Thousand Years of Long is visually inventive, using flashbacks to span the scope of human history. However, the extraordinary scale never comes at the price of the characters; there’s an intimacy to the dynamic between Elba and Swinton that feels very personal. Miller shows that he is unafraid to be hopeful and even sweet, delivering a mature and layered love story unlike anything cinema has produced recently.

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9 ‘Wonka’ (2023)

Directed by Paul King

Given how iconic Gene Wilder’s performance in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was, it seemed impossible for any actor to fill in his shoes and provide a different interpretation of the character. Even Johnny Depp failed miserably in Tim Burton’s 2005 remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, Wonka is a fascinating origin story for the iconic character, giving Timothee Chalamet the chance to showcase his incomparable charisma.

Wonka is a very sweet movie that understands Wonka’s sincerity and kindness and isn’t afraid to pull on the audience’s heartstrings with some overly sentimental moments. What’s most surprising is that director Paul King pulls off a genuinely great musical; Chalemet’s rendition of the iconic number “Pure Imagination” is most certainly one of the film’s highlights, but there are several new songs as well. Wonka blends fantasy spectacle with heartfelt meaning, producing a colorful and warm story that’s perfect for all audiences.

8 ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ (2023)

Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

Dungeons & Dragons has been a notoriously difficult property to crack on the big screen, as the ill-fated film starring Jeremy Irons proves. However, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves turns the fantasy mythology into a sprawling action comedy that cheekily pays homage to the franchise’s fandom. Game Night directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein create an original story that combines all the creatures, quips, spells, and stunning locations that Dungeons & Dragons fans could ask for.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves features genuinely great performances, including Chris Pine in a fun performance reminiscent of his work as James Kirk in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. While Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, and Justice Smith all have fun roles, the film’s scene stealer is almost certainly Hugh Grant in another villainous role. Although dismissed by audiences, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fantasy adventure that hits all the right notes for fans and newcomers to the beloved IP.

7 ‘Nine Days’ (2021)

Directed by Edson Oda

Nine Days is a powerful existentialist drama that explores universal themes about the achievement of one’s life and the totality of death. The extraordinary directorial debut by filmmaker Edson Oda centers on the arbiter Will (Winston Duke), who is tasked with judging souls once they come to the afterlife. Will initially seems to be emotionally detached from his duties but begins to show more empathy for his subjects when he learns about what their lives look like.

Duke gives an extremely vulnerable performance, which is far more emotional and gripping than his more famous work in Black Panther and The Fall Guy. Nine Days is bound to leave viewers questioning their lives, as it raises interesting discussions about what memories should be preserved. While the density of the philosophy can get quite heavy and demanding, Nine Days ultimately has a hopeful message about the power of art and the meaning of a full life.

6 ‘The Boy and the Heron’ (2023)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

It goes without saying that Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend, as his work with Studio Ghibli has forever changed how audiences see animated films. However, The Boy and the Heron may be the most mature and introspective film of Miyazaki’s career. The Boy and the Heron loosely draws from Miyazaki’s life to explore themes of coping with death and the loss of innocence.

This Oscar-winning film includes many references to his past triumphs, including visual parallels to films like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Wind Rises, among others. The Boy and the Heron can be an emotionally overwhelming experience, as it may be difficult to determine Miyazaki’s intentions with the project after just one viewing. However, the rich texture of the film’s aesthetics makes it more than worthy of multiple viewings.

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5 ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ (2022)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

There have been many interpretations of the Pinocchio story, including the original Disney animated classic and the famously disastrous live-action remake starring Tom Hanks. However, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a beautifully rendered stop-motion film that engages with the fantasy and horror elements of the story. Pinocchio is ultimately about how a child’s innocence is taken advantage of during a fascist regime; even though the story is made with a youthful audience in mind, Del Toro does not shy away from the darker implications.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is gorgeous on a visual level, as each of the iconic characters is rendered with extraordinary detail. An excellent musical score, cast of great vocal performers, and novelistic framing device make Gullermo del Toro’s Pinocchio perhaps the best adaptation of the story. The film fittingly earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

4 ‘Palm Springs’ (2020)

Directed by Max Barbakow

While it’s a framing device that has been popular since the release of Groundhog Day, the time loop story gets a radical reinvention in the sci-fi fantasy comedy Palm Springs. Set at a wedding celebration in California, Palm Springs centers on the womanizer Nyles (Andy Samberg), who becomes forced to relive the same day. Niles discovers that the wedding guest Sarah (Cristin Miloti) is also stuck in the same loop; as they attempt to break free of their confines, they fall in love.

Palm Springs takes the possibilities of a time loop premise to their extremes, as Nyles and Sarah engage in all sorts of eccentric activities when they believe that they are capable of living a life without consequences. Although the film has an offbeat sense of humor, the heartfelt connection between the characters and a clever screenplay allows it to enter into more sincere territory.

3 ‘All of Us Strangers’ (2023)

Directed by Andrew Haigh

All of Us Strangers uses the fantasy genre to tell a haunting story about self-acceptance, family trauma, and sexual identity and is almost certain to leave its viewers in tears. The film centers on the screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott), who begins to have visions of his mother (Claire Foy) and father (Jamie Bell), who both perished when he was a child. Adam wants to bridge a connection with the family he felt he never knew but remains cautious about admitting his sexuality to them.

All of Us Strangers is a remarkable piece of LGBTQ representation that speaks to the debilitating effects of loneliness. Although the film wrestles with seriously devastating topics, it’s also an empowering story about the ability to draw from one’s memories. Scott gives the most vulnerable and heartfelt performance of his career; the way he conveys his feelings makes Adam a character that any audience member can relate to.

2 ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)

Directed by Joel Crawford

While 2011’s Puss in Boots was certainly an entertaining animated spinoff that gave Antonio Banderas’ feline swashbuckler a satisfying origin story, it hardly ranked as one of the stronger installments in the Shrek series. However, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish turned the Shrek universe on its head by incorporating stunning new fantasy elements, evoking comparisons to the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse franchise.

While still definitely aimed at a family audience, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish featured kinetic action sequences worthy of Banderas’ Western projects. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish took a darker, more thoughtful approach to the fantasy genre with its new villain, a monstrous wolf that came to embody the spirit of death. The film is genuinely scary at times yet retained the snarky sense of humor that had made the character so beloved in the Shrek films.

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1 ‘The Green Knight’ (2021)

Directed by David Lowery

The tales of King Arthur mythology have inspired many great films, including everything from parodies like Monty Python and the Holy Grail to medieval epics like Excalibur. However, David Lowery’s arthouse fantasy drama The Green Knight brings to life one of the most beloved tales in Arthurian mythology. The film centers on the young knight Gawain (Dev Patel), who ventures on a quest after being confronted by a Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) who represents death.

While it leans into its more existential qualities, The Green Knight is simply a wondrous adventure film that harkens back to the classical era of fantasy. Its ambiguous ending gives viewers a lot to think about, making The Green Knight a film that will certainly grow in estimation in the coming years. Lowery has made strong efforts in the past, including A Ghost Story and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, but The Green Knight stands as a definitive masterpiece of modern fantasy and a true evolution of the beloved genre.

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