The Top 20 Fantasy Movies of 2000-2009

Now that the heroes and villains are out of the way, it's time to celebrate the decade's greatest fantasy films! Fantasy films are easy to define, as they all have basis in themes that aren't grounded in science, but rather in magic, metaphysics, religion, fairy tales, or the supernatural. Dragons, wizards, hobbits, talking lions, giants, and undead pirates occupy these tales, and the last decade has had its fair share of great fantasy movies.

20. 300 (2007)

"This... is... SPAH-TAH!" With that single, raging utterance by Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), a viral phenomenon was born. Based on the fantastical graphic novel by Frank Miller, "300" is based on the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in Greece, circa. 480 B.C., where the noble yet small Spartan army faced off against the brutal and massive Persians. Of course, this being a fantasy movie, director Zack Snyder followed Miller's lead by significantly tweaking the historical fact in favor of balls-to-the-wall action and buff men chopping off the heads of monstrous giants and jewelry-loving Persians. Not subtle by any means, "300" still manages to dazzle with its highly stylistic, comic book-like visual effects, fight choreography, and Gerard Butler screaming in every scene he's in.

19. Enchanted (2007)

As 2001's "Shrek" proved, classic Disney films are easy targets for gentle satire, what with its doe-eyed princesses, bland Prince Charmings, and impossibly adorable singing animals. So what if those animated stock characters were transplanted into the third dimension? In New York City, no less? That's the premise of the wholly delightful and hilariously tongue-in-cheek "Enchanted", where Princess Giselle (Amy Adams), a typically spirited Disney princess searching for true love, is thrown into a magical portal, sending her from her brightly animated world to a very loud, aggressive, and live-action NYC. The casting is terrific, from Adams' incredibly adorable Giselle to Susan Sarandon's fiendlish witch Narissa, but the true standout is "X-Men"'s James Marsden as the hopelessly narcissistic and (purposefully) one-dimensional Prince Edward.

18. Hellboy (2004)

If you adapt a highly imaginative comic book about a good-guy demon into a movie, just imagine how much MORE incredible it'll get when Guillermo del Toro hops on to direct! A marvel of make-up and art direction wizardry, "Hellboy" strays away from the usual superhero-movie formula, thanks to del Toro's innovative direction and a fabulous lead performance by Ron Perlman as the big red paranormal investigator himself. For del Toro (or as I call him, the "Mexican Peter Jackson"), no creature is too weird, no set is too bizarre, and no one-liner from Perlman is too hilarious. An absolute hoot, and a blast to merely LOOK at.

17. Peter Pan (2003)

After countless adaptations, the fabled Boy Who Doesn't Grow Up (no, NOT Michael Jackson) is finally played by a boy, rather than a woman or a grown man who could easily pass for a woman. Rather faithful to J.M. Barrie's original story, this "Pan" doesn't skimp on the visual storytelling, crafting Neverland into a lush, richly detailed world. Jeremy Sumpter and Rachel Hurd-Wood do a fine job as Peter and Wendy, respectively; but the show is stolen by (who else?) Captain Hook himself, played with sinister glee by Jason Isaacs.

16. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005)

Hoping to ride on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy's coattails, C.S. Lewis' classic book series was finally brought to the big screen with "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe", based on the second book of the "Narnia" series. The Christian symbolism in the story (obviously patterned on the betrayal, death, and resurrection of Christ) is clear, but the fabulous visual effects, costume designs, and musical score never play second fiddle to religious allegory. And Tilda Swinton makes for a meeeean White Witch.

15. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

What? A Will Ferrell movie makes it onto my Best Fantasy Films list? Frankly, it's well-deserved, as this highly original dramedy proves that, like Adam Sandler in select films, funnyman Ferrell truly does have some range. All it takes to make him more restrained and NOT take his shirt off and scream at the top of his lungs. Ferrell plays IRS auditor Harold Crick, a man whose life is based purely on routine, and nothing more. The problem, however, is that he's started hearing the voice of a woman (Emma Thompson) omnisciently narrating his very life. He's even more perturbed when this God-like narrator foretells his impending death. A funny, imaginative vehicle that proves that Ron Burgundy can do more than just his usual man-child act.

14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Though not as engaging as the previous "Fellowship of the Ring" or the following "Return of the King", the second entry of Peter Jackson's terrific "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is a truly remarkable feat, with a stellar cast, bigger and better battle sequences (Helm's Deep, anyone?), and the inclusion of a certain cringing, scheming creature with a split personality and an obsession for a very "precious" Ring of Power. Tragically robbed of an Oscar nomination for Andy Serkis' tragic Gollum character, "The Two Towers" nonetheless continues Jackson's flawless streak in Tolkien's epic tale.

13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

In the fifth film of the "Harry Potter" saga, this is where everything gets truly serious, and especially dangerous. After having met the evil Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the previous film, and having to endure a strictest-of-the-strict new headmistress (Imelda Staunton) at Hogwart's, our bespectacled hero (Daniel Radcliffe) decides to create his own secret army in an effort to take down Voldemort once and for all. And it's here where Harry truly becomes vulnerable to You-Know-Who's sinister grasp, setting the stage for the penultimate chapter of the series.

12. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

"In the end, we all end up in diapers." That phrase couldn't be more true for one Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), a very unique WWI-era man with a very unique condition: he ages backwards, having been born with the mind of an infant, but the body of a man in his late 80's. Having been abandoned by his father, Benjamin is adopted by a kindly New Orleans midwife (Taraji P. Henson), and grows up (in the chronological sense) to experience a life unlike any other. Mix great performances by Pitt, Henson, and Cate Blanchett with revolutionary special effects that de-age Mr. Pitt back to his youthful "Thelma and Louise" days, and you got yourself a wonderfully envisioned film experience.

11. Spider-Man (2002)

"Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can..." Before Sam Raimi's loving and eye-popping adaptation of the beloved Marvel superhero arrived in theaters, that catchy theme song from a similarly-titled 1960's cartoon was the most recognizable thing about our friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man. But thanks to a winning performance by Tobey Maguire and out-of-this-world CGI, "Spider-Man" rolled in $400 million from the domestic box office alone, and along with 2000's "X-Men", officially revived the once-on-life-support superhero movie genre.

10. Big Fish (2003)

Lying in his deathbed, former traveling salesman Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) tries to reconnect with his estranged son (Billy Crudup) by telling tall tales of his life. From catching a gigantic fish to meeting a clairvoyant witch, Edward seemingly had a wild and magical life as a young man (Ewan McGregor). An intimate, emotional venture by director Tim Burton, "Big Fish" is a wondrous ode to the simple art of storytelling, be it realistic, or, in this case, fantastical.

9. King Kong (2005)

After triumphing with one of the most successful film trilogies of all time, what was left for Peter Jackson to conquer? A certain giant ape from the treacherous Skull Island, perhaps? In a loving and jaw-droppingly gorgeous homage to the original 1933 classic, "King Kong" added a whole new layer of depth to the titular primate, performed via motion capture with sincerity and pure emotion by Andy Serkis (who previously stole the show as Gollum in the Middle-Earth films). From a heart-pounding introduction to unlucky female Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) to an epic smackdown with not one but TWO T. Rexes, Kong was the ultimate action hero of 2005, but still a character with whom the audience completely connected with, all the way to the tragic end.

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

This is where Jackson's Middle-Earth saga all began. Not since the original "Star Wars" has there been a movie with such a diverse array of characters, setpieces, and archetypes of mythological proportions. A terrific beginning to the "Lord of the Rings" saga, we're introduced to characters we eventually know and love all too well, from the gentle hobbits and a powerful wizard, to a loyal human ranger and a stubborn dwarf. A triumph of CGI and narrative, and a great look at things to come.

7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

My personal favorite of the "Potter" series, "Prisoner of Azkaban" is where the emotional maturation of Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermoine (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) truly occurs, and how we realize that the journey's only going to get darker and more dangerous. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, "Prisoner" is where both Harry (and the audience) realizes that life at Hogwart's isn't as fun and exciting as it sounds. After alleged killer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) escapes from the titular prison, we learn that the deranged psychopath has Harry in his sights. Not only that, but Harry finds out that this man may be the true cause of the deaths of Harry's parents. A dark, yet engaging entry in the series, with great visual effects and a top-notch cast.

6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Though "The Matrix" helped popularize it in the United States, no film was more influential in its use of wire-fight choreography than Ang Lee's Oscar-winning wuxia classic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". A tale about a martial arts master (Chow Yun Fat) and his longtime companion (Michelle Yeoh) who set out to to find and defeat a villainous assassin known as the Jade Fox (Cheng Pei Pei), "Crouching Tiger" revels in its mythical style of storytelling, clearly influenced by Chinese fables and martial arts films of old. But of course, the true scene-stealers are the fabulous fight sequences, where characters not only show amazing fighting prowess on the ground, but also in the air, where characters effortlessly perform ballet-like combat on the tops of trees. A must-see for all martial arts lovers.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

After the debacle that was 1995's "Cutthroat Island", the pirate movie genre was all but dead. Thankfully, director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer decided to risk it all with this terrifically entertaining revival of the genre, in the adapation of the classic Walt Disney World attraction "Pirates of the Caribbean". No pirate period-film cliche is left untouched: swashbuckling action, snarling pirates with dirty teeth, a damsel in distress, rum (and lots of it), and torn corsets. But regardless of the mindblowing CGI that brings hordes of skeletal pirates to life, the obvious heart of the film is Johnny Depp's hysterical performance as the drunken, charming, and completely untrustworthy pirate Jack Sparrow, a wonderful mix of Pepe Le Pew, Captain Blood, and Keith Richards (whom Depp famously based his performance on).

4. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Sequels are usually on shaky ground from the beginning, especially when the original film was so highly acclaimed. This especially goes for superhero films, but director Sam Raimi manages to inject the same magic (and then some) from the first "Spider-Man" film into the far superior sequel. With the character introductions out of the way, the audience truly delves into the tortured life of responsibility-bound superhero/college student/photographer/unlucky-in-love nerd Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), whose dual life causes him the ultimate pre-midlife crisis. It doesn't help that a new supervillain, the tentacled terror Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina), is on the loose. A triumph of storytelling and casting where the amazing special effects are merely the icing on an already tasty cake, "Spider-Man 2" is a spectacular array of emotion and comic book-style imagination.

3. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

When you make a movie based on a beloved children's book that only has ten lines of text, it's obvious that you need to be a little creative. Luckily, director Spike Jonze successfully expanded upon the subversive emotional content of Maurice Sendak's seminal classic "Where the Wild Things Are", creating a children's movie that's clearly not a standard-issue children's movie. Transporting us into a lush, incredibly detailed world of giant Wild Things and wild rumpuses, Jonze delivers a truly psychoanalytical look into the psyche of a child, and how truly complex and confusing the world looks through their eyes. Aside from the highly realistic Wild Thing costume design and art direction, the movie is anchored by a winning performance by child actor Max Records as the wolf-costume-wearing Max, as well as loving and highly faithful direction by Jonze.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Three and a half hours. Usually, when a movie's duration is that long, one usually doesn't have the word "exciting" in their minds. But after two years of following Peter Jackson's incredible tale of Middle-Earth and the Fellowship of the Ring, you can't really take your eyes off the screen. The epic finale to the "Lord of the Rings" saga, "Return of the King" is an emotional, captivating, and incredibly exciting culmination of the dangerous quest of brave hobbits Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin), as they get closer and closer to arriving at the treacherous Mount Doom to destroy the evil Ring of Power. Of course, there's the problem of their supposed guide Gollum (Andy Serkis), who secretly plots to kill the hobbits and take back the Ring. A veritable smorgasbord of epic war sequences and superb cast performances (especially from Astin, Serkis, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, and Miranda Otto, who delivers an absolute "you go girl" moment in one of the final battle scenes), "Return of the King" is the flawless finish to an already flawless trilogy.

1. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

For children, especially those in dysfunctional families or turbulent social lives, the best refuge to take is in one's imagination. But what if that imagination became reality? In the fantastically imaginative and beautifully realized "Pan's Labyrinth", director Guillermo del Toro (easily one of the best directors working today) crafted a world full of creatures both dangerous and beautiful, clearly influenced by Aesop's Fables, classic mythology, and good old-fashioned fairy tales. Set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, young Ofelia (a marvelous Ivana Baquero) and her heavily pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) move in with the latter's new husband, Spanish Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), a brutal, tyrannical beast of a man rooting out Spanish Maquis guerrillas in the mountains. One night, Ofelia goes outside to discover an enormous labyrinth, where she meets a Faun (Doug Jones), who informs Ofelia that she is the reincarnation of Moanna, the lost Princess of the Underground Realm. What follows is a mindbending, ethereally-beautiful feast for the eyes and heart, with state-of-the-art makeup and visual effects creating a truly mythological world of fauns, monsters, and fairies. Relevant for its social allegories regarding the horrors of war and the refuge of the mind, "Pan's Labyrinth" ranks as the best fantasy film of the last decade.


And now for the Top Five WORST Fantasy Films of the Decade:
5. The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D (2005)

Note to Robert Rodriguez: no matter how much you love your seven-year-old son, don't risk your career by making a movie based on the kid's ideas. Especially if it's about a Shark Boy and a Lava Girl. I mean, seriously? B-movies from the 1950's had less ridiculous titles and premises.

4. Eragon (2006)

After the release of the "Lord of the Rings" and the first "Narnia" film, movies based on fantasy books were all the rage. Sadly, this unintentional comedy of errors based on the "Eragon" series didn't meet lofty expectations. Lame, unoriginal, and full of performances that seem to have been churned out by a computer.

3. Scooby-Doo (2002)

What the hell. If you make a movie based on a stupid '60s cartoon, you should know what would result from it. They might as well have injected some marijuana references to make the whole thing at least SOMEWHAT funny (I mean, come on, isn't it obvious what "Scooby Snacks" really are?).

2. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

This Mummy should've stayed in the tomb. After a fun original in 1999, a subpar sequel in 2001, and gloriously cheesy spin-off starring The Rock in 2002, "The Mummy" series should ended then and there. But of course, the powers-that-be sensed another hit on their hands, so they went ahead with a sublimely stupid, hackneyed, and ridiculous threequel. Brendan Fraser, once winning in his role as adventurer Rick O'Connell, sleepwalks through his role, and Maria Bello, replacing Rachel Weisz as his British wife, delivers an unintentionally hilarious British accent and a mindnumbing performance.

1. Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (2003)

Really? Really, Mike Myers? You needed to accept a role in this horrific shitstain of a movie? Aside from the fact that this adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic book is bloated, offensive, headache-inducing, and utterly pathetic, it includes a pointless and frankly flabbergasting cameo by Paris Hilton. Oh, and apparently according to the filmmakers, Seuss intended for The Cat to be a foul pervert with lactose intolerance and a magical car whose acronym is "S.H.I.T.". Bravo, Myers, bravo.