Movie Ratings & Reviews

Last film added: May 20, 2012. There are currently 1159 films in the database (since 1996).

Fantasy Films (1996-2012)

Search returned all fantasy movies out of 1159 total rated films.

MASTERPIECES

Being John Malkovich (1999) 10
Spike Jonze directs puppeteer John Cusack who discovers a portal into John Malkovich's mind.
Big Fish (2003) 10
A son learns about his dying storyteller father by piecing together his legends and myths.
Dark City (1998) 10
Rufus Sewell struggles to recover his memories in a nightmarish world run by telekinetic beings.
Eraserhead 2000 (2001) 10
David Lynch's restored first feature film. A nightmarish 1977 masterpiece of grotesque, eerie postindustrial life.
Fall, The (2008) 10
Tarsem Singh, director of The Cell, creates a delightful fantasy based in 1920s Los Angeles.
Midnight in Paris (2011) 10
A surreal, inspired masterpiece by Woody Allen about the importance of living in the present.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) 10
Guillermo del Toro presents a young girl's fantastic alternate reality, set in 1944 fascist Spain.
South Park - Imaginationland (2007) 10
Epic three-part story arc from season 11 released as a standalone movie. The best ever.
Spirited Away (2001) 10
Miyazaki animates an alternate nighttime universe of Japanese gods and spirits.

EXCELLENT

Animation Show, The (2003) 9
A collection of short films (mostly comedy) put together by Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt.
Animation Show 2005, The (2005) 9
Don Hertzfeldt, Bill Plympton and other animators return in this second collection of excellent shorts.
Animation Show 2007, The (2007) 9
The touring festival's third anthology of animated shorts collected by Don Hertzfeldt and Mike Judge.
Black Swan (2010) 9
Ballet dancer Natalie Portman slowly loses her mind while preparing to star in Swan Lake.
Brand Upon the Brain! A Remembrance in 12 Chapters (2006) 9
Guy Maddin's homage to silent film. A return to an abandoned island home. Orphanage memories.
Coraline (2009) 9
A secret door reveals a young girl's alternate, button-eyed life. Fantastic experience in RealD 3D.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) 9
The disappearance of a magical jade sword spurs a breathtaking quest for the missing treasure.
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (2008) 9
A man ages backwards, with bizarre consequences. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt.
Dark Knight, The (2008) 9
Nolan's nightmarish adaptation of Batman, Joker and Two-Face raises the bar for comic-book movies, again.
Howl's Moving Castle (2005) 9
The visual wonderment of Miyazaki reveals a magical world of witches, wizards and fire demons.
Jacket, The (2005) 9
Military veteran Adrien Brody can foresee his own death and possibly change Keira Knightley's future.
Let the Right One In (2008) 9
A dark, dreamlike fairytale about a young Scandinavian vampire that explores a tender childhood friendship.
Little Otik (2001) 9
A fantastically disturbing Czech fairytale about parenthood. It's conventionally structured for a Svankmajer film.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003) 9
I don't think there's going to be a return journey, Mr. Frodo.
Millennium Actress (2001) 9
This animated epic blurs the distinction between film, history and memory. There are many truths.
Others, The (2001) 9
Nicole Kidman lives in a darkened and haunted old house with her two photosensitive children.
Paprika (2007) 9
An insane anime that blurs the separation between reality, dreams, memory, cinema and the Internet.
Ponyo (2009) 9
Miyazaki's charming story of a magical goldfish princess who begins a quest to become human.
Prestige, The (2006) 9
A rivalry of deadly stage illusions escalates between Victorian-era magicians. David Bowie is Nikola Tesla!
Princess Mononoke (1997) 9
Miyazaki presents a mythological tale of civilization encroaching on the beast gods of the forest.
Science of Sleep, The (2006) 9
A charming hyperactive blur of cellophane-animated fantasy and reality. Surreal and inventive, but not profound.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) 9
Clever graphic novel adaptation about a boy who must defeat his girlfriend's seven evil exes.
South Park - The Complete 13 Seasons (2009) 9
The misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) 9
Will Ferrell tries to figure out who's narrating his unraveling life. Maggie Gyllenhaal is adorable.
Toy Story 3 (2010) 9
Andy's going to college. Even better than the first two, with a particularly poignant ending.
Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition (2007) 9
David Lynch's groundbreaking 1990-91 TV series. It's a paranormal murder mystery set in northern Washington.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2011) 9
On his deathbed, Uncle Boonmee experiences the magical intersection of spirit, animal and human worlds.
Waking Life (2001) 9
Richard Linklater presents a uniquely animated universe that explores dream life and real life.
Watchmen (2009) 9
Zack Snyder successfully films Alan Moore's graphic novel about an alternate, quantum America in 1985.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009) 9
Spike Jonze adapts Maurice Sendak's classic story for the screen. Reality is a child's imagination.

VERY GOOD

Adventure Time - Seasons 1 and 2 (2011) 8
A boy and a magical dog are hero-adventurers in the Land of Ooo. Hilariously bizarre.
Batman Begins (2005) 8
The prequel to the Batman series, directed by Christopher Nolan, includes an awesome Batmobile.
Bothersome Man, The (2007) 8
A man arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there.
Cell, The (2000) 8
Psychotherapist Jennifer Lopez journeys inside a comatose serial killer's mind, hoping to recover information. Graphic.
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrob... (2005) 8
Four British children travel through a magical wardrobe into C.S. Lewis's mythical land of Narnia.
Corpse Bride (2005) 8
Tim Burton presents a shy groom whisked into the underworld after inadvertently marrying the dead.
Devil's Backbone, The (2001) 8
An unsettling ghost story set in a Catholic orphanage during the Spanish Civil War.
Franklyn (2009) 8
In a future metropolis (see Dark City, Blade Runner) and contemporary London, Eva Green stars.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) 8
Stunning grotesqueness and visual poetry from Guillermo del Toro. Incredible set design and beautiful effects.
Illusionist, The (2006) 8
In 1900 Vienna, Edward Norton is Eisenheim the Illusionist. This lush production inspires supernatural reflection.
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The (2009) 8
Gilliam shows us the death of magic (while honoring Heath Ledger) in spectacular visual form.
K-PAX (2001) 8
Kevin Spacey is either extraterrestrial or delusional. And he eats a banana without peeling it.
King Kong (2005) 8
Naomi Watts is amazing and the special effects are over-the-top fantastic, but it's excessively long.
Let Me In (2010) 8
A bullied young boy befriends a lonely young female vampire in this visceral English-language remake.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001) 8
He is passing into the Shadow World. He'll soon become a wraith like them.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002) 8
We needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses.
Monsters, Inc. (2001) 8
Pixar presents a bunch of scary monsters who are afraid of being contaminated by children.
Nothing (2005) 8
Vincenzo Natali, the director of Cube, presents a film about nothing with his two friends.
Pleasantville (1998) 8
Two teenagers find themselves in a 1950s sitcom. Their behavior accidentally transforms their black-and-white suburb.
Pushing Daisies - The Complete First Season (2007) 8
A man can bring dead people back to life, with Amélie-style narration. Whimsical forensic romance.
Rabbits (2002) 8
David Lynch's nine-episode sitcom starring people in rabbit suits, accompanied by laugh tracks. Plotless, eerie.
Robot Chicken - Seasons 1-3 (2007) 8
Demented stop-motion animation using action figures and toys. These sketch-comedy vignettes skewer pop culture.
Russian Ark (2002) 8
300 years of Russian history displayed in a single continuous shot at the Hermitage Museum.
Shrek (2001) 8
No, not my buttons! Not my gumdrop buttons.
Shrek 2 (2004) 8
Well, folks, it looks like we're up chocolate creek without a Popsicle stick.
Special (2008) 8
Michael Rapaport participates in an experimental drug study and becomes sure his superpowers are strengthening.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) 8
Tobey Maguire continues his demanding double life as student and superhero. Enter supervillain Dr. Octopus.
Toy Story 2 (1999) 8
All right, nobody look till I get my cork back in.
Tuvalu (2001) 8
Stunning, whimsical German film with almost no dialogue set in a surreal bathhouse in Bulgaria.

GOOD

9 (2009) 7
A visually stunning, steampunk world inhabited by robot rag dolls. Ending is weak, plot underdeveloped.
Antz (1998) 7
Woody Allen is a neurotic ant who has become disenfranchised from his totalitarian colony.
Berserk - The Complete Collection (2002) 7
Anime about young warrior Guts and the mercenary company called the Band of the Hawk.
Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The (2005) 7
My childhood memories, now on DVD. A first-rate reMASTERing of this moralizing homoerotic 1980s toy-advert.
Brothers Grimm, The (2005) 7
A cartoonish big-budget spectacle based on German folktales. Terry Gilliam directs and Matt Damon stars.
Dead Like Me - The Complete First Season (2003) 7
Showtime TV series about the lives of undead grim reapers trying to make ends meet.
Dogma (1999) 7
Kevin Smith presents two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole. Alanis Morissette plays God.
Elf (2003) 7
Will Ferrell, raised as an elf at the North Pole, just arrived in the U.S.
FairyTale: A True Story (1997) 7
Two young girls in 1917 take a photograph, believed to confirm the existence of fairies.
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) 7
It's Toy Story/Shrek with feuding Shakespearean garden gnomes. Charming, bizarre and loaded with pop-culture gags.
Golden Compass, The (2007) 7
A fantasy adventure that rushes forward with a spectacle of soul-animals. Could be more engaging.
Green Mile, The (1999) 7
Death row guard Tom Hanks observes intelligent mice and the healing power of a prisoner.
Hellboy (2004) 7
A good-hearted demon is produced in a black-magic Nazi ceremony. This is his story.
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (2007) 7
Hellboy ends up battling the goddess Hecate after a professor resurrects a powerful female vampire.
Hunt for Gollum, The (2009) 7
Chris Bouchard's impressive Lord of the Rings film. Gandalf sends Strider out to find Gollum.
Ink (2009) 7
High-concept visual thriller that weaves the conscious with the subconscious. Falls down on unconvincing acting.
James and the Giant Peach (1996) 7
Roald Dahl's story of an orphan who befriends humanoid bugs living inside a giant peach.
Lawn Dogs (1998) 7
Ten-year-old Mischa Barton befriends the lawn cutter, a fellow outsider, in an upscale gated community.
Liar Liar (1997) 7
His disappointed son's birthday wish renders lawyer Jim Carrey incapable of lying for 24 hours.
Life Less Ordinary, A (1997) 7
Cleaning man Ewan McGregor takes Cameron Diaz hostage after being fired. Heaven offers romantic help.
Malice in Wonderland (2010) 7
A woman descends into a gritty underworld after encountering a London taxi driver. Clever update.
Phoebe in Wonderland (2009) 7
An unconventional drama teacher inspires a troubled girl. Elle Fanning and Patricia Clarkson are amazing.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 7
A well-made Disney/Bruckheimer swashbuckling blockbuster, starring pirate Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley.
Princess and the Frog, The (2009) 7
Disney fairytale set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans. Waitress Tiana kisses a frog prince. Voodoo.
Ringu (2003) 7
A mysterious video kills all who watch it, unless the viewer can solve its mystery.
Saddest Music in the World, The (2004) 7
Guy Maddin oddity. A Canadian beer baroness organizes a saddest-music contest during the Great Depression.
Secret of Kells, The (2009) 7
A hand-drawn medieval adventure of the boy behind the famed Book of Kells. Intricate visuals.
Silent Hill (2006) 7
Fantastic atmosphere and set design. A grotesque purgatory of undead meat-creatures, cults, and zombie nurses.
Sleepy Hollow (1999) 7
Constable Icabod Crane is sent to a village to investigate murders by a headless horseman.
Spider-Man (2002) 7
Tobey Maguire is bitten by a genetically engineered spider and subsequently wins Kirsten Dunst's love.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) 7
Anakin becomes Darth Vader. Woodenly acted, but better than the first two episodes it is.
Stardust (2007) 7
A funny Neil Gaiman fairytale set in England that feels somewhat like The Princess Bride.
Superman Returns (2006) 7
Bryan Singer's reverent reboot of the Superman franchise. Good, but lacks surprises and new ideas.
Tin Man (2007) 7
Dark re-imagining of the Land of Oz. Zooey Deschanel stars in this three-part Sci-Fi miniseries.
Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1998) 7
Jewel-toned, deadpan absurdity from the inimitable Guy Maddin. A kitschy, disorienting fantasy of frustrated desires.
Unbreakable (2000) 7
A mystery thriller about unrealized supernatural powers. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson star.
X-Men (2000) 7
The superheroes from a private academy for mutants must oppose a powerful mutant terrorist organization.
X2: X-Men United (2003) 7
Mutants continue to struggle against fearful human society and are attacked by military forces.

FAIR

4th Dimension, The (2008) 6
Feels inspired by Eraserhead and Pi, but this Aphex Twin-scored meditation on reality ultimately disappoints.
Alice in Wonderland (1999) 6
A made-for-TV, family-friendly version with a cast of Hollywood all stars. It's hardly worth watching.
Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) 6
Mini-me, we do not gnaw on the kitty. Just pet him, stroke him, love him.
Beowulf (2007) 6
I am Beowulf! My lips don't move right and my eyes are dead. Corny, unsatisfying.
Bolt (2008) 6
A lovable cartoon dog movie. Plus, Miley Cyrus sounds like she drinks whiskey every night.
Butterfly Effect, The (2004) 6
An excellent concept. Did you really think Ashton Kutcher and friends could pull it off?
Cartoon Noir (1999) 6
Six oddball, animated shorts from five countries, featuring supernatural elements and darker themes. Mediocre.
City of Ember (2008) 6
An underground city is falling apart after 200 years. Fairly dark for a kids' movie.
Family Man, The (2000) 6
On Christmas morning, investment broker Nicolas Cage wakes up in a life-altering Dickensian parallel universe.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) 6
Beautifully rendered CGI could not hold my interest. For Final Fantasy video game fans only.
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006) 6
A samurai sword sends Hellboy into a dangerous realm of Japanese legends, ghosts and monsters.
Heroes - Seasons 1-3 (2009) 6
Cleverly structured graphic novel in TV-show format about people with diverse superpowers. It became unwatchable.
Imagination (2007) 6
Eric Leiser's surreal experiment with puppetry, stop-motion sketches and claymation. And unconvincing actors.
Immortals (2011) 6
Tarsem's Greek epic succeeds at being a gorgeous, self-important spectacle. It's less enjoyable than 300.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) 6
Indy battles the Soviets in 1957. Spielberg/Lucas feature Area 51 and interdimensional cosmic Mayan nonsense.
Meet Joe Black (1998) 6
We have Brad Pitt as Death, media tycoon Anthony Hopkins, and intriguing daughter Claire Forlani.
Multiplicity (1996) 6
Michael Keaton never has enough time, and so he has himself cloned. Andie MacDowell costars.
Night at the Museum (2006) 6
New night security guard Ben Stiller discovers that museum exhibits come to life at night.
Night Watch (2006) 6
First chapter of a derivative Russian fantasy epic featuring warring forces of daytime and nighttime.
Next (2007) 6
Nicholas Cage can see the future. An unsatisfying Philip K. Dick adaptation of slow-mo explosions.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) 6
An overlong cartoonish setup to the third movie in the Disney franchise. Johnny Depp shines.
Shallow Hal (2001) 6
Shallow Jack Black falls in love with 300-pound Gwyneth Paltrow because of her inner beauty.
Small Soldiers (1998) 6
When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys go to war.
Southland Tales (2007) 6
Richard Kelly's dystopian, genre-defying mess of destruction and pop-culture doom. Bad actors cast on purpose?
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) 6
Jar Jar is muzzled, Yoda breaks out his light-saber, and Natalie Portman bares her midriff.
Stigmata (1999) 6
Hairdresser Patricia Arquette shows signs of stigmata, the wounds of Christ. A Vatican priest investigates.
Tangled (2010) 6
Disney's story of Rapunzel. A bland, computer-animated corporate musical that made me borderline suicidal.
Tideland (2006) 6
A young girl with drug-addicted parents creates a half-fantasy world with doll heads, deranged neighbors.
Wild Blue Yonder, The (2005) 6
Werner Herzog fashions a boring sci-fi documentary from beautiful undersea Antarctica footage and NASA video.
Zathura (2005) 6
A fairly charming family movie that explores childhood adventure. It's basically Jumanji in outer space.

ADEQUATE

Alice in Wonderland (2010) 5
Tim Burton took a story I love, stripped out the allegories and added CGI. Sigh.
Bedazzled (2000) 5
Brendan Fraser sells his soul to the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) for seven wishes. Mindless remake.
Born of Hope (2009) 5
Kate Madison's Lord of the Rings prequel, based on Tolkien's appendix paragraphs. Decent low-budget effort.
Bruce Almighty (2003) 5
Reporter Jim Carrey is given almighty powers to teach him how difficult God's job is.
City of Angels (1998) 5
Celestial duty or earthly love? Will angel Nicolas Cage become human for Meg Ryan? Sappy!
Crow: City of Angels, The (1996) 5
The spirit of the Crow resurrects another man seeking revenge for his son's murder.
Daredevil (2003) 5
Ben Affleck, who can't act, zipped into a maroon bodysuit. Enough said.
Down to Earth (2001) 5
After dying before his time, aspiring comic Chris Rock is reincarnated as a wealthy businessman.
End of Days (1999) 5
Satan visits New York in search of a bride. It's Arnold Schwarzenegger, pyrotechnics, and CGI.
Fantastic Four (2005) 5
Exposure to cosmic radiation creates superhero scientists: Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Thing, and Jessica Alba.
Final Destination (2000) 5
It begins with a plane crash and demonstrates that you can't cheat predestined death. Much.
Final Destination 2 (2003) 5
Ali Larter is back on Death's path of destruction. Features gruesome accidents galore.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) 5
A live-action remake of the Dr. Seuss book, starring Jim Carrey and cheerfully crass consumerism.
Joe's Apartment (1996) 5
Joe discovers he shares his run-down New York apartment with thousands of singing, dancing cockroaches.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) 5
Brendan Fraser travels to Iceland looking for Verne's lost subterranean world. Turn off your brain.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The (2003) 5
In an alternate Victorian Age world, Captain Nemo, Tom Sawyer, and Dr. Jekyll join forces.
Little Nicky (2000) 5
Adam Sandler is one of Satan's sons. Patricia Arquette's elastic underwear-band saves her from Hell.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) 5
This Disney pirate saga is worse than its predecessor (again). Yo-ho-horribly incoherent. Franchise over yet?
Practical Magic (1998) 5
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are cursed sisters with a hereditary gift for practical magic.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) 5
A live-action video game featuring a special dagger that can reverse time. Disposable Bruckheimer cinema.
Race to Witch Mountain (2009) 5
Good, family-friendly Disney fun that damages your will to live. Spectacularly bland and poorly written.
Saiyûki Vol. 1: The Journey Begins (2003) 5
A Dragonball Z-like anime adventure of four heroes traveling West to confront a powerful demon.
Spider-Man 3 (2007) 5
Boring/incoherent/awkward for 90 minutes, then three minutes of cool, then Venom and the climactic battle.
Spirit, The (2008) 5
Frank Miller's self-aware film noir is gorgeous, vapid, overacted and emotionless. Based on Eisner's comics.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) 5
Terribly written dialogue combined with expensive special effects. Jar Jar Binks is unbelievably annoying.
Sucker Punch (2011) 5
Surreal, masturbatory fantasy. Cabaret dancers with guns battle samurai, steampunk Nazis, orcs, dragons and robots.
Underworld (2003) 5
Aristocratic vampire warrior Kate Beckinsale battles werewolf street-thugs in some gothic city. Silly as hell.
What Dreams May Come (1998) 5
Fantastic visuals and lots of death. Robin Williams tries to track down his wife's soul.

FROM BAD TO WORSE

(NO! MY EYES! MY EYES!)

10,000 BC (2008) CRAP
Anti-visionary Roland Emmerich directs this dumb prehistoric epic. It's dull, preposterous and sanitized for kids.
13 Seconds (2004) CRAP
I was cost-effectively bored by this cliché-ridden indie splatter film. Unbearably amateurish and uncreepy.
Batman & Robin (1997) CRAP
Batman George Clooney, Uma Thurman and Alicia Silverstone starred in this contrived, colossal waste.
Day Without a Mexican, A (2004) CRAP
California's entire Hispanic population vanishes into pink fog. Satirical premise is thoroughly beaten to death.
Eragon (2006) CRAP
A bad movie about dragons, dragon riders, a Shade's dark magic and evil King Galbatorix.
Flubber (1997) CRAP
This remake stars absent-minded professor Robin Williams who creates a rubber-like super-bouncy substance.
Just Like Heaven (2005) CRAP
Reese Witherspoon, in spirit form, inhabits architect Mark Ruffalo's apartment in this formulaic romantic comedy.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) CRAP
Pointless and dull, with lame CGI. As if artifact-collector Angelina Jolie needed extra bra padding.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) CRAP
Angelina Jolie is searching for Pandora's box. Alas, beauty and special effects don't equal quality.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) CRAP
Bridgette Wilson was a much better Sonya Blade. The dialogue was likely written by monkeys.
Scooby-Doo (2002) CRAP
Matthew Lillard's Shaggy impression is great, but the rest of this live-action adaptation is useless.
Spawn (1997) CRAP
A killed mercenary returns to walk the Earth after making deal with the devil.
Spice World (1997) CRAP
This plotless gibberish about the Spice Girls phenomenon is not bad enough to be good.
Underworld: Evolution (2006) CRAP
Acting-challenged vampire Kate Beckinsale is still battling werewolves, but now with extra CGI incoherence.

Statistical ratings distribution of these 178 films

bell curve

6.5

CRAP

6.8

10:

5.1%

16.9%

16.3%

21.3%

16.9%

15.7%

CRAP:

7.9%

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Movie Ratings & Reviews

Fantasy Films (1996-2012)