A type of film commonly associated with the fanciful worlds of fairy tales or imaginary lands, films dealing the wonders of magic and magicians, with the doings of gods, angels, elves, fairies, gnomes and other supernatural beings. Anything drawn from a completely invented world, with some element of sorcery or inventive zoology, can qualify, though the most common forms are ones based in the era of princes and princesses, swords and dragons. The genre had it's first great creators in the work of George Pal and Ray Harryhausen. Both worked in different kinds of modeling, and the creatures and effects they were able to create opened the horizon for imaginative cinema. Now it was possible to film fairies, animated skeletons, and giants with a modicum of realism. In movies like Tom Thumb, and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, George Pal's Oscar-winning effects revolutionized film by combining live action with elements of animation. Harryhausen, working in a more mythological vein, did much the same thing later on with his beautiful work on The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and others. Frank Oz and Jim Henson helped bring fantasy into the '80s with their puppet creations in The Dark Crystal. As CGI effects became the standard in the '90s, entire dragons were created out of thin air, as in Dragonheart. Many well-known directors like Terry Gilliam (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) have tried to instill the genre with some poetry and magic of a more adult nature, but a large portion of fantasy is aimed at children and pre-teens.

When Dorothy escapes from her ward at a Kansas sanitarium, she flees to Oz hoping to find peace. Unfortunately, she arrives to find the Emerald City in ruins with Oz ruled by the evil Nome King.

A rather downbeat sequel to the chirpy original. An interesting change of pace but the story really could have done with a little more warmth. Best thing about the film is the Scissor Sisters song that was inspired by it. - Beetlejuice!

The ancient war between man and elf resumes with an arms race to reactivate the ultimate weapon, the Golden Army, and only Hellboy can save us. But do we deserve saving? Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Toro lavishes his unique imagination on a comic-book sequel.

This is even better than I remember it! A film filled with fantastical creatures and likeable heroes. Its pure popcorn entertainment which needlessly does mean that there's a few plotholes and has a few naff moments, but I forgive it - this is a charming blockbuster that contains more ideas than most films of its nature. - Beetlejuice!

I'd say 1 is better than The Golden Army because i hate Johan Krauss! - stevenhooper

All-puppet fantasy from Jim Henson and Frank Oz. The last two members of an elf-like race must save the world from evil by repairing a large chunk of mystical mineral.

One of the many fantastic efforts from Jim Henson. Original, unusual and full of wonderful puppet work. - Beetlejuice!

A fantastical adaptation of the Beauty And The Beast story from Gallic polymath Jean Cocteau.

It may lose it's way before the end but this is a stunning, enchanting adaptation of the classic story. - Beetlejuice!

"La Belle et la Bête" is a story we all know; Jean-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s iconic fairytale, translated to ‘the Beauty and the Beast’. But the reason that most of us – me included – are aware of this tale is Disney’s super musical animation made in 1991, which still remains the only animated film to be nominated for the Academy’s biggest prize, Best Picture. But Cocteau made this, his supposed masterpiece, in 1946; a fairy tale for very grown up kids. The story of Beauty, who gives herself up to the Beast in place of her condemned father, and ends up falling in love with the grizzled murderer. At the beginning of this film, Cocteau asks us – in his very own scrawled handwriting – to welcome the film as if we were children, and to let the magic that they believe in to our own hearts. And it’s not hard to do, because Cocteau has created a film that wears its majesty on its sleeve; a movie so grand and enchanting that you can’t help but stop, stare, and – what’s more – believe. But even if you don’t, there’s still so much to enjoy in this timeless moral parable. Cocteau’s (or should that be Leprince de Beaumont’s) themes of deceptive appearances (handsome faces mask malice, ugliness masks nobility) and love overcoming all odds. The performances are little more than standard, with Cocteau’s then-lover Jean Marais shining as the Beast only, and not as the humans Avenant or the Prince. Josette Day’s ‘Beauty’ matches the character description, but there’s little depth, and none of the other characters make much of an impact at all. The reputation of the film rests on the visuals, which are superb. Cocteau is the true success, and he’s created a fairytale land that is both enchanting and eerie, vicious and poetic. It’s often beautiful, and always gripping. The only pitfall of the film is its ending, where [SPOILERS] the Beast is transformed into a beautiful prince. It’s kind of a cop out, and goes against all that the film has stood for. This can be overlooked, as the scenes where the Beast pines after, and often haunts, his Beauty – she fighting against her ever present love for him simultaneously – are just about perfect. - Piles

Sabu as the impish thief Ali is up against Veidt as the Grand Vizier in this all-time classic.

Sabu is a adorable as the dashing young thief who gets caught up in a ravishing tale of love and betrayal. Magic carpets, giant spiders, evil wiazrds, flying horses, amusing genies - its all here and it's enjoyable entertainment. - Beetlejuice!

"Who you gonna call?" A great idea, top notch cast (Murray, Aykroyd, Weaver) and lively script gel to overexcite schoolkids and prompt a sequel.

New York. 1984. Ghosts are on the rise. A nice lady is threatened by one from the inside her fridge. A motley bunch of jobless scientists capture the ghosts until they are shut down. Chaos ensues. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man nearly destroys city. Ghostbusters save the day.

What a fantastic plot first of all. Written by two of its stars, Egon and Ray, or Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd as they are known in the real world, Ghostbusters is a brilliant mix of comedy (mainly) and science fiction (kind of), the kind of Summer blockbuster we could do with now – intelligent, witty, full of heart and most of all extremely funny. There are countless quotes from the film that could have headered this review, but amongst the many brilliant Bill Murray one liners and visual gags, Ghostbusters is littered with subtle jokes rendering almost every scene hilarious. The sense of fun cannot be underestimated, this is simply one of the most fun films ever made; the characters, story, set up, even when things get serious they are still fun. Every single character weighs in with more humour than most comedies can manage in an entire film. From Sigourney Weaver’s Dana wearily fighting off the attentions of several men, the wimpy Louis played by Rick Moranis, and Annie Potts’ sarcastic Janine to the Ghostbusters themselves, every character is enthused with life, purpose and some semblance of reality. Of the Ghostbusters Ray, Egon and Peter are exceptional characters, each one bringing something to the table. As described by Peter later in the film Ray is the heart of Ghostbusters, packed with enthusiasm for his vocation he is also believably naïve enough to warrant many great moments, not least the ‘get her!’ moment in the New York Public Library. Egon, as the brains of the outfit is fantastically geeky but never veers into characature, whilst Winston brings an outsider’s (sensible) perspective to the team despite seeming a bit tacked on at times. Of course the star of the show is Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, a role originally intended for John Belushi but now seeming like it could never be played by anybody else. Murray is brilliant, dispensing enough one liners to fill a ghost containment grid several times over, his sardonic, dead pan delivery helps create one of the great comedy characters of the last 30 years. And of course one of the greatest comedies of all time. -- Rinc

Murray is one of my favourite actors of all time, he became a hero figure to me with the release of Ghostbusters and I can watch him in absolutely anything he does. - Rawlinson

Ghostbusters is about as funny as getting poked in the eye. Repeatedly.  - Gimli The Dwarf

Disneyland's popular attraction gets the lavish Jerry Bruckheimer treatment in this tale of undead pirates, cursed gold and heroic derring-do that pays homage to and slyly subverts Hollywood's classic swashbucklers. Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom star.

When I first started really getting into films, I noticed that films which I had loved before quickly lost their appeal. I used to like Martin Lawrence, for instance (something that will no doubt arise in future therapy sessions). And so I was worried when watching this first of the Pirates series, as I really, really liked the film when I was younger. But, what if I didn't like it now? The sequels were dire - the third one in particular had pretensions to being an epic that did not work well for it. So would this stand up to my newer, slightly more snobbish tastes? Thankfully, yes. For all those out there who actually enjoy life, there is so much to love about this action adventure.

The swashbuckling, the comedy, the flying around hanging on to ropes and swordfighting in inconvenient places - it all adds up to a whole heap of fun. And while a film needs more than just to be fun to really be great, this one does it with so much panache that I can forgive the plot for being holey and some of the dialogue a bit clunky. I personally love Depp as Jack Sparrow (an opinion which may be unpopular amongst the more joyless members of the forums), and his swagger and charm are entertaining throughout. The best bit has to be his entrance, though. A fully formed character, striding into the film and grabbing it by it's neck, shaking it into something marvellous. Who says people need origin stories? He would run away entirely with the film if it wasn't for the marvellous Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, a villain with a penchant for apples and a nice line in saying 'Arrrr' with utmost seriousness. Daft, energetic and unforgettable, watching this almost made me look forward to the fourth part out next year. But not quite. At World's End really did suck. - swordsandsandals

All kinds of awesome. - Gimli The Dwarf

Scoff all you want but the first POTC movie was a very fun and unexpected summer blockbuster.  When it was first announced no one reallt expected it to be any good, I know I thought it was a terrible idea.  Sure enough I saw it at the cinema a couple of times and it stands up well to repeat viewing, unlike the sequels. - genejoke

Exuberant landmark of children's entertainment and Technicolor filmmaking. Inventive, fantastical, colourful - and a surprisingly dark and complex tale about economics and the miseries of childhood.

Still a spectacular adventure. Great songs, memorable characters and a great villain. Superb entertainment for the entire family. - Beetlejuice!

Bryan Singer's mutant ensemble is back, with more super-beings, a longer running time and bigger effects. As well as a blue Alan Cumming and Brian Cox doing what he does best - playing nasty.

Ah, at last a comic-book movie with a real sense of danger and excitement! Pre-Batman this was the shit as far as comic-book movies went, taking them to the next level on scale and scope it manages to avoid pitfalls which have snarled many others: Genuinely engaging characters (Daredevil), no over-indulgance (Hulk), using a big-cast to their full potential (Spiderman 3). Once again however, as much as we try to love the other characters in the same way it's Jackman's Wolverine that really stays in the memory. Let your mind go blank and then think of X-Men and I guarantee its him, and his part-ferocious part-ridiculous hairstlye that comes to mind first. Despite his heroic turn I still believe that the best decision the X-Men franchise made was to have Gandalf and Picard as age old adversarys, never have mutual respect and hatrid bubbled so equally under the surface. While many may scream 'Spiderman' in response, this is included as it was the first and still ONE of the best examples of giving the fans of the comic books what they wanted to see on the screen. - Squave

The daddy of super hero movies.  The dark knight is a damn fine film but in many ways it is a gangster flick in superhero clothing.  All the spiderman movies are good but all have flaws, in the first the green goblin looked like a power ranger, the second gets bogged down by his powers failing as he gets run down and has doubts.  the 3rd... well lets move on.  the first x-men movie was a great set up but didn't really do a lot, x-2 took it all to a whole new level.  bigger action, more story but without losing the character or focus.  Shame about the 3rd... - genejoke

X2 is probably me least favourite of all the X-Men films. - Gimli The Dwarf

Tired of the divine, a Berlin angel falls gratefully from grace in Wim Wenders' metaphysical fantasy, starring Bruno Ganz and featuring Peter Falk.

Desperately over-rated - MOTH

I can't say I cared for Wings at all - in fact it irked me. - Gram123

This is a hard film to write a review about because it is so hard to place your finger on why it is so special. The first time i watch it i found it quite slow, distant and sometimes hard to connect with. Only after more viewings in a Wenders style marathon have i begun to love this film. This film, unlike any other really displays the beauty of being human despite being surrounded by so much disaster and unhappiness - it really is a testament to Wender's ability to convey the lightest ambiance from even the simpilest things.

Wings of Desire dips its hands into many pies but never becomes muddle - the focus is always clear and always so penetrating and moving - it seems that Wender's realised that only through fantasy and death could humans truly start to see the beauty that encaptulates the world. The film is very patient, and the leading roles seem to float into this flow and it bodes well with the atmosphere, i realized on a repeat viewing that the film could not be shot any other way because the pace depicts the lifestyle of these angels and their longing for some human contact - i love how Heaven is shown in black and white and yet earth in colour, these little details are set to remind the viewers of what they truly have and what they are lucky for. Futhermore the cinematography is wonderful, i have never seen Berlin looks so marvelous and at the same time chilling, the way the angels loom on shoulders of magnificent statues and decend from building tops as they feel everything and see everything to appear at mortals sides when they need the protection.

As in Spirit of the Beehive i particulary enjoyed how Wender's displays the life through the eyes of a child, and how questions that adults ignore can become so meaningful when a child muses them to themselves. It might seem overly poetic but i think it is necessary for the viewer to connect with the conflicts the angels face when dealing with their fate. It is also a brilliant technique to make priorities and worries become much clear and easier to understand - things we take for granted in every day life such as 'Why am i me and not you?' can suddenly be so imaginative and fascinating. These simple yet oddly profound questions riddle the film at random intervals and each one makes the viewer set back and contemplate his or her life and existence on this planet - and then truly is an achievement for cinema. - barkers101

A charming fairy tale which has all the requisite layers of seriousness and darkness.

Used to scare me! - Gimli The Dwarf

Probably Disney's scariest animated film, a magical tale of a puppet wanting to be a boy told with stylish animation. This was the first film I remember going to the cinema to see (a re-release obviously!). - Beetlejuice!

Disney's second film, judged their best by EMPIRE magazine in 2008, tells the sweet little story of an inventor, Geppeto, who creates a wooden toy named Pinocchio and infuses it with life. From there, the toy enlists the help of his conscience Jimmy Cricket in order to prove himself worthy of becoming a real boy. One of those films that just about everybody sees as a young child, "Pinocchio” is classic Disney at its very best. It infuses all of those themes that you've come to associate with the studio, like adventure and childhood innocence and teamwork and comradeship and doing the right thing, with an epic sprawling story. The general plot, as shown above, is quite easy to sum up, but the true beauty of this film is how free-wheeling it is, and how willing the directing and writing team are to take things off at tangents. It also boasts a few astounding set pieces, two of which are actually genuinely scary. The scene where Pinocchio and a 'friend', trapped in a theme park type setting, turns into a donkey was the bane of my dreams for weeks, and I'm sure it was the same to many other children. The scenes within the whale's stomach also boast an intensity about them that Disney would fail to reproduce for many years to come. The ending bursts at the seams with emotion, and is possibly one of the early magical movie moments of my own particular film-watching life. "Pinocchio” deserves its place as a Disney classic, and although it's not quite as good as a couple of their other films from the 30s and 40s, it's certainly worth a look for anyone under (and probably over) the age of ten. - Piles

A young witch opens her own courier company in this stunning animated tale from Japan's Hayao Miyazaki.

Miyazaki's tale of a young travelling witch provides the opportunity for some beautifully realised scenery. Our heroine takes up home in a delightful, quaint and homely little village which is lovingly rendered onscreen. It's the many little details that sets Miyazaki's work apart from other animated films. Such as the many seagulls flying around in the background, the many little side streets that are glimpsed and hinted at and the busy ocean filled with a number of fishing boats. It's not very often you watch an animated film and wish that you could go book a holiday to where it was filmed. - Beetlejuice!

Kiki is a teenage witch in training, she takes part in the tradition of witches that dictates she leaves her family to live alone for a year, in order to practise her supernatural skills. She sets off with a few possessions, her broom, and her familiar, a black cat named Jiji. Kiki finds herself in a small city where she determines to prove herself as a capable witch. She finds work as a courier for the local bakery, delivering the goods by broom and learns to take responsibility for herself.
It's a sweet story, simple and pretty basic by Ghibli standards. Not that basic has to be bad and sometimes the simplest tales are the best. Miyazaki doesn't seem to be interested in external conflict here. Kiki is looked upon as an outsider, but only in the way that all strangers in a small town are. Even though Kiki is looked upon with a little wonder for her powers, she's not treated as a freak. The film doesn't follow the other possible route of giving her bullies to overcome, or having her long for acceptance among the locals. She just gets on with things, working through her inner conflicts in order to grow.
And that's what interests Miyazki here. In many ways this is a Ghibli film with more in common with Whisper Of The Heart than Spirited Away. The supernatural here is always a secondary concern. The focus is on Kiki and how she grows up and learns to accept responsibility for her life. The story is in the characters, their warmth, their depth, their soul. It also manages to avoid the trap of becoming overwhelming sweet, Miyazaki delights in the tranquil moments. For all of the sweetness in the tale, there's also a lot of thoughtfulness. There's a sadness and a bittersweet quality to the story that brings levels of shade to the film that are often missing in live-action films, let alone animated ones. For some reason, Kiki's Delivery Service often seems to be regarded as somehow lesser in comparison to Miyazaki's other work. I've never really understood why. It's a beautiful, serene and surprisingly mature work, one of the great director's finest accomplishments. - Rawlinson

I was kind of disappointed when I first saw Kiki's and that was more a problem of my expectation than anything in the film itself. I guess I was expecting something more complex (as it was one of the later Ghibli's I saw), than the more sedate contemplation of growing up presented here.
I do like the film but I still think it is probably the kind of film that I'll be choosing for a Xmas gift for some of the older children amongst my friends' broods - and be sure they'll love it - than the first I'd dig out of the pile for myself. - elab49

It is a great film, one of Tom Hanks finest and endlessly rewatchable. - genejoke

The saddest film ever (really its the only film that actually makes me cry - i don't quite know why - its not even THAT good...) - richCie

Not bad but very sentimental and a bit too silly for my full liking. - shawshank prisoner

Unashamedly overblown, occassionally silly and often great re-telling of the Arthurian legend. Magic, madness, bad dialogue and fantastic costumes.

It's pretty cheesy but well cast, Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren being standouts. - Beetlejuice!

One of the classic Christmas movies that is so happy about being sentimental it's enchanting rather than sickly sweet.

Soooooooooo much better than the remake. - Gimli The Dwarf

An adorable classic Christmas movie. And I agree with Gimli, this is twice the film the cheesy remake is. If you want kids to appreciate old movies this would probably be a good place to start. - Beetlejuice!