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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 0:58:47 GMT
For me, it's definitely The 80s, which was sparked by the creation of the original Star Wars films. Now, Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films are my favorite fantasy films of all time, but I can't say I've enjoyed a lot of the New Millennium's offerings for the genre outside of them. There's the original Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Stardust, and the Eragon film is a guilty pleasure of mine, but that's about it. Not a Potter fan.
Whereas with the 80s, I quite enjoy The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, Ladyhawke, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Willow, the old Conan films, Return to Oz, Beetlejuice, the Star Wars films (yes, I count them even if the first was in 1977, but they are very much a part of the fantasy film climate of the time), and according to some source, Big counts as a fantasy film, too, so sure I'll throw that in as well.
How about you?
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NileQT87
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Post by NileQT87 on Feb 6, 2017 4:21:50 GMT
The '80s, no doubt, were the highlight of fantasy filmmaking. 1977's Star Wars was very arguably the birth of the modern blockbuster.
The '80s had major advancements in technology spurred on by Star Wars, but at the same time, there was still a reliance on proper storytelling needed that couldn't be replaced by more and more SFX. The '80s also still used old-school methods like puppets and stop-motion that, while sometimes comical, still had a weight and texture to them that even the best CGI today struggles to achieve (not to mention the Uncanny Valley phenomenon). SFX still had to be used sparingly and filmmakers were more aware of their limitations. They used SFX only to serve the unique, well-crafted story, which still had to be the focus of the films with actors still being needed to give memorable performances, rather than just trying to write a thin story to link a bunch of CGI extravaganza and action set piece ideas and hiring any pretty face because there is less and less actual performances needed.
However, what has currently happened is all the best fantasy/sci-fi is now on television. Because of budget and the amount of story that is needed, actors are still needed to give dramatic performances (not just a few quippy one-liners in between explosions) and writers still have to focus on plotlines that go on for years. CGI is present on a TV budget, but it still has limits for how much it can be used. The golden age of fantasy/sci-fi television started in the '90s and is still going strong, while filmmaking has devolved as the budgets have bloated beyond proportion with worse results. Today, a TV show looks no less polished than a theatrical film, but with a closer ratio to '80s films in regards to time spent on dramatic performances and storytelling.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 4:32:49 GMT
I can't say I agree with your assessment of general modern cinema, but I agree that a lot of good fantasy and sci-fi TV shows have come over since their advent in the 90s.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 18:22:35 GMT
THE 1980s will NEVER be rivaled in the "Fantasy" Genre, and it isn't even close.
There was some kind of special 'feel' to those films.
"The Labyrinth" "The Neverending Story" "The Dark Crystal" "The Princess Bride" "Return to OZ"
I could go on and on, but you get my point. It wasn't just about the advancement in visuals, it was the storytelling. There was something unique about the designs and tone of the films. I can pop in a 1980s Fantasy Film and I KNOW right away what decade it's from.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2017 5:24:57 GMT
I think it was the raw quality they had. Those films all tended to just grab the viewer and then hurl them headfirst into the deep, darkest parts of whatever universes the films were set in, shouting "SURVIVE THIS!"
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Post by kevin on Feb 7, 2017 12:43:28 GMT
For me it's a tie between the 80s and the last 17 years or so (2000 onwards). I haven't seen all fantasy movies from the 80s yet (I haven't seen The Princess Bride), so I can't really make a definitive decision. My favorite fantasy franchises/movies from the last 17 years are: - Harry Potter - How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2 - Pan's Labyrinth - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Spirited Away - The Lord of the Rings
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2017 15:15:30 GMT
For me it's a tie between the 80s and the last 17 years or so (2000 onwards). I haven't seen all fantasy movies from the 80s yet (I haven't seen The Princess Bride), so I can't really make a definitive decision. My favorite fantasy franchises/movies from the last 17 years are: - Harry Potter - How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2 - Pan's Labyrinth - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Spirited Away - The Lord of the Rings I would love to have seen "How to Train Your Dragon" in the 1980s as a Fantasy Live Action film. It's a great CGI cartoon, don't get me wrong. But I could imagine Wolfgang Peterson or Spielberg in the mid-1980s making that with Jim Henson's Creature Shop and props, sets, dark tones. That would have been amazing.
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bd74
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Post by bd74 on Feb 7, 2017 22:21:08 GMT
Definitely the 80s. I was an 80s kid, so the fantasy films that were made during that decade were fascinating to me. In addition to the films you mentioned, there was also:
Time Bandits The Beastmaster Clash of the Titans Flash Gordon Excalibur Dragonslayer Something Wicked This Way Comes Cat People The Barbarians The Bride
I would also add Escape from New York to the genre of fantasy films.
Those films definitely had a raw/gritty feel to them. And they were so intriguing. You could get swept away in the whole atmosphere of those films.
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TheSowIsMine
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Feb 8, 2017 10:10:32 GMT
The 80's
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2017 2:06:34 GMT
All of your lists are really good and I do love the 80's. 1985's Legend by Ridley Scott. Tim Curry ruled as the consummate "Dark Lord/Demon". Full body make up and a magnificent pair of Hellboy type horns. The outdoor sets built in doors added a look and feel that was a joy to behold. Some incredible imagery. oohhh, and Robert Picardo's Meg Mucklebones... Wow!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2017 4:21:52 GMT
@mello: I don't think they could have made "How to Train Your Dragon" in the 80s, given how mobile and agile the hordes of dragons are supposed to be.
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Post by fangirl1975 on Feb 25, 2017 22:37:55 GMT
The '80s all the way.
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Post by pippinmaniac on Feb 27, 2017 21:43:01 GMT
The 80's, for certain. "Legend", "Ladyhawke", "Labyrinth", "Clash of the Titans", "The Princess Bride", "Something Wicked This Way Comes", and many more. The early 2000's had the "Harry Potter" series and "The Lord of the Rings", "Chronicles of Narnia" and others.
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Post by geode on Mar 6, 2017 4:14:53 GMT
For me, it's definitely The 80s, which was sparked by the creation of the original Star Wars films. Now, Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films are my favorite fantasy films of all time, but I can't say I've enjoyed a lot of the New Millennium's offerings for the genre outside of them. There's the original Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Stardust, and the Eragon film is a guilty pleasure of mine, but that's about it. Not a Potter fan. Whereas with the 80s, I quite enjoy The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, Ladyhawke, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Willow, the old Conan films, Return to Oz, Beetlejuice, the Star Wars films (yes, I count them even if the first was in 1977, but they are very much a part of the fantasy film climate of the time), and according to some source, Big counts as a fantasy film, too, so sure I'll throw that in as well. How about you? When I saw the title of the thread I immediately thought of the 60s, if only for Ray Harryhausen and George Pal films. The Three Worlds of Gulliver Atlantis, the Lost Continent Mysterious Island The Absent-Minded Professor Jack the Giant Killer The Magic Sword The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Zotz! Jason and the Argonauts Captain Sindbad The Sword in the Stone The Three Lives of Thomasina 7 Faces of Dr. Lao The Incredible Mr. Limpet Kwaidan Mary Poppins She One Million Years B.C. Doctor Dolittle Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Lost Continent The Vengeance of She Yellow Submarine The Time Machine But rather quickly I remembered the bountiful crop of fantasy films in the 40s, with such heavyweight titles as A Matter of Life and Death and The Thief of Bagdad. I think I would say by decade that the 40s have the best fantasy films. Fantasia One Million B.C. Pinocchio The Thief Of Bagdad The Devil and Daniel Webster Dumbo Here Comes Mr. Jordan Bambi Cat People I Married a Witch A Guy Named Joe Heaven Can Wait The Canterville Ghost The Curse of the Cat People Blithe Spirit The Enchanted Cottage The Picture of Dorian Gray Angel on My Shoulder Beauty and the Beast It's a Wonderful Life A Matter of Life and Death The Bishop's Wife Down to Earth The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Miracle on 34th Street Portrait of Jennie The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Alice in Wonderland
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Post by coldenhaulfield on Mar 6, 2017 4:36:10 GMT
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Post by bd74 on Mar 6, 2017 22:40:00 GMT
Another 80s fantasy film that comes to mind is The Company of Wolves. It's a pretty bad film but it's got stunning visuals. Love the cinematography.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 21:14:10 GMT
@mello: I don't think they could have made "How to Train Your Dragon" in the 80s, given how mobile and agile the hordes of dragons are supposed to be. I think the 'heart' of the story could have been captured. I don't mean a literal frame by frame remake, but the main point of the story.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 21:24:56 GMT
I have to disagree. I think "How to Train Your Dragon" works best exactly when it was made.
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Post by ♥ Lace ♥ on May 2, 2017 11:52:23 GMT
80's.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2017 21:53:58 GMT
I'm shocked this is still around.
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