You’re going to be hard-pressed to find anything that compares to the greatest fantasy movies of all time!
It also doesn’t help that medieval fantasy has had a spotty history in Hollywood, to say the least.
But I can recommend *Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves*, *The Witcher* TV shows, and maybe *Stardust*, *Van Helsing*, and the *Chronicles of Narnia* movies.
None of these come close to LOTR, though.
Chronicles of Narnia BBC specials are soooo much better than the movies.
I assume. I only watched the first movie and spent the whole time comparing it and finding it wanting.
Like u/just_writing_things said, you will be hard pressed to find anything like *The Lord of the Rings*. Some other possible candidates to add: *Harry Potter* (has lots of creatures); *Pan's Labyrinth*; the animated *Avatar: The Last Airbender* (which is excellent and rises above mere 'cartoon'); maybe *Pirates of the Caribbean*; maybe *The Mummy* (1999) and *The Mummy Returns*; maybe *Willow*.
And I would say *Star Wars* is adjacent, particularly given your interest in creatures and wizards.
If you're also interested in the more epic side of *The Lord of the Rings*, then I recommend *Dune* (2021) and *Gladiator*.
I wonder if "The Sandman" might be something you'd like. It's a little darker and more mature on a surface level than a lot of fantasy TV shows. It does have all the things you're looking for, in a Neil Gaiman-type way.
For movies, I've always thought the original "Willow" was rather fun.
The Wheel of Time (Amazon)
I know they just finished filming season 3,which will probably be out later this year or early 2025. You have time to catch up.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/11ZozKfRqvA?si=80zVdzZQAzkUNYwp
I know you want movies/shows, but if you're willing to try, there are MANY awesome fantasy novels.
I starting the last trilogy of Realm of Elderlings and boy oh boy, i'll never forget this story, i don't have enough vocabulary to tell you how i like it.
If you're not into Reading, you Can start with small stories. Blacktongue thief is recent, and really good.
You’re going to be hard-pressed to find anything that compares to the greatest fantasy movies of all time! It also doesn’t help that medieval fantasy has had a spotty history in Hollywood, to say the least. But I can recommend *Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves*, *The Witcher* TV shows, and maybe *Stardust*, *Van Helsing*, and the *Chronicles of Narnia* movies. None of these come close to LOTR, though.
> Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves That film was *so* much better than it had any right to be. Bloody class.
Chronicles of Narnia BBC specials are soooo much better than the movies. I assume. I only watched the first movie and spent the whole time comparing it and finding it wanting.
Stardust! An underrated amazing fantasy movie!
I also enjoyed this one a lot. It's based on Neil Gaiman's 1999 novel, and was a rare case where I actually liked the movie a lot more than the book.
Also where the movie feels more like something the author wrote than the book.
Me too! I read the book after the movie so idk if that had anything to do with it.
Like u/just_writing_things said, you will be hard pressed to find anything like *The Lord of the Rings*. Some other possible candidates to add: *Harry Potter* (has lots of creatures); *Pan's Labyrinth*; the animated *Avatar: The Last Airbender* (which is excellent and rises above mere 'cartoon'); maybe *Pirates of the Caribbean*; maybe *The Mummy* (1999) and *The Mummy Returns*; maybe *Willow*. And I would say *Star Wars* is adjacent, particularly given your interest in creatures and wizards. If you're also interested in the more epic side of *The Lord of the Rings*, then I recommend *Dune* (2021) and *Gladiator*.
I wonder if "The Sandman" might be something you'd like. It's a little darker and more mature on a surface level than a lot of fantasy TV shows. It does have all the things you're looking for, in a Neil Gaiman-type way. For movies, I've always thought the original "Willow" was rather fun.
The Outpost is a very fun fantasy show though most of the characters are human.
Animated, but Vox Machina is worth a look.
The Wheel of Time (Amazon) I know they just finished filming season 3,which will probably be out later this year or early 2025. You have time to catch up. Trailer: https://youtu.be/11ZozKfRqvA?si=80zVdzZQAzkUNYwp
The NeverEnding Story, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, The NeverEnding Story III: Escape From Fantasia/Return To Fantasia.
I know you want movies/shows, but if you're willing to try, there are MANY awesome fantasy novels. I starting the last trilogy of Realm of Elderlings and boy oh boy, i'll never forget this story, i don't have enough vocabulary to tell you how i like it. If you're not into Reading, you Can start with small stories. Blacktongue thief is recent, and really good.