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For some reason i got a real hankering for swords and swashbuckling. Can anybody suggest some fantasy (or indeed Pre-BP historic) movies to watch?
I dont necessarily care about artcisitc quality just something with cool costumes, a couple interesting ideas and some good sword fighting. Note: this implies live action, am not much of an animation guy.
I would rather avoid eastern cinema but if you can make a decent case, i will consider it.
Thanks for any help.
Mary Sue wrote: Perkustin is even more awesome than me!
Conan: the Barbarian (1981 with Arnold, haven't seen the latest one)
Conan: the Destroyer (not remotely as good as Barbarian but watchable)
Stardust (slightly "modern", but excellent)
first I can think of.
Edit: Red Sonja in the same vein as the two Conan movies, including Arnie.
Edit 2: Beastmaster and Willow are both good also.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/10/24 17:10:49
+1 for A Game of Thrones. Honestly that and Lord of the Rings is all you need. Maybe Your Highness...
Oh and The 13th Warrior. It is a film adaption of the 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton which is a retelling of Ahmad ibn Fadlan's personal accounts of traveling and experiences with Vikings with a little mix of Beowulf.
Just stay away from Legend of the Seeker. Utter crap...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/10/24 21:06:03
Cheesecat wrote:Princess Bride, girly name awesome movie.
That this wasn't mentioned in the first or second post is simply
Prestor Jon wrote: Because children don't have any legal rights until they're adults. A minor is the responsiblity of the parent and has no legal rights except through his/her legal guardian or parent.
Prince of Persia is good fun - avoid the new Clash of the titans IMO
Game of Thrones is good but if you want blood, sex and great sword fighting try the excellent:
Sparticus: Blood And Sand and Gods of the Arena -
awesome stuff.
The new Conan film is pretty good as are the two previous films - each in their own ways
Sword and the Sorcerer is old but fun.
Legend of the seeker is good - if you like sexy women fighting
13th Warrior is great
I am apparently one of the few people who does not like Princess Bride................at all.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/10/24 21:20:05
I AM A MARINE PLAYER
"Unimaginably ancient xenos artefact somewhere on the planet, hive fleet poised above our heads, hidden 'stealer broods making an early start....and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas."
Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos
"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001
The thread's title and the suggestions so far have a huge disconnect.
Most of it isn't what I'd call "recent".
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Prestor Jon wrote: Because children don't have any legal rights until they're adults. A minor is the responsiblity of the parent and has no legal rights except through his/her legal guardian or parent.
I only ever watched the princess bride when i was very young, keep meaning to watch it again.
Re-watched LOTR last time i was in a fantasy mood lol
Unfortnately i've already watched Game of thrones, most episodes 2-3 times.
I kinda want to see the new conan mainly becase it looks like it has cool costumes and swordfights. I have heard is laughably terrible apart from that though.....
I guess there just aint much fantasy these days. Let alone decent fantasy.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/10/24 21:46:00
Mary Sue wrote: Perkustin is even more awesome than me!
Platuan4th wrote:The thread's title and the suggestions so far have a huge disconnect.
Most of it isn't what I'd call "recent".
When it comes to good fantasy movies that are recent...well you might get one. In order to get "movies" as in plural and "decent" you have to expand recent to include a couple decades. Just saying...
Seriously? that movie was horrible. I'd suggest the new Conan. Fairly decent. Otherwise Fantasy movies in general are fewer and further between these days. But shows are a bit different. The Spartacus series' were good for a 300 feel.
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Master and Commander. More historical than fantasy but excellent. Has Crowe as the Captain.
Ip Man. Eastern yes, amazing oh yes. China during WW2 Japanese occupation with a Mortal Kombat-esque tourny revenge. So good, seriously.
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Seriously? that movie was horrible. I'd suggest the new Conan. Fairly decent. Otherwise Fantasy movies in general are fewer and further between these days. But shows are a bit different. The Spartacus series' were good for a 300 feel.
It was both Fantasy and recent. And really not all THAT bad.
As for Animation, How to train your dragon was an excellent film.
Though for the best swordfight of all time in a film, you will need to watch Raiders of the lost ark!
and Kill Bill comes in a close second for the greatest swordfight of all time.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/10/25 07:16:14
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Forgot about Percy Jackson - good fun film - certainly better than new Clash of the Titans....
Outlander is also great and not just for Sophia Myles
Nothing really wrong with the new Conan film.
Season of the Witch - good film
I AM A MARINE PLAYER
"Unimaginably ancient xenos artefact somewhere on the planet, hive fleet poised above our heads, hidden 'stealer broods making an early start....and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas."
Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos
"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001
streamdragon wrote:Conan: the Barbarian (1981 with Arnold, haven't seen the latest one)
Conan: the Destroyer (not remotely as good as Barbarian but watchable)
Stardust (slightly "modern", but excellent)
first I can think of.
Edit: Red Sonja in the same vein as the two Conan movies, including Arnie.
Edit 2: Beastmaster and Willow are both good also.
You consider these "recent"?!?
Also, I guess the definition of "fantasy movie" has changed a bit as of late: pirate movies and master & Commander?!? WTF?
As others have mentioned Fantasy is not really a common genere these days, though LOTR franchise helped spawn a limited revival in recent times.
I think for "good" fantasy you really have to go back to the eighties and early ninties:
( Some of my favorites in no particular order)
1. Willow
2. Conan Franchise
3. Krull
4. Dragon Slayer
5. Dark Crystal
6. Red Sonja
7. The Beastmaster
8. Excalibur
9. Ladyhawk
10. 13th Warrior
etc.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/10/26 01:48:39
Was looking through a bunch of my bros DVDs this afternoon and found princess bride.
Pretty good, it wasnt as good as i thought it would be but still had some funny moments.
Oh and another thing, George R R Martin must be fan, though i'm not sure he understood that the film is a comedy....
Spoiler:
In the scene where Montoya finally duels with the six fingered man he keeps saying that silly line 'you killed my father, now prepare to die!' to some good comic effect. When Prince Oberyn 'the viper' (i think) of Dorne duels with Gregor Clegane in book 3.5 of SIF he keeps repeating a similar line: '(i forget its exact wording, you wouldnt be reading this if you didnt already recall though ' ) to some good (presumably), unintentional, comic effect.
Phew! That was long winded and more than a little tenuos.... Thanks for reading.
Mary Sue wrote: Perkustin is even more awesome than me!
Other than Lord of the Rings here are my top recommendations:
Conan the Barbarian 1980
Deserves mentioning again. First big fantasy production in the D&D era, there were others (see below). This one really sert the scene, Arnie was excellent supporting cast was excellent and the music was excellent. I actually rate this higher than Lord of the Rings which had advantages in budget and technology this little gem did not.
Do not bother with the sequel except as a one off. Red Sonja is essentially a second sequel and isn't bad.
Dragonslayer 1982
Don't be put off by the fact this was made by Disney. This is not a syrupy production, expect lots of deaths and some adult themes. Dragonslayer is the other big fantasy film of the D&D era, when 80's imagination exceeded the budgets and technology. This is a very good film, the dragon is exceptionally well done. You may be forgiven for thinking this was an early CGI work, it is not. All animatronics, but perhaps that is why it was good Disney did this, they know more about that type of work than anyone.
There are heroes and villains and maidens to rescue but fairy tale this is not. Dragon slayer presents you with a bodycount, and plenty of human shortcomings. In case you are wondering the hero shown is Peter MacNicol who normally plays wimpy nerds and was cast against type as a fantasy hero, even if a fairly nerdy one, IMHO he pulled it off.
Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God 2005
A sequal to the dire Dungeons and Dragons: the Movie, though with only one continuation character. You wont need to watch the first film to get this, in fact I recommend you don't. While the budget was a third of that of its predecessor yet it was placed in the hands of someone who had a far better idea of how to use it. Unlike the first film it actually depicted D&D properly with identifiable monsters character classes and adventurer mentalities, it even had a well placed and well thought through plot. It is a very good film in fact in the light of what it achieved and for how little. Some corners were cut, it gives the film a made-for-TV appearance, but those corners are forgivable because of the ambitious scale with which it was working and nothing really shakes its imagination. Highly recommended and a good example of a particularly rare bird: the sequel that eclipses the original.
Clash of the Titans 1981
Dont be fooled by the flashy remake, this one is the real deal. Well executed stop motion monsters are the order of the day; this film was from the time one had to work at being awesome rather than just sit back and let the programmers do all the work. Good acting though, Persues looks suitably out of his depth accounting for what he has to deal with and who is behind it. You never lose the feeling that Zeus couldn't just crush him like a bug at a moments notice.
Jason and the Argonauts 1963
More stop motion goodness, old school extra shaky movements. This is just enough plot focused to stay as a fantasy film rather than cross the line into a monster flick. Epic fun, but its not the huge monsters, even giant Talos but the humble skeletons that steal the show. Skeletons, scary. Yes, these ones are.
Willow 1988
Thinly disguised Tolkien homage, and all round good action movie with a good fantasy ploy. The decent effort from the tailing end of the D&D era, fantasy culture was moving on to other things but there was room still for carefully paced sword and sorcery romps, this one being by far the best of its time. It has some annoying supporting characters that aren't worth the time the film gives to them, but dont let that distract you.
Honourable mentions:
Beastmaster - not an especially good film, but notable for the animal sequences and it does have an above average plot.
Hawk the Slayer - way too cheesy to be a real classic
Sinbad the Sailor - likewise
Red Sonja - not a bad film, but not a patch on Conan the Barbarian
Krull - Has its moments, a very ambitious production.
This message was edited 8 times. Last update was at 2011/10/26 17:05:22
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
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Orlanth wrote:Other than Lord of the Rings here are my top recommendations:
Conan the Barbarian 1980
Deserves mentioning again. First big fantasy production in the D&D era, there were others (see below). This one really sert the scene, Arnie was excellent supporting cast was excellent and the music was excellent. I actually rate this higher than Lord of the Rings which had advantages in budget and technology this little gem did not.
Do not bother with the sequel except as a one off. Red Sonja is essentially a second sequel and isn't bad.
Dragonslayer 1982
Don't be put off by the fact this was made by Disney. This is not a syrupy production, expect lots of deaths and some adult themes. Dragonslayer is the other big fantasy film of the D&D era, when imagination exceeded budgets and technology. This is a very good film, the dragon is exceptionally well done. You may be forgiven for thinking this was an early CGI work, it is not. All animatronics, but perhaps that is why it was good Disney did this, they know more about that type of work than anyone.
There are heroes and villains and maidens to rescue but fairy tale this is not. Dragon slayer presents you with a bodycount, and plenty of human shortcomings. In case you are wondering the hero shown is Peter MacNicol who normally plays wimpy nerds and was cast against type as a fantasy hero, even if a fairly nerdy one, IMHO he pulled it off.
Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God 2005
A sequal to the dire Dungeons and Dragons: the Movie. While the budget was a third of that of its predecessor yet it was placed in the hands of someone who had a far better idea of how to use it. Unlike the first film it actually depicted D&D properly with identifiable monsters character classes and adventurer mentalities, it even had a well placed and well thought through plot. It is a very good film in fact in the light of what it achieved and for how little. Some corners were cut, it gives the film a made-for-TV appearance, but those corners are forgivable because of the ambitious scale with which it was working and nothing really shakes its imagination. Highly recommended.
Clash of the Titans 1981
Dont be fooled by the flashy sequel, this one is the real deal. Well executed stop motion monsters are the order of the day; this film was from the time one had to work at being awesome rather than just sit back and let the programmers do all the work. Good acting though, Persues looks suitably out of his depth accounting for what he has to deal with and who is behind it. You never lose the feeling that Zeus couldn't just crush him like a bug at a moments notice.
Jason and the Argonauts 1963
More stop motion goodness, old school extra shaky movements. This is just enough plot focused to stay as a fantasy film rather than cross the line into a monster flick. Epic fun, but its not the huge monsters, even giant Talos but the humble skeletons that steal the show. Skeletons, scary. Yes, these ones are.
Willow 1988
Thinly disguised Tolkien homage, and all round good action movie with a good fantasy ploy. The decent effort from the tailing end of the D&D era, fantasy culture was moving on to other things but there was room still for carefully paced sword and sorcery romps, this one being by far the best of its time. It has some annoying supporting characters that aren't worth the time the film gives to them, but dont let that distract you.
Honourable mentions:
Beastmaster - not an especially good film, but notable for the animal sequences and it does have an above average plot.
Hawk the Slayer - way too cheesy to be a real classic
Sinbad the Sailor - likewise
Red Sonja - not a bad film, but not a patch on Conan the Barbarian
Krull - Has its moments, a very ambitious production.
4000+
6000+ Order. Unity. Obedience.
Thousand Sons 4000+
' ) to some good (presumably), unintentional, comic effect.
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