Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

What movie would you bring them to watch?

(Only one film, that's all she'll agree to)

I would bring them: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale.

It's a Jason Stahtam Fantasy film.

It also has Ron Perlman, Claire Floriani, Matthew Lillard, Ray Liotta, John Reyes-Davies, Burt Reynolds...

What better way to introduce someone to the world of Fantasy films.. unless you have a better idea.

Is it a date? For a date, it’s hard to beat The Princess Bride.

Princess Bride or Labyrinth.

If Elwe’s sheer charisma or Bowie’s bulge don’t get your lass interested, you’re cooked.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Princess Bride or Labyrinth.

If Elwe’s sheer charisma or Bowie’s bulge don’t get your lass interested, you’re cooked.

Uhhhh... I don't seem to remember that bit of Labyrinth.

You don't think it's too... how do I say this without angering folks...

Dated?

I've been digging through fantasy films lately (Tom Cruise's Legend or Liam Neeson's Krull) trying to find ones that aren't too dull for modern audiences, nor too kid friendly that reinforces her view that all fantasy is Harry Potter.

The new D&D flick was decent from what I heard, and its got plenty of current stars.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves sounds like the best choice if you want something modern. Classics are classic for a reason though.

But... the OP has a rep for being a bit of a jester with his film reviews, but his suggestion at the top is so egregious that it cannot be excused.

From Rotten Tomatoes: Featuring mostly wooden performances, laughable dialogue, and shoddy production values, In the Name of the King fulfills all expectations of an Uwe Boll film. 4%

MarkNorfolk wrote:


But... the OP has a rep for being a bit of a jester with his film reviews, but his suggestion at the top is so egregious that it cannot be excused.

Whawww?

My suggestion is mainly to 'help you, help me' find a better movie.

Because you know that some poor lady is about to have a Uwe Bole masterpiece of cinema inflicted upon her poor innocent soul, unless I can find something better by her birthday.

Did I mention it was her birthday? Can you imagine the soul destroying trauma of watching In the Name of the King: A DungeonSiege Tale for your birthday?

You wouldn't wish that on anyone, would you?

...

Actually the new D&D movie isn't a bad idea... I'll have to ponder that one.

I'd second DnD Honor Among Thieves. It's a great movie, although you probably want to answer the question whether the accurate portrayal of an inept RPG party slapsticking their way to victory isn't too comedic for your purpose.

For a good story and mature presentation there's always Conan the Barbarian (1982). As an older movie it might be a bit too slow for you, I suppose.

What the hell is wrong with you all? Hawk The Slayer is clearly the only choice!

Pirates of the Caribbean? It’s pretty much a fantasy series.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Or Willow. No elves and it’s got some pretty adult themes going on.

For another date-friendly film, Stardust usually hits the spot.

I would also add another vote for D&D though. Great fun film.

I’d just like to point out that if this was a thread about someone wiling to dip their toes in the Sea of Punk, before returning to frolic upon Insanity Beach?

1. Smash It Up (full version, The Damned. Not The Offspring cover. Cover is fine, original is superb.

2. Tenpole Tudor, Wünderbar.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I’d just like to point out that if this was a thread about someone wiling to dip their toes in the Sea of Punk, before returning to frolic upon Insanity Beach?

1. Smash It Up (full version, The Damned. Not The Offspring cover. Cover is fine, original is superb.

2. Tenpole Tudor, Wünderbar.

Begone foul threadjacker!

Back! Back to the pit with thou!

If it's her birthday and you want the relationship to progress I'd very highly recommend saving the introduction to your tastes for another occasion and focus primarily on indulging hers...

Fellowship of the Ring, if you are determined, though.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I’d just like to point out that if this was a thread about someone wiling to dip their toes in the Sea of Punk, before returning to frolic upon Insanity Beach?

1. Smash It Up (full version, The Damned. Not The Offspring cover. Cover is fine, original is superb.

2. Tenpole Tudor, Wünderbar.

Begone foul threadjacker!

Back! Back to the pit with thou!

Oooh oooh! SMASH IT UP!

 nels1031 wrote:
The new D&D flick was decent from what I heard, and its got plenty of current stars.

It was charming and funny, but I wouldn’t show it to someone who doesn’t like Marvel movies.

If she’s looking for a harder edge, it’s hard to beat Conan the Barbarian or Pan’s Labyrinth.

First you chop them in the throat, then sweep the leg, and finally tell them you will not fall for their attempt to bait you into revealing something you like only for them to mock it now that you've exposed yourself. You should always try to avoid exposing yourself.

If she likes weirder films, show her The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

Willow is a good fantasy movie that feels like it would be a good second fantasy movie rather than a first fantasy.

Harryhausen classics like Clash of the Titans, 7th Voyage of Sinbad or Jason and the Argonauts could appeal if she likes mythology more than fantasy.

Or punish her with Return to Oz.

Dragon Slayer is the only classic not mentioned so far, as far as I can see. Although it’s a bit difficult to find these days sadly,

Honestly what this thread is showing is how poorly fantasy has faired as a genre in film making. Barring a few massive landmark events like Lord of the Rings; there really haven't been many big single fantasy hits in a long long while.

There's a decent number of background action flick era ones that do decently, but never really stand out like Seventh Son; but Hollywood hasn't really focused in a big way on fantasy in a long while.



Or its just showing that we are all ancient fossils who haven't kept up

I don’t think it’s us as such. If you do a simple Google search for best fantasy films, the. It’s basically the list we have given. Not too many modern films. I think fantasy has taken second fiddle to superheroes recently.

Stardust?

I'd put Princess Bridge and Stardust and the modern DnD film all in the same light-hearted fun fantasy section worth watching.

They are all three generally erring on the slightly less than super serious all the time; compared to say Lord of the Rings style films.

Maybe a couple of episodes of GoT? If it catches on, you'll have dozens of hours worth of hooking up for more

 Overread wrote:
I'd put Princess Bridge and Stardust and the modern DnD film all in the same light-hearted fun fantasy section worth watching.

They are all three generally erring on the slightly less than super serious all the time; compared to say Lord of the Rings style films.

Princess Bride, Stardust and DnD:Honor Among Thieves were all Box Office disappointments upon there initial theatrical release. PB obliviously over time built up a massive following post release but overall they are still examples of why there is hesitation to fund fantasy films. There was more possibility to recoup costs and make a profit back when physical media was the standard but in the age of streaming the post release business model is quite different for the last decade or more, which again increases hesitancy. Someone brought up Dragonslayer (1981) which bombed at the BO.

What about Dragonheart - just film 1 not the multiple sequels

 Overread wrote:
What about Dragonheart - just film 1 not the multiple sequels

It made some money but wasn't really a huge box office hit, grossing a little more than double its budget. The three examples above didn't even double their budget at the theater which makes it entirely likely they didn't, or barely, made a profit when you add in marketing costs. The argument has never been "no fantasy movie has ever made money" but that fantasy films tend to have an uphill battle. The "Geek Media" audience is certainly bigger today than in the past but fantasy still struggles to resonate with large audiences in the theater, regardless of the quality of the product.

I watched Dragonheart recentlyish. I wouldn't call it a good movie. It's okay, but not something I'd pick for "I don't watch fantasy, but I'll give one a try".

Weird that I don’t really think of Stardust as fantasy movie, maybe because it starts in the real world?

Hellboy 2 could arguably fit in this category, because it spends a lot more time in the fantasy world than the real world (and GDT really gets fantasy.)

A good chunk of fantasy and sci-fi can cross over and become really blurry on which it is.


There are those who argue that Starwars is a fantasy not a scifi; meanwhile the Pern novels are technically entirely sci-fi even though the vast majority of events are more akin to a fantasy setting.


Sometimes fantasy/scifi are just supergeneric and casual terms and are best left at that because the specifics of many series can become very puzzling.