“If You Don’t Like These Movies, You Don’t Like Fantasy”: The Author of “Game Of Thrones” Reveals His 10 Favorite Fantasy Movies

Whether on the big screen or in series format: the fantasy genre is very popular. One of the most important names for fans of strange worlds and magical creatures is without a doubt author George RR Martin, who wrote the saga “A Song of Ice and Fire”, which resulted in the best series of all time according to the FILMSTARTS community: ” Game of Thrones”. You can currently watch the prequel series “House Of The Dragon” on the streaming service WOW:

So if anyone knows fantasy, it’s probably George RR Martin! Opposite The award-winning writer revealed which fantasy films suit him best – and compiled a list of ten cinematic works that he believes you simply HAVE to see, if you like the genre. In this article you will discover which films we are talking about – we hope you enjoy reading and (re)discovering them!

1. ‘The Lord of the Rings 1-3’ (2001-2003)

How could it be otherwise: At the top of Martin’s list is the monumental cinema trilogy, with which Peter Jackson proved once and for all that JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ saga is not unfilmable after all – an overall. The reward was a box office gross of $3 billion and seventeen Oscars, eleven of which were for the final film “The Return of the King.”

If you’re still wondering which version to watch the “Lord of the Rings” movies – which, according to Martin, is essentially one long film -: the star author specifically recommends the extended versions, which condense everything into a length of approx. eleven and a half hours. “This was the most faithful and respectful adaptation you could wish for,” says Martin enthusiastically about the epic triptych. “If you don’t like these movies, you don’t like fantasy.”

2. “The Princess Bride” (1987)

With ‘The Princess Bride’, director Rob Reiner (‘Stand By Me’, ‘Harry & Sally’) has filmed a visually stunning fantasy fairy tale, peppered with humorous elements and ironic accents. Although it wasn’t a huge hit in 1987, the film, starring Robin Wright and Cary Elwes, became a cult favorite in the decades that followed.

“William Goldman’s 1973 novel was a delight, as was Rob Reiner’s film adaptation […] brought it to the screen masterfully.”, writes Martijn. “When Goldman took on the film adaptation himself, the film managed to capture all the charm and humor of the book – no easy feat. (…) It would have been unthinkable not to include this film on the list.”

3. “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

“Toto, we are no longer in Kansas” – with this iconic phrase, little Dorothy and her dog begin the magical adventure in the fairytale world of Oz. Lyman Frank Baum’s children’s book has been adapted into films many times (most recently in 2013 by “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi), but the best known to this day is Victor Fleming’s radiant Technicolor adaptation starring Judy Garland.

“A film cannot be a classic. What a cast!”said Martin. “The music is beautiful, ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ became one of Garland’s biggest hits, and countless lines from the film have become part of our everyday culture.” In 2008, the American Film Institute ranked “The Wizard of Oz” as the first among the 10 best American fantasy films of all time.

4. “The Day of the Falcon” (1985)

Two lovers are turned into animals by a curse and can only meet in human form for a few minutes a day: that is the premise of ‘The Day of the Falcon’, which director Richard Donner released the same year as his children’s adventure ‘ The Goonies While the latter became one of the most successful films of the year, the fantasy romance starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick became a flop at the box office – but that didn’t stop it from becoming a cult film over the years, like ‘The Princess Bride’.” to develop.

According to Martin, “The Day of the Falcon” is a “romantic fantasy about how to do it right,” although one thing bothers him: “[Der Film] is haunting, atmospheric, sweet, sad and magical – and was almost ruined by one of the worst film scores of all time, which tried to combine the cheesy ’80s sound of the Alan Parsons Project with Gregorian chants and music from the London Philharmonic. If only there was a way to turn off the soundtrack and still hear the dialogue! If only there was a way to convince someone to re-release this movie with a brand new score!”

5. “The Dragon Slayer” (1981)

One of the lesser-known films on Martin’s list is ‘The Dragon Slayer’, with which the Walt Disney studios tried to develop a new target group in the early 1980s in collaboration with Paramount – because the mixture of various myths and myths directed by Matthew Robbins Met With its unusually dark, realistic approach for the time, Legends is not primarily aimed at children. Unfortunately, the courage was not rewarded at the box office and more than four decades later the film is somewhat forgotten.

In Germany the film is not currently available on streaming, nor on DVD or Blu-ray, but Amazon offers a UK import DVD:

GeorgeRR Martin writes: “This underrated fantasy film […] far surpasses most of Disney’s live-action films from this era. The film is surprisingly dark and offers some fun twists along the way.” Martin also praises, among other things, the dragon design and the relatively ambivalent characterization of the villains, before concluding his text with a plea: “DO NOT confuse this film with the much worse ‘Dragonheart’!”

6. “The Knights of the Coconut” (1975)

A genre parody reached sixth place in Martin’s fantasy rankings: “The Knights of the Coconut”, the first full-fledged feature film by Monty Python (“The Life of Brian”). The comedy, which mainly satirizes the Arthurian legend, has cemented the comedy troupe’s fame beyond the borders of Britain – and is revered by fans in an almost cult-like way.

“The scary thing about The Knights of the Coconut is that it may be the best film adaptation of the Arthurian legend ever made.”, Martin explains his choice. “There’s John Boorman’s ‘Excalibur,’ a flawed film with some great bits. But what else do we have besides these two films?”

7. “Dark City” (1998)

“Dark City” could barely recoup its budget in 1998, but was probably just ahead of its time: after all, the sci-fi dystopia already contains some crucial plot elements that made “Matrix” only a year old. later mutated into a groundbreaking surprise success. If you want to learn more about the connections between the two films, you can do so in this article!

George RR Martin is enthusiastic about the work, which is as visionary as it is underestimated: “This masterpiece of Alex Proyas is disturbing, weird and strangely beautiful and difficult to categorize. I might as well have put it on my list of the 10 best science fiction films. Or a list of the 10 best horror films. It wouldn’t even be out of place on a list of the best noir films. (…) I missed ‘Dark City’ when it first came out in 1998 and only saw it on TV later. My bad luck. The movie must have been fantastic on the big screen.”

8. “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006)

Guillermo del Toro made two successful ‘Hellboy’ films and won several Oscars for ‘Shape Of Water’ – but for many fans ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ remains the Mexican director’s absolute masterpiece. Set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, the film is a fantasy coming-of-age fairy tale for adults that burns deep into the memory with its sometimes nightmarish images.

“Fascist Spain meets the fairytale world in this grim and dark tour de force,” writes the creator of “Game Of Thrones”. “Del Toro’s visual style is as vibrant and disturbing as it is unique. (…) Part fantasy, part political thriller, part family drama – ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ seamlessly interweaves the three storylines, each deepening and enriching the other. I might even have put this movie higher on my list if I hadn’t had the sneaking suspicion that it might not be fantasy at all. Everything Ofelia sees, hears, and experiences in the labyrinth can easily be interpreted as the dreams and delusions of a disturbed young girl.

9. “Once Upon a Time” (1946)

When you think of Beauty and the Beast, you probably think of the Disney animated version and the live-action remake starring Emma Watson. But there are a number of other film adaptations of the French folk tale, perhaps the most important of which is almost 80 years old: With ‘Once Upon a Time’ (also known as ‘Beauty and the Beast’), the surrealist Jean Cocteau created one of the most impressive adaptations of the material, which turned out to be a real box office hit in France in 1946.

Martijn explains: “This classic, written and directed by the legendary Jean Cocteau, remains the definitive version of the fairy tale […] At a time when depicting real blood on screen was frowned upon, Cocteau showed the beast’s hands smoking as it returned from the hunt – a beautiful and poetic image that still resonates today. Also the spooky castle […] with the human arms stretching out from the walls to reach for the torches, remains in the memory. And Jean Marais is a beautiful animal.”

10. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)

For most people, the very first ‘Indiana Jones’ adventure probably falls more into the adventure film genre – but when the mysterious Ark of the Covenant opens at the end of the film, ghostly lights appear in the sky and faces even melt away. Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster clearly crosses the line into the fantastic.

“Yes, of course it is a fantasy film,” Martin defends his choice. “Unless you believe the Ark of the Covenant really has the power to melt Nazis. All “Indiana Jones” movies have their moments […], but ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ beats all the others by far. Lawrence Kasdan’s script was much stronger than the sequels, the concept was fresher, and Harrison Ford really seemed to enjoy playing Indy.