David Bridges
Looking for some thrilling escapism? What could possibly be extra satisfying than fabulous fantasy movies? This wonderous style leads viewers down a path into magical realms, the place myths and monsters roam, surprises lurk round each nook, and heroes set forth on adventures epic and enthralling.
Whether or not you’re looking for a film that is scary, family-friendly, mind-bending, heartbreaking, or pulse-pounding, we’ve received you coated with a curated number of fantasy movies from world wide…and past.
Listed here are the 20 greatest fantasy movies on Netflix now out there.
1. Damsel
Credit score: John Wilson / Netflix
Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) accepts her impending organized marriage with a way of obligation. In spite of everything, her ravenous folks want the riches her new household will present. However she begins to get her hopes up when she meets the good-looking prince (Nick Robinson). Sadly, the prince’s household has a darkish secret, one for which they intend to sacrifice Elodie’s life. Damsel is not your common fairy story. It is an action-packed journey about survival… and vengeance. Ray Winstone, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Bassett, and Robin Wright additionally star on this entertaining twist on the damsel-in-distress narrative. — Kristina Grosspietsch, Freelance Contributor
The right way to watch: Damsel is now streaming on Netflix.
2. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Satan
For those who love Pan’s Labyrinth, you then’ll get pleasure from this fantasy interval piece, which pitches a plucky younger heroine right into a world of war-ravaged males and manipulative monsters.
Co-written and directed by Paul Urkijo Alijo, Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Satan begins in 1835, when the First Carlist Conflict plagued Basque Nation, Spain. There, a blacksmith makes a cope with a satan, which could have a depraved influence on his village and the life of 1 courageous little woman (Uma Bracaglia) on a quest for solutions about her dearly departed mom. Folding folklore and non secular horror in with a cheeky humorousness and darkish thread of journey, this fascinating movie takes audiences to hell and again. Actually! — Kristy Puchko, Movie Editor
The right way to watch: Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Satan is now streaming on Netflix.
3. Okja
Credit score: Netflix
For those who ever dreamed of being besties with a fantastical beast, you then’ll relish each step of this buddy journey from Bong Joon Ho. With Okja, the internationally acclaimed South Korean author/director spun a narrative a couple of huge and lovable “tremendous pig” named Okja and the farm woman who’d do something to reserve it from slaughter. Alongside the best way, this lovable duo will meet zealous animal-rights activists, an unnervingly energetic TV persona (Jake Gyllenhaal), and a chic entrepreneur (Tilda Swinton) whose good intentions are as false as her smiles. Racing by fertile jungles, crowded purchasing malls, and the bustling metropolis of New York Metropolis, Okja is a wild trip that brings fantasy into actuality. — Ok.P.
The right way to watch: Okja is now streaming on Netflix.
4. Nightbooks
Credit score: Netflix
From David Yarovesky, the director of Brightburn, comes a spooky story that’ll thrill on household evening.
Primarily based on the horror-fantasy novel of the identical title by J. A. White, Nightbooks facilities on a Brooklyn bookworm (Winslow Fegley) who’s kidnapped by a depraved witch (Krysten Ritter). Held captive in her magical house, he is pressured to inform her a brand new scary story every evening in alternate for his survival. Fortunately, he is not alone. A tough-nosed fellow prisoner (Lidya Jewett) not solely helps him keep away from the pitfalls of this precarious jail, but additionally helps him unlock the secrets and techniques that would get them each out!
Peppered with PG-level scares and loads of type (we might die for Ritter’s witch wardrobe), Nightbooks is a rollicking good time for kiddos (and grown-ups) who admire a superb bump within the evening. — Ok.P.
The right way to watch: Nightbooks is now streaming on Netflix.
5. Over the Moon
Credit score: Netflix
Pining for a fantasy journey threaded with incredible songs? Then, you may revel within the animated musical Over The Moon.
Chang’e’s elaborate character design is the famous person of Netflix’s ‘Over the Moon’
After many years of working in Disney animation, Glen Keane takes the helm in his directorial debut, which is impressed by the Chinese language legend of Chang’e, the goddess of the moon. When a 13-year-old woman (Cathy Ang) decides a DIY rocket will jettison her not solely to their celestial deity but additionally to a greater life, she discovers happiness is far nearer than she might have dreamed. Along with pop jams and loads of charismatic characters — amongst them a star-bright pangolin — this Netflix Authentic boasts a star-studded voice solid, together with Sandra Oh, Kimiko Glenn, Phillipa Soo, John Cho, Margaret Cho, and Ken Jeong. — Ok.P.
The right way to watch: Over the Moon is now streaming on Netflix.
6. Vampires vs. the Bronx
Credit score: Netflix
Desire a film that is received pleasure, comedy, a scorching message concerning the evils of gentrification, and is a kid-friendly fantasy romp? Then take a chunk out of Vampires vs. the Bronx.
Oz Perkins’ PG-13 horror-comedy facilities on Afro-Latino teenagers, who acknowledge {that a} flurry of lacking individual posters and inflow of wealthy white of us with tote baggage means dangerous information for the neighborhood. Collectively, they group up Monster Squad-type to take down the bloodsuckers and save their group. With a pointy wit, a heat coronary heart, a wealthy sense of environment, and an equal appreciation for the Blade films and ’80s Amblin, Vampires vs. the Bronx is a straightforward watch (simply 85 minutes!) filled with rewards.* — Ok.P.
The right way to watch: Vampires vs. the Bronx is now streaming on Netflix.
7. Suzume
Suzume is tough to explain. Inside the first quarter-hour of the film, teenage Suzume meets a good-looking stranger, discovers a mysterious free-standing door to an ethereal aircraft she will be able to’t entry, picks up a rock that turns right into a speaking cat, and unknowingly units off a collection of occasions that threaten to devastate Japan beneath a cataclysmic earthquake. And that is simply how the film begins!
Makoto Shinkai’s emotional and optimistic journey is an exquisite story that provides bodily stakes to private introspection. The animation, like his different movies (Your Identify, 5 Centimeters per Second, and The Backyard of Phrases), is characteristically gorgeous, and the story is not like any you have ever seen. Suzume could be the one film in existence the place a three-legged stool will make you cry. — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: Suzume is now streaming on Netflix.
8. The Outdated Guard
Credit score: Netflix
For fantasy with a superhero flare, take a look at this action-packed thriller from critically cheered director Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Mashable Prime Tales
Charlize Theron stars as Andy, the chief of a covert band of almost-immortal mercenaries. For hundreds of years, they’ve fought collectively to avoid wasting humanity from damage. Nevertheless, as a brand new member is added to the group (a mesmerizing Kiki Layne), this previous guard tangles with a risk that would tear them to shreds for good. Tailored from Greg Rucka’s graphic novel of the identical title.
‘The Outdated Guard’ is a slick and good motion blockbuster from Netflix
The Outdated Guard brings a pointy edge and an R-rating to the shiny and cold superhero customary. The sprawling and graphic combat scenes hit onerous, however the unbelievable ensemble, which incorporates Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, hits tougher. Collectively they create a complicated pathos that doesn’t have a tendency to suit with the flashy capes crowd. — Ok.P.
The right way to watch: The Outdated Guard is now streaming on Netflix.
9. Bleach
Few issues are as fantastical and enjoyable as a Manga made live-action. Primarily based on the favored Japanese comedian by Tite Kubo, Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a moody teen who turns right into a Soul Reaper by a twist of face and courageous sacrifice. By day, he should endure all of the drama inherent in highschool. By evening, he—with the assistance of his pestering mentor Rukia Kuchiki—should information good ghosts to their peaceable afterlife and battle again sinister spirits. Director Shinsuke Sato brings an anime-like verve to the movie, using zipping graphics, a full of life soundtrack, a bouncy tone, a barrage of frightful foes, and kick-ass martial arts motion. Stars Sôta Fukushi and Hana Sugisaki are completely in tune, delivering performances that pop with persona. — Ok.P.
The right way to watch: Bleach is now streaming on Netflix.
10. Orion and the Darkish
Eleven-year-old Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is afraid of all the things: bees, bullies, bears, you title it. However what retains him up at evening is his deepest concern, the most important and baddest of all of them: the darkish. All that’s about to vary when The Darkish (Paul Walter Hauser) decides to pay Orion a go to and show that he is not so scary in spite of everything.
Orion and the Darkish is a stunning, shifting, and enjoyable household journey that is smarter and extra introspective than a complete heck of numerous grown-up films. That is as a result of this charmer was written by Charlie Kaufman, the Hollywood veteran behind existential favorites like Being John Malkovich, Everlasting Sunshine of the Spotless Thoughts, and I am Pondering of Ending Issues. Whereas Orion and the Darkish is a a lot lighter and kid-friendly movie than Kaufman’s most iconic work, its subject material is not any much less weighty and its message no much less affecting. A winner for all ages! — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: Orion and the Darkish is now streaming on Netflix.
11. Matilda the Musical
You realize this story: Matilda, a sort, remoted child with newly found powers of telekinesis, finds herself enrolled at a horrible college run by the detestable Miss Trunchbull. Trunchbull abuses and humiliates her college students, and Matilda makes use of her powers to attempt to change issues for her and her friends.
It is a beloved Roald Dahl kids’s e book that was tailored into the hit 1996 movie, then a profitable stage musical, and eventually, a 2022 film based mostly on the musical. And sure, it’s simply as full of life and lovable as its predecessors! Matilda has excessive vitality choreography, incredible performances (Emma Thompson as a very repulsive Trunchbull is a stand-out), and a rating you will not be capable of cease singing. — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: Matilda the Musical is now streaming on Netflix.
12. Nimona
Credit score: Netflix
Nimona transports us to a futuristic medieval world the place knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is on the run for against the law he didn’t commit. Nevertheless, it is his label as a “villain” that brings shapeshifter Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) into his life. Extra comfy as a shark than a human woman, Nimona is a delightfully deviant fiend who desires nothing greater than to stay it to the omnipotent Institute. She and Ballister make fairly the odd pair — she desires to wreak havoc, he simply desires to clear his title — however collectively, they could simply defeat an evil lurking of their kingdom.
Between some electrifying combat scenes and its graphic animation type, Nimona is a blast of a viewing expertise. However its message and LGBTQ visibility is what really units it aside. Not solely is Ballister’s relationship with knight Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang) a key ingredient of the movie, however Nimona’s personal fluidity and negotiation of her identification calls to thoughts transness in a significant, vital means.* — Belen Edwards, Leisure Reporter
The right way to watch: Nimona is now streaming on Netflix.
13. The Imaginary
The Imaginary was written by Yoshiaki Nishimura and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, each previously of Studio Ghibli, so you realize it’ll be visually gorgeous, fantastical, and filled with emotions.
When Rudger, an imaginary good friend, is separated from his creator Amanda, he should enlist assist from different imaginaries to search out his means again house. However the journey is nothing however easy — lurking within the shadows is the inescapable, existential dread of being forgotten, in addition to the very current risk of Mr. Bunting, a despicable man who consumes imagined beings. The Imaginary is each whimsical and darkish in equal measure, elegantly tackling huge topics like demise and loss alongside lighter themes, just like the significance of play. — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: The Imaginary is now streaming on Netflix.
14. Troll
Impressed by Norwegian folklore, 2022’s Troll is a monster film that feels each contemporary and acquainted. We have got an infinite creature wreaking havoc, a novel mythology, and satisfying spectacles — there’s one thing for everybody!
When a drilling operation leads to the deaths of a number of staff, Norwegian scientists blame a pocket of methane. Younger Nora (Ine Marie Wilmann), nonetheless, suspects one thing greater and extra sinister: a troll. Happily for Nora, when a 300-foot behemoth emerges from the mountains, she’s proved appropriate! Sadly for Norway, the troll is pissed, and it is headed straight for Oslo. — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: Troll is now streaming on Netflix.
15. The Sea Beast
In a world the place oceans are terrorized by large and ferocious beasts, no sailors are extra famed for his or her monster-killing exploits than the crew of the Inevitable. And nobody is a much bigger fan of the beast hunters than younger orphan Maisie Brumble, who stows away on the Inevitable to develop into a hunter herself. However when she and crewmember Jacob Holland are thrown overboard and swallowed by the mightiest monster of all of them, the Crimson Bluster, they’re pressured to contemplate a much less violent method, even perhaps working with the beasts, to get themselves to security. An exhilarating, kid-friendly journey with a top-notch voice solid (Karl City, Jared Harris, and extra), The Sea Beast is a swashbuckling — and heartwarming — journey throughout the excessive seas. — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: The Sea Beast is now streaming on Netflix.
16. Wendell and Wild
Written by Jordan Peele and directed by Henry Selick (Coraline, The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas), Wendell and Wild has all of the makings of a brand new traditional. That includes the gorgeous and macabre stop-motion animation paying homage to Selick’s previous masterpieces, this newest installment provides a contact of teenybopper angst to his ghoulish canon. Kat (Lyric Ross) is a hardened foster child who blames herself for her dad and mom’ demise. So when two bombastic demons (performed with glee by Key and Peele themselves) promise they know deliver her dad and mom again, she places her fears apart and makes a deal.
The right way to watch: Wendell and Wild is now streaming on Netflix.
17. Mary and the Witch’s Flower
Mary is an keen younger woman with vivid pink hair who can not seem to get something proper. When a pleasant cat leads her to a mysterious flower that grants her momentary magical powers, Mary discovers a hidden world of journey the place all just isn’t because it appears. Mary and the Witch’s Flower is an exuberant, lovable story from Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a former Studio Ghibli animator. Brimming with coronary heart and pleasure, this fantastically animated movie whose English dub options the voice abilities of Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent, will quickly develop into a household favourite.* — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: Mary and the Witch’s Flower is streaming on Netflix.
18. The Fantastic Story of Henry Sugar
Credit score: Netflix
Arch, quirky, and extremely choreographed, The Fantastic Story of Henry Sugar is a narrative inside a narrative inside a narrative, and so forth. Primarily based on the brief by Roald Dahl, the film opens with Dahl himself (Ralph Fiennes) introducing after which narrating the story of a person, Henry Sugar, who does nothing together with his cash however gamble. Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) takes over the narration to inform of the second he first realized of a physician who met a person who might see with out utilizing his eyes. Inside that story is the story of how this man met a guru who taught him all the things he is aware of. This story-Russian-nesting-doll impacts Sugar profoundly; he abruptly modifications the course of his life. For those who like Wes Anderson, you then’ll love this candy and stylized brief movie.* — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: The Fantastic Story of Henry Sugar is now streaming on Netflix.
19. Hilda and the Mountain King
Within the wonderful Netflix collection Hilda, a younger blue-haired woman (voiced by Bella Ramsey) strikes along with her mom to the town of Trolberg, a hamlet suffering from offended trolls who assault any who enterprise exterior of the town partitions at evening. In the beginning of the 2021 movie Hilda and the Mountain King, Hilda has been reworked right into a troll herself, misplaced in a large cave and unable to tolerate daylight — however fortunately, she will be able to additionally perceive all the things the opposite trolls are saying. Maybe she may be capable of be taught one thing about why they preserve attacking the town whereas she’s making an attempt to flee.
With the trademark animation and emotional grounding of the collection, Hilda and the Mountain King is a darkish, thrilling, and philosophical youngsters’ flick that may simply enthrall any adults within the room. — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: Hilda and the Mountain King is now streaming on Netflix.
20. The Lego Film
Emmet (Chris Pratt) is an unusual Lego citizen of Bricksburg. He is pleasant, follows the principles, and all the time adheres to the Lego constructing directions. However an opportunity encounter with a mysterious Lego (Elizabeth Banks) and a legendary merchandise referred to as the Piece of Resistance, sends him on an journey that may break by each the boundaries of his metropolis and his total understanding of what Legos are able to.
The Lego Film is a great, fast-paced, and hilarious trip that packs a surprisingly potent emotional punch for a film about plastic collectible figurines. The solid (Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman) is on the high of their recreation, and the visuals are a unending deal with. It is a smash-hit for a purpose!* — Ok.G.
The right way to watch: The Lego Film is now streaming on Netflix.
UPDATE: Aug. 21, 2024, 4:13 p.m. EDT This text was first printed on Sept. 30, 2021. It has since been updating to mirror present streaming choices.
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