I recently posted my problems with AFI's Top Ten Films In Ten Popular Genres...my main disagreeement with the Institute was the lack of real fantasy movies (maybe when I think of fantasy I think heroic fantasy like most people?) in the fantasy category. I love Harvey, I love It's A Wonderful Life, I love Groundhog Day, but these to me are not technically fantasy movies. Thus, I present my own top ten list of the greatest fantasy movies of all time...


1. Thief Of Baghdad - I know the silent movie came first, but my personal favorite is the 1940 Sabu version. It's really one of the most enjoyable fantasies of all time, with some great flying carpet effects, and a cool genie. Sabu really steals the show as Abu the thief.
2. Excalibur - John Boorman's classic take on the Arthurian saga that includes a young Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, and famliarized the world with O Fortuna from La Carmina Burana. Nicol Williamson's still the definitive Merlin for me. "Annhal nathrak, uthfast bethud, dothiel dienve..."
3. The Neverending Story - Based on the German classic, who can forget Atreyou, Falkor, and Artex? "MOONCHILD!"
4. Conan The Barbarian - The hands down greatest low fantasy movie ever with Arnie's most golden performance - "Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women."
5. Dragonslayer - The greatest dragon movie ever. Period. Look fast for Ian "Palpatine" McDiarmand as an ill-fated priest.
6. Clash Of The Titans - The last great Ray Harryhausen vehicle, an amazing adaptation of the Perseus myth with an iconic Medusa and Pegasus.
7. Legend - Another astounding world brought to life by the great Ridley Scott. The holo Doctor from Voyager is Meg Mucklebones and Tim Curry is Darkness. "Black as night, black as pitch...blacker than the foulest witch."
8. Ladyhawke - He's a wolf by night, she's a hawk by day, and Matthew Broderick is a pickpocket. Great romantic adventure movie.
9. The Dark Crystal - Simply the most immersive fantasy movie ever made, from the era of immersive fantasy. No human actors on screen (except in long shots of Jen). Notice how the Mystics disappear when they die...could this world be in the SW universe? "When single shines the triple sun...what was sundered and undone, shall be whole the two made one - by Gelfling hand or else by none..."
10. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone. This is still the best one for me, because it opened up the whole HP world to me. When I saw it in a theater full of excited, whispering kids, it felt like the first time I saw Star Wars and really put a smile on my face. Plus, Quidditch is like rugby on speeder bikes. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and then forget to live..."


Honorable Mentions: I also want to mention a great little movie called Troll (featuring a character named Harry Potter Jr. oddly enough) which you'll often find in the horror section but is actually a great fantasy movie with one of the best performances by a small actor I've ever seen in the person of Phil Fondacaro who appeared briefly as Baltar the village militia captain in Willow. I love Willow even though it's basically a rehash of Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings (like Krull, another favorite of mine). Jason and The Argonauts is fantastic as well, but Clash Of The Titans bumped it off the list for me personally. The Boy Who Could Fly isn't a bad flick either, in the vein of Neverending Story, and I really wish I had room in the top ten for The Princess Bride. I'm sure I've forgotten something, so feel free to comment with your additions. Before the Lord Of The Rings fans start posting, it's a deliberate omission. The books are some of my all time favorite books, but I hate the movies. Just couldn't bring myself to add them to this list. Go make your own!