1 yr. ago • 97%

What are your favourite 80s fantasy movies?

I've been catching up on and rewatching some lately. Legend, Highlander, The Never ending Story. What are some others that are similar? And why do 80s movies seem to hit different than other decades?

85 comments

It's... inconceivable no one has said Princess Bride yet.

70
- You best me to it. And while we're on Cary Elwes, we should probably mention Robin Hood: Men in Tights as well.
  
  25
  
  I had to look it up, and that was 1993. Pay the cat tax.
  
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- I think that word means what you think it means
  
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Willow

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- To answer the second question, Willow hit different because in the 80s they were totally fine with making fantasy movies that were meant to be watched by families but also had no problem traumatizing children. Willow had those creepy rat dog things straight out of a nightmare. Same way The Neverending Story has the horse/swamp scene and Gremlins turned fluffy cute animals into scary wicked creatures. Honestly, it's a miracle any of us millennials survived without a serious case of PTSD every time we went to Blockbuster.
  
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  And don’t forget those weird muppets in Labyrinth that pulled their heads off while singing.
  
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  The 80s were a great time to be a kid but, yeah, no one cared if we got terrified to the point of not being able to sleep on a regular basis. :)
  
  The threat of nuclear war wasn't awesome either but we had punk rock, D&D, and it still made sense to buy comic books.
  
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  and not every good guy somehow had to survive. that blonde guy (Eric?) died pretty brutally, and even though off-screen the babies mum and the nanny clearly died brutal deaths (and it was heavily implied), I think you even hear the nanny being torn apart by wolves
  
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  Oh yes.. I still remember the first time seeing that scene where everyone (almost) got turned into pigs in Willow. It really freaked me out at the time.
  *shudders*
  
  I think the heavy reliance on physical props, models and scenery. Combined with a certain darker style of story telling really made those movies stand out.
  
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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

My Neighbor Totoro

Big Trouble in Little China
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- Nausicaa is so good
  
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Dragonslayer was pretty good.

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- This along with Legend. Excalibur was really good too.
  
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  "We are all animals, my lady..."
  
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- Came looking for this. I particularly liked how everything you'd expect to happen, doesn't. It ignores the traditional fantasy script and is refreshing doing so.
  
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Labyrinth and The Last Unicorn were two that came to mind

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- It's all about the babe. Labyrinth should be top comment!
  
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  What babe?
  
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Ladyhawke, Conan..

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The Dark Crystal

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- Have you watched it as an adult? I loved that movie growing up and watched it a few years ago. Good lord, is it messed up…
  
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  Made all the better. Dark fantasy at its best.
  
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- Hell yeah
  
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- I've only seen the Netflix remake but I really enjoyed it. Would you recommend going back and watching the original?
  
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  It's not a remake, it's a prequel. So you should definitely watch the film.
  
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  I didn't even know there was a remake, so yes
  
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- I really do not like the faces in this movie. Hard pass.
  
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1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s breakout role as an actor.

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- That Basil Poledouris soundtrack is amazing, too. I love that they still sample it for games.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHfE682mm3c
  
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  I think it inspired Baldur's Gate 1 theme composer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP7vWiaxw7Y
  
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Labyrinth, Willow, and of course The Princess Bride.

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Can't forget Krull!

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- Yes! And the 80s arcade game based on the movie!
  
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Not sure if it quite counts as fantasy but...

Everything about Blade Runner was perfect.

The sequel somehow managed to not drop the ball as well.

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- I think you're selling the sequel very short.
  
  It managed to build on the original.
  
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  The key, I think, to the sequel is that it’s made to be watched again.
  
  I walked out if the theater and thought it was an eye-meltingly gorgeous film, but didn’t really get what happened.
  
  I recently re-watched 2049 and holy fucking shit…throughout the entire movie things just kept clicking into place.
  
  Now ima setup a double feature and watch both back-to-back for the full experience!
  
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Clash of the Titans

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Flash Gordon

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- Also Flesh Gordon.
  
  It is exactly what you think, but it's more comedic than arousing.
  
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The Goonies, The Golden Child, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, and The Monster Squad.

Bonus: I think Bill & Ted's movies were in the 80s too? The one with Death I always felt was sort of similar to Never Ending Story.

13
- Wait, no Ghostbusters!?
  
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The Secret of Nimh
Xanadu (Modern Fantasy)
Ladyhawke

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- Oh, and Return to Oz.
  
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  That movie is terrifying
  
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Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.

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- Wherever you go, there you are.
  
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- Now, I can even explain the watermelon.
  
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- Use more honey. Find out what she knows!
  
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Excalibur is a gorgeous film with a talented cast.

Dark Crystal is an amazing Jim Henson production.

Beastmaster is a fun romp with 80s stalwart Mark Singer. And as someone else mentioned, Ladyhawke is another fun adventure in the same vein.

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- Anáil nathrach orth bhais betha, do cheol déanta.
  
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Big trouble in little china

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Lots of great ones here. The Witches came out in 1990, so I hope I can slip that in.

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Krull

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The Beastmaster! The only film I know where Rip Torn squares off against ferrets. The best sword and sorcery movie of all time, I think.

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- Oh my God! I watched this so many times. Those... Vampires who turn people into goo when they catch them with their wings. Those monsters with metal claws and masks.
  
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  And the witches with the horribly mangled faces and pin-up girl figures :) A wild movie!
  
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It could have been so much better, but The Black Cauldron with the oracular pig is a favorite.

Edit to add: and The Goonies!

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Never ending story. I think that was 80s?

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All the good ones that can think of have already been mentioned. I also remember enjoying Heavy Metal as a teen, but not sure if I'd enjoy it nowadays.

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There can be only one!

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Deathstalker 1 and 2 are underappreciated rubbish.

Cheap, tone deaf, bad acting, bad writing, catchy out of place theme music, pure entertainment.

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There’s a really fucking bizarre Alice in wonderland that shouldn’t be missed.

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- There's SO MANY Alice adaptations.
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Films_and_television_programmes_based_on_Alice_in_Wonderland
  
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- Oh my god, Return to Oz? That movie is a fever dream and a half.
  
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Krull, Wizards, and The Last Unicorn.

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- Similar to krull is the whole sword and sandals genre. Includes Conan, red Sonja, beast matter, etc...
  
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Legend

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Legend, the princess bride, labrynth. Never ending story. Last unicorn. Lady hawk. Excalibur. Dark crystal.

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Star Wars Episodes 5 and 6

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The Sword and the Sorcerer.

3 bladed sword FTW.

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Ladyhawke, Excalibur (this one is much more R rated than most, it features an on-screen rape in the first 5 minutes), Legend, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Krull, Conan.

The 80's were really a heyday for fantasy movies, weren't they?

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Well if you don't mind some science fiction in your fantasy, try Ice Pirates.

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Red Dawn

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Return to oz is decent enough!

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The dark crystal is the greatest fantasy movie of all time.

One of the reasons I think they hit different is because of the technology used to film them and the practical effects.

To me horror films from the 70s and before seem more real and scary than modern ones that are full of CGI and weird pallete swaps like when they film night scenes during the day and then darken them after. It just gives off this whole 'this is a fake movie' thing to me.

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Hawk the Slayer, with Jack Palance (!) playing the bad guy

Dragonslayer, astounding dragon models and cinematography
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Screamers.

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If you also want so-bad-it's-good then you must not miss Yor: The Hunter from the Future from 1983, see video review here: https://youtu.be/doS-sxtlNfU

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  0
Well ... Stranger Things ... I know, I know. But it gives me so good 80's vibes, especially due to the great synthie soundtrack. Can not not mention it.

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