Fantasy franchises have indeed taken over the world and have been for decades now. They offer great stories, but there is always room for improvement with any franchise. So today, we will talk about the best and worst things from some of the best fantasy movies and TV shows, starting off with a classic.
Harry Potter (2001 - 2011)
The Harry Potter saga comprises seven books and eight films, chronicling Harry's survival of a lethal curse and his escapades at Hogwarts School.
Best Thing: It's Incredible Trio: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint embody Harry, Hermione, and Ron immaculately, something often seen in successful franchise adaptations. They captivated a generation with their chemistry and made the films that much better.
Worst Thing: So Many Things Left Out From The Books: However, the films fail to capture various book aspects, like neglecting Teddy's character entirely, disregarding S.P.E.W., and omitting Peeves, among other substantial characters. Despite their achievement as highly acclaimed fantasy works, these movies leave out important book content.
The Lord Of The Rings (2001 - 2003)
The Lord of the Rings movies follow Frodo Baggins' journey to destroy the One Ring, forged by Dark Lord Sauron, averting his domination of Middle-earth.
Best Thing: The Story Itself: The Lord of the Rings offers an unrivaled fantasy story. The films garnered numerous awards, including Oscars, especially for visual effects, and the tale is remarkably captivating and character-centric.
Worst Thing: It's Less Than Compelling Female Characters: Although The Rings of Power has attempted to progress in this aspect, the franchise still lacks engaging female characters. Often relegated to plot advancing, these characters need more depth, humor, and agency. Galadriel stands as the lone exception, but her portrayal falls short of her important role.
The Witcher (2019 - Present)
The Witcher, Netflix's binge-worthy series, stars Henry Cavill as Geralt, a Witcher who finds himself on a mission to protect Princess Ciri after he becomes her surrogate father. Now, she is entangled in a greater war where she is a pawn.
Best Thing: Henry Cavill's Geralt: Henry Cavill's portrayal of Geralt is praiseworthy, capturing the essence of the character from books and games, and it's a shame he will be gone in the fourth season. His replacement, Liam Hemsworth, has a tough act to follow.
Worst Thing: The Effects: While the story could be my first pick, The Witcher disappoints in visual effects. The monsters lack a terrifying nature and fail to match their book descriptions, something I was craving from the series.
Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003 - 2017)
Travel the seas with this famous band of pirates, led by the infamous Jack Sparrow.
Best Thing: Johnny Depp As Jack Sparrow: Johnny Depp has played many iconic roles throughout his time in Hollywood, but to me, there's none more iconic than Jack Sparrow. He doesn't just play him; he becomes him, which improves the movies.
Worst Thing: The Lack Of Story As Films Continue: The first film in the franchise was great, and the second was decent, but by the time the third came around, I lost interest. The story just wasn't there, and critical characters began to vanish, replaced by underwhelming new ones.
The Chronicles Of Narnia (2005 - 2010)
This famous fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, follows the Pevensie children, who are transported to the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe and find that they are the ones who are meant to protect the land from evil.
Best Thing: The Focus On Sibling Relationships: One of the things I remember the most about the first film was that it focused on sibling relationships, which I really enjoyed. It emphasized love, betrayal, forgiveness, and more, all within that family landscape.
Worst Thing: The Scattered Plot Threads In The Films: The books have unique stories, but the movies? Everything feels very scattered. By the third film, the plot felt convoluted. Even with other characters from past films showing up, nothing stood out.
Game Of Thrones (2011 - 2019)
The Game of Thrones franchise, based on the books by George R.R. Martin, follows several different characters as they all fight for one thing: power and the chance to sit on the Iron Throne.
Best Thing: The Overlapping Character's Stories: I'm not sure there will ever be another group like the Game of Thrones cast. Fans fell in love so quickly with every potential candidate for the throne – or found ones to hate - and somehow every single character fit wonderfully and created a near-perfect story.
Worst Thing: The Ending Of The Show: The ending was rushed and felt incomplete. It is a polarizing issue for any show fan, and many would agree that it was fumbled by the creators of the TV show, as the book series wasn't even done yet.
Highlander (1986 - 2007)
Released in 1986, Highlander is about several immortal warriors in a war that has lasted for centuries, focusing on the tale of Connor MacLeod.
Best Thing: It's A Fresh Story Of Immortals Hiding In Plain Sight: When Highlander was released, the film was full of fresh ideas regarding immortals hiding in plain sight. It gave the movie a chance to look into different centuries, and there was so much opportunity for cool set design and historical details.
Worst Thing: The Special Effects That Are Used In Later Films: I'm not even going to get into how horrendously bad the movies get as the film series goes on, but I hated the special effects in later movies. The first film felt real and well-choreographed in its fight scenes, but by the time we get to the last film, it all feels fake.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005 - 2008)
This critically acclaimed Nickelodeon TV show follows Aang, an Airbender who was chosen as the next Avatar. He awakens from a decade of sleeping in an iceberg, quickly realizing that he must take down the Fire Lord before he takes over the world.
Best Thing: Its Strong Characters For Both Males And Females: Avatar: The Last Airbender does not have a single character that outshines the other. Everyone adds such significance to the story that no episode feels like filler.
Worst Thing: How There Aren't More Seasons: This may feel like a copout, but my main issue is that there were only three seasons. Sure, the story of the Fire Lord was covered in those seasons, but there was so much more to tell – as fans later saw in the comics that were released. This series easily could have been long running, but I suppose that's what the upcoming movie is for -- to explore those stories.
Shadow And Bone (2021 - Present)
Based on the books of the same name, Shadow and Bone follows Alina Starkov, a young woman who discovers she is a Grisha with a rare power that could save everyone and take on an evil darkness.
Best Thing: Its Diverse And Imaginative World: In terms of modern fantasy, Shadow and Bone has some very diverse characters. And not only that, but the world is unique, combining plenty of interesting characters and fascinating lore.
Worst Thing: The Use Of Love Plotlines That Don't Further The Main Conflict: Shadow and Bone Season 2 improved in many ways, but the love plotlines were not one of them. I would say out of everything, that should be left out of a possible Season 3 – or at least focus on one love story, for God's sake.
The Wheel Of Time (2021 - Present)
Based on the novels by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, the Prime Video series, The Wheel of Time, mainly follows Moiraine, a member of a powerful organization of women sorcerers. She seeks out five villagers when she believes one of them could be the key to saving their world from evil – or possibly bring the world to its knees again.
Best Thing: The Impressive Amount Of Lore: This isn't for everyone, as the amount of lore can be hard to keep up with. That being said, it's impressive. The world here is beautifully detailed and one you can easily get lost in.
Worst Thing: Characters That You Don't Really Care About But I struggle to care about the characters with the amount of lore that is presented. The Wheel of Time cast is excellent, but since most feel more like a plot device rather than individuals, it's hard to care when someone is kidnapped or killed or something else. This could change as time goes on, but for now, that's my main complaint.
How To Train Your Dragon (2010 - 2019)
The animated film series, How To Train Your Dragon, follows Hiccup, a young Viking who becomes an expert in dragons and befriends one of the most dangerous, naming him Toothless.
Best Thing: The Incredible Array Of Dragons There Are: There are many great things about How To Train Your Dragon, but the one thing I love the most is the creativity of the dragons. There are so many different kinds, and all of them are vastly unalike so it feels like there's one for anyone to enjoy.
Worst Thing: Side-Characters That Need Less Screen Time: Some side characters are interesting, but there are times in the movies when they make jokes that don't sit well with me, and that time could have been spent moving the plot forward. Tuffnut and Ruffnut were very much hit or miss for me, along with a few others.
Twilight (2008 - 2012)
The famous vampire/teen romance film series, Twilight, follows Bella, an ordinary teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire but finds herself in a love triangle with a werewolf.
Best Thing: A Genuinely Interesting Romance That Has Layers: I will openly admit that the love story of Twilight has its moments that shine. While the movies themselves could have shown it better, the books paint a great romance with many layers. Even so, the chemistry between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart made the love story in the films fun to watch.
Worst Thing: The Vampires Themselves: Vampires, even romantic interests, should at least be a little scary. These sparkle in the sun and play baseball during thunderstorms. I can't take them seriously.
Labyrinth (1986)
Lastly, we have Labyrinth, directed by Jim Henson. The famous musical fantasy film follows a teenager on a quest to reach the center of a maze to rescue her half-brother from Jareth, the Goblin King.
Best Thing: David Bowie As Jareth, And The Practical Effects: David Bowie as Jareth is always the best thing ever, and I don't think anyone else would be able to play the Goblin King better. I also want to say that the practical effects were amazing. Jim Henson is always a winner, and when he brings his puppets, they always kill it. It added to the fantasy aspect immensely.
Worst Thing: That We've Had To Wait This Long For A Sequel: Seriously, how have we had to wait this long for a sequel to this film? There was a reboot announced in 2016, but there’s been barely any news on it. I need to see this world again. I'm tired of just reading comics from this franchise, please.
What is it that you love about fantasy franchises? I'm going to have to keep an eye out for any premieres on my 2023 TV premiere schedule to make sure I keep up with all my fantasy shows.
