Golden age of fantasy movies?

[Des]

I've just been watching some of old fantasy flicks from the early 80s: The Sword and the Sorcerer, Hawk the Slayer, Conan the Barbarian and Excalibur.

Although most of the 80s movies were a bit cheesy, they do seem to posess a marvellous sense of fun that today's glossy productions have mostly lost.

On the other hand it could just be that I originally watched these films at an impressionable age - a bit like pop music you always have a soft spot for stuff you first heard in your teens...?

[beowuuf]

Yeah, I think you forgive alot fo the cheese of the old films you watched as a kid, and remember them fondly.

Just think LOTR - today's kids really do have an epic fantasy to look back fondly on when they grow up, in the 80's we don't. Though excalibar is quite cool.

[Des]

Ah but does LOTR feature any really silly weapons?

In Conan The Barbarian Thorgrim's hammer is the size of a bus, and in the The Sword and The Sorcerer Talon wields the utterly bonkers triple-bladed ejector-sword

And the 80s cartoon version of LOTR was, er, oh alright it was pants.

[Sophia]

Ah but does LOTR feature any really silly weapons?

How can you mention cheesy 80s fantasy movies with crazy weapons and leave out Krull?!

[beowuuf]

LOl, i didn't want to mention it, incase i was mocked

Actualyl, krull had its moments and charatcers...and hey, who doens't want a boomerang that will stab you when it comes back at you. And, you know, you need to use properly with your wife using stolen jedi mind tricks!

Don't forget legend....i spend about a third of the movie waiting for the real hero, then went - "oh, i see, it's going to be this lad tom cruise whose the hero..ok. Where do i know that demon from?"

[Trantor]

Don't mention Legend again Beo. EVER. I saw the teenage Tom Cruise and couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

You all left out Red Sonja so far. Arnold as Kalidor the Conan-like-looking-almost-Barbarian! And then there is Dar, the Beastmaster...

I think that most of these Swords & Sorcery movies aren't really good because of their cheesyness, but there are true gems. Conan the Barbarian is a favourite of mine that I can watch over and over again and possibly has the single greatest soundtrack ever. Excalibur is also very good in my opinion, as is Ladyhawk (though its 80-synthie-soundtrack is hard to get over today).

[beowuuf]

Isn't red sonja actually a conan the barbarian charatcer or somehting? and yes, i did forget that...entertaining movie for it's type

Ah, i wasmn't going to mention ladyhawk either because a) my mum realyl liked it, and b) the cheesy soundtrack - electronica tastic

[cowsmanaut]

ok.. Krull weapon... is cool. Period. I loved the idea of the spider web, and the green emerald guy.. the fire horse were a bit weird though.. The movie has a lot of plusses for a low budget. It sits here with pride in my DVD library

as for conan, Thulsa doom was a cool characer.. a big snake dude who could shoot snakes as arrows.. I thought that had some interesting potential.

Maybe I just like cheese..

Also.. I can't watch Dragonslayer without thinking ally McBeal.. since the main character there is the disturbed "John Cage" from McBeal.. not that I watched that show much .. but I'd seen a few episodes. So hard to see him as a hero.. and that princess.. gawd.. how dumb can you be.. she just walks into the dragons den.. to be eaten.. sheesh..

anyway..

[beowuuf]

oh, yeah, dragonslayer i watched first, then ages later went 'hey, it's the macbeal guy

and don't forget watching ghostbusters two now seeing him in it!

[PaulH]

He-Man!

[Ameena]

Ahh so many cool fantasy films...The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Willow, Dragonheart, erm...omg I can't think of any more...not older ones anyway...oh well all those ones are cool anyway . Oh and Legend yes I've seen that too. Ooh and the Princess Bride - great film . And there was this weird film called Troll. Oh and it's rather recent but there is this cool animé film called Spirited Away which is great (the soot balls are cute!). Okay well I better stop before I end up listing all the films I like and not just Fantasy ones lol.

[cowsmanaut]

I wonder if I can list all the ones I've seen... some I even own

in no particular order..

Live action:
Beast master
beast master 2
Krull
Dragonslayer
Excalibur
Dark Crystal
Labrynth
Sword and sorceror
conan The barbarian
conan the destroyer
Red Sonja
willow
Princess bride (inconceivable!)
Never ending story
Dragon Heart
Dragon Heart 2 (part of it anyway)
Lord of the rings all 3 new ones.
Harry potter all 4 of them
Gladiator (close to fantasy enough I thought I'd put it here)
King Arthur
Mummy, 1 and 2 (modern fantasy?)
Scorpion King (not nearly as bad as I expected)
Legend
Dungeons and dragons
wizard of OZ
Return to Oz
Mortal Kombat 1 and 2
Warriors of Virtue
The DungeonMaster (cheeze on a stick)
Sleepy Hollow
Puff the magic dragon
Troll
Beowulf
Lady Hawk
He-man and the masters of the universe
Cat People
Robin Hood prince of theives (worst english accent goes to...)
Crouching tiger hidden dragon (chinese fantasy..)
Hero (same)



Animated:
Lord of the rings
Hobbit
Black Culdron
anastasia
Cinderella
Sleeping beauty
Shreck 1 and 2
Sinbad
Atlantis
alice in wonderland
kiki's delivery
princess mononoke
Spirited away
Howl's moving castle
Alladin 1 2 3
snow white
Corpse bride
James and the giant peach
Nightmare before christmas
Secret of Nimh
Swan Princess
The last Unicorn
The littlest mermaid orriginal (depressing.. the real tale)
The littlest Mermaid Disney
Fern Gully
robin hood


and there are a whack of other films I'm likely forgetting .. as well as those I've yet to see. Like Troy, Alexander, 13th worrior, etc.. plus this doesn't even start on the Scifi ones really.. since Starwars would nearly be fantasy.. but not exactly.. once you stop with magic and go to science..

anyway.. I'll stop there.