The Golden Age of Fantasy Before The Lord of the Rings | Top 10 Most Underrated Fantasy Movies

join us on an enchanting journey through some of the most imaginative yet underrated fantasy movies of the 80s, intertwined with a modern gem.
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This is Part 1 of our underrated fantasy list! If you're interested in Part 2, you can find it here:

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0:00 - Number 10
1:13 - Number 9
2:47 - Number 8
4:03 - Number 7
5:08 - Number 6
6:54 - Number 5
8:26 - Number 4
09:46 - Number 3
10:53 - Number 2
11:59 - Number 1

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Our adventure begins with "Time Bandits," directed by Terry Gilliam, where a young boy joins a band of dwarves on a whimsical journey through time, showcasing Gilliam's trademark blend of humor and fantasy.

Our path leads us to "Krull," a unique fusion of science fiction and fantasy by Peter Yates.
In Don Coscarelli's "The Beastmaster," we witness Marc Singer's captivating portrayal of Dar, a warrior with the ability to communicate with animals, offering a refreshing take on the sword-and-sorcery genre.

We then traverse to the romantic and cursed world of "Ladyhawke," directed by Richard Donner and starring Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Matthew Broderick, a film that masterfully combines love and dark magic.

followed by Ridley Scott's "Legend," starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry, an ethereal tale where love battles darkness.

John Boorman's "Excalibur" immerses us in the grandeur of the Arthurian legend, featuring Nigel Terry, Liam Neeson, and Helen Mirren, while Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth," starring the iconic David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, transport us to worlds of unparalleled puppetry and creativity.

Wolfgang Petersen's "The NeverEnding Story" takes us on a meta-fantastical ride, exploring the power of stories and courage.

Finally, "The Fall," directed by Tarsem Singh, starring Lee Pace, while not from the 80s, shares the same spirit of wonder and fantasy, captivating audiences with its stunning visuals.

Watch these masterpieces to see why the 80s were a golden era for fantasy movies before The Lord of the Rings. These films, often overlooked, showcase incredible talent both in front of and behind the camera, and remind us of a time when storytelling was as boundless as our dreams and special effects served the story, not the other way around.

If you have other underrated fantasy favorites, drop them in the comments below – I'd love to hear about them. Until next time, keep your sense of wonder alive, and who knows, maybe you'll find your own magic in the everyday.

#fantasymovies #80sfantasy #fantasy #movies #underratedmovies #tomcruise #excalibur #liamneeson #davidbowie #jenniferconnelly #ridleyscott #terrygilliam #timcurry #michellepfeiffer #jimhenson #swordandsorcery #MatthewBroderick #richarddonner

[Underrated-Cinema]

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say thank you so much for the comments, they mean a lot to me. I noticed that some of you were wondering why I included "The Fall" on my list even though it was released after "Lord of the Rings." There are two reasons for this.

First, originally I was going for a full 80s fantasy list and had included "Willow" instead of "The Fall." Unfortunately, I lost the source file for "Willow" during the editing process and it took me nine days to edit this video. I was really frustrated and almost gave up, but I decided to keep going and ended up using "The Fall" instead since I already had its source file.

Secondly, this wasn't the original title of the video. The original title was "The Forgotten Tales, " but the video wasn't getting any views or impressions. So, I changed the title to be more search-friendly on YouTube.

I'm sorry for any confusion and I hope you understand. Please feel free to share your favorite underrated fantasy movies in the comments for my future videos.🥰

[purplehaze]

One thing that sticks out to me about 80's fantasy is that fantasy film from that era captures the aura of fantasy so much more than modern fantasy. This is true even for the ones that weren't very good but they still had the tone, music, and imagery that felt fantastical. There is a dreamlike beauty to them that is missing in todays attempts at fantasy.

[danielhance]

Tim Curry’s darkness is hands down the most terrifying devil ever put to film. The only thing I remembered of the film as a kid was his character, and to this day has never been replicated

[thesilverdragon]

To this day, I can vividly recall seeing Ladyhawke in the theater as a youngster, and being utterly swept up by it. The scenery, the story, the soundtrack, the acting, and wound through all of it, the wrenching tragedy of the curse separating Michell Pfeifer and Rutger Hauers characters. It has been one of my favorite films for a long time😊

[loopernow]

An animated film, The Last Unicorn (1982), deserves to be on this list. Based on a 1968 novel, it has everything--beautiful animation, a great script, and awesome voice acting from Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee, and more! Almost forgot--music written by America. Amazing movie.

[damionkeeling]

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen should be here too.

[kevjer]

Good List. I would've had Willow, Princess bride and Highlander to my list. I haven't seen 3 of the 10 on this list.

[LovlyHorror]

'Ladyhawke' is my favorite romance movie and one of the most underrated films ever made. Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer have more chemistry with less than five minutes on screen together and barely any dialog than most movie couples can manage in hours together. I am always so happy to see it get a shoutout. Also, I love the soundtrack 100% unironically and I'll defend it to my dying day.

[setpunks]

I LOVE time bandits. The effects in that movie are so clever and still look great. Its like a movie that spilled from a child's toybox

[willlyon]

Excalibur, Legend, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth are my favorite underrated fantasy films.

[josesantiago-llorens]

Nobody mentions the beautiful script in Legend. Every sentence is poetry perfectly spoken by each actor

[spoogemop]

No love for 'Hawk the Slayer'? From 1980, so certainly one of the first ever pure sword and sorcery films, beating Conan to market by two years.

And the silent scene with the dwarf and the giant eating bread and cheese is the greatest single shot in modern cinema. Perfect communication and not a single word spoken. Flawless.

[lieutenantkettch]

The Beastmaster: that brings back memories. Tanya Roberts' waterfall scene in particular. 13 year old me wore out that part of the VHS tape.

[jenniferrussellstudio]

What about Dragonslayer? Great dragon in that one. I was glad to see that I'd seen all of these films. The Henson films have had a tremendous impact on me.

[Turrican]

Conan films deserve a mention. However, I want to watch all of these films again now!

[danielslilaty]

The Dark Crystal was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I'm so glad you included it! Don't forget that the visionary fantasy artist Brian Froud drew the original designs of all of the puppets! There was a single-season prequel made by Netflix in 2019 that is truly wonderful. The producers were planning a second season and then Netflix cancelled it.

[mysticjc]

Return to Oz was, with Labyrinth, my favorite as a child. It deserves recognition as well.

[mattrobinson]

I can definitely confirm that the 80s had excellent fantasy movies. Need another list that includes Sword of the Valiant, The Barbarians, Masters of the Universe, Red Sonja, and Clash of the Titans. I can go on and on. Oh let's not forget Flash Gordon.

[mortanos]

From a time when the world was still sane and carefree, this video brings back memories and warms my heart.
What I am missing is The Highlander, Baron of Munchhausen and the good old Ray Harryhausen creations such as Sinbad or Jason and the Argonauts to name a few, but most of all my alltime favorites, the Conan movies.
High time I watch these and other loveable gems again in due time.

[marlinavallejos]

😊 EXCALIBUR !!! One of my favorites of all times! 😁👍