10 Greatest Fantasy Epic Movies of the Last 25 Years

Image via Universal Pictures Published Aug 4, 2026, 6:23 AM EDT William likes taking edibles, watching movies with his dogs, and then writing about those movies. He doesn't have social media so if you want more of his unhinged opinions or another place to comment hurtful things, you can check out his Letterboxd. Sign in to your Collider account Fantasy epics are not the most ubiquitous subgenre of films. The large-scale production required to realize them often makes them cost-prohibitive or simply too ambitious to produce, even in this age of endless digital possibilities. There have been many absolute masterpieces of fantasy filmmaking in the 21st century, but not all of them reach the scale necessary to be considered epics. Dark fairytales like Pan's Labyrinth or magical journeys like Spirited Away are unassailable 21st-century classics, but they aren't the epic-sized fantasies we're looking for. While those epic quests and voyages that qualify are fewer, their numbers are bolstered by their size. Epic battle sequences, adventures that span entire worlds and the grandest of visuals await those who venture further down this path. Once upon a time, over the last 25 years, from Hollywood and lands beyond came these fantasy films. They come from different origins and offer different worlds of pure imagination, but they all share one thing in common: they're absolutely epic. 10 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003) Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Pirate movies have seen some rough waters when it comes to financial success, which is why it's always been genuinely surprising that Disney decided to roll the dice on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. It was a film based on a decades-old theme park ride, with a lead actor who had never been a proven box office draw, and a director whose only hit was a horror film made for a third of the budget. The gamble paid massive dividends, however, and the film launched a massive franchise that, despite diminishing returns, refuses to sink into Davy Jones' Locker. The first, and best, film is a swashbuckling high-seas adventure with a supernatural twist. Blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) joins forces with rum-swilling pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to save Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from a band of undead skeletal pirates. What made it such a success was the combination of Depp's performance and Gore Verbinski's direction. Before his career devolved into a series of characters of escalating eccentricities and personal controversy, Depp brought a renegade energy to his roguish archetype. Coupled with Verbinski's proven abilities at staging large-scale action sequences and CGI that has aged incredibly well, Pirates of the Caribbean has the wind in its sails for a fun fantasy epic. 9 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' (2011) Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Harry Potter was a true fantasy phenomenon, regardless of its current state; there's no denying the level of spectacle the films brought to theaters for a decade. While the earlier films often told more contained stories set within the grounds of Hogwarts, things took a turn towards the truly epic for the two-part finale. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was a large-scale fetch quest, while Deathly Hallows: Part 2 brought things to a satisfying close with an epic final battle. Though the majority of the film takes place back at Hogwarts, where Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) leads his teachers and fellow students in a last stand against the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), it's on a scale that the franchise hadn't reached before. Even though the movie still makes concessions to and simplifications of its source material, it succeeds in its epic battle sequences in a way that film as a medium is only able to accomplish. While Deathly Hallows: Part 2 may not be the best Harry Potter movie (that's still Prisoner of Azkaban), it's definitely the most epic. Collider Exclusive · The Sorting Hat Awaits Which Hogwarts House Are You? Gryffindor · Slytherin · Hufflepuff · Ravenclaw Four houses. One destiny. The Sorting Hat has considered thousands of students — now it's your turn. Answer honestly and discover where you truly belong at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 🦁Gryffindor 🐍Slytherin 🦡Hufflepuff 🦅Ravenclaw PLACE THE HAT → 01 What quality do you value most in yourself? Answer as honestly as you can — the Hat always knows. ACourage — I act even when I'm afraid, because what's right matters more than what's safe. BAmbition — I know what I want and I have the drive and cunning to get there. CLoyalty — I show up for the people I love, no matter what it costs me. DWisdom — I think before I act and I'm always hungry to understand more. NEXT QUESTION → 02 A friend is being treated unfairly. What do you do? How you protect others says everything about who you are. AStep in immediately and confront whoever is responsible — I won't stand by. BWork out the best strategy to address it — a smart move beats a rash one. CBe by their side, support them, and help them through it however they need. DAnalyse what's actually happening and find the most reasoned, fair solution. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What does success look like to you? What you're working toward defines who you're becoming. ABeing remembered as someone who fought for what was right, whatever the odds. BAchieving the goals I set for myself — influence, status, and earned respect. CA life where the people I care about know I was there for them, always. DMastering my field, contributing something meaningful, and never stopping learning. NEXT QUESTION → 04 What is your greatest fear? Fear is the most honest thing about a person. ABeing a coward when it mattered — looking back and knowing I did nothing. BMediocrity — fading into obscurity without making my mark on the world. CLosing the people I love or letting them down when they needed me most. DIgnorance — being wrong and not knowing it, or never reaching my potential. NEXT QUESTION → 05 The rules say no. Your gut says go. What do you do? Every institution has rules. What you do with them is a choice. ABreak the rules — if it's the right thing to do, no rule should stop me. BFind a way to get what I want without getting caught. Rules are guidelines. CProbably follow the rules — but I'd find a way to help within them if I could. DThink it through carefully — is the rule unjust, or is my gut just impatient? NEXT QUESTION → 06 What kind of friend are you? Who you are to the people you love is who you really are. AThe protector — I will go to the ends of the earth for the people I care about. BThe strategist — I give sharp advice and I'm the one who figures out how to fix things. CThe constant — I'm always there, always reliable, and I never make it about me. DThe guide — I help people think things through and see perspectives they've missed. NEXT QUESTION → 07 You look into the Mirror of Erised. What do you see? The mirror shows the deepest desire of your heart. AYourself standing victorious, having faced the greatest challenge and won. BYourself at the height of your power — respected, successful, and in control. CYourself surrounded by everyone you love, whole and happy and together. DYourself with all the answers — every book read, every mystery solved. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The Sorting Hat pauses. It whispers: "You could do well in any house. But what matters most to you — truly?" This is your tiebreaker. The Hat always listens. ABravery. I want to be the kind of person who acts when others won't. BGreatness. I want to leave my mark and be more than ordinary. CBelonging. I want to be part of something good and never let my people down. DUnderstanding. I want to know the truth of things and keep growing forever. REVEAL MY HOUSE → The Sorting Hat Speaks Your House Has Been ChosenAfter careful deliberation, the Sorting Hat has made its decision. This is the house your values, your instincts, and your particular way of being in the world were made for. 🦁 GryffindorYou have nerve. Not the reckless kind, but the deep, quiet courage that shows up even when you're terrified — especially then. Gryffindors don't act because they're fearless — they act because they understand that some things are worth being afraid for. You stand up for people when it would be easier to look away. You charge toward what's right even when the odds are terrible. Harry, Hermione, Ron — the heroes of Hogwarts's greatest chapter — all called the tower with the scarlet and gold home. And now, so do you. 🐍 SlytherinYou are driven, sharp, and utterly clear-eyed about what you want and how to get there. Slytherin has long been misunderstood — painted as the house of villains when it is, at its best, the house of those who refuse to accept limits placed on them by others. You are resourceful, strategic, and you play the long game. You know your worth. You protect your own fiercely. The dungeon common room with its view of the Black Lake is yours — and the ambitions that will take you further than anyone expects are yours too. 🦡 HufflepuffYou are the kind of person that makes the world genuinely better just by being in it. Hufflepuff is not the "safe" house or the "leftover" house — it is the house of those with the greatest heart and the most unwavering integrity. You show up. You work hard. You don't need glory or recognition — you do what's right because it's right. Your loyalty never wavers, even when tested. Nymphadora Tonks, Cedric Diggory, Newt Scamander — some of the wizarding world's finest. And now you join them. 🦅 RavenclawYour mind is your greatest gift, and you've always known it. Ravenclaws are the thinkers, the questioners, the ones who find a puzzle irresistible and a good book better company than most people. Ravenclaw is not merely about intelligence — it's about the love of learning, the pursuit of truth, and the rare courage to admit you don't know something yet. You see the world with unusual clarity and depth. Luna Lovegood, Filius Flitwick, Rowena Ravenclaw herself — all extraordinary, all original. And so are you. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 8 'The Northman' (2022) Image via Focus Features Graduating from his atmospheric horror films to an epic tale of revenge, Robert Eggers' The Northman features all the stunning visuals and immersive qualities you'd expect from the director, but on a fantastic scale. While the final movie feels slightly more compromised than Eggers' previous films, which would be expected given the bigger budget he was entrusted with, it still works on a visceral level. The Northman is a grimy, gritty fantasy film inspired by Scandinavian legends that is still far less accessible compared to its glossier blockbuster counterparts. As a child, Prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) witnesses the murder of his father and narrowly escapes the same fate, vowing revenge. As an adult, he sails with Vikings as a Berserker before setting in motion his plan for vengeance. The film has plenty of vicious violence and gruesome gore to satiate the most bloodthirsty of fantasy fans, and it certainly shades its tale of vengeance in more ambiguous terms than simple good and evil. All of that likely contributed to the film's lackluster box office performance, but more and more fans are discovering this epic fantasy's dark charms every day. 7 'The Green Knight' (2021) Image via A24 Cut from the same cloth as The Northman, the David Lowery-directed The Green Knight applies a darker lens to an Arthurian legend. Based on the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it's an epic journey and test of courage for its protagonist, filled with stunning visuals created through an impressive combination of practical and digital effects. The film is the best representation of Arthurian lore on the big screen since Excalibur, and offers fans of the darker fantasy films of the '80s a fitting tribute to it. In the film's retelling, Gawain (Dev Patel) is a libidinous knight still in search of a challenge to forge his legend. He receives it in the form of the supernatural Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), whom he decapitates with the promise of receiving an equal blow in one year's time. As that year approaches, Gawain sets off on his journey towards certain death, facing temptation and tribulation along the way. Lowery's film is an epic journey composed in a contemplative manner, a visual feast of epic proportions. 6 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' (2014) Image via DreamWorks Animation The How to Train Your Dragon franchise turned out to be one of the most surprisingly exciting and engrossing of DreamWorks Animation. Inspired by the book series by Cressida Cowell, the trilogy told the complete epic journey of its young protagonist and his fire-breathing ally. It's mandatory viewing for any fantasy fan, but in terms of true epic scale and emotional depth, it's hard to beat the second installment. How to Train Your Dragon 2 expanded on everything from the characters to the lore of its world, offering an epic animated adventure that does exactly what a sequel should. Years after brokering the peace between his Viking kin and dragon-kind, young adult Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is now an explorer. On his adventures into uncharted territories, he discovers not only a new threat in the form of a warmongering dragon hunter, but also his long-lost mother. Writer-director Dean Deblois purposefully sought to make the film an expansion and escalation of its predecessor, inspired by The Empire Strikes Back. That approach is evident in the film's darker, more mature storyline that elevates everything from the action to the emotions along with it. 5 'The Fall' (2006) Image via Roadside Attractions Tarsem Singh's The Fall might be the most visually spectacular fantasy epic to be made in the last 25 years, which is no mean feat. Shot over several years and in over a dozen countries, the film uses the majesty of real-world locations to infuse an epicness into its classic storytelling. It was notoriously hard to find after its cursory theatrical release; physical copies on home media went out of print, and the film wasn't available on any streaming service for years. Still, it has since been given a proper restoration on 4K and can now be widely enjoyed by fans of epically beautiful fantasy. Inspired by the 1981 Bulgarian film Yo Ho Ho, it follows stuntman Roy Walker (Lee Pace), who has been seriously injured after a stunt gone wrong in 1920s Los Angeles. While sinking further into depression, Roy finds a reprieve by telling a fantasy story to young Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) in exchange for her providing him with pills. The girl's imagination breathes life into the story, depicting a group of warriors seeking revenge on an evil ruler. It's a gorgeous film to behold, and the overwhelming visuals make it very easy to become swept up in its grandeur. The Fall is an epic tale that almost no other modern filmmakers ever attempt. 4 'Howl's Moving Castle' (2004) Image via Toho Hayao Miyazaki is synonymous with fantasy. His wondrous Studio Ghibli films have astounded generations of fans and fellow filmmakers. In terms of epics from the last 25 years, Howl's Moving Castle, a loose adaptation of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, is his undeniable masterpiece. It follows a cursed young girl and her bond with a wizard as a war wages on in the background. Sophie (Chieko Baishio/Emily Mortimer and Jean Simmons) is a young lady who finds herself cursed by a witch to live as an old woman. Her search to break the curse brings her to the titular castle, where the wizard Howl (Takuya Kimura/Christian Bale) resides, vowing not to fight in the growing war between two kingdoms. Miyazaki imbues his version of Jones' text with a strong anti-war message, spurred by the U.S. invasion of Iraq. There's plenty of fiery and furious imagery depicting the destruction wrought by war, but the film is ultimately a plea for compassion and peace. Miyazaki's films find beauty in the natural world as few Western films do, and it's part of what makes The Howl's Moving Castle such an epic journey. 3 'The Odyssey' (2026) Image via Universal Pictures It's hard to even begin to unpack or even properly rank Christopher Nolan's fantasy adaptation of the Greek epic The Odyssey. The film has become an undeniable phenomenon and a monumental box office success but has also inspired a whirlwind of criticism, academic snobbery, manufactured outrage and heaping amounts of discourse, both toxic and non-toxic. It's so exhausting to try and read every thinkpiece that's been put out about the film that you begin to feel like Odysseus at the end of his journey. Following the general outline of the non-Simpson Homer's epic poem, the film chronicles the efforts of Trojan War hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he tries to return home to his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) in Ithaca. Nolan brings his signature grounded approach to the film, using lots of practical effects to bring to life some of the story's most fantastical elements. It's bold, dark, and even a little scary in moments, but it's all produced with the grandiosity that has consumed Nolan's career in the last two decades. It's still too early to gauge where the film will ultimately fall on the scale of fantasy epics, but Nolan is one of the very few filmmakers still capable of making epics of this size and scale, and that should be celebrated. 2 'Shadow' (2018) Image via Well Go USA Entertainment How much you consider wuxia films to be fantasy will be entirely dependent on your own personal qualifiers. What can be said with certainty is that these martial arts movies, usually set in ancient China, exist in a world elevated far above the real one and feature larger-than-life heroes engaging in gravity-defying acrobatics that make their fight sequences more beautiful than brutal. In the last 25 years, no one has given audiences more balletic battles than Zhang Yimou. The acclaimed director has made sumptuous spectacles with Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower, and the most fantastical epic of all, Shadow. Set during the Three Kingdoms period of ancient China, the film's plot is a convoluted web of characters and political machinations involving the contested control of a city and the efforts of a military commander and his shadow body double to retake it from his rival. There's a hefty bit of exposition to the film, but it's all outweighed by the utterly glorious martial arts sequences and monochromatic visual style meant to evoke ink wash paintings. Shadow is Yimou's greatest epic, and it immerses you in a fantastical world of unparalleled beauty in motion. 1 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001) Image via New Line Cinema While the ultimate spot on this list is awarded to the first film in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the reality is that it is in recognition of the entire three-film saga. That may seem unfair to the competition, but there's no getting around the success and impact that Jackson and his entire cast and crew had with their fantastic realization of J.R.R. Tolkien's seminal fantasy world. Middle-earth is brought to stunning life in the trilogy, and the epic journey of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and the dozens of other denizens that take part is simply the most staggering adventure put on film in the 21st century. The Fellowship of the Ring does a masterful job of introducing the epic lore of Tolkien's fantasy world and the history that will unfold. It introduces us to the principal cast, including the Hobbit hero Frodo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen), and the other members who make up the Fellowship tasked with destroying the One Ring, created by the evil lord Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. The entire cast is terrific, the set design is immense, the locations breathtaking, and the practical and digital effects are melded together perfectly. It's an epic film in every sense of the word, and it began an epic fantasy trilogy that has never been surpassed in the 25 years since. Cast Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis Runtime 178 Minutes Director Peter Jackson Writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, J.R.R. Tolkien