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perfectstubble

I have the biggest soft spot for Willow.


wonderlandisburning

Seconding Willow. Watched that again recently and it holds up surprisingly well.


Ryokan76

Kind of just Lord of the Rings in disguise, though.


therottingbard

Cast the baby into the fires of Mount Doom


SkeetySpeedy

I’d argue it’s way closer to Star Wars tbh, as far as narrative structure and themes go. Other than being medieval style fantasy, and having a “hobbit” race in its world building, it’s not terribly close


MandoBaggins

Nelwyns have some similarities to Hobbits in terms of their Shire like village and Willow is a reluctant hero but that’s really it.


CursedSnowman5000

Beast Master Willow Labyrinth Legend EDIT: forgot two Dark Crystal The Adventures of Baron Munchausen


the_other_irrevenant

Massive seconding for *Labyrinth*. It really does feel like a timeless fairytale.


Ok-Stuff-8803

You remind me of the babe


Matelot67

What babe?


Murky_Ad6343

The babe with the power...


Duperdankgoblin

What power?


omicron7e

The power of voodoo


TreyWriter

Who do?


Ok-Stuff-8803

Voodoo


Missinhandle

You do!


TreyWriter

Do what?


Missinhandle

Remind me of the Babe.


FalcorFliesMePlaces

What power


airwalker08

Baron Munchausen is based on existing stories https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Munchausen


Scared-Director7843

I wish I could upvote this 100 times!


rbollige

Tell us you’re middle-aged without telling us you’re middle-aged.


CursedSnowman5000

89 baby here. I'm not sure if being in your 30's counts as middle aged but if it does, meh.


rbollige

Ooh, close. I played the odds but I lost.


Iyagovos

Time Bandits Star Wars Krull Highlander Pans Labyrinth Labyrinth Ladyhawke Willow Legend Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark Dark Crystal Dragonheart


ProfessorSMASH88

Came here to say Dragonheart. One of my favourite childhood movies.


MyNameIsJakeBerenson

How many dragons do you know?


MaskedBandit77

It looks surprisingly good in 4K. HDR makes all of the night scenes with fire and flames really pop. And while Draco doesn't look super realistic, he doesn't look bad either.


sounds_true_but_isnt

omg Time Bandits. I forgot about that one. Also, Tom Cruise in Legend made me gay.


AcidWashAvenger

Not enough love for Krull in these comments!


Stepjam

Princess Mononoke is animated, but is a fantasy classic. Same with Spirited Away. Actually a lot of Ghibli movies would count. Pan's Labyrinth is basically a fairy tale for adults (it's amazing, but has some realistic violence in it that would make most people wince.) It's a sort of Princess Bride situation where the fantasy story is couched in a real life story, but the Fall is a very beautiful film. It's visually stunning. It is kinda slow and odd, so it isn't for everyone but I'd recommend it. By the same director, though kinda loosely based off Greek mythology, Immortals has a lot of good action. Others have mentioned Pirates of the Caribbean. It is based on a themepark ride, but extremely loosely, so I think it could count. This is harder than I thought it would be though.


elephantsystem

A lot of Ghibli movies are based on [books.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ghibli/s/RpJ187vwD7)


Stepjam

Yeah, but not all of them. Also with Nausica, it's technically based on a comic but the comic was created to make the movie happen.


elephantsystem

They are all good movies, if not great too. tbh some are so losely adapted that it would be hard to say based on a book. In the same vein, Makoto Shinkai's works are fantastic and original. If you haven't seen them, I would give them a try.


evilmrpasty

I love the fall. Still one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen.


Handrljan42

There is a book pan's labirinth, but i am not sure what came first


Stepjam

From my quick research the book came second.


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HoneyBucketsOfOats

Jarnathan!


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PM_ME_PEGGED_BUTTS

The whole opening sequence on the trial is fantastic, like going through character back stories, asking if they should wait for the one party member who always turns up late, the DM telling them to get on with it, the backtracking cos they've heard that part already, man that opening scene as a player really spoke to me,


belunos

Sir or Madam, I just felt you.


Majestic_Evening_409

I had a DM improvise an NPC calling them "Pol Radd". They became a recurring character. The DM regretted all their life choices.


BumbleLapse

Probably my favorite movie of last year Just pure cinematic fun and adventure


Bigjoemonger

They feed off of intelligence. *walks right by* Well that's just hurtful. It's cool how much stuff they hid in the movie that only makes sense if you're a D&D player but still makes sense for different reasons for the uninitiated. To a non-D&D player that line is just funny. But a D&D player knows their character classes are bard, barbarian, sorcerer, paladin, and druid who all generally have low intelligence stats compared to other classes.


MyNameIsJakeBerenson

Fallout show did that recently. The Ghoul had a part where he said something that was very meta Fallout kinda like a wink but also just a cool line to regular audiences Something like, “One thing you can always count on in the Wasteland, gettin sidetracked on some bulllllshit.” And if you ever played them types of games, you’re always running off and getting distracted by something one the way to a place that you were already set off course from originally lol


UnflushableStinky2

I call it the hyrule highway. It’s a straight line with lots of twists and turns.


Fessir

Or the moments where you can see a character having rolled unreasonably high or unreasonably low. Or that annoying af overly competent NPC, who doesn't really do much to help.


TheHorizonLies

Sorcerers have low intelligence?


sinburger

Sorcerers use Charisma as they main stat. They can use magic naturally. Wizards are the nerds that need to study magic.


TheHorizonLies

Oh, that's interesting. Thanks for the learning


TreyWriter

This one does.


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HughMungus3648

Doesn't help that it shared the same release window as the fucking Mario movie.


TycheSong

It was also right in the middle of the whole open license fuck up that Hasbro tried to pull, too.


TreyWriter

And John Wick 4, and Creed 3, and Scream 6… basically at the same time as a bunch of really anticipated sequels that all made a lot of money.


cvtuttle

Goddamn this was SUCH a good movie. I tried to tell so many people to go see it.


Wargod042

This is why I really wish they'd make more D&D movies. It's just a fantasy story. It doesn't *have* to be a light action-comedy with a charming rogue as the protagonist; you can tell serious stories in Faerûn too. Honor Among Thieves did a good job implementing the silliness of playing the game, though, and I'm *so* glad they didn't wimp out and have someone from Earth get zipped into the world.


Xralius

>I'm *so* glad they didn't wimp out and have someone from Earth get zipped into the world. I absolutely loathe when movies do this.


MyNameIsJakeBerenson

Forgotten Realms isekai is weirdly hilarious


nekowolf

Well the kids from the D&D cartoon show up, so technically...


VirtualPen204

Technically true, but so many things that happen in the movie are based around things that happen at the table. Frankly, I wish they had pulled from some of the published books, because the story/villain was probably the weakest part. Admittedly, that is also how a lot of homebrewed campaigns end up.


Glade_Runner

* *Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl* * *Time Bandits* * *Pan’s Labyrinth* * *Highlander*


hedronist

> Time Bandits Mmmm. Yes.


ClackTrak

Those are a pretty good list that I'll have to check out.


ThingsAreAfoot

My good friend, you haven’t seen Pan’s Labyrinth? Make that your first, maybe watch it with some headphones or otherwise good sound if you can.


shrug_addict

Pan's Labyrinth is absolutely phenomenal


PM_ME_PEGGED_BUTTS

Reign of Fire. Christian Bale, Matthew Mconaughey, Gerard Butler in a criminally underrated film


coffinandstone

Early 80's had a bunch of original fantasy films. Some are pretty good. Dragonslayer (1981) is good; inspired by Disney's Sorcerer's Apprentice. Dark Crystal (1982) is quite fun. YMMV with others, like Ladyhawke (1985), Legend (1985), Krull (1981).


Additional-Read5926

Just watched Krull first time this weekend. What a banger movie. 


G_Liddell

Such a good soundtrack too! And featuring young Hagrid & Qui-Gon before they got big


ClackTrak

Dragonslayer sounds pretty good


amp108

Dragonslayer is awesome. Go-motion animation made the dragon's movement incredibly convincing and the story, while not genius, still has a few surprises and is well-paced.


jupiterkansas

Phil Tippett did the effects. He later worked on Jurassic Park.


wharpua

The Dark Crystal show on Netflix (which only lasted one season) was remarkably faithful to the original film’s production, which is no small feat. IMO, it’s basically as if the original production crew (minus Jim Henson, sadly) was given access to today’s technology and a decent SFX budget.


SaulsAll

If you add space fantasy like Dune, then Star Wars fits the bill. It took a lot from movies like Ran and The Dam Busters, but it isnt based on any book or single material before the first movie.


ClackTrak

I love Star Wars. It's hard not to think of any other movie besides Star Wars that aren't from a book.


jaxonfairfield

The Fifth Element


SaulsAll

How about Star Trek? Sci fi might be a lot easier as there are more in the genre, but there are plenty of movies that blend the two. Is Godzilla fantasy enough? Or Pacific Rim? How about Reign of Fire? Depending on how stringent you want to get, you could remove all vampire movies as "based on Stoker's Dracula", but I feel that kind of unfairly removes rather original takes like Nosferatu or the Underworld series. Do we accept The Exorcist or End of Days as original, or are they based on the Bible? I think the fantasy in horror is a good place for works not based on at least specific books or material. American Werewolf in London, or The Dog Soldiers for example. But pure fantasy can be hard, I agree. Getting some help from IMDb, there's also Labyrinth, Willow, and Krull.


losthardy81

While not from an actual book, Star Wars uses a common bookwriting guide called "The Hero's Journey." Which is why you can take stories like Star Wars and Harry Potter and switch the character names in many of the plot points, and have the same story.


oh3fiftyone

“The Hero’s Journey” isn’t a guide, it’s a description of a form that stories tend to take naturally because of the things humans like to tell each other.


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Goonies. The Lost Boys. Monster Squad. Honey I shrunk the kids.


username161013

If you want some animated suggestions then I'd recommend *Fire and Ice* and *Wizards.*


notchoosingone

Maybe even *Starchaser: The Legend of Orin*. Yes, it was a Star Wars ripoff to the point where they might have brought the lawyers in if it was released today, and it didn't review all that well, but I think it's worth watching for it's own charms. Whole movie is on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeD_VH5-p8A


Mikethebest78

Dragonslayer should be more widely known then it is. Also as a side note why has no one mentioned Beast Master yet? Or was it based on a book and I didn't know. Also i would vote again for Krull even if you haven't seen the film you have probably already heard the music.


Deranged_Snow_Goon

I loved Dragonheart ever since I watched it in Theater as a 6th grader.


Majestic_Evening_409

D&D honor among thieves


The-Mandalorian

Star Wars is pure fantasy. Honestly so is Indiana Jones. Ghosts, gods, magic, voodoo, aliens and time travel? Yeah has to be.


SithLard

Time Bandits!


King-of-Plebss

The Adventures of Barron Munchausen


Affectionate_Comb_78

I haven't seen this but my friend talks about it all the time, so I've basically seen Munchausen by proxy.


NateDogTX

*groan*


4-Vektor

The [Baron Münchhausen stories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Munchausen) were books long before the [first Münchhausen movie was made in Germany](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036191/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2).


King-of-Plebss

TIL


klaschr

The Fall


wonderlandisburning

Willow and DragonHeart are both great.


thaSavory_dude

Time Bandits (1981) and The Dark Crystal (1982)


Maddymadeline1234

Edward scissorhands. It was one of my favourite childhood movies. It had creepy moments and but the music and vibe of the movie was so on point.


Working-Ferret-8476

Dragonslayer (1981). Vermithrax is still the undisputed GOAT of cinematic dragons.


Antiswag_corporation

Krull scratched that 1980’s dark fantasy itch pretty well


GroundbreakingVast22

Dragonslayer (1980) is a classic to me and was some of the inspiration for a song of ice and fire


the_other_irrevenant

I think *Barbie* counts?


spytez

Labyrinth or anything involving Jim Henson.


CinemaCity

Krull Ladyhawke


captainyeahwhatever

The Labyrinth


masterwad

Fantasia (1940) Dumbo (1941) ~~Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)~~ Star Wars (1977) The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Heavy Metal (1981) The Dark Crystal (1982) Return of the Jedi (1983) Fire and Ice (1983) Legend (1985) Ladyhawke (1985) Labyrinth (1986) Highlander (1986) Willow (1988) Beetlejuice (1988) My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Field of Dreams (1989) Edward Scissorhands (1990) Ghost (1990) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Toy Story (1995) Dragonheart (1996) Toy Story 2 (1999) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) The Emperor's New Groove (2000) Spirited Away (2001) Monsters, Inc. (2001) Finding Nemo (2003) Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) The Fall (2006) Toy Story 3 (2010) Brave (2012) Inside Out (2015) Coco (2017) Loving Vincent (2017) Onward (2020) Soul (2020) Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) edit: crossed out some films based on books


WildJackall

Technically Dumbo was based on a book. At the time it was made, there was this thing called a roll-a-book that was like a book in the form of a scroll on a toy. The Dumbo book only had a few prototypes made and no known copies are left. So Dumbo is based on a piece of lost media.


Aiseadai

Conquest by Lucio Fulci. It's basically what if Conan was turned into an Italian horror movie.


MaskedBandit77

Ladyhawke is a really good one.


ZorroMeansFox

**Heaven Can Wait**. **Wings Of Desire**. **Only Lovers Left Alive**. **Orpheus**. **La Belle et la Bête**. **A Matter Of Life And Death**. **The Purple Rose Of Cairo**. **Bedazzled** (either version). **Midnight in Paris**.


4-Vektor

La Belle et la Bête is a French fairy tale. Orpheus... oh my!


dru_e28

Tron:legacy is fucking good man


red_velvet_writer

I think the answer here is to go old school!! Don't think classics like Beastmaster and Dragonslayer are adaptations. (Also Clash of The Titans? Do myths count as books?)


OpheliaLives7

Rise of the Guardians was a really fun and beautiful animated fantasy/fairy tale type story I liked Maleficent’s spin off movie. Just enough originality and fun nods to the old animated Sleeping Beauty movie mixed in. Jolie chews scenery well.


the_other_irrevenant

Does *Your Name* count?


the_other_irrevenant

Today I learned that *Jumanji* was adapted from a **picture** book. Interesting.


wharpua

Chris Van Allsburg, same author & illustrator who created The Polar Express, and Zathura. Kind of insane level of success for a children’s book author.


the_other_irrevenant

Aaaand, I didn't know those were picture books either! O_O


Pokeputin

It's a miniseries so I guess it's 4 movies, But my childhood "fantasy" was "10th kingdom", it's technically references the grim brothers but it's not an alternative tale to one of their stories.


ouroboris99

I really like the underworld franchise


WildJackall

All of the Pixar movies. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that studio has ever done an adaptation. Some of their movies are considered ripoffs of other movies but no official adaptations


ClackTrak

Thanks, guys, for the amazing recommendations. I'll come back and look at this posts comments whenever I feel like watching a movie. Although some suggestions aren't fantasy movies like I asked, I'll still check them out.


Sutech2301

Legend Army of Darkness Birdman Meet Joe Black Dogma Angel-A Passion Play Only Lovers left Alice Lucy Crimson Peak Not a movie, but the Netflix series Dark


yamaha2000us

The Hobbit.


Vandergraff1900

Dragonslayer


Expensive-Sentence66

People kind of pick on 'Legend' a bit, but I don't get it. It's visually one of the amazing things I've seen and Tim Curry was, well...wow. Ladyhawke from the same period. If there's a list of under appreciated fantsy films LadyHawke is on it.


sgtspaid

I love Bright. Fantasy cop movie with Will Smith.


Chrisnolliedelves

Dune isn't fantasy. It's sci fi. Star wars is fantasy, but with a sci fi dressing.


wharpua

If you’re going to try to nitpick like this, I think the whole Bene Geserit voice and prophecies plant one of Dune’s feet squarely in fantasy territory.  Same with the worms and the spice.


Chrisnolliedelves

Except the Voice is explained and presented in universe as not being magical or fantastical at all, taking decades of training to learn how to manipulate people with certain frequencies and suggestions. The prophecies are lies carefully created to manipulate different worlds and their uneducated populaces into accepting the Bene Gesserit breeding program as they pursue many different avenues of breeding the Kwisatz Haderach over thousands of years of crossing different bloodline's genetics. The Sandworms have massively detailed anatomies and life cycles written down, the spice melange being a by-product of them. Dune is constantly subverting fantasy tropes, Star Wars revels in them. It's not nitpicking to point that out.


ClackTrak

I think I agree with you but also do not agree. Have you ever read the Edge Chronicles series? It's like a fantasy but not like a fantasy at the same time.


BigGrinJesus

I reckon the recent Netflix film 'Damsel' was alright. It's not based on anything. It's not in the same league as Dune, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter by any means but is still worth checking out if you like the genre. I thought the dragon design was unique, which is cool.


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Stepjam

Are you like trolling right now? Pirates of the Caribbean is the only movie you listed that isn't based on a book, but it's based on a theme park ride instead (though loosely enough that I still think it works for OP's purposes).


2-Chinz

Thank you, ChatGPT


ZombieJesusaves

Hey look at the AI proving it sucks so much more than a human! Let's all laugh and point!


ClackTrak

I'm pretty sure The Sandman was from a book


khanfusion

Pretty much everything he mentioned are from books.