Fantasy film
The film genre Fantastic Film , from English also fantasy film , encompasses in the broadest sense all films whose plot contains elements that exist exclusively in the human imagination and are actually inconceivable as such in reality . The fairy tale film is closely related to it ; most fairy tale films are also fantasy films, but not all fantasy films are fairy tale films. Basically, different types of fantasy film can be distinguished, for example science fiction and horror are often combined with the genres .
The classic fantasy film
The classic fantasy film takes place in the earthly Middle Ages , or in a world whose development corresponds to the Middle Ages on earth. There is no modern technology, but there is magic that can be used as a weapon or to dominate and manipulate other people. Some stories take place partly on the planet earth of the 20th century, but to a not inconsiderable part also in a non-technical world, which corresponds to the classic fantasy film specifications, and are therefore also assigned to this area. In addition to magic, there are also typical fantasy characters such as dwarves , elves , fairies , elves, goblins , trolls , orcs and dragons . The plot is mostly knitted according to a simple good-bad scheme.
Typical representatives of the classic fantasy film are:
- 1924: The Nibelungs
- 1939: The Wizard of Oz
- 1953: Peter Pan
- 1959: The secret of the enchanted cave
- 1978: The Blind Master's Secret
- 1981: Time Bandits
- 1981: The Dragon Slayer
- 1982: Conan the Barbarian
- 1982: The dark crystal
- 1983: Krull
- 1984: The Neverending Story
- 1985: legend
- 1985: Red Sonja
- 1986: The journey into the labyrinth
- 1988: Willow
- 1996: Dragonheart
- 2000: the tenth kingdom
- 2000: Dungeons & Dragons
- 2002: Dinotopia
- 2001–2003: The Lord of the Rings
- 2004: Earthsea - The Saga of Earth Sea
- 2005–2010: The Chronicles of Narnia
- 2006: Eragon - Legacy of the Dragon Riders
- 2008: Krabat
- 2012–2014: The Hobbit
The modern fantasy film
The modern fantasy film takes place on planet earth in the 19th, 20th or 21st centuries and is usually also characterized by magic and / or fantasy characters. Often times, these films deal with mystical relics from the past that have been forgotten and then rediscovered. This area has been shaped in many ways by television series such as Buffy - The Vampire Slayer and Charmed - The Magical Witches .
Typical representatives of the modern fantasy film are:
- 1933: King Kong and the white woman
- 1984: Ghostbusters
- 1986: Highlander - There can only be one
- 1986: Big Trouble In Little China
- 1990: Edward Scissorhands
- 2001: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
- 2001-2011: Harry Potter
- 2006: Pan's Labyrinth
- 2013: ruby red
- 2014: sapphire blue
- 2016: emerald green
The science fiction film
The distinction between fantasy and science fiction is not easy (see science fiction ). Some science fiction films in which supernatural or quasi-supernatural abilities appear can also be assigned to the fantasy genre. Often the only difference is that in the science fiction film these skills are explained more or less scientifically , while the fantasy film accepts them as supernatural. The explanation need not actually be scientifically plausible . A good example are the teleportation and local weather control skills described in the X-Men films and comics , which are attributed to gene mutations there. The incompleteness of this explanation is obvious, since it simply uses a scientific catchphrase for explanation. In contrast, Star Trek (which is clearly assigned to science fiction) generally uses more complex arguments to explain the nova.
Over time, the genre of science fantasy , which combines both genres, emerged.
Films on the border between science fiction and fantasy can be:
- 1977-2019: Star Wars
- 1978: Superman
- 1984: The desert planet
- 2000: X-Men
- 2001: Donnie Darko
- 2009: Avatar - Departure for Pandora
Film festivals and film awards
Several film festivals specialize in fantasy films. The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival , Fantasporto and the Sitges Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya are among the most important in the world .
One of the best-known film awards for the genre is the Saturn Award for the best fantasy film .
See also
Fantasy film
- List of fantasy films up to 1929
- List of fantasy films made in the 1930s
- List of 1940s fantasy films
- List of fantasy films made in the 1950s
- List of 1960s fantasy films
- List of 1970s fantasy films
- List of fantasy films of the 1980s
- List of fantasy films of the 1990s
- List of 2000s fantasy films
- List of 2010s fantasy films
- List of fantasy films of the 2020s
Fairy tale film
Science fiction film
- Science fiction films until 1919
- Science fiction films of the 1920s
- Science fiction films of the 1930s
- Science fiction films of the 1940s
- 1950s science fiction films
- 1960s science fiction films
- Science fiction films of the 1970s
- Science fiction films of the 1980s
- Science fiction films of the 1990s
- Science fiction films of the 2000s
- Science fiction films of the 2010s
- Science fiction films of the 2020s
Literature (selection)
- Mark Achilles: Fantasy Fiction - the search for the true human being in "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings". In: Thomas Bohrmann, Werner Veith, Stephan Zöller (Eds.): Handbuch Theologie und Popular Film. Volume 1. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2007, ISBN 978-3-506-72963-7 , pp. 95-113.
- Rolf Giesen : Fabulous worlds. The fantastic film. Wilhelm Heyne, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-453-03776-6 .
- Norbert Stresau : The Fantasy Film. Heyne, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-453-86068-3 .
- Norbert Stresau, Heinrich Wimmer (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the fantastic film. Corian, Meitingen 1986-2007, ISBN 3-89048-400-X .