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(Photo by TriStar Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection)
Star Wars didn’t just open the floodgates for science fiction and space operas. Fantasy movies also erupted in Skywalker’s wake, offering an arena of dreamy imagination for audiences seeking worlds beyond our own. 1980s fantasies have a distinct feel to them, with their classical and romantic storytelling, top puppetry and makeup, and some early (and dodgy) computer graphics. The Princess Bride is arguably the ultimate ’80s fantasy movie, a postmodern yet timeless tale of true love, piracy, and rodents of unusual size.
For our guide to the best 1980s fantasy movies, we’ve collected practically every movie of the genre with a Tomatometer and ranked them by score, with Certified Fresh films first. Industry originals like Don Bluth (The Secret of NIMH), Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen), and Jim Henson (The Dark Crystal) were at their creative height. But even established directors made uncharted moves, like Ridley Scott and Tom Cruise in Legend. The Neverending Story (directed by Wolfgang Petersen) has stuck around because of its featured creatures and heavy emotional beats, while the physically charged fairy tale Labyrinth was a revelation for young women and older children.
Disney turned to the dark side, with the surprisingly violent Dragonslayer and the moody Black Cauldron, a box office bomb that got the studio to lighten up with The Little Mermaid, kicking off their late ’80s and ’90s renaissance. Independent animation took big swings (Heavy Metal, The Last Unicorn), Arnold Schwarzenegger got his break as Conan the Barbarian, and Willow is now summoned back to the Daikini world with a Disney+ series.
And now, as you wish: The best 1980s fantasy movies by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first. —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 102878%
Critics Consensus: A delightfully postmodern fairy tale, The Princess Bride is a deft, intelligent mix of swashbuckling, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-in-distress story and makes it fresh.
#2
Adjusted Score: 98418%
Critics Consensus: The Little Mermaid ushered in a new golden era for Disney animation with warm and charming hand-drawn characters and catchy musical sequences.
#3
Adjusted Score: 97207%
Critics Consensus: The Secret of NIMH seeks to resurrect the classical style of American animation and succeeds, telling a mature story with rapturous presentation.
#4
Adjusted Score: 94971%
Critics Consensus: Bursting with Terry Gilliam’s typically imaginative flourishes, this story of a possibly deranged Baron recounting his storied life is a flamboyant and witty visual treat.
#5
Adjusted Score: 93388%
Critics Consensus: Time Bandits is a remarkable time-travel fantasy from Terry Gilliam, who utilizes fantastic set design and homemade special effects to create a vivid, original universe.
#6
Adjusted Score: 87008%
Critics Consensus: Campy charm and a knowing sense of humor help to overcome a silly plot involving a spacefaring ex-football player, his adoring bevy of groupies, and a supervillain named Ming the Merciless.
#7
Adjusted Score: 85837%
Critics Consensus: A magical journey about the power of a young boy’s imagination to save a dying fantasy land, The NeverEnding Story remains a much-loved kids adventure.
#8
Adjusted Score: 80382%
Critics Consensus: The Dark Crystal‘s narrative never quite lives up to the movie’s visual splendor, but it remains an admirably inventive and uniquely intense entry in the Jim Henson canon.
#9
Adjusted Score: 80074%
Critics Consensus: John Boorman’s operatic, opulent take on the legend of King Arthur is visually remarkable, and features strong performances from an all-star lineup of British thespians.
#10
Adjusted Score: 88100%
Critics Consensus: Its characters can’t do much more than grunt, but that doesn’t keep Quest for Fire from offering a deeply resonant — and surprisingly funny — look at the beginning of the human race.
#11
Adjusted Score: 84063%
Critics Consensus: An atypically dark Disney adventure, Dragonslayer puts a realistic spin — and some impressive special effects — on a familiar tale.
#12
Adjusted Score: 78450%
Critics Consensus: While it’s arguably more interesting on a visual level, Labyrinth provides further proof of director Jim Henson’s boundless imagination.
#13
Adjusted Score: 74008%
Critics Consensus: The Last Unicorn lacks the fluid animation to truly sparkle as an animated epic, but offbeat characters and an affecting story make it one of a kind for the true believers.
#14
Adjusted Score: 23949%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#15
Adjusted Score: 72952%
Critics Consensus: People hate Highlander because it’s cheesy, bombastic, and absurd. And people love it for the same reasons.
#16
Adjusted Score: 67445%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#17
Adjusted Score: 67095%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Adjusted Score: 67063%
Critics Consensus: It’s sexist, juvenile, and dated, but Heavy Metal makes up for its flaws with eye-popping animation and a classic, smartly used soundtrack.
#19
Adjusted Score: 67651%
Critics Consensus: Though Conan may take itself too seriously for some, this adventure film about a former slave seeking vengeance is full of quotable Schwarzenegger lines and gritty action.
#20
Adjusted Score: 66394%
Critics Consensus: There’s pacing problems, but Ladyhawke has an undeniable romantic sweep that’s stronger than most fantasy epics of its ilk.
#21
Adjusted Score: 66289%
Critics Consensus: A goofy, old-school sword-and-sandal epic, Clash of the Titans mines Greek mythology for its story and fleshes it out with Ray Harryhausen’s charmingly archaic stop-motion animation techniques.
#22
Adjusted Score: 55476%
Critics Consensus: Ambitious but flawed, The Black Cauldron is technically brilliant as usual, but lacks the compelling characters of other Disney animated classics.
#23
Adjusted Score: 56223%
Critics Consensus: Return to Oz taps into the darker side of L. Frank Baum’s book series with an intermittently dazzling adventure that never quite recaptures the magic of its classic predecessor.
#24
Adjusted Score: 55551%
Critics Consensus: State-of-the-art special effects and an appealing performance from Warwick Davis can’t quite save Willow from its slow pace and generic story.
#25
Adjusted Score: 44218%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 46044%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#27
Adjusted Score: 44218%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#28
Adjusted Score: 44051%
Critics Consensus: Not even Ridley Scott’s gorgeously realized set pieces can save Legend from its own tawdry tale — though it may be serviceable for those simply looking for fantasy eye candy.
#29
Adjusted Score: 36895%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#30
Adjusted Score: 31279%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#31
Adjusted Score: 22038%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#32
Adjusted Score: 28169%
Critics Consensus: Conan the Destroyer softens the edges that gave its predecessor gravitas, resulting in a campy sequel without the comparative thrills.
#33
Adjusted Score: 23351%
Critics Consensus: Masters of the Universe is a slapdash adaptation of the He-Man mythos that can’t overcome its cynical lack of raison d’etre, no matter how admirably Frank Langella throws himself into the role of Skeletor.
#34
Adjusted Score: 13463%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#35
Adjusted Score: 22578%
Critics Consensus: Dull, poorly directed, and badly miscast, Red Sonja is an uninspired conclusion to Schwarzenegger’s barbarian trilogy.
#36
Adjusted Score: 19423%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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