Movies in the Fantasy genre

If I was a teacher and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was a student's paper, I would give it an "incomplete." After all, how can one assess a project whose nature was irrevocably altered when the lead actor died? Whatever vision director Ter...

Immortals plays like the illegitimate offspring of 300 and Clash of the Titans, but while it represents a substantial improvement over the latter, it falls short of the former. As is typical of films directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell), a weak narr...

A glance at Paul W.S. Anderson’s filmography does not inspire confidence, and that concern is proven valid for In the Lost Lands. Watching this production is a strange, almost surreal, experience because at no point does it seem like a movie eve...

In the Name of the King is a second-rate regurgitation of The Lord of the Rings. Everything about it, down to the set and costume design, apes Peter Jackson's epic trilogy. However, while The Lord of the Rings was a grand story of scope and power,...

With a premise as potentially rewarding as that of Inkheart, one can be forgiven for being a little disappointed by the final result. When placed alongside other PG-rated fantasy adventure tales, this one struggles to capture the imagination. Par...

Jack the Giant Slayer is an enjoyable fantasy/adventure whose magic is partially undermined by marginal 3-D. Once again, the ugliest aspects of this format rear their heads: dim and fuzzy images, lackluster colors, and poor definition. Everything i...

John Patrick Shanley made a name for himself by scripting Moonstruck, the award- winning 1987 romantic comedy starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. Joe Versus the Volcano, a provocatively-titled, modern day fable, is his fourth script and first oppor...

With its derivative story elements, epic scope, and straightforward action orientation, John Carter is a throwback to a simpler time when it was enough to have a heroic protagonist face off against all manner of monsters and bad guys. The special e...

John Dies at the End is problematical. It's an attempt by director Don Coscarelli to adapt a book that has a fanatical following but has often been described as "unfilmable." The end result has garnered mixed reactions from those who love David Won...

Regardless of the genre, there’s an art to making a successful family feature. It involves crafting a storyline that’s straightforward enough to engage younger viewers yet sufficiently sophisticated that it keeps the attention of the paren...