[allanon]

Ha-ha.You know that I am not a hollywood producer,.Well,lets repeat correct -
I think that THEY can't make a good fantasy film.I think that this is IMPOSSIBLE.And...
I think that Shannara is better than LoTR.
I think that Allanon is more interesting than Gandalf.I think that Shannara is the best fantasy ,after the Riftwar saga.
I am sorry about the mistake , but English is not my mother language...

[Rob B]

Shannara is the most derivative knock off of LoTR I have ever read. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif I still enjoyed the book, to a degree, but the obvious recasting of LoTR was tough to look past.

You can't realy say that they CAN'T make good fantasy movies or it is IMPOSSIBLE, because it has been done. As for the quality of Fantasy films; true there have not been many, but I will agree with FitzChivalry there have been a couple, most notably The Wizard of Oz and The Princess Bride. The Neverending Story was pretty good too. The Wizard of Oz ranked, I think, in the top 10 of the American Film Institutes 100 greatest films of all time.

Hell even the first Conan movie was not the greatest piece of American Cinema, but it was still fun and brought a crapload of money.

When you think about it, I know this will probably open up another debate in itself (or see the "What is fantasy?" thread), but the original Star Wars trilogy could really be considered "fantasy" rather than "science fiction." In essence Lucas renamed his magic THE FORCE, made Luke Skywalker his savoir, and molded a heckuva lot of other fantasy themes/motifs to fit his story; placed them in a galaxy far, far away, a long, long time ago and created a cinematic masterpiece.

As for the LoTR films, give Peter Jackson (the guy in charge of making the movies) a chance, he has admitted to being a huge fan of the books(not that that means anything). On the internet preview he even said something to the effect "...the technology for the special effects is just NOW catching up with the vision and imagination that Tolkein put into the books..." Jackson is doing it right by making a TRILOGY of films, one per book so the story does not get too condensed, a la the horrendous animated LoTR from the `70's. There are pretty impressive names attached to the movies as well--Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Christopher Lee as Sauron.

THAT said, the LoTR movies have so much to live up to that in terms of the history of the books and fans expectations, it is a double edged sword--no matter how many people enjoy the films there will be nay-sayers that will deride the films.

Macros is right, we Americans need to get past our hang-ups about serious animation films NOT being for adults. Then again the soon-to-be released computer animated Final Fantasy movie, if a success, could open the door for more serious animated films.

The D&D movie may tank, but at the very least, it will get people thinking about fantasy movies. I think if the LOTR films do prove to be successful (critical, financial, and accepted by the fans (i.e. many of us), we just might see some of the books we discuss on this form made into movies.

[Pluvious]

Like some people have hinted at, much of the problem with fantasy movies 10 years or so ago was the lack of technology. But now with computers scenes can be made with realistic creatures, quality magical affects, and characters who appear to be performing fantastic feats.

Also, remember that fantasy may have gotten a bad rap about 15 years ago when there were people publicizing D&D as satanic. That was a pretty big media deterant for anything having to do with fantasy. I believe that is mostly history now though.

Its certainly time for the big bluster fantasy movies and I think the public and even hollywood knows it. Look at the recent sucess or X-Men and the Matrix. Personally I don't see it being that much of a stretch for audiencies to respond well to fantasy movies. Its not like dragons, sword-fighting, or magic aren't fun and popular concepts.

[bananaben]

i'm glad u've asked that question.....i believe they should make more fantasy movies cause they are the sort one would want to watch over and over again!!!!

i wouldn't mind starring in one! he! he! he!!!

[Janet]

Are there 2 places with this topic? Well, I'll post my answer here, too.

I think there are a lot of movies that qualify as fantasies, but aren't classified that way for fear of not attracting an audience. On the other hand, as I posted on another board, I think The Truman Show was a fantasy, and it was classified as a drama. I also think Pleasantville was a fantasy. Edward Scissorhands. I'm sure I could think of more but I'm tired at this moment. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif