10 Fantasy Movies That Are 10/10 From Start To Finish

There are some incredible fantasy movies that are perfect 10s from start to finish, films that grab viewers and refuse to let go. This is impressive from a genre so widespread that it encompasses several different story types. Someone who loves dark fantasy might not like sword-and-sandal stories, but the best films usually entertain everyone.

The different fantasy movies released over the years usually involve magic of some sort, as well as warriors and, in many cases, monsters. This variation makes it hard for them to attract all fans, but when they do, these fantasy movies become masterpieces, and the best remain perfect from start to end.

Coraline (2009)

In 2009, Henry Selick directed the stop-motion animated fantasy horror film Coraline, and what resulted was a masterpiece that put Laika Studios on the map. Based on Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name, the film follows Coraline, a young girl whose family moves to a new town and a strange old house.

The movie starts off with Coraline unhappy to be in her new home, her parents having little time for her, before she finds the doorway to the other place, with the Other Mother there to give her everything she believed she was lacking at home. However, the theme is that a person doesn't know what they have until it's gone.

From the moment Coraline meets the Other Mother, Coraline doesn't let up until the end. From start to finish, this is the story of a little girl who has a great life but thinks she wants more. The fantasy horror elements perfectly illustrate why she needs to understand what a great life she has while she still has it.

Ladyhawke (1985)

Ladyhawke is a movie that more people need to talk about because it might be the best fairy tale film ever made. Released in 1985, it holds up better today than most fantasy films from that decade, possibly behind only The Princess Bride, and it's still a perfect story from start to finish.

What makes Ladyhawke special is that it isn't clear the film is set in a fairy tale world until the story has time to develop. From the start, this is a medieval fantasy movie with a man named Phillippe escaping prison, and then the film reveals that there's something magical about this world.

With a cast that includes Rutger Hauer, Matthew Broderick, and Michelle Pfeiffer, and a wonderful director in Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies), this remains one of the most beloved '80s fantasy movies for people who grew up in that era, and it's a film people today need to rediscover.

Labyrinth (1986)

The beautiful thing about Labyrinth is that it's a fantasy fairy tale where the main character is the one building the world. It's obvious when looking around Sarah's (Jennifer Connelly) room that all the creatures she encounters and dangers she takes on are based on things in her home.

However, getting there is the fun part, and there isn't a moment in this Jim Henson film (based on a script by Monty Python's Terry Jones) that isn't pure pleasure. From the creature effects that Henson's studio created to the wonderful performance by David Bowie as the Goblin King, this is a magical adventure.

From the opening, when Sarah wishes that the Goblin King would take her baby brother, to the end, where she finally rescues him, there isn't a wasted moment in the entire film.

Stardust (2007)

Matthew Vaughn directed a brilliant, yet underrated, fantasy movie in 2007 based on the novel by Neil Gaiman. Stardust tells the story of a young man named Tristan who promises the woman he loves a falling star and sets out to find it to prove his love. However, the star took the form of a woman when it fell.

When Tristan (Charlie Cox) finds the fallen star (Claire Danes), he has to protect her from some witches who want to capture her and use her to retain their youth. This is a perfect fairy tale story, with the movie a fun adventure with fantastic performances, including an interesting role for Robert De Niro.

While not as popular as Coraline as a Neil Gaiman fantasy adaptation, Stardust is equally masterful, and it proves that Matthew Vaughn could return to the genre if he gets bored with his Kingsman movies.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Coraline was a perfect start for Laika Studios when it comes to stop-motion animated movies, but it was surpassed by the company's greatest film, Kubo and the Two Strings. This animated fantasy film is about a young boy in early feudal Japan who uses magic powers to manipulate origami to tell stories.

However, the young boy's life is turned upside down when his aunts, the Sisters, attack his home, only to have his mother send Kubo far away for his safety before falling to her sisters. When Kubo wakes up, the monkey idol he carried comes to life to lead him, and an amnesiac samurai cursed to take the form of a Beetle arrives to protect him.

This remains one of the best animated movies of the 21st century, and the story is perfect from start to finish. The story of a young boy who discovers who he really is and then has to prove himself a warrior to make his own fate is brilliantly told.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Probably the most famous fantasy movie of all time, The Wizard of Oz takes the form of a musical to tell the story of a young woman who is whisked away from her monochrome home in Kansas to a colorful world called Oz. There, she meets some friends and has to survive an attack by the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Wizard of Oz is 87 years old, and the movie holds up as well today as it did when it was released. It's still so popular that it spawned the popular Wicked stage play, which was turned into an extremely successful adaptation, telling the story from the Wicked Witch of the West's point of view.

However, even with the remakes and sequels, the original Wizard of Oz is a brilliant fantasy classic that works in its own right and is a movie that is a perfect story from start to end.

Spirited Away (2001)

Some fans could rightfully claim that Hayao Miyazaki is the master of making fantasy and sci-fi anime that is a perfect 10 from start to finish. However, when looking at Spirited Away, it's absolutely true, as this might be one of the best anime ever released and works from start to finish.

The story follows a young girl who moves to a new home, and when her parents are abducted and turned into pigs by a witch, she has to find a way to help save them by undergoing some seemingly impossible tasks. This is a great fairy tale that forces this young girl to discover who she was really meant to be.

Spirited Away is still released in theaters on special engagements 25 years after its release. Once the highest-grossing Japanese film in history, this is one anime that lives up to its reputation.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fantasy movie that is often a hard watch. However, it's more than worth watching as it tells the story of a young girl who lives in the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and tries to find a fantasy world to escape. However, she finds the horrors there are equal, if not deadlier, than the world she escaped from.

This is one of Guillermo del Toro's masterpieces, and it might be his best Spanish-language film. Del Toro perfectly paralleled the horrors of the war with the horrors of the underworld, and the demonic creatures living in that world were brilliantly created, as expected from a Del Toro movie.

As mentioned, this is a tough movie to watch because there is no easy way out, and the ending is only a happy one for people who understand the allegories and themes of the story. However, for those who grasp the themes, this is a perfect film, and there aren't many better fantasy films.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

All three of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies are among the best fantasy films ever made. The first release, Fellowship of the Ring, was named one of the best movies of the 21st century so far. However, while that film was great, there was a lot of walking, and it seemed to drag at times.

However, the third release, The Return of the King, was a masterpiece from start to finish. This was a film that had an all-out war, and it was time to destroy the ring and defeat the forces of evil. Everything in this release was masterfully set up and executed, with some surprises along the way.

The film was rightfully praised, being the film of the original trilogy to earn the most Oscar wins, taking home all 11 Oscars for which it was nominated. This included Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Princess Bride (1987)

If there was any fantasy movie that was a perfect 10 from start to finish, it was Rob Reiner's brilliant The Princess Bride. The film starts with a grandfather telling his sick grandson a story from a book, and the tale he told him was about a mysterious pirate who set out to save an abducted princess.

The Princess Bride has a brilliant cast, with some of the most memorable characters ever introduced in a fantasy film. Cary Elwes was fun as Westley, Mandy Patinkin was instantly quotable as Inigo Montoya, and Wallace Shawn was fun as the dimwitted villain. Even Andre the Giant turned in a fantastic performance.

At one time, The Princess Bride was a beloved family fantasy classic. However, it has since become a genuine masterpiece, added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2016, and the movie earned its own Criterion Collection release.