10 Most Visually Stunning Fantasy Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)

10 Most Visually Stunning Fantasy Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)

When a 21st-century filmmaker takes on one of these 10 visually stunning films, the only thing holding them back in their imagination.

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If there is one film genre that lends itself to visually stunning filmmaking, it is the world of fantasy movies. These films do not take place in the real world, and the realm of the fantastical can take on any shape, size, and color that the director chooses. They can even take it to a level that no real-world film could ever survive.

These movies take place in far lands, exotic locals, or sometimes in the world of people’s minds. They are fairy tale movies, epic adventures, and the world of the macabre. When a filmmaker takes on one of these films, the only thing holding them back in their imagination.

10 AVATAR (2009)

James Cameron proved how great he was with his early movies, bringing androids to life in Terminator and re-creating an underwater world in The Abyss. However, in 2009, he took it one step further. In Avatar, Cameron made a movie that proved that 3D filmmaking could be more than just a fad when he brought to life an alien world that was more visually stunning than anyone imagined, and one that 3D turned into something bigger than any movie had before.

9 BIG FISH (2003)

Tim Burton has always created fantastical worlds that are beyond what almost anyone can imagine. However, most of his worlds are dark and brooding places, such as those in Batman and Sweeny Todd. Even his visually stunning films like Edward Scissorhands were more strange than breathtaking. That was not the case with Big Fish, which saw a boy searching for the truth among his father’s tall tales and finding a fantastical world in the process.

8 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (2009)

Spike Jonze is an indie filmmaker at heart, and his movies all have a look that is all his own. When he decided to adapt the world-famous children’s book Where the Wild Things Are in 2009, it was clear no one was a better fit for the job than Jonze. What the director created was beyond compare, bringing the world of Maurice Sendak to life in one of the most visually stunning fantasy family film of the last 20 years.

7 THE FALL (2006)

The Fall was something that slipped by most film fans, but that is because it was so different and so strange that it was out of the grasp of mainstream America. Tarsem Singh had already proven to be a true auteur with his previous movie, The Cell, but with The Fall, he created his masterpiece.

The Fall is a movie that is itself about storytelling, and the visual color palette alone is breathtaking. No less than David Fincher and Spike Jonze have sung this film’s praises. Sadly, Tarsem has yet to reach this level of brilliance again in his career.

6 HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (2008)

Most superhero movies are full of CGI, and while they look amazing, they are not the visual masterpieces that other fantasy films represent. However, there is an exception in the second Hellboy movie. This is not a surprise, as Guillermo del Toro made the movie, and he is known for his fantastic set work and design. Hellboy II is a beautiful film and one of the most visually stunning comic book movies ever made.

5 HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004)

Throughout the Harry Potter movie franchise, the directors created some of the most visually stunning locals and displays of magical powers. However, when it comes to the movie franchise, nothing holds a candle to the work done in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This is clearly the case because Spanish film auteur Alfonso Cuaron brought his touch to the movie and created the best movie of the entire series.

4 CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)

For many years, Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was the highest-grossing non-English language film in America. This was a wuxia film starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi in an 18th century Qing dynasty story.

The entire film has some of the most visually stunning imagery of any film in the 21st century, fantasy or not, as the fighting would take place floating across treetops or bodies of water. The film picked up 10 Oscar nominations and won for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.

3 STARDUST (2007)

Before he moved into the world of comic books with X-Men: First Class and Kingsman, Matthew Vaughn directed an adaptation of contemporary fantasy author Neil Gaiman called Stardust. This is a fantasy romance movie about a young man (Charlie Cox) who promises to bring back a Fallen Star to the woman he loves.

However, when he finds that star is a young woman (Claire Danes), he learns what true love is. From the flying ship to the land of witches, Vaughn created a fantastical world as visually stunning as any in cinema.

2 THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2001)

Not just sticking with one movie here, but the entire Lord of the Rings saga featured some of the most visually stunning imagery in all fantasy films. However, to break it down, the first movie in the series is what introduced fans to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien and allowed Peter Jackson to bring the world to life, from the beautiful world of the Hobbits to the breathtaking land of Elves.

The three films picked up an astonishing 30 Oscar nominations, winning 17 of them, including a clean sweep for Visual Effects for each of the three movies.

1 PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006)

Arguably the most visually stunning fantasy movie of the 21st century was one by Guillermo del Toro. This movie was the 2006 release, Pan’s Labyrinth. The film has the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, and del Toro made that as ugly as possible. However, in contrast, he made the entire fantasy world as visually stunning as possible, from the set design to the inspiring creature effects. This is del Toro’s true masterpiece.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/most-visually-stunning-21st-century-movies-so-far/

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