5 Underappreciated Fantasy Films II

Back at the start of August last year I did a list of underappreciated fantasy films and I figured it was about time to do another underappreciated films list and I thought I'd continue with fantasy films before moving on to sci-fi and horror and so on.

Now, since the last list was largely made up of classic fantasy flicks, this one will focus on the more modern ones. Anything made from the 2000s onward is fair game and, obviously, if you don't see a film you thought should be included, be sure to check out my other list—maybe it's on there and if it's not let me know; I'm always looking for something good to watch.

Right, with all that out of the way; let's get started. Here are five more underappreciated fantasy films.

Number 5: 'The Forbidden Kingdom' (2008)

Jackie Chan and Jet Li in the same movie? Yes, please!

Loosely based on the novel Journey to the West, the Forbidden Kingdom is a kung fu wuxia fantasy film that stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li in their first and, as of the writing of this article, only collaboration.

The story follows Jason Tripitikas, a simple Boston kid who happens to be a huge fan of classic martial arts films as he is sent back to ancient China to return a magical staff to its rightful owner, the mystical and mischievous Monkey King who has spent the last 500 years or so trapped in a statue following a duel with the Jade warlord (Colin Chou).

Along the way, he meets Lu Yan (Chan) a drunken traveler who fights extremely well considering the amount of booze he's got in his system, The silent monk - who isn't really all that silent (Li) and a pretty girl (Liu Yifei).

The Forbidden Kingdom was released in April of 2008 and generated $128 million on a $55 million budget. In terms of reception, the film got mixed to positive reviews with many people complimenting the fight scenes but criticizing the film's slow pacing and the amount of filler.

Personally, I thought there were a number of problems that weren't really filler-related. For example: the romance between Angarano and Yifei's characters of Jason and Sparrow felt incredibly forced and awkward to me. In spite of that and a few other problems I had with the film, I found it to be a fun time waster.

Number 4: 'Hansel and Gretel; Witch Hunters' (2013)

This dark fantasy horror film stars Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner as the titular Hansel and Gretel and is based on the German folk tale.

The film follows a grown-up Hansel and Gretel as they're hired by the mayor of a small town to put an end to a plot by a coven of witches led by Muriel (Famke Janssen) to become immune to fire.

Although a financial success—grossing $226.3 million on a budget of $50 million—the film was panned by critics upon its release with much of the criticism directed at the film's script and the bloody violence.

This film is, in my opinion, a fun gore-fest with some pretty cool effects and it's a shame that it doesn't get a lot of attention. It's not great but it's not as bad as many of the critics would have you believe.

Number 3: 'The Medallion' (2003)

Jackie Chan returns to the list with The Medallion and this is one of those films that you will need to have some patience with because there is a lot of very cringe-worthy humor.

The Medallion stars Jackie Chan as Eddie Yang, a Hong Kong detective who is bestowed with supernatural abilities and must use them to protect a chosen one who has the ability to reverse death and grant immortality.

General reception was negative and the film was a financial failure; earning only $34 million of a $40 million budget. Now, I don't normally agree with critics but in this case, I can at least understand the reception that the film got. The film has heavy reliance on CGI which is unusual considering how Jackie prefers to do things practically. This reliance on CGI makes the fight scenes look too much like dances and as cool as they look I just can't believe that the fighters are actually putting their lives on the line. The humor which is usually great in Jackie's movies falls flat a lot of the time as well which doesn't really help matters.

Still, it's a good popcorn movie.

Number 2: 'Snow White and the Huntsman' (2012)

Another modernized fairy tale, this version of Snow White sees the titular character leading an army into battle against the evil queen Ravenna and reclaim her birthright.

Snow White and the Huntsman stars Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth as Snow White and the Huntsman respectively and Charlize Theron plays the role of the evil queen.

The film's reception was mixed, and I can kind of understand why. The tone of the film is appropriately dark (though it doesn't hold a candle to the original fairy tale) but the acting is sort of all over the place and often goes over the top. The pacing is also terribly erratic going from breakneck speed to a grinding halt in the blink of an eye. On a more positive note; I will say that the effects in this film are very impressive even if a lot of them are CGI.

Personally, I quite enjoyed the film in spite of or maybe even because of the many flaws it has. Many of the people I've talked to about the film have had extremely negative things to say. It's not perfect but it's worth a watch.

Number 1: 'The Last Witch Hunter' (2015)

Vin Diesel plays an 800 year old immortal witch hunter who has to work against the clock to prevent the resurrection of an evil enemy with plans for world domination.

That's basically the whole story, this is the most recent film on this list; it was released in 2015 and grossed $146.9 million on a budget that was between $71 and $90 million. The general reception, in spite of its financial success, was resoundingly negative and the film has seemingly faded into obscurity since then.

This is one of those films where you're carried along on enthusiasm. The whole cast has such terrific chemistry and enthusiasm that you can't help but enjoy watching them. It's a passion project—Diesel himself was saying that the film came about through a shared love of Dungeons and Dragons with the director.

It has its problems, that's true but with a cool concept and great effects and action pieces with good performances all around I can only hope a sequel is made just so that I can see what happens next.