Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Gamer Movie Review: Top 10 Medieval/Fantasy Movies of All Time


It's been a while since I updated this section. While making a list of what movies I wanted to do reviews of I thought it would be a good idea to created a Top 10 list of Gamer Movies for various genres. First up is the classic Medieval/Fantasy Top 10 list. These are the must see movies, folks. Required viewing!

Before people freak out about this list, please remember that there are multiple categories so if you love a movie that doesn't appear on this first list I urge you to be patient, your movie may appear on a subsequent list. For fear of Harry Potter fans battering me with hate mail, I will say that the Harry Potter films will appear on a list later.

***

TOP TEN MEDIEVAL/FANTASY FILMS



  1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Most every RPG includes some humor by those playing it, and that is where Holy Grail comes in. One game, Kobolds Ate My Baby, has a rule regarding people who quote this film during play.

  1. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - This movie gets a bad rap, but really it is a great film. Great actions scenes and a great cast including the incomparable Morgan Freeman make this a must see.

  1. Excalibur - I have seen just about every King Arthur movie ever released and this is THE movie of the Arthurian Legend. Knights, magic, jousting, swordplay, this movie has it all. This movie was listed as required viewing by Hackmaster 4th Edition for anyone choosing to play a Knight and for good reason. As a side note I should mention that Bryan Singer is hoping to remake this movie. Those of us who saw Superman Returns are understandably scared.

  1. Willow - George Lucas wrote Willow and did a great job. The movie had a great script as well as ground breaking special effects, and amazing fight scenes. This was a favorite of mine as a kid. Val Kilmer's Madmartigan

  1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel (Television Shows) - Ok... I cheated again. These are TV shows and there are two of them. Oh well, they need to be on this list. The two shows ran for a combined 12 seasons of great fantasy action. Modern Fantasy is not easy to do, but Joss Whedon is an incredible writer who pulls it off with ease.

  1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - This is the ultimate Swashbuckling tale of adventure on film. Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow was an instant classic and for good reason. Keira Knightley is also astonishly beautiful... which helps.

  1. The Princess Bride - There is so much I could say about this movie, but I don't want to ramble. Suffice to say this is a timless classic that holds up perfectly even today.

  1. Conan the Barbarian - Conan is one of the most important fantasy influences there is. In a mere two hours Conan teaches us what is best in life, "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentations of their women!" See the clip here... this movie is a priceless gem.

  1. The Gamers: Dorkness Rising - I've written in length about this movie here. What else can I say, it is the ultimate movie about gamers made by gamers. It would be number one if not for...

  1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - A true masterpiece. If you haven't seen it drop whatever you are doing and go see it now. These are the best films I have ever seen. The amount of work and detail that went into their production is mind blowing.

3 comments:

Helmsman said...

I say Princess Bride should be #1.

HackOrk said...

reserve #1 for the Hobbit.

Monty python and the holy grail was the original gamer movie.

Hammer said...

I am so very glad you didn't put Braveheart up there. I'll never forgive Mel Gibson for putting my country's history in a blender and single-handedly destroying the credibility of the Wallace myth.

There even used to be a stature of Mel Gibson as William Wallace at the base of the Wallace Monument...

Good list though.