The last couple of decades have seen the release of a number of high-profile fantasy films, and many of them earned a great deal of critical praise and financial success in addition to becoming touchstones of pop culture. Others, however, did not fare so well, with many such films that were meant as tentpole blockbusters crashing and burning instead, in some cases even bringing intended franchises to premature ends.
In some cases, these bombs came out of apparent franchise fatigue, while in other instances the movie in question simply failed to capture the essential magic that is a key part to fantasy. Whatever the reasons, viewer ratings on the Internet Movie Database have outlined a picture of the worst fantasy movies of the 2010s.
Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016) - 6.2
Streaming On Disney+
Tim Burton has been responsible for numerous iconic movies, and one of those was Alice in Wonderland, which offered a unique spin on the classic story. While the first movie managed to entertain audiences, the same cannot be said of the sequel. Though it focuses on the character of the Mad Hatter, the movie does not live up to the success of its predecessor. While it still has a visual style of its own, the absence of Tim Burton is keenly felt, and it lacks his magical touch.
Oz The Great And Powerful (2013) - 6.3
Not Streaming
There are few fantasy movies that have achieved quite the level of iconicity as The Wizard of Oz. This means that every movie set will inevitably be compared to it. Thus, it was inevitable that Oz: The Great and Powerful would be compared to its predecessor. Though it has some magic in its backstory about how the Wizard of Oz came to be the person he was, and it does contain enough bright visuals to make it an entertaining fantasy movie.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (2010) - 6.3
Streaming On Disney+
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is one of the most influential and popular fantasy books in the history of the genre. The success of the movie adaptation led to the inevitable franchise, but the sequels were afflicted by diminishing returns. In the case of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it never quite gets away from the episodic nature of the book’s story.
Thus, despite its strong performances and top-notch special effects, it fails to capture the unique magic of the first movie in the series.
Alice In Wonderland (2010) - 6.4
Streaming On Disney+
Alice in Wonderland is another beloved children’s book that has been adapted numerous times to screen. One of the most notable recent efforts was the version created by Tim Burton. The movie is not one of his best, but it does nevertheless show all of the signs of emerging from his fertile imagination. It has a unique visual style that sets it apart from most of the other versions of the story, though it does stray quite a long way from the original story (as have many other fairy tale adaptations).
The BFG (2016) - 6.4
Not Streaming
Roald Dahl is an author whose works have enchanted readers for a very long time, and so it’s not surprising that Dahl's books have also been adapted into a number of movies. While some of these managed to become iconic in their own right, the same cannot quite be said of The BFG, which focuses on the adventures of a girl who befriends the titular giant. However, it has to be said that the movie is much softer and gentler than Dahl’s original novel, which may not be to everyone’s liking.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald (2018) - 6.5
Streaming On HBO Max
Harry Potter and its associated properties have become one of the most successful fantasy franchises. However, some of the more recent efforts have failed to live up to the high bar set by the main saga, and that includes The Crimes of Grindelwald. While the movie manages to capture some of the magic of its predecessor in the series, and Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander remains a charming character, it remains far too invested in setting the stage for future installments, with a number of plot twists that feel very contrived.
Warcraft (2016) - 6.8
Not Streaming
There are a number of examples of video games that have been made into good movies, but there are always challenges involved in the translation of a story from one medium to another. Many of these challenges are in evidence in Warcraft, which is based on the video game World of Warcraft. While the movie is visually stunning, it ultimately fails to craft a story that is compelling enough to stand on its own, which helps to explain why it failed to impress the users of IMDb.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016) - 7.3
Streaming On HBO Max
While many of the Harry Potter movies have managed to attain quite a lot of popularity with both critics and audiences. While Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them manages to capture some of the magic of the original series of movies, it struggles to find a compelling story that stands on its own rather than, as would prove to be the case, the first in a series.
Most notably, its special effects, while dazzling in their own way, far too often become more generic than individualistic.
The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014) - 7.4
Streaming On HBO Max
The Lord of the Rings remains one of the best fantasy movies ever made, and while The Hobbit is a very different novel, the movie trilogy tries too hard to capture the same epic feeling of its predecessor. This is especially in evidence in The Battle of the Five Armies. The theatrical version in particular often degenerates into generic cliches, and there are a number of plot holes that ultimately distract from its other cinematic achievements, so that it ultimately doesn’t reach the heights of the other movies in the series.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) - 7.4
Streaming On fuboTV
How to Train Your Dragon is widely seen as one of the best animated movies of the 2010s. Given that this is the golden age of franchises, it inevitably gave rise to several sequels, including this one, which serves as a conclusion to the trilogy. It focuses in particular on Hiccup as he attempts to find a dragon utopia. While it doesn’t have quite the uniqueness that made the first movie in the series such a success, it still manages to have enough magic of its own to make it fairly popular with audiences.