Daniel's 10 Fantasy Films (Part 2)

Alright, it's time to finish what was started, last week I gave you all the first five films in my top ten fantasy films and now the time has come. These are  the creme of the crop, the best of the best in my humble opinion. I give you my top five fantasy films of all time, So without further ado, let's dive in.

5) Hellboy
Hellboy is a fantastic film with a good amount of heart. It is exactly how I would imagine an urban fantasy could incorporate both pulp action and elements of lovecraftian horror. Our main character is a demon a giant stone hand that fights evil cultists who happened to work for the Nazis. Now, tell me that actually doesn't sound entertaining in some regard. The character designs of of the character Abe and Hellboy himself I have found to be absolutely fantastic. This is thanks, in no small part, to the fantastic artwork of the comics who inspired the artist behind the movie. This arguably was the movie that made Guillermo Del Toro a household name and you can feel his directorial choices all throughout this piece. I feel it's also important to note that the casting of Ron Perlman as Hellboy had to be one of the best choices a casting director could have ever made. The actor is synonymous with this character. I also feel that takes the whole idea of a demon, something that should be evil and a villain, and making a hero, is a fantastic idea. There's really something to be said about the nature versus nurture approach that this film takes. If Hellboy wasn’t taken in by John Hurt's character at the start of the film and instead was taken by let's say the Nazis that brought him through to our world, it would be a very different film. As an urban fantasy this film is fantastic. As a pulp Adventure it is fantastic. As an introduction to lovecraftian horror it is awesome. It is for all these reasons with absolute certainty I give Hellboy the number five spot on my list.

4) Excalibur (1981)
Now we have an Arthurian legend movie that is unlike most King Arthur movies. Excalibur is one of the best fantasy films that we can look to that came out of the 80s. It is easily one of the more in depth Arthur movies. That being said, I understand that it's enormous run time might be a turnoff to most people; but, without a doubt in my mind, this film is worth sitting through the entire duration. In this film, you learned about Arthur's father, which is huge! Not many movies talk about Uther Pendragon or even really mention him. We see how the sword became The Sword in the Stone. Another big thing is the film doesn't end with Arthur being crowned King, no it goes into full the Le Morte d'Arthur. The audience gets to see how his kingdom Rises and falls. We see how he is betrayed by best friend and wife. We see the sword return to the lake and Arthur sent off to Avalon. I really love that it told us the whole story and didn't pull punches. Not to mention that this film has the absolute best Merlin I have ever seen, seriously! Nicol Williamson absolutely steals the show as Merlin and it's fantastic. If Ever I use Merlin in D&D games I base it off his performance. The film also has the best use of the song O Fortuna I've ever seen. The costuming was great, acting great, and just overall one of the best King Arthur films ever to be made. That's why I've placed it comfortably at number four on my list.

3) Van Helsing
The next film on my list I’ve seen critically criticized, I can understand why but I couldn’t ever bring myself to agree with it being a bad film. Van Helsing is an absolute joy to watch, it takes gothic horror, the universal movie monsters, and all the thrills of a summer blockbuster into one film. This is easily Stephen Sommers best film, not to say that Sommers other films are bad. Far from it actually, the mummy films helped shape my childhood in all honesty. That being said, holy heck this far and beyond is his absolute best film and in my opinion is the best kind of summer movie. I loved the fact that this film brings forth just about all of the universal monsters and each one is fantastic. The design of Frankenstein is one of the best parts of the film and really is a cool way of imagining how the monster would look and work. In my older article about Lycanthropes, I talked briefly about the werewolves from this movie and now I will say for absolute certainty,. Van Helsing has the absolute best werewolves in any film ,ever. These beasts are big, bad and absolutely intimidating in all the right ways. Next, we come to one of the best parts of the film in my opinion, its villain. The Dracula in this film is my personal favorite portrayal of the big vampire himself.. Yes, there is Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Gary Oldman, and Frank Langella all to compete with and of these actors are fantastic, but Richard Roxburgh is absolutely fantastic. Roxburgh steals a great amount of his scenes, and that is no small feat when playing against Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing. This is a fantastic monster filled adventure that fuses gothic themed horror with high scale adventure and for that it gets my number three spot on this list.

2) Conan the Barbarian (1982)
What can I say about the original Conan movie, that hasn’t been said by countless others? Conan was my first live action fantasy film ever and I must say, though seeing it as young as I did may sway my opinion on this one, I love it. This is a Swords and Sorcery romp in the absolute best way, and it absolutely feels like an adventure in Dungeons and Dragons. The cast for this movie is also great! With, at the time, relative new comer Arnold Schwarzenegger as its title character, Conan felt like an absolutely awesome warrior character. Having played two D&D characters based around this performance, I am happy to say it still holds up despite time. It is also hugely important that I don’t forget to talk about the iconic baddie that is Thulsa Doom played by the always epic James Earl Jones. Jones brings a huge amount of charisma to the role as Thulsa Doom . He is absolutely awesome in this movie playing a cool and collected villain opposite to Arnold's rage motivated Conan. The film has some great moments, it has both action and comedy that really gives this movie its charm. It makes the film that much more enjoyable. It was my first and it still holds up to me. In my opinion it is a must see when it comes to fantasy films. For that Conan the Barbarian gets the number two spot on this list.

1) Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King
Yeah, just about anyone could have guessed that this would be sitting pretty as my favorite. Honestly, I love this film so much. The Return of The King is the culmination of years of hard work from a team that loved what it was doing, it was a journey that still stands the test of time. The costuming was absolutely stunning with great hand crafted pieces developed by Weta Workshop. The digital effects never feel fake in this movie; but, rather, they feel like they enhance the excellence of all the practical effects of the picture, which is fantastic! The score to the film is absolutely iconic and has become synonymous with the films, as well as, whenever something epic is happening. Yes, this has led for parody and sometimes silliness, but still it holds an effect on people in a way that many cannot explain -other that feeling completely hyped! This film also had a stunning ensemble cast that everyone could really invest their hearts into. For me, the character that I attached to, and my friends compare me to most often is Samwise Gamgee played by the absolutely fantastic Sean Astin. Sam is my favorite character of all time and is the real hero of the films, in my opinion. Without Sam, Frodo would have been dead ages ago, and without his best friend Frodo, Sam wouldn’t have become the man he was supposed to be. Honestly, despite the film sweeping the Oscars for every category it was nominated for, I still am sitting here saying where the hell is Sean Astin’s best supporting actor! This is not to discount any of the other stellar performances of this film as I feel that everyone was absolutely marvelous.,The casting team for this film should be given free drinks at any restaurant for the rest of their lives, in my opinion. The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King is absolutely my number one pick. Seriously, how could it not be? It is a fantastic adaptation and a great film. It has changed how the world perceived fantasy in entertainment. Swords and magic wasn’t just for nerds who lived in basements anymore. It wasn’t just for the perceived geeks and nerds of the world. One could argue without Lord of The Rings, there would be no Game of Thrones, no other experimental fantasy films, no boom in the fantasy fandom. For everything it did, and everything it continues to do. The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King takes my number one fantasy film of all time.

Well that about wraps this post up, I hope you all liked the list. Please, feel free to comment and share this article. I’d love to hear all your thoughts. I am curious,.are your favorite fantasy films?

   If you enjoyed this bit of writing stay tuned.  There will be a new article here every Saturday at The Wanderer's Corner.

Daniel's 10 Fantasy Films (Part 1)

This week I'd like to talk about something very near and dear to my heart, Fantasy films. Now just to be clear, fantasy films in my book are films that in some way shape or form have the existence of magic and or magical elements. That really and truly is my major requirement for a movie to be considered a work of fantasy. Other than that, it is fairly open to most films. I also feel like I should say that this is indeed MY list. If there's anything on this list you don't like, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to apologize for what I enjoy. That being said, I do encourage you to create your own list. I'd love to see what you would say your favorite fantasy films are! In the interest of time, I will be breaking this list into two parts. Part one will be covered this week and the top five will be posted next week. So, without further ado, here are numbers ten to six in my top ten fantasy films.

10) Warcraft

Now, I know what you're thinking with this one. "Ugh, the video game adaptation movie that was critically rated horrible?" Yes, that one. Now I should say, I am a fan of Blizzard Entertainment and their Warcraft series, but hear me out. Warcraft made my list because it is a fun enjoyable popcorn movie that did something different from what most fantasy films do. In just about every fantasy film, we see that bad guys that are ugly nasty evil monsters fueling the the whole idea that the only good orc is a dead orc, or goblins are only evil always!  This is what Warcraft did different . One of the main heroic figures in this film is Durotan, an orc. Yes, we see the orc’s can be brutal warriors and horrible opponents, and yes, we see that the typical good looking human heroes are the people we are supposed to be rooting for. With that said,  we see that there are indeed good orcs, ones who merely want to live and make a new home. By having Durotan, a new father and leader of a clan, be one of their principals, and a character that is actually try and do the right thing is huge! The film itself is also beautifully shot. The costuming, as well as, set design really captured the feeling of the games this picture was based on. Is it going to win any awards for being a groundbreaking piece of cinema? No. Is it going to change the way we look at at think of video game movies? No chance. Does it introduce an interesting world to a mainstream audience, and is it at the very least a fun movie? I genuinely feel that it does. That's why Warcraft sits comfortably at my number ten spot.

9) Wizard of Oz

What can I say about the Wizard of Oz that hasn’t already been said? This is an absolute classic film with a fantastic cast. It is the forerunner of fantasy films and is absolutely iconic in the history of American cinema. I remember the first time I watched this film and seeing the moment when color hit the screen in this picture was absolutely breathtaking. To this day, I feel it is one of the most successful reveals in a movie. The casting of Judy Garland as the films protagonist was an absolutely brilliant move by the casting department. She brought a quality to the film that makes it very hard not to like the character. Even if I found myself questioning her intelligence, at times. I can say there was never a moment I wasn't rooting for her. It's costuming was fantastic, as was its set design. With an Iconic soundtrack, this film hit some absolutely fantastic notes and really did pave the way for countless other pieces in the genera. It also has gained a huge half-life in its countless spin off pieces like Oz the Great and Powerful and the Broadway classic Wicked. To put it simply, this film is and will always be a classic. It would feel like a misstep to not have it here in the number nine spot.

8) Labyrinth

Good God, I love this movie. I was introduced to this film not as a kid, but as a sophomore in college . I am a little mad I didn’t know about it earlier! This has to be one of, if not the best,  Jim Henson films I’ve ever seen. It has some of the best creature design I have ever seen. While watching, I never questioned or said "oh that's just a puppet." As with all his work, Jim Henson made these creatures real.  He breathed life into them and made them living characters that were unparalleled at the time. The sets, as well, were absolutely wonderful with a sort of wonderland like quality. They really feel like a twisted child's idea of what a labyrinthian city would be. To be 100% honest, they hold up today and it's marvelous. When one talks about Labyrinth, they cannot skip over one of the most likable fantasy villains of all time. The Goblin King is charismatic,  cool, suave, and, of course, David Bowie. Good God! No one else could have played this part. No one else should play this part!  This is literally the perfect casting. It is also important to note that the music is so fantastic because of the work that Bowie put into the film. Sure, it may be a kids film and maybe dated by time,  but it is an absolutely fantastic film. If you have never seen this classic of the eighties, you need to as soon as you can. Despite time and me being late to the party that is Labyrinth ,it  has earned a secure eight spot on this list.

7) Pirates of The Caribbean: Curse of The Black Pearl

The first film in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and in this writer's humble opinion the best, absolutely qualifies as a fantasy film. What would you call a film that has zombie pirates, cursed treasure, and swashbuckling adventure. This film captured the spirit of the old Errol Flynn swashbuckling movies like The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood  for which I'm extremely grateful as those were two classics, in my opinion. It also launched a franchise that, despite all its missteps, has really been able to touch on pirate legends and nautical folklore like no other film series. It also has given us one of the most iconic pirate characters of all time, Captain Jack Sparrow. Regardless, of what anyone can say about Johnny Depp, the Jack Sparrow character is iconic and this is the film that brought him to us. Jack Sparrow with this constant swagger and ridiculous amounts of good luck is the iconic lovable rogue nowadays. When Jack Sparrow is able to play off of Orlando Bloom's, Will Turner, or Geoffrey Rush's fantastic, Captain Barbossa, you get something really special and fun to watch. There is indeed a charm to this film and the production value is incredible. With fantastic locations and sets, in conjunction to some great costuming work, it is without a doubt a great looking movie. It has earned its position as my number seven pick on this list.

6) Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

Yes, I know the Sorcerer's Stone isn't the best of all the Harry Potter movies in most people's opinions,  but the Sorcerer's Stone did something fantastic. It was the opening introduction to a phenomenon for so many people, including myself. I grew up with my mom reading to us as a family the Harry Potter series and I remember every single book so you can say the series had a huge impact on me. The first film was absolutely fantastic and captured the very nature of the first Harry Potter book. Everything is so exciting and new and you're along for the ride with this 11 year old who is just now finding out he's something special. This was before everything got darker and was more intense like the other films. It really caught the childhood innocence that the first book had to it. The world building in this film is fantastic and really establishes what the magical world looks like and who the people are in the Magical World. This film was also the introduction to three fantastic talents in today's film world Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Daniel Radcliffe who have gone on to do so much for the world around them. To me it's important to note that the Sorcerer's Stone was the start of it all.  It was when I started dreaming of being a wizard, it was when a franchise was born, and it was when the world really met Harry Potter. For everything it has done in bringing fantasy to the mainstream, it gets the number six spot on the list.

That's it for the first half of my top ten fantasy films list. If you didn't see one of your favorites on this first part, don't worry. There is always a chance that it will be on my top five. Heck even if it's not it's not something to get bent out of shape on. Regardless feel free to tell me what you think in the comments. Stay tuned for next week when I will be revealing my top five fantasy films here at The Wanderer's Corner.

Game Review: Civilization V

  I’ve decided that the time has indeed come that I review a game that has absorbed countless hours of my life. That game is the 2010 strategy classic, Sid Meier’s Civilization V. Civ V was developed by Firaxis Games the creators behind XCOM: Enemy Unknown and many other Sid Meier games. Despite the game’s age, it still stands strong as a fantastic example of an empire building game done right. For another note, I am reviewing this with all DLC thanks to an absolutely wonderful steam sale I encountered ages ago. So, without further delay let's dive into Civ V.

Civilization V

In Civilization V, you take control of a historically significant leader. With all the expansions of the game, there are 43 Civs, or Civilizations, you can take control of. Now there's no real story mode to speak of, Unless you play through different scenarios the game offers. In The American Civil War scenario you pick a side and fight an opponent trying to turn the tide in your favor, or perhaps The Fall of Rome scenario where it's the dawn of the dark ages and you play as one of three groups, The Eastern Empire in Constantinople, The Western Empire in Rome, or the barbarians trying to take down Rome. These scenarios are just examples of what the game has pre-generated and ready to go. However, the main game mode is what I find to be Civ V’s main draw. The single player game mode lets you set the parameters of the game, you decide what the victory conditions are, what kind of world the civilizations will populate, and even what era of technology everyone will begin with from the classical era to the distant future. For example when I play, I play typically on an accurate map of the world, but I randomise just about every civ in the game, except for the one I am playing because playing as Kamehameha I of Polynesia is just too much fun, and I start in the pre-classical era. This really does end up making every game different from the last.

Every civilization in in Civ V is different in a lot of different ways. Every leader has certain qualities to consider. These qualities determine what kind of special units they have, if they have any special buildings for their cities, and what their culture is strong at. For example, Oda Nobunaga of Japan has a passive bonus that allows all military units of Japan to fight at full strength even if they are damaged. Another example,is Casimir III of Poland having the unique heavy cavalry unit The Winged Hussars. Now, there are many ways to win the game and each Civ is predisposed to having an easier time achieving certain victory types. Domination, for example, requires you to have captured the capitals of all the other civilizations. For a  science victory,  you have to be the first to send a spaceship to another planet. A cultural victory requires that you win over the world's population with works of art or other creative means. The diplomatic victory requires you to manipulate and hold sway over the other Civs enough so that they elect you willingly as the leader of the world. The last victory condition is time, the game is set to run for a certain amount of time in the world and will end at a certain point if none of the other victories are met before then. Points are tallied and calculated by the game to determine who had the most successful Civ and by the end a winner is named.

I’ve had a huge amount of fun with this game and actually have played through every scenario the official game makers had to offer, as well as, countless other single player sessions. That being said, the game isn’t all just about single player experiences, It does offer a decent multiplayer experience.Now, Take this bit with a grain of salt as I have not played the online multiplayer, yes I know I am awful, but I have had some absolutely wonderful experiences with the hot seat games. Getting together a few friends and a couple of cold ones to play a game of world domination casually while just kind of hanging out is fantastic. There is another point with this game, This is a game that you can play in the background. I cannot say how many times I’ve fired up a game of civ and played while checking email, doing some writing, or even studying for exams back while I was in college. This game is a great choice when it comes to casually enjoying oneself while also handling one's responsibilities, and in a day and age like today where your attention is pulled in countless directions it is nice to have a small tool for self enjoyment.  

Now In final thoughts. I have to say that this is the absolute closest to a board game in a video game I’ve ever played. I would caution; this game is absolutely addictive. I have logged days into this game and I can say with certainty that it snuck up on me! Civ V is a must have for those who love strategy games, for those who love a good board game, and for those who have a passion for empire building. My overall rating of this game is a solid 9/10. Civilization V is available on the steam marketplace now. If you enjoyed this little review and would like to see more, stay tuned in. New articles post here on The Wanderer’s Corner every Saturday.