5 Fantasy Movies So Deep You Have to Watch Them Twice

Fantasy stories are known for their depth—a fact that often makes them feel inaccessible to new audiences or those wanting to become fantasy fans. But in recent years, fantasy has become bigger and bigger, and as such, a bit more easily digestible for those who feel like high magic settings are a bit more than they want to bite off.

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And while it’s great that the bounds of fantasy are always shifting, highlighting certain subgenres that have never gotten the love that they deserve, with mediums like anime or animation, or even series television, taking fantasy to new heights and bringing it to new audiences, there are still those features that leave us scratching our heads after we finish them, with tons of questions left unanswered. But the great thing is that just means a rewatch—which is never a bad thing! So here are 5 fantasy films that require more than one viewing for everything to sink in.

5) The Entire Lord of the Rings trilogy

Let’s be honest, no one has been able to catch each detail or every incredible nuance in any of the Lord of the Rings films. To truly appreciate these movies, multiple rewatches are required, with new details emerging each time—just as JRR Tolkien wanted (probably). The world that Tolkien created is so rich, so full of depth, that even the books require multiple readings for everything to sink in.

The story throughout the trilogy is a familiar one, centering on a hobbit named Frodo Baggins as he sets off on his own hero’s journey—one that determines the fate of all Middle-earth. Gathering around Frodo is the Fellowship, a group of people who have also taken up the mantle of getting the One Ring to Mordor so that it can be destroyed before its creator bathes the world in darkness. The story is dark, it’s dreary at times, but more than anything, it’s one of hope, inspired by Tolkien’s time as a soldier in World War I, and a reminder that no matter how dark things get, there is always a light to guide you out of the darkness.

4) The Green Knight

Based on Arthurian legends, The Green Knight is a fever dream stuffed with details and visual cues that are easy to miss on the first watch. It stars Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, and Joel Edgerton and centers on the reckless nephew of King Arthur, Sir Gawain (Patel), as he embarks on a quest to make his own name by confronting the legendary Green Knight. The film descends into madness as Gawain encounters ghosts, giants, thieves, and those who would throw him off his path. It gets stranger and stranger as it goes on, and Gawain’s journey becomes something deeper as he must define his character and prove his worth.

The murky twists and turns, as well as the strange visuals, lost casual viewers along the way, but critics have lauded The Green Knight for its unique storytelling, the risks it took in both its aesthetic and narrative, and its choice of a diverse cast. It’s true dark fantasy, and paves the way for this decade’s medieval revival.

3) Dune

Everyone knows Dune. Whether you’re talking about the original series of novels, the David Lynch version of the 1980s, or the new take on the IP by Denis Villeneuve. And it’s no secret that each iteration of the franchise has its wildly confusing moments. While technically sci-fi, the films also have an inherently fantastical element, one that Villeneuve leans heavily into in his take on the story. And when half the audience seemingly doesn’t catch on that Paul is the villain rather than the hero, you know multiple watches are required to catch all the details.

The story centers on Paul Atreides, son of Duke Leto and Lady Jessica. While a gifted young man, born to face a great destiny beyond his understanding, Paul was never actually meant to be born at all. He finds himself amid the deserts of Arrakis after his father is granted a duchy, now responsible for producing the material that powers all space travel. must travel to a dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. But a violent coup rocks the planet to its core, setting things in motion that no one, least of all Paul, is prepared for. The movie and its sequel are both visually stunning, and the score is nothing short of incredible, making each rewatch well worth the hours you’ll dedicate to them.

2) The Shape of Water

This list would be incomplete without an entry from the master of gothic fantasy, Guillermo del Toro. And The Shape of Water is certainly a movie that requires more than one watch for each lush, intricate detail to sink in. The story centers on a mute, isolated woman, Elisa, who works as a cleaning lady in a high-security government lab in the 1960s. Discovering the lab’s highly classified secret—a scaled, humanoid creature living in a water tank—Elisa’s life is forever altered. As time passes, she develops a unique bond with the creature, and soon learns that its life and safety rely entirely on a hostile government agent and a marine biologist.

It’s del Toro’s love letter to The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and it’s one of the most beautifully made gothic fantasy films of all time, visually unique and featuring one of the best modern scores to date. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling with shockingly violent consequences, and you won’t want to miss a single moment as the narrative slowly spirals out of control.

1) Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Okay, just hear us out. Is this a meme entry? Sort of. But, being entirely honest, there’s no way anyone caught every single joke, insult, or genuine medieval reference during their first watch of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The movie is surprisingly historically accurate—a fact that’s used to drive the jokes home (yes, there is a reason the insult “Your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries” is such a burn). And don’t even get us started on the genuine Marxist commentary on feudalism that’s present throughout.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is genius for using the legend of King Arthur and his search for the titular Holy Grail as a backdrop for the ridiculous sketch comedy that they’re known for, centering the well-known myth around such silly occurrences as a house full of virgins, the Black Knight who refuses to admit that it’s not just a flesh wound, knights that can’t beat around a bush, a three-headed giant, a murderous rabbit, and, of course, rude Frenchmen (which opens the discussions of who made Arthur more famous—Welsh lore, of the French lore that brought us Lancelot du Lac?).

Which of these movies are you happy to watch over and over? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fantasy fans are saying.