5 Underrated Fantasy Movies That Every 1980s Kid Remembers

The 1980s gave the world of pop culture countless classics, with many iconic movies released over the span of the decade. Children of the ’80s were able to grow up with the innovative continuations of incredible sci-fi franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek, as well as a considerable boom in superhero stories being told in comic books. The latter half of the 1980s and the earlier part of the 1990s formed a key part of the childhood of kids born in the ’80s, as they consumed a wealth of excellent big-screen stories. While many of the best movies of the ’80s remain well-known, there are other great films that ’80s kids will remember that are otherwise sorely underrated.

The fantasy genre has often delivered incredible stories, and the movies of the late ’80s and early ’90s certainly prove that. Unfortunately, even some of the best fantasy movies of that era have been unfairly forgotten by the wider world, although many kids of the ’80s will certainly remember them. The following are all great fantasy movies, even though they’ve become sadly underrated in recent years.

5) Legend (1985)

There were many high-concept movies that found considerable success in the 1980s, with the horror and sci-fi genres notably thriving. However, one of the decade’s most underrated fantasy films makes use of a folklorish setting and an incredible creative team, and remains relatively obscure. Legend, released in 1985, stars Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry, and was directed by Ridley Scott, but has struggled to ever be considered more than a relatively obscure cult film.

Legend’s story follows Jack (Cruise) and Princess Lili (Sara) as they strive to thwart the evil plans of the Lord of Darkness (Curry) to plunge the world into eternal night. The high-concept fantasy struggled to impress critics upon release and never achieved commercial success. However, it stands out as a fantasy movie that aged incredibly well, and children of the ’80s will almost certainly fondly remember the dark fantasy adventure.

4) The Witches (1990)

British author Roald Dahl penned several stories that have since come to be adapted into beloved movies. His whimsical and fantastical tales often capture the imaginations of audiences around the world, and 1990’s adaptation of The Witches certainly gripped children everywhere. It’s a movie that ’80s kids will never forget, albeit not necessarily for the best reason.

Throughout the history of the medium, there have been a handful of movies that traumatized kids everywhere. 1990’s The Witches did exactly that, burning itself into the memory of ’80s kids with its tense and horrifying transformation scene, in which the titular witches reveal themselves to the movie’s hidden protagonist. For many of the kids born in the tail end of the 1980s, The Witches was their first experience of being truly terrified by a movie, as its deeply unsettling and now infamous scene was concealed by the fact that it is, ostensibly, a family film.

3) Ladyhawke (1985)

The 1980s saw many great directors turn their hand to high fantasy. Richard Donner dabbled in the genre in 1985 with Ladyhawke, a medieval fantasy film starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer. It follows a young thief (Broderick) who becomes involved with a cursed warrior (Hauer) and his noble-born love interest (Pfeiffer), before reluctantly joining their quest to overthrow an evil Bishop.

While Ladyhawke received largely positive reviews, it struggled at the box office and underperformed financially. Labelled a box office bomb, Ladyhawke struggled to write itself into wider pop culture consciousness, though it’s fondly remembered by the kids of the ’80s who saw it upon or shortly after its release. Sadly, Ladyhawke has become a great fantasy movie nobody talks about, and its quality has been largely forgotten.

2) The Pagemaster (1994)

Though not released until the mid-1990s, The Pagemaster is a film that has earned a place in the hearts of many ’80s kids. Featuring the talents of Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Ed Begley Jr., The Pagemaster blended live-action with animation in a way that helped other films of its era become instant classics. Its story follows Richard (Culkin), a pessimistic and generally fearful child who is transported on a magical adventure while trapped inside a library.

The Pagemaster was met with largely negative reviews and severely underperformed at the box office. However, its unique story and eye-catching visual style were enough to earn it a firm place in the hearts of its young audience, and it lives on in the memory of many kids of the 1980s. While it may not be one of the best fantasy movies of all time, it’s a tragically underrated movie that many ’80s kids look back on fondly.

1) Willow (1988)

Willow is one of the most rewatchable fantasy movies of the 1980s, but it rarely gets the love it truly deserves. It follows the eponymous aspiring magician (Warwick Davis) as he teams up with thorny mercenary Madmartigan (Val Kilmer) to protect an infant princess from an evil queen. With a story by George Lucas and direction from Ron Howard, Willow is an excellent example of high-concept fantasy from the 1980s.

Willow is far from an obscure title, though it has struggled to find the lasting popularity of some of its contemporaries, such as Labyrinth or The Princess Bride. This, combined with the mixed reviews it earned upon release, has rendered it a severely underrated fantasy movie. However, it’s one that children of the 1980s will look back on fondly, as for many, it formed a key part of their formative years as film fans.

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