4 Underrated Fantasy Movies From the 2000s That Everyone Should Watch (Daredevil Fans Will Love #3)

Everyone can use a dose of escapism and the fantastical nowadays. The first decade of the 21st century brought some epic fantasy movies, which aided by the advancements in visual effects and computer-generated images, allowed filmmakers to bring the full extent of their imaginations on screen at a scale we’d yet to see before. From 2000 to 2010, there were a slew of memorable fantasy movies became mega-blockbusters like the first Pirates of the Caribbean films, the highly anticipated adaptation of Twilight, and a modern remake of King Kong to name a few. With so much new storytelling potential in the genre thanks to better-than-ever VFX, it was easy for some fantasy movies to slip through the cracks of pop culture. Here our top four that you should not sleep on however if you missed them when they debuted.

4) Across the Universe

Julie Taymor, the creative force behind Frida and bringing Disney’s The Lion King to Broadway, used the music of The Beatles to create psychedelic odyssey in Across the Universe. In it, Jude (Jim Sturgess) plays a young man from England who travels to America in order to find his estranged father. Stateside, he begins a far flung adventure where Jude joins a vivid ensemble of young misfits as they strive to navigate life in the counterculture of the sixties – confronting, love, war, and death.

Although Across the Universe received mixed reviews when it premiered and bombed at the box office, its ambition taking on The Beatles‘ massive, diverse catalogue is to be commended. Taymor cleverly incorporates 34 compositions from the prolific band that spans their various albums and eras, then pairs them with her signature, but incredibly moving and inventive imagery for a true musical magical mystery tour.

3) Stardust

Adapted from a Neil Gaiman novel by a beloved filmmaker and featuring a star-studded cast, we were shocked that Stardust didn’t make a bigger splash when it hit theaters in 2007. A pre-Daredevil Charlie Cox plays Tristan, a young man who vows to leave his boring countryside town for the magical world of Stormhold in order to retrieve a fallen star for his sweetheart.

Tristan soon learns that the star is actually a woman Yvaine (Claire Danes) and there are several sinister forces after her apart from Tristan. The pair embark on a wildly entertaining journey back to Tristan’s hometown of wall during which they encounter cunning witches, flying pirate ships and Tristan’s own estranged mother, who turns out to be a captive princess of Stormhold. Stardust‘s co-writer/director Matthew Vaughn expertly delivers on the scale and spectacle of Stormhold while also packing the film full of heart, laughs, and swashbuckling danger. We also think the film contains one of Robert De Niro’s best comedic performances ever.

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2) The Princess and the Frog

Disney’s The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009, nearly a decade after the peak of the Disney Renaissance and at a time where the studio was moving into 3-D animation rather than their traditional hand drawn approach. We’re guessing the timing and format transition is why The Princess and the Frog didn’t impact the zeitgeist the way other Disney animated films like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Frozen did when it came out, despite it being one of Disney’s best.

Set in 1920’s New Orleans, Tiana is a waitress with dreams of opening her own restaurant. Prince Naveen of Maledonia comes to the city in his latest effort to shirk his responsibilities, makes a deal with sinister witch doctor Dr. Facilier that frees of him of duties, but in turn, transforms him into a frog. He convinces Tiana to kiss him, but instead of breaking the spell, it makes her an amphibian too and setting them both on a journey to change them back that ultimately unites them in love. The Princess and the Frog not only does an excellent job putting a modern, more empowered spin on “The Frog Prince” fairytale, it beautifully utilizes its setting and the folklore around it. Plus, “Almost There” and “Friends on the Other Side” are both bangers that rightfully have rightfully earned their place the great Disney songbook.

1) Pan’s Labyrinth

Mixing horror with fantasy, Pan’s Labyrinth tells the story of a young girl Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), who, after moving in with her cruel new stepfather in 1940s Francoist Spain enters his ancient stone labyrinth and learns that she is a reincarnated princess who must prove her royalty by surviving three perilous tasks.

The film not only heartbreakingly weaves fantasy with Ofelia’s wartime reality, but solidly put visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro on the map. In a time where most filmmakers were opting to use CGI more and more to make movie magic, del Toro brought the incredible world of the labyrinth the life primarily practically, crafting a lush masterpiece that’s sure to endure for decades to come.