With major blockbusters and huge franchises taking up most of our attention these days,
it can be easy to lose track of all the great releases sneaking by under the radar but these
2018 fantasy movies are well worth seeking out.
For his feature directorial debut, Anders Walter has successfully brought Joe Kelly's
graphic novel I Kill Giants to life, resulting in a mesmerizing tale of heartache and heroism.
The plot follows Barbara Thorson, a restless 12-year-old girl living on Long Island who,
in an effort to escape from her turbulent home life, takes on a unique hobby: slaying
giants.
“Giants aren’t real.”
“Then why are you sweating?”
As the film follows Barbara through her adventures, it beautifully weaves together childhood heartache
and thrilling escapism along with an epic dose of fantasy action.
With solid directing, acting and CGI, this all-around high-quality feature has a kind
of Pan's Labyrinth feel to it, and is bound to appeal to your inner giant slayer.
Although most blockbusters are plenty of fun and full of eye candy, there's still something
special about a well-made movie that didn't have access to mountains of cash.
Case in point: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's The Endless, a not-quite-sequel to their first
movie, Resolution.
The duo directed, shot and starred in the film, delivering a shocking fantasy-tinged
story of uneasy fear which will discomfort even the most stalwart horror fan.
The film's storyline follows Justin and Aaron Smith as they return to the mysterious cult
they once escaped.
Once there, the unnatural peace is slowly and masterfully broken down in a series of
revelations that expose a horrific, Lovecraftian underbelly.
“Hey I drew you a going away gift.
Aww… wow.
Thank you.
it’s honest.”
Tastefully terrorizing, The Endless blends elements of fantasy, sci-fi and horror, all
without the advantages of a huge budget or A-list actors not that this stopped the film
from attracting near-universal critical acclaim.
How do you think you gain telekinetic powers?
Obviously, by drinking water from a mountain spring hit by a meteor.
At least that's what Train to Busan’s director Sang-ho Yeon had in mind when he made one
of the most refreshingly unusual superhero movies of the year.
Written and directed by Yeon, Psychokinesis is a good reminder that superhero movies "don’t
have to be about saving the world."
The story is inwardly focused, following the origin of the unlikely hero Seok-heon, an
ordinary man who accidentally gains telekinetic powers.
This all happens just in time to receive a distress call from his estranged daughter
Roo-mi, informing him that a mob-run construction company is threatening her trendy fried chicken
restaurant in Seoul.
Launched into the action as he's still just getting to grips with his own abilities, Seok-heon
comes across as a perfectly illegitimate superhero, frustrated by his own powers and often unable
to think on his feet.
Simple and refreshingly light, it's a superhero movie of down-to-earth proportions and a welcome
change of pace in a Marvel and DC-dominated world.
Before the turn of the millennium, director Terry Gilliam set out to film an adaptation
of Miguel de Cervantes' classic 1615 novel Don Quixote.
His attempts to do so became the stuff of Hollywood legend, as Gilliam battled through
a seemingly endless series of production delays, actor turnovers and legal and financial fiascos.
His journey even inspired its own documentary, 2002's Lost In La Mancha, which followed the
futility of an early go-around on the project that featured Johnny Depp as Sancho Panza.
But Gilliam's vision for his comically romanticized film was set with gritty determination, and
decades later the movie has finally arrived in the form of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
The film’s plot progresses through an absurd and fantastic series of events, with Adam
Driver playing a simple yet perfect foil to Jonathan Pryce's wide-eyed, ludicrously charming
shoemaker who believes he is the real Don Quixote.
It's a fun movie with a great story behind it, which only serves to make it that much
more interesting to watch.
If you're just as much a fan of romantic comedies as you are of a good, shocking twist or two,
you're going to want to check out When We First Met.
The story follows Noah, a man who who falls in love with a woman named Avery after the
two spend an evening romping around in a near-perfect "date-like" series of fun adventures which
ends with a soul-crushingly friendly hug.
As time goes on, Noah pines for his lost love until he stumbles into a fantastical photo
booth that sends him back in time to the day they met.
This sets off a hilarious series of "try and try again" scenarios in which Noah attempts
to change his personality in order to create the perfect first date, and win Avery over
before she can meet her future fiancé Ethan.
“They’re like love magnets.
And no matter what happens they’re going to smash into each other… over and over
and over and over and over.”
“Okay.
I get it.
You’re extremely threatened by Ethan.”
When We First Met has a clear-cut Groundhog Day feel to it, but Adam Devine's ingratiating
energy saves the movie, keeping the story light and the audience laughing.