However, there are many other fantasy films that can be considered better than Lord of the Rings in various ways. Some do specific fantasy tropes better, while others manage to appeal to a far broader audience. The Lord of the Rings movies will always be classics of the fantasy genre, but they have been topped a handful of times in several different ways over the years.
While claiming the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy would be practically nonsensical, there are several things that the first movie in the swashbuckling franchise does better than Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy. The Curse of the Black Pearl features a cast of charismatic characters and injects magically supernatural ideas into a very real and fascinating period in human history. In addition, it breaks up the seriousness of its plot with moments of excellent levity, which is another way in which it stands out above the Lord of the Rings movies.
The Green Knight is an underrated fantasy movie masterpiece that broke several genre rules. Its medieval setting shares a number of similarities with the Lord of the Rings movies, but is far more introspective and better conveys deeper narrative themes. While The Green Knight lacks the broader appeal and fantasy immersion of the Lord of the Rings movies, it also uses its fantasy tropes in a far more innovative fashion.
The movies of the Harry Potter franchise all rank among the most rewatchable fantasy films of all time, but the last movie in the character’s story, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, is the one that stands out as being better than Lord of the Rings. With the seven previous movies building to an epic final confrontation, the film delivers a powerful finale that features one of the greatest fantasy battles in cinematic history. In terms of world-building and emotional pay-off, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 can give even the best Lord of the Rings moments a run for their money.
Throughout the genre’s history, there have always been great fantasy movies that nobody talks about, and A Monster Calls certainly feels like one of them. It tells the story of a boy coming to terms with his mother’s terminal illness and is visited by a living, storytelling tree. It’s a touching, emotional story, and tells a very different type of fantasy story from Lord of the Rings. While that makes comparing them difficult, A Monster Calls is a movie of undeniable quality that puts many other fantasy films to shame.
There are many fantasy movies that have aged incredibly well, but very few of them have the staying power of The Princess Bride. The fantasy classic plays on various fairy tale tropes, delivering a romantic fantasy with a consistent vein of light comedy throughout. It features everything that one could ask for in a fantasy movie; swordfights, memorable villains, and a ragtag group of unlikely heroes all make up a key part of its charm. Its story may lack the epic scale of the Lord of the Rings movies, but it makes up for it in its unique, fantastical ideas.
Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark fantasy classic. Taking its cues from the lightly sinister aspects of traditional fairy tales, it weaves a haunting tale featuring a variety of creatures, offset by its background of a dark moment in human history. As well as featuring perhaps the scariest fantasy movie villain outside of a major franchise, Pan’s Labyrinth is a deeply unsettling and unexpectedly poignant tale of the innocence of youth, and its human component makes it a far more powerful movie than Lord of the Rings in many ways.
Of all the movie adaptations of The Wizard of Oz, the original still stands out as the best by quite some way. Despite its release being as far back as 1939, it has aged perfectly, and still stands out as a groundbreaking moment in fantasy movie history. The way that it brings the fantasy world of Oz to life is a feat that may never be topped, particularly considering the limitations of the time. While there are ways that The Wizard of Oz could never top the Lord of the Rings movies, it remains the most iconic fantasy film of all time for good reason: it’s simply an incredible movie.
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