10 Fantasy Movies With the Most Fascinating Characters, Ranked

Fantasy cinema has delivered some of the most memorable characters in film history. But Collider argues that being iconic isn't the same as being interesting. The outlet has ranked 10 fantasy movies where the characters have clear wants, internal contradictions, agency, and core fears.

10. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Tim Burton's fourth feature film follows an unfinished artificial humanoid with scissor blades for hands who is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their daughter. Collider calls it a triumph of quirky character design, with Edward as a deeply engaging "Frankenstein's monster" archetype and Kim as one of the most interesting female characters in Burton's filmography.

9. Princess Mononoke (1997)

Hayao Miyazaki's action epic is praised by Collider as one of the most wonderfully written historical fantasy gems. From San to Ashitaka to Lady Eboshi, the characters are morally complex and thematically charged, making them irresistibly interesting.

8. I Dream in Another Language (2017)

Ernesto Contreras' film is one of the highest-rated Mexican films of all time on Letterboxd, according to Collider. It tells the story of two elderly characters who are the last remaining speakers of an Indigenous language but haven't spoken in decades after a falling out in their youth. Each character is full of fascinating contradictions and comments on Indigeneity, communication, and queerness.

7. Ratatouille (2007)

Brad Bird's animated film about a cooking rat who controls a human chef by pulling on his hair is praised by Collider for having some of the most compelling characters of any family movie. Remy subverts the "cute animal helper" trope, Linguini represents the accidental hero, and Ego deconstructs the cynical critic.

6. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo del Toro's Spanish-Mexican co-production is called by Collider the best dark fantasy movie in film history. It functions as a critique of authoritarian violence while telling a dark fairy tale. Both heroes and villains are intricately detailed, reflecting the story's themes.

5. The Green Mile (1999)

Frank Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's novel is a three-hour epic that Collider says has characters so emotionally engaging that no second of the runtime feels wasted. John Coffey serves as a complex Christ-like figure, while Percy is one of the most detestable sadist villains in modern cinema.

4. Spirited Away (2001)

Miyazaki's winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is praised by Collider as one of the best-written fantasy films of all time. Chihiro's coming-of-age journey is the centerpiece, while characters like No-Face and Yubaba carry profound thematic significance.

3. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)

Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic is called by Collider the greatest fantasy trilogy in film history. Nearly 10 hours of runtime (over 11 in the extended editions) allows for exploration of these surprisingly complex and iconic characters.

2. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra's Christmas classic is one of the best American fantasy movies of all time, according to Collider. It's a complex character study featuring George Bailey, Mary Bailey, the angel Clarence, and Mr. Potter as some of the most riveting characters of Hollywood's Classical period.

1. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

George Lucas' blockbuster made Luke, Leia, Han, and Darth Vader into pop-cultural icons. Collider notes that while the characters are archetypal on the surface, each is a masterclass in writing an archetypal character with depth and interest.

• character writing
• Collider
• fantasy movies
• Hayao Miyazaki
• Star Wars
• Tim Burton