What are the most genre-typical traits in fantasy films?

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It would be interesting to know the different personal views on the matter here.

As a little kid, I didn't know about the term fantasy. I only saw it as adventure. That's was also how fantasy films were categorized back then, as adventure. Perhaps the word fantasy was too nerdy to be accepted to the general audience.
I remember seeing Neverending Story, loved it more than life, that was adventure to me.
The term fantasy was also something minor and obscure. I first stumbled across it during my teen years. Then only related to books (Dave Eddings, Robert Jordan and those)


Now I would say that true adventure films is about treasure-hunting in exotic settings, and the hero will fight gangs of bandits. Is that only stereotypical thinking?

I listened to a podcast about fantasy once. Two guys tried to analyze the genre. Gosh, they rambled on and on with their highly unstructured talking.
After what felt like an eternity, they came to the conclusion that fantasy is good vs evil, nothing else. I got furious because I've spent too much time listening to them and in the end they simplified the genre in an almost criminal way. So many of the typical elements were left out, not even mentioned.
What do you think of those guys?

If I was to describe fantasy, I would say if differs from adventure in several areas.
Magic and sorcery is always is present in some way.
There are fantasical creatures too. Dragons is perhaps the most common.
Then we have one or more of these different human-like "races": elves, dwarves, goblins etc. These may have access to magic in a way that humans don't.
In many of the films, it's set in a world that doesn't exist, and it's sort of a mediaval time there. But it can also take place in an ancient empire from our history, and dealing with mythological gods.
THAT is what fantasy is!!!! Would you agree?
Harry Potter films went a little different route with urban fantasy/contemporary fantasy (because the books were such)

Potter, along with the first LOTR trilogy made me start to notice something else. The plot itself often have a recurring theme:
a young character has to leave his/her home to go on a quest, most cases in the company of an older mentor (a wizard is common), and fight some dark force.
Maybe an allegory for leaving childhood and deal with the real world, its challenges and obstacles while growing up?


Fantasy films are based on books, and the litterature genre is wider as it has more sub-genres than the films.
Here I would like to include fairy-tale films, perhaps the most adapted sub-genre adapted into live action.
But there's a catch, these films are based on fairy tales rather than actual fantasy books from a specific author. Could they still be seen as related?
The fairy tale films feel similar but the scale is much smaller. The tone could be lighter, the quest is presented in a different way, and the focus could only be on a family, the main character's daily life. But there could a royal family there as well.
If so, it could be romantic love with a prince. Like in Cinderella (2015). That's my take on the matter.
How would you describe fairy-tale films?
Rupert Sanders' Snow White turned into a combination of fairy-tale and fantasy. How do you think this can be possible? Fairy-tales and fantasy is similar already as it is. Or isn't it?
 
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