Fantasymovies have long been a way for films to push the boundaries of technical limitations and creative writing.When done right, they can transport audiencesto worlds that they never thought were imaginable and make them care about the fates of mythical creatures who only exist in our collective imagination. Thanks to how loose the genre is, many fantasy films are counted among the best ever made.
However, the fantasy genre has also seen its fair share of lackluster films, and even the best are not completely without faults.The genre includes many scenes that leave audiences speechless and confused, either by their presentation or trying to figure out why the filmmakers kept them in the final product.
10Futterwacken
‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010)
Tim Burton’sre-imagining ofAlice in Wonderlandis credited as the film that kicked off Disney’s current era oflive-action remakes. While a box office success at the time, the modern consensus is that it’s not one of Burton’s best, especially due toits grim colors, melodramatic plot, conflicting tones, and performances that demonstrate a mix of overacting and underacting. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than when the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) celebrates Alice’s (Mia Wasikowska) victory over the Jabberwocky (Christopher Lee) with a strange dance called Futterwacken.
The Futterwacken had been built up throughout the film as something the characters were looking forward to seeing after defeating the Queen of Hearts (Helena Bonham Carter), but the result did not match the hype. Not only does the dance come out of nowhere in the film, butit sees the Hatter spinning his head around while hip-hop music plays in the background. It’s a shame because the stand-in they got to dance is talented, but his hard work is lost by how tonally inconsistent the scene is.
Alice in Wonderland
9"Lost in the Woods"
‘Frozen II’ (2019)
Frozenwas a global phenomenon, so it’s only natural that Disney would capitalize on itwith a sequel. Unlike the first film, which was famously rushed,Frozen IIwas given more time so that the story and mythology could be ironed out. However, they still found themselves rushing to rework sections of the film months before release, andthe end result was a mix of ideas that didn’t get the time they needed.
Kristoff’s (Jonathan Groff) subplot is a prime example of this, as his quest to propose to Anna (Kristen Bell) sees him pushed to the background or actively forgotten about for large stretches of the movie. This leads to his song, “Lost in The Woods,” a 1980s power ballad that comes out of nowhere and is promptly forgotten once finished. While there is some entertainment in how out of left field the song is,the fact that it doesn’t tie into the main story with the royal sisters, or advance Kristoff’s subplot, renders it pointless.
8"You’re a Star"
‘Wish’ (2023)
Released during Disney’s centennial year,Wishshould have been a triumphant celebration of all the wonderful memories Disney has created. Instead, it has gone down as one of theworst films of the 2020sdue to relying entirely on nostalgia and not even trying to be creative or innovative like past films.Its sins are best seen during the “You’re a Star” musical number, in which Asha (Ariana DeBose) is told by talking animals that everything and everyone is connected.
While the message of the song is meant to be uplifting,it’s ruined by confusing lyrics that try to paint a gorgeous tapestry without answering the very questions it brings up, and terrible word choices such as a deer saying “here I are” to rhyme with “I’m a star.” Once the song is finished, the talking animals only play a minimal role in the story, and the sentient trees and mushrooms vanish altogether. Everything only exists to remind you of better Disney films likeBambiandFantasia, so it’s no surprise that its narrative significance was as little of an afterthought as its lyrics.
Wish follows a young girl named Asha who wishes on a star and gets a more direct answer than she bargained for when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her.
7Persephone in the Underworld
‘Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief’ (2010)
The first adaptation of thePercy Jackson & The Olympiansfranchise was lackluster, to say the least.The Lightning Thiefdid strange things, like aging up all the characters and portraying the God of the Underworld, Hades (Steve Coogan), as a satanic villain, unlike the book version who didn’t want a divine war. One of the smaller changes is including his wife Persephone (Rosario Dawson) when the heroes negotiate with Hades, which completely changes the scene in ways that don’t make sense.
First, any fan ofGreek mythologyknows thatPersephone will not be in the Underworld during the summer, since she isthe goddess of spring, and her absence is what brings fall and winter. Second, the film doesn’t use her for much except unhappy marriage jokes until she incapacitates Hades to help Percy (Logan Lerman) and his friends escape. It’s a baffling decision that makes one wonder why Persephone was in the movie to begin with when they had no idea how to write her.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
6Legolas' Super Mario Jumps
‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ (2014)
The Hobbittrilogy is toThe Lordof the Ringswhat theStar Warsprequels are to the original trilogy, and given how disastrous its production was, it’s no surprise that many moments don’t make sense.The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armiesis overflowing with them, especially duringthe film’s titular battle, which is constantly switching between struggles of good vs evil and out-of-place cartoon slapstick. Yet one moment that left many fans befuddled was when the Elven prince Legolas (Orlando Bloom) survived a crumbling tower by jumping on the bricks mid-fall.
While Legolas has been seen walking on top of snow and swinging his way onto a horse’s back in theLord of the Ringsfilms, this scene feels more egregious because of the execution. Let’s ignore how this breaks all the laws of physics; the scene looks fuzzy due to a combination of slo-mo and excessive CGI, and Legolas' poses while jumping are very reminiscent ofSuper Mario Bros..What was intended to be a cool demonstration of Legolas' skill and agility instead shifts the film back into the territory of tensionless cartoons, made even worse by the fact that Legolas shouldn’t even be inThe Hobbit.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Having reclaimed Erebor and vast treasure from the dragon Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) sacrifices friendship and honor in seeking the Arkenstone, despite Smaug’s fiery wrath and desperate attempts by the Hobbit Bilbo (Martin Freeman) to make him see reason. Meanwhile, Sauron sends legions of Orcs in a sneak attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As the fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance, the races of Men, Elves and Dwarves must decide whether to unite and prevail – or all die.
5The Stone Giants
‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ (2012)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journeyis consideredthe best film in the trilogybecause it sticks the closest to the book and keeps the focus on Bilbo Baggins (Sir Ian HolmandMartin Freeman). However, even the best film isn’t immune to baffling scenes, such as when Bilbo and the Dwarves try to cross the Misty Mountains during a thunderstorm. It quickly turns into a thunder battle as the Stone Giants begin to fight one another, with the Dwarves and Bilbo caught on their legs.
This scene was only a few sentences in the book, yetPeter Jacksondecided to change it into a confusing action sequence. Despite the intensity of the weather and the giants,not a single Dwarf is killed or injured, and the only moment that has any effect on things going forward is when Bilbo has to be rescued by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). Yet even this act only amounts to Thorin belittling Bilbo, which isn’t fair because Bilbo had nothing to do with random giants that appear and disappear from the narrative at will.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
A reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home, and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.
4The Attack on the Burrow
‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ (2009)
TheHarry Pottermovies are almost as beloved as the books, but they have their fair share of dumb moments. One of the most egregious comes fromHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Princewhen Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) went to stay with the Weasley family.They come under attack by Death Eatersled by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), and though nobody is hurt, the house is destroyed.
On the surface, the attack on the Burrow exists to show how the stakes are being raised, because the Death Eaters can target Harry wherever and whenever they want, but the more you think about it, the plan makes no sense. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) told his minions that he wanted to be the one to kill Harry, and rather than reward them, he’d likely kill the Death Eaters for robbing him of vengeance. In the long term,the scene has no consequence on the rest of the narrative, since the Burrow is rebuilt without issue.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as “the property of the Half-Blood Prince” and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s dark past.
3Excalibur Fixes Everything Except Blindness
‘Quest for Camelot’ (1998)
Quest for CamelotwasWarner Bros' attempt tomimic the success of the Disney Renaissance, and it backfired horribly. The poor quality of the writing can be best seen during the climax when the heroes trick the villain, Ruber (Gary Oldman), into stabbing Excalibur– now merged into his hand– back into the stone it was pulled from. This releases a mysterious wave of magic that not only destroys Ruber, but alsoundoes the magic he used to create his mechanical army, briefly divides conjoined dragons until they decide to stay merged, and heals everyone’s injuries… except for deuteragonist Garrett’s (Cary Elwes) blindness.
Nowhere in the film was it hinted that Excalibur or the stone had this kind of power, and while you can argue for killing Ruber, since it can be read as the sword rejecting him, the rest isn’t so easily explained.Garrett’s blindness is the big standout, since he wasn’t born blind, and the sword fixed King Arthur’s (Pierce Brosnan) broken arm, so why not give the man back his vision after risking his life to save the kingdom? The scene of Devon (Eric Idle) and Cornwall (Don Rickles) choosing to remain conjoined is also strange: yes, they learned to overcome some of their difficulties, but nothing is stopping them from sticking together while still pursuing their own goals.
Quest for Camelot
2The Dwarves vs. Smaug
‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ (2013)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaughad the potential to be the best film in the trilogy thanks to Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch),one of fiction’s greatest dragons. At first, the film did well, copying his iconic talk with Bilbo almost word for word from the book, and made even better because Cumberbatch and Freeman had starred together inSherlock. However,things go downhill when Thorin decides to try and fight the dragon.
This decision was made to extend Smaug’s death to the third movie, and as such,accomplishes nothing except wasting time and confusing audiences with how thick the Dwarves' plot armor is. They are always able to evade Smaug’s fire, avoid being crushed, and even surf on a river of molten gold without suffering any consequences. Smaug is the real loser in this sequence: he doesn’t say a word and goes from being an intelligent and charismatic villain into a toothless lion constantly made a fool.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro, based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien.
1The Earthbender Prison Escape
‘The Last Airbender’ (2010)
The Last Airbenderis more than deserving of its title of one of theworst films ever made. Beyondits wooden acting, mispronunciation of names, and rushed pacing, the film failed to capture the majesty and beauty of bending as presented inAvatar: The Last Airbender. All the film’s failures come to a head when the heroes are placed in an Earthbender prison and encourage them to fight back.
Unlike the show, where the Earthbenders were stuck on a metal pier in the middle of the ocean, these Earthbenders have been surrounded by earth for months, so they come across like idiots for not rebelling sooner. When they do fight back,it’s a pathetic display as characters wait around while benders perform overly complex dances to move a single rock. The fact that the scene is done in one continuous shot exasperates these problems, as one can see that the actors are clearly waiting for their cues.
The Last Airbender
Follows the adventures of Aang, a young successor to a long line of Avatars, who must master all four elements and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.
NEXT:The 10 Worst Fantasy Movies of the Last 25 Years, Ranked
