My new column is up at AMC and I’m talking about films that you might not think of when you think of the word Fantasy. Granted, I’m sure that some of these films will come as no surprise to the folk who hang out here regularly. For instance:
1. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
I know, you’re thinking that the production design is teeming with mechanisms of brass and wood — “Look at the Nautilus,” you protest. “Surely this is scifi.” Ah, but look closer. There are multiple supernatural elements in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen too. Take Stuart Townsend’s picture of Dorian Gray, which keeps him young and invulnerable. That’s magic. Or turn to Peta Wison’s Mina Harker, who survived her encounter with Dracula but is now a vampire — vampires and magic and paintings, oh my! What you’re looking at is a form of fantasy called Steampunk, which features Victorian or Edwardian fashions with intricate steam-driven engines. Interestingly, the sub-genre almost always comes with a supernatural element. Remember: Just because there’s technology doesn’t mean it’s not fantasy.
Please stop by AMC and add to the list of non-traditional fantasy films.
I had no idea that you write a column for AMC. Very cool, and great column!
Thank you! It’s still a new thing so you aren’t too far behind. I’m enjoying it thus far.
Can’t really say I found “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” to be spellbinding.
Interesting point about the internalization of fantasy in “Pan’s Labyrinth.” The end is a cold and brutal reality–unless the viewer brings their own fantasy and “believes” Ofelia in fact lives on in an alternate fantastical world.