Basing the movies on well-known novels seems to always be a good idea. We have the Sherlock Holmes movie and series, Harry Potter, and of course, The Lord of the Rings.
Everyone knows The Lord of the Rings by now, and some by heart. The trilogy started in the early 2000s and broke many records. The movies even won Oscars!
If you had watched all of The Lord of the Rings movie series, you are now ready to enter the next phase, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
You may watch the series in Amazon Prime Video starting September 2, 2022. However, that is still a long wait. For the meantime, enjoy these 13 bests must watch movies like The Lord of the Rings to keep that fantasy fire aflame.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
English 2h 23m IMDb
Director: Andrew Adamson
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley
This fun movie by Walt Disney Pictures is based on books by C.S. Lewis. This magical story has rip-roaring adventures, exciting fantasies, shocking situations, and a good feeling. A great battle scene reminds me of “Lord of the Rings.”
There is also a lot of action and emotion in the story. Give enough entertainment to keep the chat rooms busy until the epic ending. Even though the movie is too long and is hard to adapt, it moves quickly enough for people who haven’t read C. S.
This two-and-a-half-hour movie, primarily animated, stays the truest to the original story. Donald McAlpine’s cinematography makes the film look bright and exciting. It’s a remarkable adventure-fantasy book that kids, teens, and the whole family will love.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
English 2h 6m Guy RitchieIMDb
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Jude Law
King Arthur is one of The Knights of the Round Table that gained popularity over time. Although he is a historical hero, modern movies tend to create a different storyline for him that involves fantasy. King Arthur’s saga has influenced so many modern films and stories.
This movie is much like Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The film is filled with battles for a rightful heir to the throne and, of course, many sword fights. You will love their incredible choreography if you like some good action scenes. Furthermore, the chosen camera shots and music scores bring out the scenes’ intensity.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
English 2h 32m IMDb
Director: Chris Columbus
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris
Have you ever thought you may have a secret power as a child? You try to move an object without touching it, try to be invisible, and even read another person’s thoughts. Unfortunately, we are not in Harry Potter.
One of the reasons why many people love the novels is that there are moments they feel that they can relate to the little boy.
It is incredible how Chris Columbus, with the help of the author, J. K. Rowling, created a movie that brings magic to the world. Although there are a few changes and alterations, they still did a great job of capturing and keeping the story’s spirit.
Initially, the book and film were called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone but were changed to The Sorcerer’s Stone since the publisher thought no children would want to read a book about a philosopher.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
English 2h 24m IMDb
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson
The Kingdom of Heaven is like the famous 2000s Gladiator. Ridley Scott has made a great follow-up to his Oscar-winning movie. It was set in the Middle Ages and used historical characters for the supporting roles.
The film tries to preach tolerance while showing the dangers of passionate followers of both religions and men looking for power in the world.
Ridley Scott has done a great job in talking about the Crusades without being biased toward one religion. The movie took time to show the differences between Christianity and Islam. If you love the Kingdom of Heaven, you will be more thrilled with the director’s cut, an extended version lasting for 3 hours.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
English 1h 36m IMDb
Director: Gabor Csupo
Stars: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel
The fantasy drama Bridge to Terabithia came out in 2007 and was based on Katherine Paterson’s book of the same name. As children, we used to pretend for fun.
However, the movie is about two 11-year-old kids who play pretend as the king and queen of Terabithia, a world they created, to escape their real-life problems and a tragedy.
It gives a more in-depth look at how children think and how they come up with their monsters to fight. The kids run away to the world of Terabithia, where they fight monsters both outside and inside their heads. It is similar to how Frodo fights the Ring’s will in the Lord of the Rings movies.
The movie is fun and adventurous. The cinematics and the CGI are amazing. However, behind all the awe, it will leave you scarred. Be prepared to get your heart broken when your watch this film.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Spanish (Spain) 1h 58m IMDb
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López
Pan’s Labyrinth is an Oscar-award-winning movie and worldwide awardee with a different take on the fairytale. The story is about a character named Princess Moanna, whose father is the King of the Underworld.
Her father builds a series of labyrinths around the world so that when the time comes, Moanna can use them to return to the underworld.
Since the perspective is new to many people, they believe this is the best movie Guillermo del Toro directed. He did a great job portraying the world to the audience, from the storyline to the cinematics. The film is not for kids, as it has a dark storyline and a vicious approach.
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse (2015)
English 1h 38m IMDb
Director: Colin Teague
Stars: Julian MorrisTamzin MerchantJassa Ahluwalia
In Dragonheart, the relationship between the two fantasy archetypes is shown differently. Drago saves the life of a young prince by giving him half of his own heart but grows up to be a cruel ruler. He meets Gareth, a knight who is unhappy with the new King’s rule and goes out on his own to hunt dragons.
The two decided to work together where Drago pretends to terrorize a village and Bowen pretends to kill him to keep reward money. Unfortunately, the friendship between the knight and the dragon is tested when the cruel king orders.
The storyline is one of a kind. It makes you feel like you are not watching a movie but reading a sci-fi novel instead. The CGI is like how you will imagine a book would portray. Some even say that Dragonheart 3 is the best among the others.
Eragon (2006)
English 1h 44m IMDb
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Stars: Ed Speleers, Sienna Guillory, Jeremy Irons
The movie uses different sci-fi movies, including the Lord of the Rings, as their inspiration to create a masterpiece. This film is a gem if you like witchcrafts, magic, and dragons all at once, a staple of fantasy movies.
The adventures with Eragon and his dragon are enjoyable and the battle scenes are having good choreographies. Not to mention, the casting is good, and the performances are fun to watch.
Of course, since it has magic and creatures that do not really belong to the real world, most of the works are CGI.
Thanks to Industrial Light Magic by George Lucas and Hugh Johnson, they had completed a cinematography that makes the animations look very real. They really put their effort to making Eragon’s dragon, which took them a whole year to complete.
Mortal Engines (2018)
English 2h 8m IMDb
Director: Christian Rivers
Stars: Hera Hilma, rRobert SheehanHugo Weaving
This movie may be a hit or miss depending on the viewer’s preference. Some might find cities on wheels fighting each other for fuel silly, while others will find it interesting. The cinematography is great and the movie has an intriguing storyline with room for improvement.
Christian Rivers based the movie on the book of the same name, which has a similar theme about surviving in a world that has limited resources. However, the storyline took a different turn than the original.
Check out the preview to see if this is the kind of movie you like. If you want the trailer, you’ll enjoy the film as it perfectly depicts it. However, if you are expecting that the movie is exactly like the book, just like the Lord of the Rings, discard it before watching this.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
English 2h 7m IMDb
Director: Rupert Sanders
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
“Snow White and the Huntsman,” based on the German fairy tale, Schneewittchen, is a visual masterpiece that is a pleasure to watch. Even in terms of the story, this dark version does a good job. It is a beautiful movie to watch.
Greig Fraser’s excellent cinematography and the great graphics that go with the film make every frame look magical.
Although the original German fairytale and this movie both have a grim and dark story, they are different. The twist, however, is much deeper in this film as it is meant to be violent. If you grew up watching Snow White, don’t worry. The story will not ruin your childhood. It will just make it more exciting.
Troy (2004)
English 2h 43m IMDb
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Stars: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom
If you are aware of some epics, you might be familiar with the Iliad by Homer, where the story of Troy was based. You might have even watched this once or twice for your history class. This epic describes the battle between Troy and Sparta.
Many references used in today’s generation came from this story. Some famous events and references that happened in this era were the Achilles heel, the quote “the face that launched a thousand ships,” and the infamous Trojan horse.
Watching this film is like going down in history, but more exciting. It also cast massive stars such as Brad Pitt to portray Achilles and Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas in the Lord of the Rings, to represent the Trojan Prince, Paris.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
English 2h 18m IMDb
Director: Peter Weir
Stars: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd
Crowe is in charge of a ship that’s been through a lot and isn’t in the best shape. Admiralty had ordered a search and destroy mission to the team despite the bad condition of the ship. The French frigate is a lot bigger than Crowe’s ship, but Crowe’s boat is the only one near her in those southern latitudes.
During the Napoleonic Wars, it shows what life was like on a British ship of the line down to the smallest detail. In 1805, right after the Battle of Trafalgar, when the story takes place, the United Kingdom still had a lot of ships close to home.
It has one of the best cinematography and visual and sound effects that capture the whole setting of the movie. They paid attention to every detail, even in the battles, making it more realistic and brutal.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
English 2h 49m IMDb
Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage
Last but definitely not least, the prequel of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit trilogy, is also based on the 1937 book of the same name. You will undoubtedly love this if you love The Lord of the Rings, as it gives you more depth to the story. It is much better to watch this trilogy before the series to grasp the story entirely.
The movie revolves around Bilbo Baggins, Frodo’s uncle. He was well known in the community he lived in. Even Gandalf believes in him. The story will also discuss how Bilbo got the One Ring, which is the main plot.
The cinematography is intense and magical, just like in the Lord of the Rings. They chose the right cast, especially Martin Freeman for Bilbo Baggins, as they are great actors and bring their heart and humor to the movie.
Summary
Lord of the Rings is an iconic movie franchise. But what do you do when you’ve finished the series and need something else to take your mind off things? Well, these movies will not only show you a different kind of fantasy but also have many twists you didn’t expect.