Through The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, and even the animated series The Legend of the Vox Machina, Amazon Prime Video is staking a lot of its future on the fantasy genre. That’s why it’s ironic that Prime Video’s fantasy movie selection is somewhat lacking by comparison. So far, Prime Video doesn’t have any original films that stand out in this category, and most of its A-list titles are borrowed from other studios. Thankfully, subscribers can get their fantasy fix if they know where to look. We’ve already done the searching for you, and these are the best fantasy movies on Amazon Prime Video right now.
Can’t get enough fantasy flicks? Check out our roundups of the best fantasy movies on Netflix and the best fantasy movies on Hulu.
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Edward Scissorhands1990
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Reign of Fire2002
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
58%
7.8/10
169m
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Action
Stars
Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
Directed by
Peter Jackson
Watch on Amazon
Amazon’s collection of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic wouldn’t be complete without The Hobbit. Director Peter Jackson returned to adapt the novel into no less than three movies. The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, introduces a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) to the mighty wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen). Much to Bilbo’s annoyance, Gandalf volunteers him as a companion for King Thorin Oakenshield II (Richard Armitage) and 12 other exiled dwarves who want to reclaim their lost kingdom. But Bilbo finds the prospect of an adventure too appealing to ignore, even though the danger to himself and the others is quite real.
The Hunger Games (2012)
68%
7.2/10
142m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Directed by
Gary Ross
Watch on Amazon
Jennifer Lawrence quickly became a superstar after headlining The Hunger Games as its fan-favorite heroine, Katniss Everdeen. In a dark future ruled by the dictator, President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland), the Hunger Games are annual duels to the death between representatives from all of Panem’s districts. Katniss volunteers for the games to save her sister, and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) accompanies her as a tribute as well. Together, they face unimaginable odds to survive as they grapple with the knowledge that only one person can walk away from the Hunger Games alive.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
74%
7.2/10
105m
Genre
Fantasy, Drama, Romance
Stars
Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest
Directed by
Tim Burton
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Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands may not technically be a Christmas movie, but it certainly feels of the season. Johnny Depp stars as Edward, a poor unfortunate lad who was created by an Inventor (Vincent Price) who gave him scissors for hands. When the Inventor dies before he can give Edward normal hands, he is taken in by Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) and her family. But as Edward falls for Peg’s daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder), the rest of their town slowly turns on him out of fear and jealousy.
Reign of Fire (2002)
39%
6.2/10
101m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Stars
Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco
Directed by
Rob Bowman
Watch on Amazon
When Reign of Fire hit theaters in 2002, the year 2020 was 18 years away. For us, it’s the recent past. But the world of the movie diverges from our own when dragons awaken from hibernation at the end of the 20th century and they quickly become the dominant life form on Earth. In 2020, Quinn Abercromby (Christian Bale) leads a small band of survivors as humanity faces extinction. But hope comes in the form of Denton Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey) and his militia. Denton and his crew are on a mission to kill dragons, and with Quinn’s help, they might have a chance to save the world from this reign of fire.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
92%
8.8/10
179m
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Action
Stars
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
Directed by
Peter Jackson
Watch on Amazon
It’s probably not a coincidence that the entire Lord of the Rings cinematic trilogy is on Amazon Prime Video just in time for the premiere of The Rings of Power. But enjoy it while it lasts because there aren’t many fantasy flicks better than this one. The Fellowship of the Ring kicked off the trilogy with style, as director Peter Jackson brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels to life with vivid details and beautifully shot scenes. Elijah Wood stars as Frodo Baggins, a simple Hobbit who just happens to have the One Ring of Sauron, the Dark Lord and the enemy of everything good in Middle-earth. To save the world, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), a Ranger named Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Frodo’s best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), and five others form a Fellowship to accompany Frodo on his quest to destroy the ring. But not all of them will survive the journey.
In Time (2011)
53%
6.7/10
109m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars
Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy
Directed by
Andrew Niccol
Watch on Amazon
We have all the time in the world, until we have no time at all. In Time presents a vision of the future where time is the only real commodity. Everyone stops aging at 25 years old, but the poor people are programmed to die within a year of reaching that age. Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) befriends a suicidal man, Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), who has a century of time to spare. But when Henry passes his time to Will, the Timekeepers, led by Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy), believe that he has stolen the time. To escape, Will takes an heiress, Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), as his hostage. And when Sylvia sees firsthand what the upper class has done to the rest of society, she adopts Will’s cause as her own.
Love and Monsters (2020)
63%
6.9/10
109m
Genre
Comedy, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker
Directed by
Michael Matthews
Watch on Amazon
It’s the apocalypse, and poor Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien) has no one to love now that giant creatures roam the world in Love and Monsters. Frustrated with his life and eager to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick), an ill-prepared Joel leaves the relative safety of his colony behind in order to reach her. Two fellow survivors, Clyde Dutton (Michael Rooker) and Minnow (Ariana Greenblatt), impart some wisdom on Joel during their brief encounter. But if Joel wants to survive in the new world, he’ll have a lot of growing up to do before he reaches his destination.
The Beastmaster (1982)
18%
6.2/10
118m
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Stars
Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, Rip Torn
Directed by
Don Coscarelli
Watch on Amazon
Back in the days of cable, there was an old joke about the true meaning of HBO: “Hey, Beastmaster’s on!” Let’s just say that The Beastmaster got a lot of play back then. Through modern eyes, it’s not a great flick. Regardless, it still has its charms even with a generous helping of cheese. Marc Singer stars as Dar, the long-lost son of King Zed (Rod Loomis). Dar has an unusual affinity for animals, including a pair of ferrets, an eagle, and a panther, all of which accompany him on his journey. As a side note, the panther (seen above) is actually portrayed by a more easily trained tiger whose fur was dyed for the role. Knowing that fact makes for an unintentionally hilarious visual.
Knights of Badassdom (2013)
56%
5.6/10
86m
Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Comedy
Stars
Peter Dinklage, Summer Glau, Steve Zahn
Directed by
Joe Lynch
Watch on Amazon
There are a lot of familiar faces from genre TV in Knights of Badassdom, including True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten, Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, Westworld’s Jimmi Simpson, Community’s Danny Pudi, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ Summer Glau. That actually makes the movie even more enjoyable. Within the film, Joe Revitt (Kwanten) has just been dumped by his girlfriend, Beth (Margarita Levieva). To cheer Joe up, his friends, Hung (Dinklage) and Eric (Steve Zahn), take him to a live-action roleplaying game, where he meets Gwen (Glau). However, the assembled players unintentionally awaken a deadly succubus, who assumes Beth’s likeness before using her dark magic to prey on everyone in her path.
Wish Upon a Star (1996)
6.7/10
89m
Genre
TV Movie, Family, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Katherine Heigl, Danielle Harris, Donnie Jeffcoat
Directed by
Blair Treu
Watch on Amazon
Wish Upon a Star is a lot like Freaky Friday. Although instead of featuring a mother and a daughter swapping bodies, this film puts an older sister into her younger sister’s shoes, and vice versa. Katherine Heigl stars as Alexia Wheaton, the popular older sister of Hayley Wheaton (Danielle Harris). In contrast to her sister, Hayley is academically focused and not that popular with her peers. One night, during a shooting star, the sisters independently make a wish to swap bodies and experience each other’s lives. For Hayley, this allows her to pursue Alexia’s boyfriend, Kyle (Don Jeffcoat), which causes some friction between the sisters. Thankfully, the sisters soon begin to have a greater appreciation for each other, especially when they can’t find a way to reclaim their true bodies.
Pinocchio (2019)
65%
6.2/10
125m
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
Stars
Federico Ielapi, Roberto Benigni, Marine Vacth
Directed by
Matteo Garrone
Watch on Amazon
Roberto Benigni seems to have a great deal of affection for the story of Pinocchio. Nearly two decades ago, Benigni played the living puppet and directed his own adaptation of Pinocchio. For this more recent film, Benigni plays Pinocchio’s father/creator, Geppetto, and Federico Ielapi takes over the role of Pinocchio. This film stays closer to Carlo Collodi’s original story than the famous Disney adaptation did. Poor Pinocchio wants to be a real boy, but he falls to temptation far more often than he stays on the straight and narrow. And when Pinocchio lies, we all know what happens to his nose.
Highlander (1986)
24%
7.1/10
116m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Stars
Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown
Directed by
Russell Mulcahy
Watch on Amazon
There can be only one Highlander! And it’s on Amazon Prime. This centuries-spanning epic takes flight after mystical warrior Russell Nash (Christopher Lambert) kills a man in a sword fight in a New York City parking lot. In the process, he leaves a sliver of an ancient weapon lodged in a car. When forensics specialist Brena Wyatt (Roxanne Hart) recovers evidence of the mysterious weapon, she and her partner embark on an investigation of Nash — the Highlander — and find themselves embroiled in a centuries-old feud between immortals.
Mortal (2020)
20%
5.9/10
104m
Genre
Action, Fantasy, Thriller
Stars
Nat Wolff, Priyanka Bose, Iben Akerlie
Directed by
André Øvredal
Watch on Amazon
A devout dissection of Nordic mythology, co-writer-director André Øvredal’s Mortal follows Eric (Nat Wolff), an early twenty-something living on the fringes of Norwegian society who possesses the miraculous ability to set things ablaze, literally. After Eric is picked up by local authorities, Christine (Iben Arkelie), a psychologist, is drawn to him. Law enforcement wants to question Eric about a series of murders that occurred years before. When Christine learns that the victims were all members of Eric’s family, a symbolic line begins tracing backward from Eric’s fiery abilities to ancient Nordic mythology. Part superhero film, part fantasy, Mortal shoots for the stars with its larger-than-life narrative but delivers major set pieces with big energy and strong performances.
Vivarium (2019)
64%
5.8/10
97m
Genre
Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery
Stars
Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Eanna Hardwicke
Directed by
Lorcan Finnegan
Watch on Amazon
Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are in search of real estate. When they visit a development of identical suburban homes called Yonder, the couple is seemingly abandoned by their realtor. They decide to pack it in and head home, but it turns out that Yonder keeps the twenty-somethings in some kind of time loop where no matter how far they drive, they always return to house #9 — the domicile their agent showed them. Tom and Gemma decide to stay at the house for the night, but when a newborn baby arrives with instructions stating, “Raise the child and be released,” Tom and Gemma become the unwilling victims of unseen, otherworldly forces. Vivarium combines fantasy, horror, and sci-fi elements in a rather remarkable way. Whenever the story seems to slip, Eisenberg and Poots wrangle it right back in.
