Poll: Fantasy Movie Tropes

Results of 1,115 votes:

1. 1.
   

   Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

    

   The Chosen One One of the more famous tropes is to have our central hero be "The Chosen One", either via prophecy or some other extreme circumstances, and they usually discover this in some …
2. 2.
   

   Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd, and Kenny Baker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

    

   The Prophecy A prophecy is often considered to be "predicting the future." In many films, we are given a kind of premonition, usually delivered by an oracle of some kind whether it being a f…
3. 3.
   

   Geoff Allen, Ryan Carey, Rodney Cook, Augie Davis, Shane Dawson, Ben Fransham, Allan Poppleton, Piripi Waretini, Sala Baker, Tim Wong, Sam Kelly, Lance Louez, Robert Young, Sean Button, Mana Hira Davis, Daniel Falconer, Kester Fordham, Winham Hammond, Nooroa Poa, Gareth Jensen, Jarl Benzon, Jonathan Harding, Lani Jackson, Ben Britton, Greg Ellis, Clint Carleton, Greg Lane, Jørn Benzon, Sandro Kopp, Daniel Andrews, Siaosi Fonua, Ken Stratton, Dean Morganty, David Gatward Ferguson, Joseph Mika-Hunt, Francis Mountjoy, Richard Alexander, Ralph Johnson, Alexia Fairbrother, Andy Gunn, Michael Harrison, Tack Daniel, and Grant Beban in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

    

   The Epic Final Battle The whole story has been filled with an adventurous journey full of frights and thrills, but now it must culminate in one final, epic battle - perhaps started with a heartfelt mo…
4. 4.
   

   Brendan Gleeson and Ray Winstone in Beowulf (2007)

    

   Old English Accents If the list of films you had ever seen was limited to those that take place in a fantasy world, you'd think the whole world was British. These accents complement the fantasy vibe p…
5. 5.
   

   Ian McKellen, Calum Gittins, Marco Sinigaglia, Craig Morgan, Jace Lee, David Lancaster, Daniel Christopher White, and Angus Dunn in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

    

   The Wise Old Wizard ...or old man, but usually the former. The Wise Old Wizard is a classic literary figure, whom provides our story with an experienced, refined presence. Often a kind of father figur…
6. 6.
   

   Warwick Davis, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Jon Key in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

    

   Magic Spells Fantasy worlds often present the use of magic spells, a set of strange words, spoken or unspoken, that can invoke some type of magical effect. They can be used by either the hero or the v…
7. 7.
   

   John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Monty Python in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

    

   The Epic Quest The Epic Quest is the real deal - this quest will feature the hero and a bunch of supporting cast members travelling across the world with a firm goal in mind: this can be the recoverin…
8. 8.
   

   Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington in Avatar (2009)

    

   Mythical Creatures In addition to having different races amidst the population, it can be equally imperative to present the audience to mythical creatures. Virtuous or villainous, these creatures can …
9. 9.
   

   Tim Curry in Legend (1985)

    

   The Dark Lord Also known as the "Evil Overlord", this villain is commonly portrayed in fantasy works and often has henchmen who accompany him. Often used as a moniker in universes where it i…
10. 10.
    

    Rachel Weisz and Ed Speleers in Eragon (2006)

     

    Darkness Has Fallen Over The Kingdom So they once owned their land, then they didn't (there will surely be a backstory on how/when it was taken, by whom it was taken from). Now what we have is a bunch…
11. 11.
    

    Candy Candido in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

     

    Haunted forests Our hero has it tough enough as it is, but who says that the journey can't be as equally daunting, or riveting, as the destination? Haunted forests are often portrayed as under, or con…
12. 12.
    

    Alan Howard in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

     

    Strange Spellings and Fictional Languages A world of strange creatures and strange scenery - it would only be fitting to have languages that are as mysterious as they are alluring. Strange spelling/wo…
13. 13.
    

    William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

     

    A Royal Family Fictional monarchs are an abundant breed in fantasy tales - I mean, what did the Queen ever do to you? Alas, these families may be virtuous, perhaps a young son/daughter is rising up th…
14. 14.
    

    Jim Henson, Brian Henson, Michael Attwell, Sean Barrett, Timothy Bateson, Douglas Blackwell, John Bluthal, Peter Marinker, Ron Mueck, Steve Nallon, Jan Ravens, Enn Reitel, Kerry Shale, David Shaughnessy, and Mildred Shay in Labyrinth (1986)

     

    Different Races Portraying an entirely different world necessitates that a cast be used that it is... well... entirely different from humans. The range of diversity can be anywhere from dwarves and el…
15. 15.
    

    Jim Carrey and Ben Stein in The Mask (1994)

     

    Magical Items A magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These items may act on their own or be the tools of the person/being whose hands they fall into. They can provide said …