The twists and turns feel commonplace, so it’s difficult to appreciate them as intended.
Fantasy movies can come in all shapes and sizes.
The primary requirement of the genre is magic.
Myfavorite fantasy moviescover all these bases, but the impact has lessened with dozens of rewatches.
Then, there is the story itself, which is light, charming, and thoroughly magical.
Spirited Awayis a wonderfully weird movie.
When I watched it for the first time, I remember grappling with the plot.
However,after all these years, it’s simply too easy to take the story for granted.
We know the lines and understand how everything works out in the end.
For precisely this reason, I would love just to eraseThe Wizard of Ozfrom my brain and start over.
Like many others, I can’t remember seeing this movie for the first time.
Like other viewers of all ages, I was instantly struck by Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow character.
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After all these years, however, thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise has come to mean something different.
Though I still enjoy thePirates of the Caribbeanmovies, the formula has become rather repetitive over the years.
It captured all the staples, especially in the way of crude special effects and a spectacularly synthy soundtrack.
The NeverEnding Storywas over my head when I first watched it.
5Shrek
Shrekis another movie from my childhood that has since evolved into a massive franchise.
These movies are, of course, hilarious.
Children appreciateShrekbecause the humor is overtly scandalous, and adults enjoy the film because of the endless innuendos.
WhenShrekwas released in 2001, Disney’s fairytale movies were still at the forefront of the genre.
This movie is undeniably dark and twisted.
It’s precisely this that makesPan’s Labyrinthso impactful to watch the first time.
It’s unsettling, but repeated rewatches somewhat lessen this fact.
However, these days, I find thatthe sharp shocks of the film have been rounded off a bit.
Of course, a handful of years later, this experience is a distant memory.
This peak time for the MCU was a special experience in a variety of ways.
There’s something special about a community coming together to enjoy a fantastical story for the first time.
When I first watchedThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, I was instantly hooked.
Like many others, I became a lifelong Tolkien nut from that point forward.
