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[jason10mm]

I dont know what it is about the film quality of even dog shit low budget stuff in the 80s that makes it look so much more visceral and real than modern movies. Amazon has a ton of new low rent fantasy films (Dudes and Dragons was a decent one, as was the newest Dragonheart) but they all look like bad TV stuff. Westerns are the same. Maybe it is digital filming, I dunno.

LOTR really nailed a good look but hardly the only look fantasy can have.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I dont know what it is about the film quality of even dog shit low budget stuff in the 80s that makes it look so much more visceral and real than modern movies. Amazon has a ton of new low rent fantasy films (Dudes and Dragons was a decent one, as was the newest Dragonheart) but they all look like bad TV stuff. Westerns are the same. Maybe it is digital filming, I dunno.

LOTR really nailed a good look but hardly the only look fantasy can have.

I know what you mean.

You can have two movies. One from 1985 and one from 2015-2020. Both are low budget. Both have c-list actors.

But the old one (even with shit effects) will have a more grounded, yet still appealing kind of look.

I'm going to guess it's the recent shows/movies having all kinds of touched up CGI making things seem so fake. And it doesn't have to be an obvious thing like a 2020 CGI dragon vs a 1985 Industrial L&M puppet.

But also the filming technique used as you hinted.

 

[Happosai]

There was this quality to fantasy media in the 70s and 80s.

It all really felt dream-like and mystical.

A good example is a movie like Legend with Tim Curry. That whole atmosphere was dream like and fantastical. Same goes for movies like Neverending Story.

Dungeons and Dragons felt dark and mysterious. The comic store would have all the rpg books in a dark corner of the store with a table. It felt like it was a ritual area or seance.

I keep thinking of fake wood paneling walls, 'The Trees' by Rush playing in the background and so on.

That animated Bakshi stuff like Wizards or The Hobbit were representing.

It all felt so authentic.

Now it's all mainstream and even worse, woke. Gone is the dream-like quality and mystery.

Fantasy & Sci-Fi were at their high points during the 70's and 80's with both big budget and low budget studios making films of those categories. They compensated much of the slack in earlier Sci-Fi films from the 50s and 60s (although I count the original War of the Worlds as one of the best). The 90's was the "let's experiment more with computers instead of perspective shooting and set design." Marked the beginning of the end of not just fantasy but all good cinema. One generation influences or sets the stage for the next. The 70s was so great that it set the stage for the 80s. The 90s however collapsed the stage for the 2000s and everything beyond is just forgettable.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

i really love the Hercules movies by Luigi Cozzi. we knew it was trash even in the 80s but it was so much fun to watch as a kid.



yes it is incredibly cheesy but that only makes me like it more! at one point he THROWS A BEAR INTO OUTER SPACE.



the movie is full of cheap attempts at Star Wars-style SFX, opening with a silly intro taking place mostly in outer space.

Hercules is played by TV's own Incredible Hulk Lou Ferrigno. like other muscle builder fantasy stars of the day, it is more about his physical prowess than his acting ability (which is pretty funny in parts).

the costume designs are super glam rock very late 70's/early 80's.

and the fan service possible in the 80s was just *chef's kiss*. so much side boob!

really miss the fan service. seems like any fantasy post-2K has had it surgically removed.

 

[Kamina]

Yes

 

[n0razi]

yeah its like a dish someone with care puts together for you vs a factory assembled packaged dinner

one you feel the human effort, dat passion to deliver something awesome is apparent in every way

the other you know some machine portioned everything out to get the job done in a uniform manner

The problem is that many human workers don't seem to have "dat passion" anymore and deliver worse quality than a machine these days. You can pay $$$ for artisinal stuff or get something slapped together by a minimum wage teenager.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

if you create a real set, you have craftsmen, you have people who know woodworking, you have carpenters, you have painters, you have all these skilled artisans working together. then the lighting guy comes in does his thing, director of photography, etc. the lighting and camerawork they set up is seamless, instantly conveying a real place. then actors come in, they act in that real place, react to the geometry of the set, etc.

compare that to a CGI set. the actor has no idea what he is looking at, because he is against a giant green wall talking to a ping pong ball. so things like improvising or using the set naturally are out of the question for the most part. then the lighting is 100% artificially re-created in a computer, and at least at THIS point in time, the human eye can still instantly tell a fake image from a real one because we instinctively know how light works. also yes you have craftsmen but we are talking a digital arts student with 4 years of experience imitating a carpenter (or traditionally trained matte painter) is no replacement for someone who has done work in the tangible, physical world.

you can go on and on through all the elements. CGI indeed uses physics and models to approximate things like light and gravity, but they are no substitute for the real thing. when we look at a real set, we feel more immersed, like it could be a real place, because in fact, it is a real place.

plus there are a lot of elements of digital filmmaking that act as shortcuts. if something is messed up, rather than do it again until you get it right, they can now just remove things in post. or do things like when George Lucas would edit together multiple takes in a single frame. when you do something like that, you remove the context of the actor's motions, the artificial nature is instantly communicated to the audience, who is kept at a distance.

 

[JoduanER2]

It is a bit of nostalgia talking, but i agree to some degree. Everything fantasy is too mainstream nowadays, we did get The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the 00's though. Also some things of the Harry Potter movies were great as well.

 

[jason10mm]

Assuming the Mandalorian "CGI screens in the round" becomes accessible to lower budget productions, it could usher in a renaissance in really wacked out fantasy as that tech seems to lend itself to colorfully lit backgrounds and bring back the lush sets of old.

Or the rotoscoped look of "Undone" which would be cool for a fantasy film and allow for better acting integrated with animated objects.

 

[IfuckinghateReddit]

There was this quality to fantasy media in the 70s and 80s.

It all really felt dream-like and mystical.

It all felt so authentic.

Now it's all mainstream and even worse, woke. Gone is the dream-like quality and mystery.

Michael Moorcock's books are a great read, as are the Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

LOTR Bakshi film was incredible. those creepy rotoscoped Ringwraiths

Bakshi did a lot of good animated fantasy, working outside the establishment system. Fire and Ice is great too, him working with Frank Frazetta, the 70's high fantasy legend himself.

Wizards was also a classic. my parents accidentally got it for me when i was a kid and turned it off pretty soon but i saw it again when i saw a teenager and fell in love with it. a crazy subversion of classic fantasy tropes, super sexy fairies, and an evil wizard who discovers Nazi propaganda and uses it to control undead monsters in a giant fantasy war in the future.

the lead character, a lost evil robot named Peace who turns to good.

the evil wizard on his swastika throne

sexy fairy princess Elinore with the wisecracking George Burns-style old wizard Avatar. he is the good wizard and his brother is the evil wizard.

the evil wizard and his lover

rotoscoped evil monsters at the end, which uses altered stock footage in a really cool way.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

i also really like the character design in Dragon's Lair. this was an ex-Disney animator Don Bluth also doing something independently with his own company. the material is very stock standard fantasy, yet through colorful, simple character design and fluid animation, it is 10X more memorable than most other attempts at fantasy.

 

[bloodydrake]

Golden Voyage of Sinbad,
Sinbad Eye of the Tiger,
Clash of the Titans,
and DragonSlayer, are all fantastic 70's to pre Conan 80's fantasy movies.

 

[bitbydeath]

Board games were the shit too.
I just rebought this one from my childhood recently.

 

[Mr Nash]

Lots of fun stuff back then. I don't even care that it was super trope-y, I just had a good time watching that stuff. Lots of movies have already been mentioned, but I remember seeing the first Beastmaster movie as a kid in the 80s and liking it.



Also, I remember reading a bunch of the early Dragonlance books as a kid back then and really enjoying Raistlin and the gang.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

need to rewatch Clash of the Titans (1981)

 

[diffusionx]

GoT isn't fantasy. It's adult drama set in a medieval world. With a bit of magic and dragons on the side.

Isn't the term for that "low fantasy"

 

[Vengrim]

Anyone remember The Sword and The Sorcerer? I saw it as a child and I remember nothing about the story except there was a badass three bladed sword. Honestly, not sure I need to remember anything else.

 

[lock2k]

I dont know what it is about the film quality of even dog shit low budget stuff in the 80s that makes it look so much more visceral and real than modern movies. Amazon has a ton of new low rent fantasy films (Dudes and Dragons was a decent one, as was the newest Dragonheart) but they all look like bad TV stuff. Westerns are the same. Maybe it is digital filming, I dunno.

LOTR really nailed a good look but hardly the only look fantasy can have.

I miss the fantasy and also the cyberpunk stuff. I would love to have that again instead of the shitty countless MCU movies

 

[belmarduk]

Yeah.. I agree. Especially as it applies to 1980's Metal.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Does He-Man count?

The costumes and sets in that were cool. Skeletor looked bad-arse

 

[docmindbender]

Things like the new Dark Crystal series and even Raised By Wolves are a welcome throwback imo.
80s fantasy had that gnarly lived in feel.

 

[Liberty4all]

David Eddings, Anne MacCaffrey, Alan Dean Foster, ..... so many amazing authors. Eddings was by far my favorite ...the Belgariad and Mallorian series were incredible.

 

[SirTerry-T]

The drugs were better mate....

 

[#Phonepunk#]

been watching the late 70s TV version of Buck Rogers. it is very enjoyable in a pulp cheesy way. tonally it doesn't take itself very seriously and is full-on camp, almost like a sitcom at times, especially with the robots.

first off it has this awesome intro. the show (as well as Battlestar Galactica) featured a lot of ILM talent who had left Lucasfilm after making the first Star Wars movie. this is why the visual effects are so good on the show.



the main cast is all so super 70s, with the wide collars, 70s hairdos, and the cheesy robots. there is an old man with them like it's oldschool Dr. Who or something. at one point a hawk man joins the team, and he just looks laughably ridiculous every time he is onscreen.

the show had some classic fantasy babe-age, with Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering.

and Pamela Hensley as evil Princess Ardala

 

[DragoonWalker]

What it comes down to is CGI is just not very magical at all...

80s might be the peak but 70s had the weirder films, stuff like Zardoz, Fantastic Planet, and Holy Mountain:

The 80s had this though, which may be the greatest scene in a "children's" fantasy movie:

 

[DetectiveBananas]

Beastmaster was the shit. This wannabe-Conan runs around talking to ferrets and fucking shit up in a loin cloth.

I thought this movie did a great job creating dark and sinister sets. They did a great job with the lighting and making the darkness claustrophobic. Those bird people and the army of Juns were done to perfection!

 

[TTOOLL]

Amem, brother! The same for music! You can see that people put a lot of effort learning instruments, learning songs just by listening to them etc. This helped create incredible stuff. Nowadays it's all computer shit (some good shit but...)

 

[Red Rackham's Revenge]

Amazon has a few fantasy shows in the works in the works so hopefully things will start to improve. Bezos is meant to be a fan. Tv is probably a better format. I just hope Amazon doesn't chase the widest audience and start ruining everything like Netflix has.

I know what you mean though. There definitely is a different feeling, I'm just not sure what exactly it is.

Dark Sun is the best D&D campaign setting. Fight me.

How exactly do the different settings work? From what I understand Forgotten Realms is kinda like medieval fantasy, Dark Sun is some post-apocalyptic? And Greyhawk is traditional good guy fantasy?

The first Conan is one of my favorite movies. I love the tone so much, how seriously it takes itself. It feels like a nod to one of the early pre-code Hollywood epics, especially those open air cult scenes. It's almost like that crossed with a western. Plus I love the lineup, the little group they have, the crazy wizard, etc just great stuff you can tell whoever made it had a deep respect for fantasy

one problem with modern stuff is the irony poisoning. it is almost like the creators are ashamed of fantasy, so they approach it with some detached distance. perhaps one of the consequences of going mainstream. it definitely loses something. as if the filmmaker is constantly pulling you aside and saying "I don't really believe in this shit"

Probably my favorite movie. I watched it as a kid and I always get a strong dose of nostalgia every time I watch it. And the music is highest tier too.

Has anyone mentioned Heavy Metal magazine yet. To me when I think of 70s and 80s fantasy I immediately think of Heavy Metal.

I just searched Heavy Metal magazine and found a cover with what looks like a psychedelic Galactus mixed with Indian mythology. Not what I was expecting lol.

Spoiler

 

[Faenrir]

I'll just drop that link here:

A Ranking of 1980s Fantasy That Would Please Crom Himself! - Reactor

Long before Game of Thrones, there was a time in history when HBO stood for “Hey, Beastmaster’s on!” A time when, if you asked for a dragon, you got a puppet instead of CGI. A time when the words “fantasy hero” didn’t call to mind a pensive Viggo Mortenson or a bespectacled Daniel Radcliffe—nay...

www.tor.com

 

[Faenrir]

I much preferred the Balrog vs Gandalf fight in the Bakshi LOTR cartoon than in the modern movie version. It was a lot closer to how it was in the novel.

So he's flying but somehow forgets to fly again when the bridge goes down ?
That's terrible imo.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Amazon has a few fantasy shows in the works in the works so hopefully things will start to improve. Bezos is meant to be a fan. Tv is probably a better format. I just hope Amazon doesn't chase the widest audience and start ruining everything like Netflix has.

I know what you mean though. There definitely is a different feeling, I'm just not sure what exactly it is.



How exactly do the different settings work? From what I understand Forgotten Realms is kinda like medieval fantasy, Dark Sun is some post-apocalyptic? And Greyhawk is traditional good guy fantasy?



Probably my favorite movie. I watched it as a kid and I always get a strong dose of nostalgia every time I watch it. And the music is highest tier too.



I just searched Heavy Metal magazine and found a cover with what looks like a psychedelic Galactus mixed with Indian mythology. Not what I was expecting lol.

Spoiler

I implore anyone with even the slightest interest in fantasy to check out Heavy Metal magazine. Here is one of their more iconic covers. Fantastic magazine.

 

[Imotekh]

If you look at most attempts at fantasy today so much of it seems generic - like everything is from a template, dwarf beard axe, hero sword, wizard beard, castles dragons etc. There are thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of creations that start from almost the exact same aesthetic. A lot of things in games and media struggle to stand out in the setting.

I think it's possible that the feeling of those movies is the way it is because it was relatively fresh and there wasn't a sense of fatigue back then.

 

[ToughestSoul]

yes it was very dream like. very archetypal. very authentic.

everything now is too irony poisoned. instead of archetypes everything is a subversion. instead of dreamlike we get the prestige tv look, everything is realistic and "representative".

one of my favorite fantasy films is Excalibur. rather than realistic, it uses highly stylized art direction and lighting. i love the use of green lighting in the forest, something which is strange and enhances the atmosphere.

i mean just look at the movie poster. this poster alone is better than most movies these days.

I still think that's the best movie version of the King Arthur Legend.

The Wagner soundtrack was such a perfect fit, too.

 

[Manstructiclops]

they put pants on him in the movie, but in the magazine he had a two foot dick.

This is how I greet the missus.

 

[Red Rackham's Revenge]

I implore anyone with even the slightest interest in fantasy to check out Heavy Metal magazine. Here is one of their more iconic covers. Fantastic magazine.

Bit of a strange coincidence

Heavy Metal signs artists German Ponce and Diego Yapur to exclusive deals

Two artists signed long-term for the Heavy Metal anthology and standalone titles

www.gamesradar.com

The current issue is #300 released last month. The cover has the same character Taarna that's in the image you posted.

First look: Heavy Metal #300 is ready to 'melt people's brains' with landmark issue

An icon from the Heavy Metal film graces the cover of a Heavy Metal milestone.

www.syfy.com

Heavy Metal Magazine

 

[Woo-Fu]

Has anyone mentioned Heavy Metal magazine yet. To me when I think of 70s and 80s fantasy I immediately think of Heavy Metal.

And Boris Vallejo cover art.

 

[SirTerry-T]

I just searched Heavy Metal magazine and found a cover with what looks like a psychedelic Galactus mixed with Indian mythology. Not what I was expecting lol.

Spoiler

Watch Affleck's "Argo".

Or just read this....

How Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light transformed into the CIA's Argo covert op

To facilitate the return of six US diplomats trapped in Iran, during the 1979 hostage crisis, CIA technician Tony Mendez concocts an incredible cover story: they’re part of a film crew, scout…

boingboing.net

.

Must say, this thread is becoming one of my favourite little corners on Gaf. Lots of memories for this 48 year old geek being re-ignited

 

[frostyxc]

Golden Voyage of Sinbad,
Sinbad Eye of the Tiger,
Clash of the Titans,
and DragonSlayer, are all fantastic 70's to pre Conan 80's fantasy movies.

This movie scarred me as a kid because a gal gets eaten by dragons babies.

 

[Red Rackham's Revenge]

Watch Affleck's "Argo".

Or just read this....

How Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light transformed into the CIA's Argo covert op

To facilitate the return of six US diplomats trapped in Iran, during the 1979 hostage crisis, CIA technician Tony Mendez concocts an incredible cover story: they’re part of a film crew, scout…

boingboing.net

.

Must say, this thread is becoming one of my favourite little corners on Gaf. Lots of memories for this 48 year old geek being re-ignited

Great article. I knew Argo had something to do with a fake movie,m but I had no idea about any of this. Pretty interesting.

Jack Kirby's involvement explains the Galactus resemblance.

 

[Bergoglio]

I wish more of these movies would end up on Netflix or Prime. I always hear about how many were awesome and I missed out on so many.

I finally got to see Krull ^^ and that was awesome. That was pure, unapologetic fantasy.

Do you know some titles like this on Netflix or Prime?