Fiction is the most multifaceted and diverse genre of cinema, because cinema in its essence is already fantastic! Every second movie contains episodes or moments that have no place in real life. Therefore, it is rather difficult to single out the best films in the fantasy genre.
STR and space
Pictures of the "fiction" genre appear in cinema quite early in the 20-30s of the twentieth century. However, a specific impetus for its development was the era of scientific and technological revolution and the exit of man into space. New scientific achievements and trends are reflected in the films Back to the Future, Terminator and, of course, Star Wars. Unfortunately, in Soviet and Russian cinema the number of films in this category is not impressive. In the period of the 60-80s, Amphibian Man, the Engineer Hyperboloid Garin, as well as the beloved Captain Nemo, and a little later Solaris, Guest from the Future and Stalker were filmed films can claim the title of "Best Movies in the Fiction Genre" in our Fatherland.
Horror and science fiction hybrid
For centuries, science fiction has been in close proximity to horror films, and in the distant 50s a unique subgenre was born - a cinematic hybrid, typical examples of which are “The Invasion of Body Snatchers” (1956) and the naive “Something from Another World” (1951). An interesting fact is that the last frame of one of them read: “Look beyond the sky!”, As if warning earthlings about the threat of an alien invasion. Perhaps this moment became the progenitor of the following paintings: “Independence Day” (1996), “War of the Worlds”, “Alien Invasion: The Battle of Los Angeles” (2011), “Skyline” (2010) and even all three parts “ Men in Black". The abundance of such films gave rise to all sorts of speculation, such as the fact that Hollywood deliberately paves the way, that is if the invasion suddenly begins, for most it will be the "norm". Maybe for this you need movies in the fantasy genre? And the idea that one day your relatives or acquaintances can be replaced or stolen by aliens has not only become a cliché of this subgenre, but it is still exploited: “The Fourth View”, “Gloomy Skies”, etc.
At the turn of the dashing 70-80s
In this chaotic period, three films come out, which rightfully for more than thirty years have the proud title of "The Best Films in the Fantasy Genre." They spawned not only several successful sequels and prequels, but also an incredible multitude of imitative films. Receptions and cliches of these masterpieces are still regularly wandering from picture to picture. The epic star of George Lucas "Star Wars" is still considered unparalleled in terms of effectiveness and power of emotional impact. It has repeatedly confirmed its cult status. But the main achievement of this creation is that the film enriched the fantastic genre with one significant factor, it made it simply entertaining and consistent with the principles of Hollywood: the uniqueness of moral assessments, entertainment and simplicity. Literally two years later, another creation comes out - “Alien” by Ridley Scott, he was gloomy and even claustrophobic, and here there was another combination of science fiction with horror films. The next cult project is the futuristic thriller Blade Runner by the same inimitable Ridley Scott, who is immediately critically acclaimed by the category “Best Fantastic Movies”. The picture is full of magnificent shots and incredible (for that time) special technical effects.
Fantasticity requires justification
A qualitative leap that has translated science fiction films into the category of full-fledged cinema art is considered to be the film of S. Kubrick's “Space Odyssey of 2001”. The director did not bump into the abundance of “space mutants” and “green men,” he approached the picture with almost documentary certainty, developing the theory of biological immortality and making the computer the main villain. So, gradually the content of the film, the semantic load comes to the forefront in fantastic cinema, because whatever one may say, all the incredibility shown on the screen requires comments and explanations. Here you can not do without a shocking make-up and expensive special effects, decorations. Therefore, like mushrooms after rain, disaster films begin to walk on the screens of the world, which definitely make the viewer think. The list of films in the genre of fiction-catastrophe is endless: "Rising Hell", "Tornado", "Dante's Peak", "Earthquake", "Armageddon", "Meteorite", "Collision with the Abyss", etc.
From subgenre to full-fledged art
Can a movie adaptation of famous fairy tales be considered a fantasy? The question is rhetorical. Think for yourself, films like Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Alice in Wonderland, The Lord of the Rings, Amber City, The Chronicles of Narnia, Gary Potter, Stardust, Golden Compass and "Maleficent" - this is continuous fairy-tale fantasy. Modern adaptations do so spectacular and exciting that both children and adults can learn something new for themselves, and some of the above can be safely called the best films in the fantasy genre. Speaking of fairy tales, it would be appropriate to mention comics, because in them the main character has a whole set of fantastic abilities. A striking example of fantastic films based on comics are Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Avengers, Iron Man, People X and others.
For a long time, the cinema genre fiction has not lost ground; the latest in cinema are confirmation of it: Lucy, Transformers, Planet of the Apes, Excellence, The Edge of the Future.