Magic movies: Check out these fantastic flicks about magic, illusion, and necromancy before Doctor Strange arrives in theatres in November.
With Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch dons a red cape and leads the MCU into a realm of magic and mysticism this autumn. Strange isn’t the first magician to appear in a Marvel film – Elizabeth Olsen played the Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron – but the film will undoubtedly dive deeper into the occult lore, as evidenced by the recently released teaser.
Top 12 Best Hollywood Magic movies
Check out the following films if you need a dose of magic before Marvel’s Doctor Strange arrives on November 4th. Note that these aren’t just movies with magic in them; they’re also movies whose plot focuses around illusion, witchcraft, or even wizardry. Please accept my apologies to every animated Disney film ever made.
You may see me now.
After starring in Zombieland, Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson reunited for one of the most perplexing films in recent memory. The plot of Now You See Me centres around four magicians known as the Four Horsemen, who pull off spectacular heists in the hopes of joining an order of “real magicians” known as The Eye. Many fantastic sleight-of-hand tricks and blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moments can be found in the film.
Mark Ruffalo plays an FBI agent on the trail of the Robin-Hood-inspired Four Horsemen, and Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman star in supporting roles that must have paid well. While the acting are adequate and the magical components are imaginative, the writing is at best inane and ridiculous. Now You See Me is great popcorn entertainment, but everything behind the dazzling surface is just a trick of the light. We’ll most likely be able to say the same thing about the sequel in the near future.
Willow
Despite the fact that it is not based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wiccan, Ron Howard’s Willow has its own qualities. Warwick Davis plays Willow, a farmer who is forced to babysit a child who is destined to battle the evil Queen Bavmorda. Willow develops his sorcery skills throughout the way, with the help of brownies, fairies, and Val Kilmer as the swordsman Madmartigan. Because, after all, this is a fantasy film, Willow beats Bavmorda and learns that good triumphs over evil.
The film was critically panned at the time, but it has since gained a cult following. It’s a fantasy match made in heaven, with a score by James Horner and effects by ILM.
Magic in the Real World
Let’s overlook for a moment that Nicole Kidman starred in Nora Ephron’s terrible Bewitched remake. She used to play a witch in a movie called Speed 2: Cruise Control, and she was really good at it. Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic, a romantic comedy.
Practical Magic is based on the novel of the same name and tells the storey of two sisters who have magical abilities and a curse: any man who falls in love with them will die. There are enough spells and hexes to keep even the most hardened sceptic entertained. While the film isn’t perfect by any means, it skillfully combines supernatural aspects to depict a powerful and pleasant love storey.
Illusions’ Lord
Clive Barker’s work ranges from the hideous and horrifying to the somewhat disturbing and still a little disgusting. His films Hellraiser and Nightbreed are among the best in the horror genre. The 1995 film Lord of Illusions is one of his lesser-known adaptations. Barker’s renowned Harry D’Amour was played by Scott Bakula in the film, which marked the character’s debut appearance on the big screen.
The Puritan is a film written and directed by Barker about a man who can utilise pure magic. Detective D’Amour is assigned to a case involving a dead psychic, but soon discovers that there is much more to the case than meets the eye. Spectacular practical make-up and effects, as well as magic unique to Barker’s imagination, contribute to the film’s success.
Lord of Illusions is a great, darker magical picture with an intriguing idea and spectacular effects, yet it’s not for the faint of heart.
Hocus Pocus (Hocus Pocus)
The Sanderson Sisters are one of the most well-known cult film groups. The witches, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Milder, and Kathy Najimy, all want to be young and lovely again.
Hocus Pocus is a fantastic Halloween film for children of all ages. It’s difficult not to smile when watching the video, which is filled to the brim with elaborate costumes, goofy spells, and buck teeth. The performances are perfectly campy, yet they work best for individuals who have a nostalgic streak. Fans of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Halloweentown will enjoy this film. As an added bonus, viewers will get to see Bette Milder perform “I Put a Spell on You.”
Stardust
Stardust isn’t simply another movie about a trio of witches trying to maintain their beauty. There’s also a pirate (Robert de Niro), unicorns, and a star embodied as a lady in Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel (Claire Danes). Tristan Thorn, played by Charlie Cox of Daredevil fame, falls in love with the star and becomes the master of his own fate in the plot.
Michelle Pfieffer, Mark Strong, Peter O’Toole, Ricky Gervais, Ian McKellen, and Henry Cavill star in Stardust’s supporting cast. Gaiman’s magic is vibrant and inventive, with excellent world-building and endearing characters. Stardust is a family-friendly mystical experience that is mainly unfocused.
The Art Form
The Craft, one of the most popular witch movies since the 1980s (and there were a lot), is famous for its realistic portrayal of the consequences of spell-casting. While any made-for-Disney-channel witch movie has to include a morality tale, The Craft isn’t afraid to go dark and stay there.
Curses, spells, and more than one murder are included in this film, which follows the narrative of four high school girls with remarkable abilities. This adolescent coven isn’t to be trifled with.
The Craft is a blast to watch, with great acting and effects, as well as a brilliant music. Needless to say, it was a great hit, generating $55 million on a $15 million budget.
The Deceptionist
Despite the presence of Edward Norton and Jessica Biel, this picture was eclipsed by a stronger 2006 film about magicians. But that doesn’t make The Illusionist a bad movie; it’s actually rather good.
The film is set in 19th century Vienna and depicts the narrative of illusionist Eisenheim (Norton) and his journey to be with his true love, Sophie (Biel). Because Sophie is a duchess and Eisenheim is a peasant, their love is prohibited, and Sophie is destined to marry Prince Leopold, who is horrible. The lovers devise a scheme to exploit the powers of illusion to rescue Sophie from her arranged marriage and Leopold’s reigning city of Vienna.
The Illusionist has some fantastic magic moments, ranging from traditional stage shows to calling dead spirits. The CW had planned to adapt the film into a TV show, but nothing has happened since 2014.
Labyrinth
Labyrinth is an unquestionable fantasy masterpiece that mixes the best of the 1980s. The film is visually stunning, with David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, fascinating puppets from Jim Henson Creature Shop, and stunning settings.
Only Jim Henson’s genius could have created the magic in Labyrinth.
Hoggle and Sir Didymus (the charming fox-knight) are both extremely memorable and quite useful puppets. Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, who plays Sarah, are the only human actors in the fantastical realm.
The storey follows Sarah on a coming-of-age mission to save her infant brother Toby from the evil Goblin King who has him kidnapped. It is full of mystical monsters and puts its heart on its sleeve. David Bowie is, without a doubt, incredible; the film would be nothing without him. If you haven’t seen it yet, get to a midnight screening as soon as possible.
Away From It All
Spirited Away is the storey of Chihiro, a little girl stranded in the spirit world, as told by Hayao Miyazaki. Chihiro must work in her bathhouse to free her family and return to the human realm after the witch Yubaba transforms them into pigs, a terrible spectacle.
John Lasseter of Pixar spearheaded the English-language translation of the film. In Japan, it surpassed Titanic as the highest-grossing film of all time, and it went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Shikigami (ghosts), dragons, witches, and No-Face, a creature who eats people, occupy Chihiro’s liminal voyage through the spirit realm. The amazing animation raises the simple Alice-in-Wonderland tale above past re-tellings. The picture is a true piece of wonder, and one of Studio Ghibli’s greatest.
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
The only Harry Potter film and book that does not involve Lord Voldemort is widely regarded as the most powerful. Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, was the first of the eight films to portray Hogwarts students dressed outside of their robes. It also significantly increased the stakes for the characters, resulting in a very darker universe than before.
Rowling’s already massive magical mythology is expanded by the dementors and their lethal kiss, the gentle gigantic Hippogriff, and a professor with a full-moon problem. Gary Oldman’s casting as Sirius Black was brilliant, and the performances of young Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have all steadily improved.
It was impossible to choose just one Harry Potter film, but Cuaron’s won out because it featured some of the series’ most breathtaking magical scenes.
The Privilege |
The Prestige is by far the most awe-inspiring film about the craft, despite the fact that it contains no real magic. Following up on his introduction to Batman in Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan collaborated with Christian Bale once more in this 2006 film.
The Prestige is superior to The Illusionist in practically every way. It follows the storey of rival magicians competing for the best performance. There are some very dramatic and highly cerebral moments in the film, which stars Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, and David Bowie.
The plot twists and turns are among Nolan’s best, and the several acts of magic including sleight-of-hand and escape artistry rate far above most films featuring magicians. The best illustration of the art is still Caine’s speech about how magic works to deceive the audience. Make sure to rewatch Doctor Strange before watching it for the first time, and don’t look up the ending if you’re viewing it for the first time.
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