IndieWire's 40 Best Fantasy Films

Indiewire's list description: "Home is behind; the world ahead." J.R.R. Tolkien's motto in "The Lord of the Rings" also captures one of the things that's so powerful and intoxicating about the art of movies itself: that feeling of leaping through the screen, leaving your life behind, and being immersed in something totally new. Escapism is often used as a dismissive term, even by those who use it endearingly. But the cinema has a capacity for escape unlike any other medium — shouldn't that be embraced?The best fantasy filmmakers — Jean Cocteau, Guillermo del Toro, and Hayao Miyazaki, among so many others — understand the psychological power of escapism. Sometimes you need to step outside of yourself to look back in. The best escapist entertainments ultimately bring us back to ourselves...