4 Fantasy Movies That Are Quietly Great (But Have An Awful Tomatoes Score)

Even though we know these days that a low Rotten Tomatoes score from critics shouldn’t be taken too seriously, the truth is that it can still have some influence on whether people decide to watch a movie. However, most of the time (if not always), that score doesn’t tell the whole story. In the fantasy genre specifically, some films were widely criticized for everything from simplistic writing to over-the-top visuals, only for those same things to become part of what audiences loved about them. Give a poorly reviewed movie a chance, and you might understand why. They are definitely not perfect, but they have much more to offer than their critics’ reviews might suggest.

In this list, you’ll find some fantasy features that are truly great, timeless, and even considered classics, yet somehow, only audiences seemed to recognize that. But more interesting than just saying that RT got it wrong is understanding why these movies failed to win over critics in the first place. If you love any of them, you might be surprised by the reasons.

4) Dracula (2025)

When you think of the vampire Dracula, you probably think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, even though the story has been adapted many times over the years. Still, one of the most recent ones had a somewhat unexpected result, because audiences loved it while critics were so much more divided (with mostly negative reviews). And it’s easy to understand why, to some extent, since this isn’t a traditional new adaptation, but rather a gothic fantasy about loss and obsession. 2025’s Dracula follows a prince (Caleb Landry Jones) who loses the woman (Zoe Bleu Sidel) he loves and, after defying God and death itself, spends centuries trying to find her again. In other words, anyone expecting a more conventional horror movie based on this classic probably didn’t find what they were looking for.

The idea behind this Dracula is to be a tragic romance, with a focus on spectacle and the lavish visual style that is typical of Luc Besson’s work. It’s drama in its most artistic form, so to speak. And while some choices here and there don’t entirely work, such as the consistent tone, they are also what kept the film from feeling like just another version of the same story. Critics pointed out that it didn’t have enough suspense or seduction, but for audiences, that was actually a positive. Cinema doesn’t need to keep giving us updated versions of the same plot as time goes by; it’s good to have a different and innovative take.

3) Legend

It’s a little difficult to talk about Legend as it’s a movie that has become a classic, but at the same time, it’s not exactly one of the greatest. To be honest, it feels like a production made specifically for a certain audience and, even more so, for its time. On the other hand, even though it hasn’t aged particularly well, some important aspects still make it a good experience, believe it or not. Here, Jack (Tom Cruise) has to protect the last unicorns and save Princess Lili (Mia Sara) after she gets caught up in the plans of Darkness (Tim Curry), a creature who wants to plunge the world into permanent darkness. It’s a basic fantasy premise, and the script makes no attempt to add much complexity, but the ridiculously inventive visuals are what make it all worthwhile.

Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie gives you a world full of creatures, forests, costumes, and sets that make it look very different from what you usually saw in the ’80s (and even today). On top of that, Curry’s performance is the biggest highlight. The problem is that relying only on those elements without making the whole production feel more balanced was a mistake that critics noticed. And okay, it’s hard to defend the movie that much when you stop and think about every little detail, but expecting it to work solely as a traditional fantasy narrative means missing a big part of why it became so memorable to some people (even if it’s largely forgotten today). Legend is a good feature, but you just have to stop caring so much about how simple it is, because being simple isn’t necessarily a flaw.

2) Hocus Pocus

Timeless and having crossed generations, it’s hard to believe that Hocus Pocus was once considered a bad movie. A classic that you can watch every Halloween and still enjoy; it even got a sequel (and another one currently in development). It follows Max (Omri Katz), a teenager who accidentally resurrects the Sanderson sisters, three witches who were executed in Salem centuries earlier, and must find a way to stop them from regaining their powers. As a witch movie, it’s pretty campy — but that’s what makes it so fun to watch and keeps it from ever losing its charm. Also, the cast is outstanding: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy aren’t just threatening, but also great comedians throughout the story. Their dynamic is the real appeal.

Maybe critics were expecting something more serious and darker, since the film was criticized for being too simple, having inconsistent humor, uninteresting child characters, and leaving its target audience unsure whether it was supposed to be a comedy, fantasy, or horror movie. But people clearly disagreed with that assessment, as the most important thing about Hocus Pocus is its atmosphere. It has that whole ’90s movie vibe, with a dated Halloween aesthetic that everyone seems to miss today, and it’s more fun because it isn’t sophisticated (partly thanks to the music). All of that gave the production an identity of its own. In the end, critics saw a mediocre family comedy, while audiences found a Halloween movie they actually want to rewatch every year.

1) Hook

Hook is now one of the forgotten and most underrated films in the fantasy genre. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the idea here is to take Peter Pan and turn it into a simple question: what would happen if one of the most iconic characters actually grew up? Here, Peter (Robin Williams) is a lawyer obsessed with his work who no longer remembers that he was once Peter Pan — until Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his children and forces him to return to Neverland. It’s a very emotional production (as you’d expect from the director), and maybe that’s why critics didn’t give it much attention, considering it too sentimental. Plus, it was criticized for trying to do too many things at once, while the direction was described as being on “autopilot.”

It’s clear to almost everyone that professional reviews tend to be rigid and often struggle to think outside the box, which is exactly what this movie requires. So in this case, people loved what critics didn’t: the excess. Hook has one of the most fun fantasy worlds in cinema, along with a first-rate cast. But more importantly, its story is genuinely good because of its attempt to explore the idea of growing older, losing your connection to childhood, and finding that part of yourself again later in life. That naturally resonates with anyone watching it. No movie is free of flaws, but this is one that prioritized the experience, its connection with many generations, and the message it wanted to deliver.