Fantasy Resurgence? It's Complicated!

With the new Wheel of Time season releasing, Netflix producing a Narnia film series, and House of the Dragon being one of the only things keeping people subscribed to Max, I think there's something to say about a small Fantasy Resurgence.

Galadriel in Rings of Power 1x8 (Amazon)

Ever since Game of Thrones [GoT] dominated the cultural zeitgeist for a good chunk of its lifespan, many studios have been trying to recapture that excitement. And while this has been a wider phenomenon, I will focus on Amazon's shows as they have been at the forefront with both Rings of Power and Wheel of Time.

Now, first a little definer, Fantasy will not include shows that take place in our world but with magical elements; it will refer to shows that take place in a fictional world. It will not include Science Fiction (sorry Dune) or other similar genres.

Ever since the Lord of the Rings trilogy, released in the early 2000s, everyone has wanted to have their own, but it was rarely taken into account that the general fantasy novel from the 20th century was difficult to adapt. Just look at the failed Golden Compass film (starring Daniel Craig, I have a picture of him from that film on my wall).

Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass (R) and Cillian Murphey as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (L)

Most of these books are very long, 300+ pages, with a large cast of characters, and many plotlines running at the same time. Honestly, if I were them, I'd just make a bunch of TV Shows.

Which they did, but tv shows have also changed. Let's look at 2022's Rings of Power and 2016's Shannara Chronicles. The Shannara Chronicles is an adaptation of the 'Sword of Shannara' trilogy written by Terry Brooks. It ran 2 seasons with 10 episodes each (20 for the whole show). Rings of Power is based on a section of the Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien, concerning the first War of the Ring. So far, there have been 2 seasons with 8 episodes each. Now the average Rings of Power episode is 60 minutes, and the average Shannara Chronicles episode is 40, so those two episodes are made up for with runtime, but it still doesn't quite feel the same. Since 2016, the TV show formula has shifted more towards "8 mini-movies" from "10-20 episodes" and, in a sense, has become a way to make a "mini cinematic universe". Now, the Shannara Chronicles is subpar compared to Rings of Power, but it marks a shift away from fantasy film to fantasy TV. And while this isn't necessarily bad, it is greatly hindered by many things, especially the aforementioned "mini-movie" issue.

Another issue that plagues the current state of fantasy TV is the aesthetics. The landmark of the Lord of the Rings has basically controlled the look of fantasy films since its release. Elves always look the same, dwarves always look the same, and so on and so forth. This has almost led to a prioritization of aesthetics over substance, which isn't that unbelievable; if a film looks good enough, people will watch it, even if it's really bad (I'm looking at you, The Dreamers). And while these aesthetics aren't always present, when they are, they tend to overwhelm the message and plot. This could be more due to how fantasy functions as a more escapist genre as it is (arguably) one of the least tethered to reality. But in all, it really hinders the genre as many times their source material is actually saying something, and it's completely cut from the screen adaptation.

The final issue is less of a genre problem but a studio problem. Disney+ show Willow had a single-season run before getting canceled and pulled from streaming. The current atmosphere of having to perform great every season is damaging the way TV shows operate. No more ambiguous "until next season" endings, or longstanding plotlines; everything wraps up immediately, and there is not enough pushing of boundaries in fear of alienating the audience.

This is not to say there is nothing good in these shows; I mean, I love Bear McCreary's score for Rings of Power. But as an avid Silmarillion fan, I can't help but feel like the show's main goal is to recreate the love that was given to both GoT and the film trilogy. The obsession with those older adaptations hinders growth, and in general, most people don't want to watch something with nothing to say, which is why I do not think a "Fantasy Resergence" will happen in film any time soon, and when it does happen, it will be because of a resurgence in books first.