The best Cate Blanchett’s fantasy movies
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actress and theatre director. She has won multiple acting awards, most notably two SAGs, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTAs, and two Academy Awards, as well as the Volpi Cup at the 64th Venice International Film Festival. Blanchett has earned seven Academy Award nominations between 1998 and 2015. Blanchett came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 film Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur, a role which she reprised in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). She is also well-known for her portrayal of the elf queen Galadriel in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) and the The Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), Colonel-Doctor Irina Spalko in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004), Daisy Fuller in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Jasmine Francis in Blue Jasmine (2013), Carol Aird in Carol (2015) and Hela in Thor: Ragnarok (2017). For her roles in The Aviator and Blue Jasmine, Blanchett received Academy Awards. From 2008 to 2013, she and her husband Andrew Upton were artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company.
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Thor: Ragnarok
7.9/10
Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
8.9/10
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
7.4/10
Immediately after the events of The Desolation of Smaug, Bilbo and the dwarves try to defend Erebor's mountain of treasure from others who claim it: the men of the ruined Laketown and the elves of Mirkwood. Meanwhile an army of Orcs led by Azog the Defiler is marching on Erebor, fueled by the rise of the dark lord Sauron. Dwarves, elves and men must unite, and the hope for Middle-Earth falls into Bilbo's hands.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
9/10
Aragorn is revealed as the heir to the ancient kings as he, Gandalf and the other members of the broken fellowship struggle to save Gondor from Sauron's forces. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam take the ring closer to the heart of Mordor, the dark lord's realm.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
8.8/10
Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.
Cinderella
6.9/10
When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger in the woods.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7.8/10
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarves who seek to reclaim their mountain home from Smaug, the dragon.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
7.8/10
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
7.8/10
Five years have passed since Hiccup and Toothless united the dragons and Vikings of Berk. Now, they spend their time charting unmapped territories. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons -- and a mysterious dragon rider who turns out to be Hiccup's mother, Valka. Hiccup and Toothless then find themselves at the center of a battle to protect Berk from a power-hungry warrior named Drago.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7.8/10
I was born under unusual circumstances. And so begins. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans, from the end of World War I in 1918 into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, Benjamin Button, is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.
Pinocchio
7.6/10
Set during the rise of fascism in Mussolini's Italy, Pinocchio is a story of love and disobedience as Pinocchio struggles to live up to his father's expectations.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
6.1/10
When ten-year-old Lewis is suddenly orphaned, he is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan in a creaky (and creepy) old mansion with a mysterious ticking noise that emanates from the walls. Upon discovering that his uncle is a warlock, Lewis begins learning magic, but when he rebelliously resurrects an evil warlock he must find the secret of the house and save the world from destruction.
Sweet Tooth
7.3/10
Set in 1780, Sweet Tooth is a dark and magical fairy tale film inspired by the classic story of Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, but it is the untold story of the wicked witch and her infamous gingerbread house.
Making a Scene
5.7/10
For this year's Movies Issue, The New York Times Magazine commissioned lines from an eclectic and talented group of screenwriters — writers responsible for some of the best scripts of 2013. We asked them each to write a single line for us — not a scene, a script or a scenario, but simply an intriguing, amusing or captivating line of dialogue. Then we gave these lines to one of the great movie artists of our time: the cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, a two-time Oscar winner. Kaminski used these lines as inspiration to create 11 original (very) short films. Each short evokes a style or genre of the cinematic past and stars an actor who gave an especially memorable performance in 2013.
