Fantasy films allow viewers to escape everyday stressors and experience the fun of temporarily stepping into worlds where wizards are real, elves are allies, and good always prevails.
Collider recently released a ranking of “The 8 Most Fun Fantasy Movies of All Time,” which spotlighted films like 1984’s Gremlins, Monty Python and the Holy Grail from 1975, and Shrek, released in 2001.
According to the publication, the Rob Reiner-directed film, 1987’s The Princess Bride, is “the most fun fantasy movie of all time.” Collider argued that the movie, starring Cary Elwes as Westley and Robin Wright as Princess Buttercup, deserved the ranking’s top spot because it’s sweet, delightfully silly, and action-packed.
Rob Reiner Shared How He Ended up Directing ‘The Princess Bride’
The Princess Bride, which holds a score of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, was adapted from late author William Goldman‘s 1973 book. Goldman also penned the film’s script.
In an interview with CenterStage, Reiner, who died in December 2025 at the age of 78, shared that he approached Goldman about wanting to make a Princess Bride film. Reiner said that Goldman agreed to meet with him and his partner, Andrew Scheinman, after he watched “a rough cut” of his 1985 film, The Sure Thing.
According to Reiner, Goldman immediately told him that The Princess Bride was the “favorite thing that [he had] ever written” and wanted to be part of his legacy. After Goldman inquired what he was “planning to do with it,” Reiner assured him he “was trying to protect his book.” Reiner said that after quite some silence, Goldman, who had been jotting down notes, excitedly and unexpectedly said, “Well, I think this is just going great!”
“I was so happy. It was like the greatest moment for me that this person that I idolized was happy to have me do it,” said Reiner in the CenterStage interview.
Goldman, who died in 2018 at the age of 87, also shared details about agreeing to allow Reiner to direct The Princess Bride in a 1987 interview, just before the film’s premiere. Goldman said that he “was convinced of [Reiner’s] passion to make it.” In addition, he said that after watching Reiner’s 1984 satirical mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap, he knew the director was right for the job.