The first movie I ever saw in the cinema was the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The first cartoon I remember anticipating was The Flintstones. The first real novel I remember completing was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I remember waking up at 6 A.M on Saturdays to catch the omnibus of Power Rangers. I have read every book so far from the Song of Ice and Fire series no less than three times, and seen every episode of Game of Thrones at least as many times.
Why is any of this important? I don’t think it is an accident that I love fantasy movies, tv-shows and books so much. But even then, there must be something about the books and tv shows listed above. The magic of fantasy.
Granted, there is an argument to be made that the Flintstones is not fantasy, and Power Rangers is much closer to sci-fi than it is fantasy, but they still inspire the same sense of awe that the other titles above do.
So what is it about fantasy? Well, it’s in the name, fantasy. The Word inspires imagination. It transports you to a different world, of mystery and wonder. Where anything can happen. Anyone from anywhere can do anything, because that is what fantasy is. You are no longer limited by the laws of governments, or physics, or maths or language. If you can think it, you can do it.
Want to fly? Who needs planes? You could fly on the giant eagles like Gandalf in the Return of the King. Don’t like that? How about on a pterodactyl like the Flintstones did, or on a dragon like Daenerys does in the song of ice and fire series. Want a spin on that? Try the pterodactyl zord of the pink ranger in the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. And if you want to avoid animals all together, then there is still the flying brooms of Harry Potter.
That is the magic of fantasy. It allows you break out of the tedium of daily life. We could wake up whenever we want, lets say noon, it is fantasy after all. Work? I have too much of that in my real life, so lets say none of that. So, I have the whole day, well, whats left of it, to kill. So maybe I decide to kill something else instead. Lets say an ugly, evil giant. We know its evil because it’s ugly, and it’s a giant. Great, now, I’m the hero. But I have to get to the giant. No cars in this world, no thank you. I think I’d have a giant war badger instead. The only thing I need now is a weapon with which to smite the giant. A sword perhaps? But I am no swordsman. I’ve never even swung a sword in my life. Oh well, in this world I’m a natural. So here I go, charging on the back of a giant badger, sword in hand, the sun overhead, into battle with an evil giant. All from the comfort and safety of my couch.
So, whether you choose to lose yourself in the serenity of the shire, or the intrigue of Westeros, or the pure wonder of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one thing is for sure, the genre of fantasy is as awe-inspiring as any other. In short, fantasy is simply fantastic.
A.F.Olufowose 