Quite amazingly, five years have elapsed since Game of Thrones concluded its eight-season run in 2019, and although fans remain divided with the final season, the series’ relevance has never waned. While the prequel series House of the Dragon has been partially responsible, a significant reason for its enduring quality is its sheer brilliance, not only for its mesmerizing fantasy spectacle but for its political intrigue, scintillating suspense, and its arresting and often confronting intensity as well.
As such, fans don’t have to stay within the realm of fantasy to recapture the heart-stopping thrill that Game of Thrones so famously provided. While several fantasy titles are simply must-watch movies for all Game of Thrones fans, everything from modern political satires to grueling war films, classic mobster pictures, and even dystopian sci-fi may prove to be just the tonic for those still missing the hit HBO series. These movies are perfect for every Game of Thrones fan, acting as inspired and, sometimes, perfect companions.
15
‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
One of the most overlooked films of the 2020s thus far, The Green Knight presents exactly what one would expect from an epic fantasy adventure handled by the bold creativity of A24. A commanding spin on the Arthurian legend, it follows young Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) as he embarks on a quest to prove his honor and bravery by defeating the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson). On his quest, he encounters ghosts, giants, and thieves while wrestling with his courage and resolve.
The comparisons to Game of Thrones are plain to see, with The Green Knight excelling as a dark and gritty fantasy with its sights firmly set on human nature. Its intriguing reworking of myth and legend to create a unique and spellbinding adventure gives it an alluring and enigmatic quality that is utterly transfixing. Bolstered by breathtaking visuals and Patel’s outstanding lead performance, The Green Knight is a modern masterpiece of fantasy cinema.
14
‘The 13th Warrior’ (1999)
Far better than its poor reviews and abysmal box office figures would suggest, The 13th Warrior is a gritty yet wondrous marriage of historical fantasy and swords-and-sandals action that all lovers of the genre should see. For Game of Thrones fans, it is particularly good for those who enjoyed the story of The Wall and its themes of duty, honor, and standing strong against a formidable and unnatural enemy.
It follows an exiled Arab ambassador as he joins forces with a group of Viking warriors to defend a remote village from an evil and mystifying force descending upon them from the nearby woods. Granted, The 13th Warrior isn’t without its flaws, but it does triumph as a compelling tale of dark fantasy eeriness and the valor of a warrior. Complemented by John McTiernan’s nous for action direction and practical production elements that feel especially immersive and intricate when the film is revisited today, The 13th Warrior stands as a forgotten gem of fantasy action that is perfect for Game of Thrones fans.
13
‘Dragonslayer’ (1981)
Despite being released as a box office flop, Dragonslayer has become an enduring fantasy adventure, one that has steadily amassed a cult following over the decades. Another brilliant dose of pure fantasy for Game of Thrones fans, it follows a young apprentice wizard who must kill a terrible dragon that terrorizes the kingdom of Urland, only sparing its people so long as they provide him with human sacrifices to feed on. The situation takes an urgent turn when the deceptive king’s daughter is to be the dragon’s next sacrifice.
Rich with dark fantasy adventure, exciting action, a wonderfully unconventional love story, and a lovable, bumbling hero worth cheering for, Dragonslayer is an underrated highlight of Disney’s forays into action-fantasy storytelling. In a piece written for The Daily Beast, George R. R. Martin himself heralded Dragonslayer as the fifth-best fantasy picture of all time and labeled its villainous dragon, Vermithrax, “the best dragon ever put on film.”
12
‘Dragonheart’ (1996)
Another forgotten fantasy gem to appeal to those who loved the dragons of Game of Thrones, Dragonheart substitutes the terrifying might that the magical beasts are sometimes presented with in favor of humanity, heart, and gentle wisdom. The 1996 fantasy adventure follows the unlikely partnership between Draco (Sean Connery), the last dragon, and Bowen (Dennis Quaid), a disillusioned dragon-slaying knight, as they work together in defiance of an evil king’s tyrannical reign.
It’s cheesy, childish, and its CGI effects haven’t aged all that gracefully over the years, and yet Dragonheart holds an enduring charm that is difficult to resist, particularly for those who love medieval fantasy indulgence and the air of majesty that surrounds dragons. Complemented by the efforts of its impressive ensemble cast and Randy Edelman’s genuinely exceptional score, Dragonheart stands as a commendable guilty pleasure that plenty of Game of Thrones fans would embrace for its fantasy allure and its surprisingly poignant tale.
11
‘Come and See’ (1985)
Taking a significant stride away from fantasy entertainment, Come and See is a grueling and deeply disturbing war film that may appeal to Game of Thrones fans who were left contemplating some of the brutal horrors the series depicted, particularly in war. Episodes like “Battle of the Bastards” and Season 5’s “Hardhome” are among the highest-rated Game of Thrones episodes on IMDb for their commitment to exhibiting the terror of war and showing humanity at its destructive and savage worst.
Very few films in history have managed to excel in this regard quite like Come and See, a Soviet-Belarussian WWII drama from 1985 that tracks a young boy as he joins a Resistance movement and experiences the atrocities committed in the war. It is a punishing picture, but an important and necessary one that is perfect for fans who enjoy grappling with the more challenging and confronting aspects of Game of Thrones’ morally ambiguous characters.
10
‘Children of Men’ (2006)
Science fiction and fantasy are often lumped together, largely due to both genres taking audiences to vastly different realities and featuring stories with great scope and thematic poignancy. Another aspect that makes them easy to link is their necessity to efficiently and masterfully build a new story world that audiences can understand quickly. While Game of Thrones did this brilliantly, there has perhaps been no greater cinematic achievement in this regard than the criminally underrated 2006 sci-fi drama Children of Men.
Set in a dystopian future where humanity has lost the ability to procreate, it follows a reluctant former activist as he safeguards the first pregnant woman in 18 years through to a mysterious safe harbor at sea. Children of Men is a masterpiece in immersive storytelling, one that thrives as a gripping, action-packed thriller, a contemplative sci-fi spectacle, and a deeply affecting human drama.
9
‘Gladiator’ (2000)
The lack of fantasy allure aside, Gladiator is a perfect movie for Game of Thrones fans on account of its astonishing scope, rich historical setting, and its ability to weave together a story of stirring, vengeful passion with overtones of political corruption and the elusive nature of power. Russell Crowe stars as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman general who is betrayed by the emperor’s son when he kills his father to seize power and orders Maximus and his family to be murdered. Surviving the assassination attempt, Maximus becomes a gladiator with a mission to return to Rome to instill the vision Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) had for the senate while avenging his slain wife and child.
Ridley Scott’s ability to realize such a vast sense of scale while still delivering a rousing revenge story is brilliant, as is the brutal realization of the combat sequences, the gripping intensity of the performances, and the captivating atmosphere of power, corruption, and Roman glory. With even John Mathieson’s cinematography and Hans Zimmer’s gorgeous score worthy of singling out for praise, Gladiator soars across all disciplines of filmmaking as a defining triumph of epic cinema.
8
‘The Death of Stalin’ (2017)
Beneath all the fantasy glamour and the confronting violence, Game of Thrones is ultimately a political thriller, with each character a ruthless and cunning figure hoping to secure power and prestige. While this basic, oversimplified concept makes for pulsating drama, it can also conjure riotous satire, as is the case in Armando Iannucci’s underrated, darkly comic masterpiece The Death of Stalin.
Featuring an exceptional cast, it focuses on several advisors and followers of Joseph Stalin as they scramble to outwit each other in the wake of the Soviet Union leader’s sudden and unexpected demise. Running with a razor-sharp wit and a deliciously cynical perspective on humanity, The Death of Stalin mercilessly skewers politics to be a hilarious historical film that draws clear parallels to the modern day. Replacing the Red Wedding with the Red Scare and bloodshed with belly-laughs, The Death of Stalin is a great comedy for those who enjoy Game of Thrones’ scheming politics.
7
‘The Lives of Others’ (2006)
Another foray into political cinema, The Lives of Others is an Academy Award-winning German spy movie set in East Germany in 1984. It follows Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe), an espionage agent for the Stasi who is assigned to observe the conversations between a playwright and his lover. As he grows interested in their lives, Gerd begins to doubt the purpose of his task.
While the film may not closely replicate the political scheming that made Game of Thrones so intoxicating, The Lives of Others does maintain the same sense of moral ambiguity, using its bleak tone and historical setting to present an intriguing story about human connection. Additionally, spycraft played a significant though largely invisible role throughout Game of Thrones, and fans who were interested in that underlying deceit would do well to seek out The Lives of Others as a rewarding and surprisingly sincere movie about invading someone’s privacy while living behind the Iron Curtain.
6
‘The Last Duel’ (2021)
With its gritty, high-stakes medieval atmosphere, compelling focus on political intrigue and codes of honor, and its penchant for graphic and brutal violence, The Last Duel is able to match the intensity, aesthetic, and general themes of Game of Thrones, even with the stark differences between the stories. The biggest difference resides in The Last Duel’s basis, with the movie depicting true events that transpired in 14th-century France when the friendship of two knights is stained by an accusation of sexual assault and a looming fight to the death.
Like Game of Thrones, The Last Duel excels at conjuring a tone of imposing tension. It delivers a promise of violence and death that isn’t exciting or thrilling so much as it is stomach-churning. Also armed with a realistic understanding of human nature in all its egotistical and selfish complexity and an intriguing true story of a woman’s charge for justice in the Middle Ages, The Last Duel holds a certain gravitas that will resonate with many Game of Thrones fans.
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