Polygon.com - Fantasy

Star Wars just officially changed the meaning of Rise of Skywalker's most important twist

Aimee Hart — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:00:12 GMT

The Star Wars sequel trilogy is not known for being particularly cohesive. Disney seemingly had far too many cooks in the kitchen and overreacted to angry fan feedback. By the time The Rise of Skywalker was released in 2019, the biggest question wasn't what would come next from that galaxy far away, but how a trilogy that started so promisingly ended up going so wrong.

A new Critical Role story will follow one of The Mighty Nein's most popular characters

Aimee Hart — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:00:12 GMT

Critters know and love the tales of Critical Role's mightiest adventuring parties, Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein, and Bells Hells. Songs are sung about their deeds and adventures where they've fought giants, dragons, and even gods — but what about the people whose lives they've impacted? What's there to know about their stories?

For Star Wars 50th anniversary, Disney is officially remaking the original trilogy

Aimee Hart — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 18:35:58 GMT

The 50th anniversary of Star Wars is just around the corner, and Lucasfilm is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the legendary original trilogy that gave birth to a galaxy-changing franchise beloved by millions around the globe.

The biggest dinosaur movie of the year officially arrives in 3 week

Brian VanHooker — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:00:12 GMT

If you put dinosaurs in your movie, I’m going to show up. Having grown up with Jurassic Park, I’ve been a dinosaur nerd since I was a kid and I still get excited for any chance I have to see dinosaurs on the big screen. Nowadays, that’s usually in the Jurassic World franchise, but in three weeks, another movie featuring dinosaurs is coming to theaters, and it looks like a lot of fun — or at least like it will tide me over until the next Jurassic World installment.

The best way to watch to see The Odyssey? Any movie theater

Oli Welsh — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:13:57 GMT

I look forward to seeing The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm. But I will be looking forward to it for some time. I live in London, UK, where we're lucky enough to have two movie theaters equipped with 70mm IMAX projectors. Both theaters are completely sold out for the entirety of their runs of The Odyssey, deep into September. Not one seat available. I'm reasonably hopeful new showtimes will be added at some point — the movie is a sensation — but I'm already feeling anxious about snapping up the tickets quick enough when they are.

Critical Role announces exciting new tabletop adventure

Aimee Hart — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:25:51 GMT

The minds behind Critical Role have proven themselves time and again to be masters at creating fantastical worlds and adventures for its cast to embark on, all for the enjoyment of fans across the globe. Alongside three actual-play Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, Matthew Mercer and his fellow co-founders have all had a hand in developing multiple miniseries, animated adaptations, and spinoff adventures for Dungeons & Dragons, Daggerheart, and Candela Obscura.

The best dark fantasy epic of 2025 is finally streaming on Netflix

Aimee Hart — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:00:12 GMT

Let’s be honest: we’re seven months into 2026, and there’s been a shocking lack of movie musicals. What’s worse, most that have been released this year — shout out to the utterly pointless and box-office-bomb live-action version of Moana — have been utter duds. What stirs the heart in a musical movie differs from person to person, but we can all agree the best ones have songs that lean into their role as narrative tools while also reflecting the world we live in.

House of the Dragon showrunner teases more dragons to come

Aimee Hart — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:16:03 GMT

If there's one thing that House of the Dragon doesn't skimp on, it's giving airtime to many different dragons and their riders. That's no surprise, as the TV series is based on the Targaryen civil war, also known as the Dance of the Dragons.

House of the Dragon finally solves a political mystery that Game of Thrones never did

Aimee Hart — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 01:45:12 GMT

George R.R. Martin’s fantasy books set in the world of Westeros are full of political intrigue, and HBO has brought that to life with relative ease in Game of Thrones,House of the Dragon, and even in the more commoner-oriented TV series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. From Aegon’s Conquest of Westeros to Robert’s Rebellion against the Targaryen dynasty, the fragile alliances and endless scheming that hold Westeros together are a big part of what keeps audiences coming back for more, and obsessing over the story in between new seasons.

Did Christopher Nolan undercut the sirens in The Odyssey?

Brian VanHooker — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 18:00:12 GMT

I’ll admit, whatever grade it was where I learned about Greek mythology, I must not have paid that close of attention. So prior to seeing Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, my understanding of the story was vague at best and heavily influenced by the Coen brothers movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? That said, I know about the sirens — everyone knows about the sirens. Along with the cyclops, the sirens are one of the most famous parts of The Odyssey. Yet when I saw Nolan’s movie, I was surprised by just how little screen time they occupied. It was so little, in fact, that I wondered if Nolan cut anything out of the original story.