Actor Orlando Bloom (1977)

aIn the Victorian fantasy world of Carnival Row (2019–2023), Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne take on the roles of two star-crossed lovers. The city is filled with mythical creatures who have been displaced from their homelands by invading human empires. These immigrants struggle to coexist with their human counterparts in the city’s grimiest district, where they are forbidden to fully live, love, or even fly freely. Despite the darkness and intolerance surrounding them, there is still glimmers of hope as a forbidden romance blossoms between Rycroft Philostrate, a ...

The American swashbuckler fantasy film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. In the opening scene, young Henry Turner leaves his home in the dark of night on a rowboat, only to find himself pulled down to the bottom of the sea and inside the cursed ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. He reunites with his cursed father, Captain Will Turner, and seeks out the fabled Trident of Poseidon to break his father’s curse. However, Will discourages him from this seemingly impossible task and sends him back to ...

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) is an epic high fantasy adventure film, directed by Peter Jackson with a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro, and Jackson himself. It is based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel of the same name. As Smaug sets Laketown ablaze, Bilbo and the Dwarves watch from the Lonely Mountain. Bard manages to escape ...

Director Peter Jackson brought us an epic high fantasy adventure film titled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013). Adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel, it was written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro, and Jackson himself. As Thorin Oakenshield and his companions flee from Azog and his Orc party, they seek refuge in the home of Beorn – a ...

The American romantic comedy-drama anthology film, New York, I Love You (2008), showcases 11 short films directed by different filmmakers. Each of the shorts explores the theme of love and is set in one of the five boroughs of New York City. It first premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival in September and was later released in the United States on October 16, 2009. However, during a focus screening in New York, it was decided to cut two novellas from the original version: These Vagabond Shoes by Scarlett Johansson and Apocrypha by Andrei ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), an American epic fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, follows the story of Lord Cutler Beckett’s tyrannical rule over the seas. He orders Davy Jones to destroy all pirate ships and executes anyone affiliated with piracy in Port Royal. In response to this threat, nine Pirate Lords are called upon to convene at Shipwreck Cove for the Brethren Court. However, due to Jack Sparrow’s absence and lack of a named successor, Barbossa, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) is a swashbuckling adventure directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. At the wedding of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, their celebration is cut short when Lord Cutler Beckett arrives at Port Royal with arrest warrants. These charges stem from their involvement in freeing Captain Jack Sparrow. However, they are not the only ones on Beckett’s list. ...

Kingdom of Heaven (2005) is a historical drama, directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by William Monahan. In medieval France, Balian, a grief-stricken blacksmith, is approached by a band of Crusaders visiting his village. Their leader, Balian’s father Baron Godfrey, invites him to join their journey to the Holy Land, but he declines. That night, Balian learns the truth about his wife’s death from his half-brother, the town priest, and in a fit of anger kills him. The next day, seeking redemption for his actions and peace for his wife’s soul ...

Troy (2004) is an epic historical war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff. Set in 1250 BC, the film tells the story of King Agamemnon’s quest to unite the Greek kingdoms. The heroic warrior Achilles fights for Agamemnon, despite his disdain for the king’s tyrannical ways. Meanwhile, Prince Hector of Troy and his brother Paris are negotiating a peace treaty with Menelaus, King of Sparta. However, Paris begins an affair with Menelaus’ wife, Queen Helen, and smuggles her aboard his ship as they return home. Hector reluctantly ...

The Australian-British film Ned Kelly (2003) is based on the 1991 novel Our Sunshine by Robert Drewe. Directed by Gregor Jordan, the adapted screenplay was written by John Michael McDonagh. As a child, Ned saved a young boy from drowning and was awarded a ‘hero sash’. Growing up in Victoria, where he was born, the Catholic Irish settler lives with his widowed mother Ellen, younger brother Dan, and sisters Kate and Grace. At their house, Ned’s friend Joe and Dan’s friend Steve are frequent ...

The epic high fantasy adventure film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), was directed by Peter Jackson and written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson. Based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s third volume of the novel series, The Return of the King (1955), it follows the journey of Sméagol, a hobbit who becomes consumed by the power of the One Ring after murdering his cousin Déagol to obtain it. As ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, it’s based on the popular Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney theme parks. In the 18th century, Governor Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth, sail aboard HMS Dauntless. During their voyage, they come across a shipwrecked survivor named Will Turner. However, when Elizabeth takes a gold medallion from around Will’s neck, she ...

The film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), directed by Peter Jackson and written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Jackson himself, is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s second volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, titled The Two Towers. In one of his dreams, Frodo Baggins envisions Gandalf battling a Balrog in Moria, before ...

Black Hawk Down (2001) is a war film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by Ken Nolan. Based on journalist Mark Bowden’s 1999 book of the same name, it revolves around the events of 1992 when the United Nations Security Council authorized a military operation with a peacekeeping mandate in southern Somalia during the civil war and famine. However, tensions arise between UNOSOM II and Mogadishu’s militia loyal to ...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) is an epic fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson and written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson. It is based on the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, also titled The Fellowship of the Ring, which was published in 1954. The story takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth and revolves around the Rings of Power given to the ...