"I don't understand the point of modern day fantasy
in the first place. Fantasy is a genre that can take you anywhere, even
to places that don't exist. Why go to the trouble of *inventing magic* if
all you're going to do with it is to tell the story of some random kid in
the Big Apple?

I admit it can be fun to speculate that
magic might exist in *our* world. But this is the great fallacy that plagues
and cripples the fantasy genre, both in books and in movies. Fantasy is
seen as a childish escape from the real world. In fact, it is a genre that
can explore the reality of the human condition in a way no other can.
By taking humanity and stripping it of its familiar environment, we
automatically focus on what remains the same. Whether we're in MiddleEarth,
Narnia, Xanadu, or a galaxy far far away, people still live, love, learn, lust,
grow, desire, achieve, fail, fight, sacrifice, and honor. And isn't that
something? Moreover, we can examine whole cultures, societies, and political
structures in isolation by mirroring them in a fantasy world and stripping out
the baggage we bring with us. If I tell a story about "America," "China,"
"Capitalism," "Communism," "Nazis," "Jews," or what have you, your
preconceptions will get in the way of what I'm trying to say. But if I call
these things something else and set the story in some fantasy world (and do a
better job disguising what I'm saying than a certain movie with blue cat
people did), you'll be forced to think about the story on its own terms."

I just wanted to speak out in defense of the modern fantasy. Everything you said about fantasy is true. Especially that it can be the ultimate genre for making a point about human nature - if it's true for an elf (or whatever) it's true for everyone kind of thing. And the fact that it can take you anywhere, even places that don't exist. But, there's a flip side to the ability to take you anywhere. Yes, it's the ultimate escape from reality. For a couple hours (for a movie) or for however long it takes you to read a book you get transported to another world. But, then you come back. Modern fantasy, on the other hand, is the ultimate "what if?" In some ways it can be an even bigger escape from reality than "true" fantasy. Because modern fantasy makes the fantastic seem possible. But, when it's done right it's not just fun and games. It can, like true fantasy, be used to shed light on some aspect of humanity. But, where in true fantasy the entire WORLD becomes a metaphor, in modern fantasy the magic is a metaphor but the story is told in a way that makes it a bit more accessible. Sometimes making it easier for people to relate to the story makes it easier to tell the story.

I'm not explaining this well. Sorry, it's 3:30 in the morning and I should really be sleeping.

BTW Narnia is actually an interesting hybrid. It's a modern fantasy set in another world. It still gives that feeling of being possible "what if there really is a door, somewhere that leads to a whole other world?"