Honoring Alan Rickman: 8 Films to Watch

With Alan Rickman’s passing January 14, 2016, many have turned to remembering the entertainer. While many will remember him best as Severus Snape in “Harry Potter,” Rickman devoted an impressive amount of his filmography to films the entire family could enjoy.

If you would like to remember this incredible actor, here are eight films you can watch with the entire family.

Help! I’m a Fish

This delightful Danish film for children follows the adventures of three children who turn into fish. They must fight Joe, the pilot fish, who plots to create an underwater community of intelligent fish.

Alan Rickman’s role as the suddenly intelligent Joe lifts the juvenile material into something that feels urgent and sinister.

Alice in Wonderland

“Harry Potter” isn’t the only billion dollar franchise that Rickman has taken part in. He played the tone-setting caterpillar in Tim Burton’s 2010 “Alice in Wonderland.” Prior to his death, he wrapped filming the sequel, “Alice Through the Looking Glass” which will debut in May of this year.

Galaxy Quest

Rickman’s role as Alexander Dane may have foreshadowed his future career being identified almost exclusively as Snape. In “Galaxy Quest,” Rickman plays an actor sick of being identified for only one role in a sci-fi TV series.

The movie is currently available on Netflix.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Rickman had a penchant for appearing in beloved stories. His role in the 2005 goofball flick “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” has him playing a robot with clinical depression.

The film didn’t catch on at the box office, so unfortunately it slipped under many people’s radar. If you haven’t yet, take a chance to see Rickman bring to life another beloved fictional character.

Sense and Sensibility

Rickman was the master of playing characters whose deep goodness existed under the surface. His role as Colonel Brandon in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” may be one of his best.

If you haven’t sat down to watch this PG period drama with your family, we recommend you do. There are too many opportunities for interesting conversations with your kids to miss.

Truly Madly Deeply

If you loved the Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze film “Ghost,” then “Truly, Madly, Deeply” may not be for you. The film is about a boyfriend (Rickman) who returns after his death to pester his girlfriend until she’s ready to move on.

This quirky, hillarious rom-com is definitely worth excavating for any serious Rickman fan.

Quigley Down Under

If you remember “Quigley Down Under,” it’s probably as a Tom Selleck vehicle in his post “Magnum P.I.” days. But the film is definitely worth a look for Rickman’s layered depiction of an old-west idolizing, racist, Australian land owner.

The role, which could have been stereotypically evil, is elevated in Rickman’s hands.

Harry Potter

Severus Snape is the role that would define Rickman for a generation. “Harry Potter” gave him the opportunity to combine his menacing voice work with his penchant for the fantastic and his ability to redeem the most surly of characters.

If you insist on rewatching all eight films in the Harry Potter saga, let us at least suggest you don’t do it all tonight.

What are your favorite Alan Rickman films?