I saw a short clip of this while watching Tech TV. They also interviewed the writer. They talked about how they stuck to the game and stuff. That interested me. So I rented it.
The movie had a low budget. Not stupid crazy low, but low enough that the stunts were a little weak and stuff like that. I'd call them "TV series" good. Other than that, it really wasn't that bad at all. If you are a D&D fan, you shouldn't be too disappointed. They really do stick to the game rules and stuff. Basically, if you took one of the old modules/campaigns and made a movie, this is what it would have been like. The actors actually read the Player's Handbook and other stuff. Monsters where right out of the books, etc. Through out the movie, they would make refferences to other D&D modules and stuff. So, they really stuck to the D&D lore. The party was made up of a 7th level fighter, 7th level Cleric, 7th level Barbarian, 9th level Wizard and I don't remember the level of the Rogue. Each character played just like they should have, behaved the way they should have, etc. Again, they had D&D experts on the set coaching the actors, director, etc. It was cool to watch the Cleric turn undead, the wizard do her thing, etc. Again, you have to be a D&D geek to enjoy this movie. And not even a hard core geek. Cause I didn't know the difference between arcane and divine magic until they explained it. And I cought them doing that a few times. They'd mention something a hard core player would just know, but then give a quick explination for those that don't.
Over all, I give it a HUGE MONSTEROUS thumb up for sticking to the game lore and staying true to the D&D fans. Can't stress that enough. Especially in this day and age of destruction of material because someone's ego is dumb and stuff. However, I think it will really only appeal to D&D fans and younger boys. And that's because it IS a D&D story.
Watch it for the D&D. Watch it for an outstanding example of how hollywood should treat other people's stuff.
Oh, ya, they even stayed true to the whole sequal thing. It takes place 100 years after the other movie did. However, I don't remember seeing all of the first one. But what I remember seeing, was aweful. But, it was a continuation of the first story, in some way. However, they went back to the D&D roots and kept it real.
Dungeons and Dragons - Wrath fo the Dragon God
It was a bit goofy, but I enjoyed it.
I thought the lich was the best part of the film. (Also the best monster in UO)
I thought the lich was the best part of the film. (Also the best monster in UO)
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
The commentary was just creepy. Three disturbingly stereotypical extreme D&D geeks (who work for WoTC, it turns out) talk like their characters about what they are seeing. One was a LG cleric type, one the stupid and violent (and drunken) barbarian, and one a girly halfling rogue.
You know those vid clips online of people doing their best to make fun of this sort of person by playing the roles to the unbelievable extreme? Well, this was like that, except I'm pretty sure they weren't kidding.
*shudder*
You know those vid clips online of people doing their best to make fun of this sort of person by playing the roles to the unbelievable extreme? Well, this was like that, except I'm pretty sure they weren't kidding.
*shudder*
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
No love for the Lich Lord?
TKV's first house was in the heart. (Remember that from the overhead map?) The heart was also home to a lich. I would argue that he was the most popular lich in the game.
I remember when I was kinda new and Gordo and Cake were puppies, we tried to fight the lich. This resulted in our entire guild, something like 8 guys at the time, being killed and the lich moving into our house for a bit of time. This, of course, was back before they nerfed the liches. (Is it liches or lichs?)
I also remember using that lich a LOT in PvPer battles. He became a pretty good unwitting ally.
Nothing was funnier than sitting on our porch as enemies talked trash to us while standing in our yard only to hear that familiar cackle and then watch them get their asses handed to them by the lich. (Damn, do I miss those days.)
So I'm partial to the normal lich.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
Saw this flick this weekend. It was a distraction from coding.
Firstly, I'll say that it beat the living shit out of its predecessor. But that's kinda like calling one Police Academy film better than another. The writing was average, the characters felt a bit shallow (but had more depth than I would've expected). Way too much CG, but what the fuck else were they gonna do? The acting was a notch or two above typical B-movie shit. The director did a decent job up until the third act, at which point I felt the the movie just get uninteresting, clunky, & considerably less enjoyable.
A buddy of mine a major D&D nerd. He said that WotC had a rules lawyer on the set just in case someone got the idea to try something that wasn't in line w\ the current set o' rules. If this is true, dear god, it's depressing. It brings the level of nerdiness in this film from "super" to "uber." It is almost exactly like what would happen if someone took a classic good v. evil story, made it into a campaign, & then tried to film it. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if they actually rolled up some characters, played them thru the adventure, & then modified the script a little based on the gaming session. It was the moments of nerdiness that made me wince the most.
It pains me to say this, but I actually see potential here. If they'd get some decent actors, stop treating it like a campaign on film, & make it into a story, they could definitely churn out something good. But the moments of nerdiness must be excised.
All in all, it was somewhat entertaining for about two-thirds of its runtime.
Edited By Malcolm on 1153756223
Firstly, I'll say that it beat the living shit out of its predecessor. But that's kinda like calling one Police Academy film better than another. The writing was average, the characters felt a bit shallow (but had more depth than I would've expected). Way too much CG, but what the fuck else were they gonna do? The acting was a notch or two above typical B-movie shit. The director did a decent job up until the third act, at which point I felt the the movie just get uninteresting, clunky, & considerably less enjoyable.
A buddy of mine a major D&D nerd. He said that WotC had a rules lawyer on the set just in case someone got the idea to try something that wasn't in line w\ the current set o' rules. If this is true, dear god, it's depressing. It brings the level of nerdiness in this film from "super" to "uber." It is almost exactly like what would happen if someone took a classic good v. evil story, made it into a campaign, & then tried to film it. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if they actually rolled up some characters, played them thru the adventure, & then modified the script a little based on the gaming session. It was the moments of nerdiness that made me wince the most.
It pains me to say this, but I actually see potential here. If they'd get some decent actors, stop treating it like a campaign on film, & make it into a story, they could definitely churn out something good. But the moments of nerdiness must be excised.
All in all, it was somewhat entertaining for about two-thirds of its runtime.
Edited By Malcolm on 1153756223
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
I believe I'll 'Flix both of the D&D films just so I can get a good contrast. & truth be told, I wasn't paying a helluva lot of attention to the second one.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
One of my greatest strengths is my myriad of contacts I have who always seem to have things I can use. One of them had this flick, so I didn't need to wait for 'Flix. Review forthcoming. However, I started watching the DVD extras. Holy fucking hell. It's scary shit. This is nerdom on a scale of epic proportions.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Synoposis :
The execs at Wizards of the Coast got contacted by some fucker to make another D&D flick. They probably ordered some pizza, drank some Dew, & played thru a few games. Then they put one of the games to film.
Apparently, it involved an undead mage trying to bring back the dragon god of death & decay.
Review :
This is not a movie. This is a simulation. The only actor that I've ever heard of is Bruce Payne. To say that his performance was over the top or scenery-chewing would be insufficient. He didn't just chew the scenery, he slow-roasted it, seasoned it, ate it, shat it out, & then tried to fling it at the other characters. Aside from a couple mentions to Profion, he's also the only link to the first film.
Every single character actually had a character sheet. They had stats, feats, levels, etc. The evil dude has his own mock Monster Manual entry. There was a rep from WotC to make sure everyone adhered to rules. The cast had to read various D&D manuals for research.
The actual entertainment value here is suspect. The acting certainly isn't good, the plot is extremely weak, scenes that shouldn't've been edited were edited, & way too much CG & greenscreen gets used.
Then again, considering how utterly horrible the original was, this sequel outshines it hands down. But it's still sitting in the grey area between "crap" & "decent." & that area is HUGE. They've kept the door open for a sequel, but it'll probably be another exercise in B-movie making coupled w\ nerdism wet dreams & fantasies. But, there is also the potential to make an entertaining flick.
Oh, yes. The one shot of the elf mage where she's riding on a boat in the beginning ... that looked far too close to the chick on the cover of the EQ box.
Verdict : 1 star. Barely worth renting. & even then it's only for the niche market or those interested in this sort of thing.
Edited By Malcolm on 1159722260
The execs at Wizards of the Coast got contacted by some fucker to make another D&D flick. They probably ordered some pizza, drank some Dew, & played thru a few games. Then they put one of the games to film.
Apparently, it involved an undead mage trying to bring back the dragon god of death & decay.
Review :
This is not a movie. This is a simulation. The only actor that I've ever heard of is Bruce Payne. To say that his performance was over the top or scenery-chewing would be insufficient. He didn't just chew the scenery, he slow-roasted it, seasoned it, ate it, shat it out, & then tried to fling it at the other characters. Aside from a couple mentions to Profion, he's also the only link to the first film.
Every single character actually had a character sheet. They had stats, feats, levels, etc. The evil dude has his own mock Monster Manual entry. There was a rep from WotC to make sure everyone adhered to rules. The cast had to read various D&D manuals for research.
The actual entertainment value here is suspect. The acting certainly isn't good, the plot is extremely weak, scenes that shouldn't've been edited were edited, & way too much CG & greenscreen gets used.
Then again, considering how utterly horrible the original was, this sequel outshines it hands down. But it's still sitting in the grey area between "crap" & "decent." & that area is HUGE. They've kept the door open for a sequel, but it'll probably be another exercise in B-movie making coupled w\ nerdism wet dreams & fantasies. But, there is also the potential to make an entertaining flick.
Oh, yes. The one shot of the elf mage where she's riding on a boat in the beginning ... that looked far too close to the chick on the cover of the EQ box.
Verdict : 1 star. Barely worth renting. & even then it's only for the niche market or those interested in this sort of thing.
Edited By Malcolm on 1159722260
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."