D&D Movie/TV What would a good D&D movie be like?

Greg K · Aug 13, 2015

Ridley's Cohort said:
I think the most likely reason a D&D movie will fail is the same reason the first D&D movie failed: Trying to do too much.

Where did it go wrong?

(1a) "This is a D&D movie right? So let's have dragons and dungeons and dungeons and lotsa dragons when we save the princess (queen) at the end!" Way too much stuff going on.
(1b) Letting the name "Dungeons & Dragons" get in the way of a good tale is a terrible idea.

I agree. Yet, I remember some people on these boards saying D&D has to include both dungeons and dragons, because of the name". Personally, rather specifying Dungeons and Dragons, if they do something in Forgotten Realms, I would rather they use Forgotten Realms in the title.

(2) Too many characters. The movie did not let any of them (except me, Snails) breathe.

On more than one occasion i have seen your refer to yourself as the character, "Snails". Are you doing that because of your screen name or are you actually Marlon Wayons?

(5) An amazing world of fantastic fantasy stuff is not automatically a plus. It can burn through effects budget quickly without endearing the movie to the audience. IMO Willow was one of the better pre-LotR fantasy movies; the story made enough sense without overwhelming us with weird stuff. Likewise, the first Harry Potter story is incredibly small plotwise, because Rowlings did not want to overwhelm with her weird world -- she wanted us to get to know the main characters instead.

I agree with you on the potential risk of overwhelming the a large portion of the audience with weird stuff.

Dannyalcatraz · Aug 13, 2015

Lalato said:
Wait. I changed my mind. The D&D movie should be a musical.

Dungeons & Dragons: Underdark Story

"When you're a Drow,
You're a Drow all the way
From your first jet black cowl
To your last dyin' day.

When you're a Drow,
If your butt hits the pan,
You got brothers around,
You're a family man!

You're never alone,
You're never disconnected!
You're home with your own:
When company's expected,
You're well protected!"

****

"The Underdark
Your lovely silence . . .
A land of whistling breezes.
Always the stalagmites growing,
Always the fungi are glowing . . .

The Underdark . . .
You dangerous land . . .
A land of mythic diseases.
Always the fungal spores blowing,
Always the population growing . . .
And the money owing,
And the servants crying,
And the doom bats flying.
I like where people can fatten.
Smoke on your pipe and put that in!

I like to be in the surface world!
O.K. by me in the surface world!
Ev'rything free in the surface world
For a small fee in the surface world!"

Oryan77 · Aug 13, 2015

Out of curiosity, say a D&D movie was taken seriously, with excellent actors that were on screen to be great characters and not just pretty faces. Would you appreciate watching a D&D movie that paid homage to the old D&D cartoon in the sense that it was about young adults from modern day earth that ended up in a world such as Greyhawk? Or would that feel cliche and come across as a cop-out?

BTW, I'm not talking about having the same characters riding on a roller coaster, floating into a new world, and gaining new abilities. Just something with a similar premise that is more well thought out, logical as far as fantasy goes, and taken seriously.

A reason I ask is because I've always wondered if non gamers could enjoy a D&D movie like that if they were able to relate to the main characters more. Fantasy movies is the hardest genre to be successful in. A reason that I think comic books movies are doing so well is because the general audience can relate to the characters since they are more down to earth and realistic as far as personality goes.

steeldragons · Aug 13, 2015

Oryan77 said:
Out of curiosity, say a D&D movie was taken seriously, with excellent actors that were on screen to be great characters and not just pretty faces. Would you appreciate watching a D&D movie that paid homage to the old D&D cartoon in the sense that it was about young adults from modern day earth that ended up in a world such as Greyhawk? Or would that feel cliche and come across as a cop-out?

Yeah, that last one. No. I do not want/would not "appreciate" a movie of the cartoon premise of "normal" modern day people getting zapped into a D&D game/world. Don't do that.

Greg Benage · Aug 13, 2015

If it hasn't already been stated, a pseudo-medieval Raiders of the Lost Ark featuring fantastic locations and dark dungeons. With a dragon.

Uller · Aug 13, 2015

Greg Benage said:
If it hasn't already been stated, a pseudo-medieval Raiders of the Lost Ark featuring fantastic locations and dark dungeons. With a dragon.

I've always thought Temple of Doom is a basically a D&D adventure:

You start off in a tavern of sorts, there is a bit of role playing and tension and eventually a combat to give the characters a reason to form a party, followed by a journey to an exotic local where the basic plot conflict is introduced (cultists stealing children...how very D&D!) When the party enters the village, they are clearly wounded and out of resources but within a day or so they are perfectly fine (after falling out of an airplane!).

Then they journey deep into a wilderness, have some random encounters. At the adventure site they have some roleplay encounters with the denizens of the place then eventually are attacked and start exploring on their own...adventure ensues. They fight lots of mooks, a few tougher NPCs and the BBEG. I'd say it probably had more of a 4e feel than 5e, what with some clear skill challenges and the use of healing surges (Indiana gets the crap beaten out of him but then is suddenly fine on several occasions)

Hussar · Aug 13, 2015

Oryan77 said:
Out of curiosity, say a D&D movie was taken seriously, with excellent actors that were on screen to be great characters and not just pretty faces. Would you appreciate watching a D&D movie that paid homage to the old D&D cartoon in the sense that it was about young adults from modern day earth that ended up in a world such as Greyhawk? Or would that feel cliche and come across as a cop-out?

BTW, I'm not talking about having the same characters riding on a roller coaster, floating into a new world, and gaining new abilities. Just something with a similar premise that is more well thought out, logical as far as fantasy goes, and taken seriously.

A reason I ask is because I've always wondered if non gamers could enjoy a D&D movie like that if they were able to relate to the main characters more. Fantasy movies is the hardest genre to be successful in. A reason that I think comic books movies are doing so well is because the general audience can relate to the characters since they are more down to earth and realistic as far as personality goes.

Honestly, I don't see that as a bad idea. It's not cliche at all. I'm drawing a blank on any movie to do this in the past few decades. I'm sure someone will correct me on this, but, I can't think of any. It's a fantastic way to connect to the audience and draws very heavily on what D&D actually is - wish fulfilment gaming. Why not have a group of teens get zapped into a D&D world? Grr, I suppose that's a bit too Narnia, but, Narnia was written with WWII era children, not something the average teen can connect to today.

Personally, I'd have no problem with this as a plot.

Greg K · Aug 13, 2015

steeldragons said:
Yeah, that last one. No. I do not want/would not "appreciate" a movie of the cartoon premise of "normal" modern day people getting zapped into a D&D game/world. Don't do that.

Agreed (although, I would like to see another D&D cartoon like old one albeit without the unicorn).

Jester David · Aug 13, 2015

Oryan77 said:
Out of curiosity, say a D&D movie was taken seriously, with excellent actors that were on screen to be great characters and not just pretty faces. Would you appreciate watching a D&D movie that paid homage to the old D&D cartoon in the sense that it was about young adults from modern day earth that ended up in a world such as Greyhawk? Or would that feel cliche and come across as a cop-out?

I think the concept works, either as a homage/sequel or just running with the same concept and having them stumble across a portal or "Gygax's original d20".

Oryan77 said:
A reason I ask is because I've always wondered if non gamers could enjoy a D&D movie like that if they were able to relate to the main characters more. Fantasy movies is the hardest genre to be successful in. A reason that I think comic books movies are doing so well is because the general audience can relate to the characters since they are more down to earth and realistic as far as personality goes.

I agree. I'd like to see this. It would easily set the new film apart from the previous D&D movies and other fantasy films.

Hussar said:
Honestly, I don't see that as a bad idea. It's not cliche at all. I'm drawing a blank on any movie to do this in the past few decades. I'm sure someone will correct me on this, but, I can't think of any. It's a fantastic way to connect to the audience and draws very heavily on what D&D actually is - wish fulfilment gaming. Why not have a group of teens get zapped into a D&D world? Grr, I suppose that's a bit too Narnia, but, Narnia was written with WWII era children, not something the average teen can connect to today.

Personally, I'd have no problem with this as a plot.

I looked for a while and couldn't even find a TV Tropes page for "common people in a fantasy world". The closest is stuff like Wizard of Oz or Farscape. Here.

Dannyalcatraz · Aug 13, 2015

The only other fiction I remember in a similar vein are the Guardians of the Flame novels by Joel Rosenberg, which also owes a little nod to Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.