D&D Movie: Wrath of the Dragon God

[Ed_Laprade]

Yep, caught it last November. I didn't think it was that bad, though it wasn't exactly "Lord of the Rings" material. In many ways, it was WAAAY better than the first D&D movie.

My biggest complaint, was that there felt like NO chemistry between the characters (maybe it being due to them not being really experienced actors) and that the end felt VERY rushed. I likened it to a DM who's running late on the end time for the session, and he has to give everyone a "...so, the villain's in prison, your loved ones recover, you collect mad treasure from the kingdom for your deeds, and everyone levels up. See you guys next week!"

Other than that, I enjoyed it. The Thief was probably my favorite character. You missed the opening scenes I'm guessing where each character was introduced, and his intro scene with the tomb-robbing was pretty fun. NEVER screw a guide out of payment!

That's pretty much my take on it. And, as others have said, the Barbarian chick was hot. (However, it still grinds my gears that clerics aren't ever allowed to heal anyone in a D&D movie. Except, possibly, the villian in this one.)

 

[Mark]

Also, just to let you all know, it looks like D&D 3 might be already underway. A member on the D&D Movies Yahoo Group post a message about a week ago that he/she knows someone who is actually working on D&D 3. He didn't have any other info, but if he posts more news then I'll pass it along here.

Rumors, in the past, have D&D 3 being about the Temple of Elemental Evil. (Take with a grain of salt, as such a movie would have to agreed upon by WotC.)

Cheers!

KF72

You will be starting a D&D Movie 3 thread once it really gets underway, won't you?


My favorite moment in the D&D 2 movie was when we meet the cleric and he thumps the ground.

 

[Fast Learner]

I quite enjoyed it, though certainly in a B-movie way. Perfectly good stuff, imo, but perhaps because my hopes were so low after the first one.

 

[Knightfall]

You will be starting a D&D Movie 3 thread once it really gets underway, won't you?

Yes.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Yep, caught it last November. I didn't think it was that bad, though it wasn't exactly "Lord of the Rings" material. In many ways, it was WAAAY better than the first D&D movie.

My biggest complaint, was that there felt like NO chemistry between the characters (maybe it being due to them not being really experienced actors) and that the end felt VERY rushed. I likened it to a DM who's running late on the end time for the session, and he has to give everyone a "...so, the villain's in prison, your loved ones recover, you collect mad treasure from the kingdom for your deeds, and everyone levels up. See you guys next week!"

Other than that, I enjoyed it. The Thief was probably my favorite character. You missed the opening scenes I'm guessing where each character was introduced, and his intro scene with the tomb-robbing was pretty fun. NEVER screw a guide out of payment!

Rushed endings are prevalent in lots of media. From books to movies to TV shows. It got to where Star Trek TNG (and later series) got into that habit. Slow build up and then have to rush to finish the ep in the last 5 minutes of it. Hated that.

The thief was probably the best of the lot. The rest were ok. There might have been more potential from the priest had he not been turned into a cleric-cicle.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I still haven't had a chance to see WotDG. Finding it on DVD, here in Edmonton, is next to impossible, and I don't have a CC so I can't buy it online. Even the rental stores don't have it.

I'll find a copy eventually, but I'm going to have to "look" for it harder. Either that or I'll simply stumble onto a copy in a bargin bin.
Cheers!

KF72

I found mine at our local Best Buy. Wal-Mart also has them, assuming you have either up there... Or any large video retailer might carry it. Or find a seller on Ebay who also takes money orders....

 

[Felon]

Heh. If it had been made in the 1980's, it would be a beloved film that would stand alongside
"Hawk the Slayer".

WotDG is best-described with one word: perfunctory. There's no ambition here, no desire to have a lot of fun. Like a lot of movies of the genre, it's assumed that the audience is pretty unsophisticated and craves formulaic plots with simplistic characters.

But yeah, the barbarienne was a babe...

 

[kingpaul]

Anyone else agree? Disagree? Seen the movie? Never seen the movie? know anything that rhymes with purple?

My group saw it the night it came out. We enjoyed it as a nice diversion. The D&D commercials were funny, especially the rule about "don't let the cleric die" and then he gets eaten.

 

[babomb]

It wasn't a bad movie; it just wasn't a good movie either. Still, it's better than the first.

 

[barsoomcore]

I thought it blew chunks. Crapola. Turd-fest. I combined a review of it and Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi on my blog:

The bad guy hangs around in an empty hall waiting for the heroes to reach him, and when they do, they pretty easily handle him, rendering the rest of the film tension-free.

A disaster.

If it had been made in the 1980's, it would be a beloved film

No, that's the first one. This one is much, much less charming. Although, if this one HAD been made in the 80's, it would be a better film, because only somebody who really WANTED to make it would have done so -- instead of how this one feels: made by people who just want to cash in on the brand as cheaply as possible.

Speaking of beloved 80's films, that was the subject of another post on my blog, demonstrating why the 80's were the coolest of all decades.

Sorry, didn't really intend for that degree of pimpage. Just sorta happened.