I scanned through the topics but didn't see anything about the D&D movie, hence, this thread.
I have never watched the 2000 big budget D&D movie with Jeremy Irons, but I have watched the Nostalgia Critic's review more than once, and am now listening to the Red Letter Media commentary track (but I am not watching the movie).
Some of the observations made by the RLM guys about how the D&D movie shamelessly steals from Star Wars and Indiana Jones makes me wonder if the script writers were being "meta" with their story. Apparently, very little of the elements in the movie (magic, for instance) resembles any version of the rules, and yet shamelessly stealing from popular media is a staple in adventure design. Right? Isn't that the express purpose of Appendix N? "Here are stories you can borrow from to make adventures."
Except they didn't steal from sources like those in Appendix N.
You should watch it. It's a very bad movie, but Jeremy Irons chewing the scenery like a rabid barghest is entertaining. Or if you want a borderline acceptable D&D movie, try Wrath of the Dragon God. It's not what I'd call good, but it's miles ahead of the original movie.
I actually watched the WotDG, and thought it acceptable, if a little clunky.
I would like a D&D movie telling the story of the guy on the Mentzer Red Box cover.
Original D&D movie was awful, second one was alright for a Saturday afternoon movie.
Personally I have no hype remaining for Hollywood adaptations of works. This is doubly so for D&D, which is a brand that refers to a certain kind of collaborative storytelling experience. That type of experience isn't tied to a particular set of characters, setting, or themes. Ergo nothing about "D&D" as I care for it is actually replicable to movies.
The "D&D" brand when utilized in this way is just crass name-recognition value, like seeing a Marvel character on Jello packaging.
I finished listening to the RLM commentary track. They praised Irons for his over-the-top hamming, and criticized everything else.
Mike was the only one who admitted to ever plying the game, but he advised that he never really dug into the rules or lore, so whenever they would ask him game-related questions, he would either not know, or give an incomplete or incorrect answer. It is possible his DM was using home brewed rules, though, and so his answers may be based on that. Their summation was that this film was the death of 90's movies. A year later, Jackson's Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring would be released.
Rich suggested that they ought to have based the movie on the 1980's cartoon. They could have stretched out the final, unproduced episode and made it live action. I know Renault did a commercial with live actors that was fun.
Quote from: Zelen on July 11, 2021, 07:02:55 PMPersonally I have no hype remaining for Hollywood adaptations of works. This is doubly so for D&D, which is a brand that refers to a certain kind of collaborative storytelling experience. That type of experience isn't tied to a particular set of characters, setting, or themes. Ergo nothing about "D&D" as I care for it is actually replicable to movies.
Some pictures from the set of the new D&D movie leaked and it looks like that recent Robin Hood movie with people dressing in "fantasy" version of modern clothes. Lots of giant boots and straps.
And today I saw that HarperCollings is making D&D comics for kids that feature a little girl that dresses up as a minotaur so that she can go to Monster School, where monsters learn how to be monsters in dungeons.
I don't think anyone at Hasbro even gives a shit about the D&D brand as long as they can sell the rights to whoever wants to pay for them.
Quote from: hedgehobbit on July 12, 2021, 08:14:33 AM
Quote from: Zelen on July 11, 2021, 07:02:55 PMPersonally I have no hype remaining for Hollywood adaptations of works. This is doubly so for D&D, which is a brand that refers to a certain kind of collaborative storytelling experience. That type of experience isn't tied to a particular set of characters, setting, or themes. Ergo nothing about "D&D" as I care for it is actually replicable to movies.
Some pictures from the set of the new D&D movie leaked and it looks like that recent Robin Hood movie with people dressing in "fantasy" version of modern clothes. Lots of giant boots and straps.
And today I saw that HarperCollings is making D&D comics for kids that feature a little girl that dresses up as a minotaur so that she can go to Monster School, where monsters learn how to be monsters in dungeons.
I don't think anyone at Hasbro even gives a shit about the D&D brand as long as they can sell the rights to whoever wants to pay for them.
Great, Hasbro's now imitating Games Workshop in whoring out their IP to anyone with a buck.
Quote from: Ghostmaker on July 12, 2021, 08:46:03 AM
Quote from: hedgehobbit on July 12, 2021, 08:14:33 AM
Quote from: Zelen on July 11, 2021, 07:02:55 PMPersonally I have no hype remaining for Hollywood adaptations of works. This is doubly so for D&D, which is a brand that refers to a certain kind of collaborative storytelling experience. That type of experience isn't tied to a particular set of characters, setting, or themes. Ergo nothing about "D&D" as I care for it is actually replicable to movies.
Some pictures from the set of the new D&D movie leaked and it looks like that recent Robin Hood movie with people dressing in "fantasy" version of modern clothes. Lots of giant boots and straps.
And today I saw that HarperCollings is making D&D comics for kids that feature a little girl that dresses up as a minotaur so that she can go to Monster School, where monsters learn how to be monsters in dungeons.
I don't think anyone at Hasbro even gives a shit about the D&D brand as long as they can sell the rights to whoever wants to pay for them.
Great, Hasbro's now imitating Games Workshop in whoring out their IP to anyone with a buck.
Well, it's worked out so well for GW... ::)
The D&D movie is not a good movie, but that doesn't mean it doesn't entertain. It's worth a watch in an MST3K kind of way.
The movie made the assumption (false in my opinion) that people watching the movie wouldn't be familiar with D&D, and therefore the introduction of the tropes was heavy-handed. There are a lot of things that you can watch and say 'they could have done this better', but I think having seen it positions you better to have a conversation about it.
Before LOTR, my circle of friends had a joke: "Seen any good fantasy movies?" Because there WERE no good fantasy movies.
That's a generalization. I do consider Princess Bride to be both good and fantasy. But the joke was made before that movie came out.
But before LOTR, things like Beastmaster were about the best you could hope for out of a contemporary fantasy movie.
Dragonslayer had a great dragon, but fuck that storyline.
Quote from: Lurkndog on July 19, 2021, 11:32:13 AM
Before LOTR, my circle of friends had a joke: "Seen any good fantasy movies?" Because there WERE no good fantasy movies.
That's a generalization. I do consider Princess Bride to be both good and fantasy. But the joke was made before that movie came out.
But before LOTR, things like Beastmaster were about the best you could hope for out of a contemporary fantasy movie.
Dragonslayer had a great dragon, but fuck that storyline.
Huh? I grant pickings could be thin, but Ladyhawke, Conan, even Clash of the Titans or Legend were all decent enough fantasy flicks.
Quote from: Ghostmaker on July 19, 2021, 11:43:55 AM
Quote from: Lurkndog on July 19, 2021, 11:32:13 AM
Before LOTR, my circle of friends had a joke: "Seen any good fantasy movies?" Because there WERE no good fantasy movies.
That's a generalization. I do consider Princess Bride to be both good and fantasy. But the joke was made before that movie came out.
But before LOTR, things like Beastmaster were about the best you could hope for out of a contemporary fantasy movie.
Dragonslayer had a great dragon, but fuck that storyline.
Huh? I grant pickings could be thin, but Ladyhawke, Conan, even Clash of the Titans or Legend were all decent enough fantasy flicks.
Or The Dark Crystal, which I'd say is a great fantasy film.
And I wouldn't put LOTR up as an example of a good fantasy film. It's maybe OK if you can slog through all the cruft to get to the few good bits.
I'm not a big fan of the Conan movies, my favorite of the three is Conan the Destroyer, and it's far from good.
I haven't seen Ladyhawke since the 1980s, don't remember finding it all that enjoyable. Great cast, bad story.
I actively hate The Dark Crystal. The Gelflings seemed like useless heroes, and the monsters didn't do anything for me either. I would argue Labyrinth is the better Muppet fantasy movie, and I find Labyrinth to be fairly flawed.
I'm not going to defend that joke as reality, but it was certainly our perception at the time. There are a ton of bad sci fi movies, but there are good ones to counterbalance that, and the best sci fi films were ones we watched over and over. Fantasy movies, by comparison, just didn't seem to have that top tier.
Quote from: Lurkndog on July 19, 2021, 06:34:33 PM
I'm not a big fan of the Conan movies, my favorite of the three is Conan the Destroyer, and it's far from good.
I haven't seen Ladyhawke since the 1980s, don't remember finding it all that enjoyable. Great cast, bad story.
I actively hate The Dark Crystal. The Gelflings seemed like useless heroes, and the monsters didn't do anything for me either. I would argue Labyrinth is the better Muppet fantasy movie, and I find Labyrinth to be fairly flawed.
I'm not going to defend that joke as reality, but it was certainly our perception at the time. There are a ton of bad sci fi movies, but there are good ones to counterbalance that, and the best sci fi films were ones we watched over and over. Fantasy movies, by comparison, just didn't seem to have that top tier.
So you deny the greatness of Krull, Hawk the Slayer, and Deathstalker? Heresy!
I've not seen it, but "Excalibur" is supposed to be pretty good.
Quote from: cavalier973 on July 20, 2021, 10:40:11 AM
I've not seen it, but "Excalibur" is supposed to be pretty good.
Excalibur is excellent. I don't know if it is really "fantasy," though, as much as an attempt to put Malory's
Le Morte D'arthur on screen (with liberal modifications and changes). Sure, the Arthur myth is technically fantasy, but it is also literature.
Quote from: Eirikrautha on July 20, 2021, 02:20:25 PMExcalibur is excellent. I don't know if it is really "fantasy," though, as much as an attempt to put Malory's Le Morte D'arthur on screen (with liberal modifications and changes). Sure, the Arthur myth is technically fantasy, but it is also literature.
This is really the issue. For me, growing up in the 70s, my favorite fantasy movies include Jason and the Argonauts, Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Mysterious Island. For my daughter, it would be Harry Potter and Avatar: The Last Airbender (I'd add Demon Slayer to that but we'll see how that holds up long term).
So, for me, there has never been a shortage of good fantasy movies.
The villain did make it worth watching- sort of like Count Zarthon in "Starcrash." (Not to mention Caroline Munro.)
And the "I got a new word for 'dumb-' 'Ridley!" routine was funny.
Lets see. We've danced this dance before but that threads long buried and cant find it.
sooooo.
The first D&D movie is actually not bad. Problem is. Its barely a D&D movie. WOTC interfered some so a bit of blame can be placed there. The main problem is it tries to be funny a bit too much and lacks enough D&D elements to click. I wish they had finished the unfinished scene where Ridley explains why he hates mages so much.
The second movie, which was made with a different company. Is to me the real D&D movie. Its got some issues to be sure. But it works on so many more levels and gets the job done with more practical effects and saves the CGI for the dragons and the like. I liked the characters and there were alot more nods to D&D that you can pick up on.
The third movie. Good lord the third movie. Its D&D in title only and is so low budget it hurts. I think with a little more work it would have fared better.
And then theres the totally obscure interactive CGI D&D movie. One of those endless quest sorts of paths. Characters from the 3e book go on an adventure. Not great but not bad either. Couple of different ending can find based on your choices along the way.
I remember the 2nd D&D movie having an attractive Barbarian babe as one of the characters. Eye-candy always makes thing better.
Quote from: Lurkndog on July 19, 2021, 06:34:33 PM
I'm not a big fan of the Conan movies, my favorite of the three is Conan the Destroyer, and it's far from good.
I haven't seen Ladyhawke since the 1980s, don't remember finding it all that enjoyable. Great cast, bad story.
I actively hate The Dark Crystal. The Gelflings seemed like useless heroes, and the monsters didn't do anything for me either. I would argue Labyrinth is the better Muppet fantasy movie, and I find Labyrinth to be fairly flawed.
I'm not going to defend that joke as reality, but it was certainly our perception at the time. There are a ton of bad sci fi movies, but there are good ones to counterbalance that, and the best sci fi films were ones we watched over and over. Fantasy movies, by comparison, just didn't seem to have that top tier.
I think the issue is there are ALOT more sci fi movies than fantasy movies. I do wonder why hollywood doesnt bother taking some of their historical fiction movies and giving them a shot with a touch of fantasy. It is strange that a gang that can make some fantastic historical fiction movies (Braveheart, Gladiator, Last of the Mohicans, etc) can do so poorly at making a fantasty movie. You would think something grounded a bit more, like Sword and sorcery or the like would be easy for them.
Legend gets mentioned alot when D&D movies are discussed because to many that movie felt like a D&D movie.
They should make a D&D movie based on the "Isle of Dread" module.
Quote from: oggsmash on July 24, 2021, 07:26:50 PM
I think the issue is there are ALOT more sci fi movies than fantasy movies.
Part of it may have been that the 1980's in particular were a drought of good fantasy movies, with some high profile stinkers thrown on top. The boom in straight-to-video led to a lot of exploitation level stuff like
Barbarian Queen that were basically there for video stores that didn't carry porn. High profile fantasy movies were either ruined by cynical storytelling like
Dragonslayer or they were children's movies.
Willow was a huge disappointment. Even Disney was struggling.
D&D and the LOTR animations from Baski and Rankin/Bass kicked off a spate of fantasy movies which Conan probably really kicked into gear. At the same time Beastmaster goes from a sci-fi setting to a fantasy one for example. And on the flip side Conan was at one point suggested to be scripted as a sci-fi setting due to SW.
Hilariously Carters Conan Rip off Thongor would have been a movie 2 years before Conan came out had it not fallen apart during pre-production.
There were actually quite a few fantasy movies all at once in 82. Conan, Beast Master, Sword and the Sorcerer, Ator, Flight of Dragons and more. Some of the best from around that point. Before that though there was Hawk the Slayer, Archer Fugitive of an Empire, Excalibur, Dragonslayer, and Faeries all around 81. And at least a dozen more of lower quality in 83 alone.
I didn't see it when it was in theaters. I did eventually see it, it made me feel shame the first time I saw it, and then I grew up some, and now I kinda enjoy it for what it is, and it feels good to see Tom Baker on the screen even though he had a small role.
I saw the second and third D&D movies a few years ago too, they did pretty good with their budget.
Quote from: Omega on August 16, 2021, 03:52:57 AM
There were actually quite a few fantasy movies all at once in 82. Conan, Beast Master, Sword and the Sorcerer, e.
I saw The Sword and the Sorcerer at a drive-in theater when I was 11 years old, shortly after I started playing D&D. I think I was the perfect audience for the film. I haven't watched the movie since, but I remember there being alot of blood. And half-naked women. Good times.