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Author Topic: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?  (Read 7201 times)

Bruwulf

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #15 on: January 12, 2023, 09:14:26 PM »
Because the repeated theme was "here's another group of bigoted humans, treating him badly just because of his skin color!" Like his species isn't 99.9999% evil, and literally monsters from children's stories to the surface people.

In the books, that happened, but, first, Drizzt was for the most part pretty understanding of it, exactly because, yes, he knows his people are evil... and second, the comic books sort of compressed time... Not in terms of the story, but just in how fast you experience it. You can get through the comics so fast that it seems like that's a point that's repeatedly being harped on, but it doesn't feel that way in the books nearly so much.

Persimmon

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #16 on: January 12, 2023, 09:29:06 PM »
Because the repeated theme was "here's another group of bigoted humans, treating him badly just because of his skin color!" Like his species isn't 99.9999% evil, and literally monsters from children's stories to the surface people.

In the books, that happened, but, first, Drizzt was for the most part pretty understanding of it, exactly because, yes, he knows his people are evil... and second, the comic books sort of compressed time... Not in terms of the story, but just in how fast you experience it. You can get through the comics so fast that it seems like that's a point that's repeatedly being harped on, but it doesn't feel that way in the books nearly so much.

I don't know; I've read a few of the books, maybe 9 or 10, and it does get pretty old, pretty fast.  The best ones IMO were the  first Drizz't focused trilogy, the ones published after Icewind Dale, but chronologically before.  Mostly because they were better written, though Salvatore never became what I'd consider a "good" writer.  But the later books just get more over the top and you get the kitchen sink approach that passes for world building in the Forgotten Realms.  And then Drizz't is essentially a celebrity which is mildly interesting for maybe part of a book, but then that gets overdone.  The end result is passable D&D fiction, but that's a pretty low bar.  Kudos to Salvatore for continuing to churn it out.  I suppose he has a nice house and good gym equipment as a result.

Bruwulf

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #17 on: January 12, 2023, 09:35:40 PM »
Because the repeated theme was "here's another group of bigoted humans, treating him badly just because of his skin color!" Like his species isn't 99.9999% evil, and literally monsters from children's stories to the surface people.

In the books, that happened, but, first, Drizzt was for the most part pretty understanding of it, exactly because, yes, he knows his people are evil... and second, the comic books sort of compressed time... Not in terms of the story, but just in how fast you experience it. You can get through the comics so fast that it seems like that's a point that's repeatedly being harped on, but it doesn't feel that way in the books nearly so much.

I don't know; I've read a few of the books, maybe 9 or 10, and it does get pretty old, pretty fast.  The best ones IMO were the  first Drizz't focused trilogy, the ones published after Icewind Dale, but chronologically before.  Mostly because they were better written, though Salvatore never became what I'd consider a "good" writer.  But the later books just get more over the top and you get the kitchen sink approach that passes for world building in the Forgotten Realms.  And then Drizz't is essentially a celebrity which is mildly interesting for maybe part of a book, but then that gets overdone.  The end result is passable D&D fiction, but that's a pretty low bar.  Kudos to Salvatore for continuing to churn it out.  I suppose he has a nice house and good gym equipment as a result.

I wasn't defending Salvatore as a great writer, myself I gave up after the first three series (Although I did like his one of his other Forgotten Realms series, the one with Cadderly) only saying that one specific issue felt a little different in the books than in the comics.

Persimmon

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #18 on: January 12, 2023, 09:40:59 PM »
Because the repeated theme was "here's another group of bigoted humans, treating him badly just because of his skin color!" Like his species isn't 99.9999% evil, and literally monsters from children's stories to the surface people.

In the books, that happened, but, first, Drizzt was for the most part pretty understanding of it, exactly because, yes, he knows his people are evil... and second, the comic books sort of compressed time... Not in terms of the story, but just in how fast you experience it. You can get through the comics so fast that it seems like that's a point that's repeatedly being harped on, but it doesn't feel that way in the books nearly so much.

I don't know; I've read a few of the books, maybe 9 or 10, and it does get pretty old, pretty fast.  The best ones IMO were the  first Drizz't focused trilogy, the ones published after Icewind Dale, but chronologically before.  Mostly because they were better written, though Salvatore never became what I'd consider a "good" writer.  But the later books just get more over the top and you get the kitchen sink approach that passes for world building in the Forgotten Realms.  And then Drizz't is essentially a celebrity which is mildly interesting for maybe part of a book, but then that gets overdone.  The end result is passable D&D fiction, but that's a pretty low bar.  Kudos to Salvatore for continuing to churn it out.  I suppose he has a nice house and good gym equipment as a result.

I wasn't defending Salvatore as a great writer, myself I gave up after the first three series (Although I did like his one of his other Forgotten Realms series, the one with Cadderly) only saying that one specific issue felt a little different in the books than in the comics.

I get it; I can't comment on the comics having not read them and disliking comics in general.  I just do think it gets old fast in the novels.  And I agree that the "Cleric Quintet" is a cut above most Salvatore fare.

Grognard GM

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #19 on: January 12, 2023, 09:44:35 PM »
Actually, my complaint is kind of more that so far that D&D movies have gone to almost admirable lengths to avoid even "cherry picking some names and tidbits of lore", when there's so much of it there to use.

Oh but they do borrow.

The first movie had Gold and Red dragons, a Beholder, they vveeerrryyy loosely based in on a lesser D&D setting, and I'm sure various spell and item names get sprinkled around.

Much like an Anime using Catholicism, they strip the aesthetic, and drop everything else.
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Omega

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #20 on: January 17, 2023, 06:45:42 PM »
Actually, my complaint is kind of more that so far that D&D movies have gone to almost admirable lengths to avoid even "cherry picking some names and tidbits of lore", when there's so much of it there to use.

I mean, honestly, at least the two D&D movies I've seen and can remember enough of to comment on, you couldn't prove to me they even were D&D movies. Just... crappy B-movie generic fantasy schlock.

The first and 3rd move could not. Solomon has certain rights over D&D, but he has none over other IPs like Dragonlance or specific characters. So there were limitations and wotc was probably being wary of giving him any more stranglehold than he already had. wotc till just recent could not make any D&D movie or TV or even Cartoon media without Solomon's involvement.

A tangled mess that seems to have been sorted. Though early on the new movie still had his name connected to it.

The middle movie had the least involvement of Solomon and is the most D&D of the set.

No idea how they were able to do the CGI movie. Maybe because it was passed off as a game? Scourge of Worlds interactive movie.

Omega

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #21 on: January 17, 2023, 07:00:45 PM »
Oh but they do borrow.

The first movie had Gold and Red dragons, a Beholder, they vveeerrryyy loosely based in on a lesser D&D setting, and I'm sure various spell and item names get sprinkled around.

Izmeer is its own setting. Apparently loosely based on Solomon's D&D campaign. It is used in the first and 3rd movies.

The second movie is set "somewhere" and while they call back to the first movie. Its obviously not. That and they mention a few Greayhawk locations so WTF movie and somehow has one of the villains from the first movie carry over.

Concessions to Solomon? Who knows. Its the best of the trio and the one he has the least involvement in.


DocJones

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #22 on: January 17, 2023, 08:30:06 PM »
A realistic D&D movie would have the actors breaking the 4th wall and rolling dice for their next action.

;-)

Ghostmaker

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #23 on: January 17, 2023, 10:24:51 PM »
A realistic D&D movie would have the actors breaking the 4th wall and rolling dice for their next action.

;-)
So, 'The Gamers' movies? :)


Lurkndog

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #24 on: January 18, 2023, 09:16:03 AM »
Aint' that the fate of most popular villians? They start out cool and mysterious, they get popular, they get over-used and run into the ground.

Or they get turned into a hero because some hack writer wanted to play with all the toys.

Bruwulf

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #25 on: January 18, 2023, 12:05:46 PM »
I suppose, if I wanted to sum up my core complaint about the D&D movies (beyond just that they're truly awful movies), it would be this: there's very little D&D in D&D movies.

hedgehobbit

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #26 on: January 18, 2023, 01:01:27 PM »
I suppose, if I wanted to sum up my core complaint about the D&D movies (beyond just that they're truly awful movies), it would be this: there's very little D&D in D&D movies.

My favorite D&D movie was The Barbarians from 1987. It has nothing to do with D&D lore but it was obvious that whoever wrote the movie had actually played the game. It was D&D as it was not D&D as it is supposed to be.

Ruprecht

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #27 on: January 18, 2023, 02:48:39 PM »
Actually, my complaint is kind of more that so far that D&D movies have gone to almost admirable lengths to avoid even "cherry picking some names and tidbits of lore", when there's so much of it there to use.

I mean, honestly, at least the two D&D movies I've seen and can remember enough of to comment on, you couldn't prove to me they even were D&D movies. Just... crappy B-movie generic fantasy schlock.
My guess is they original script was not written by a D&D player and the WotC folks in charge don't know all that about the game let alone tidbits of Lore. They do know that Star Wars was used to sell Rogue One and Solo a Star Wars story and hope to do similar.

If they were smart they'd tap the Hollywood D&D celebs and they'd get a labor of love the way Marvel did when they hired John Favrau to do Iron Man and he brought in Robert Downey Jr who showed up with his collection of Iron Man comics.
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Thornhammer

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #28 on: January 18, 2023, 05:00:59 PM »
My favorite D&D movie was The Barbarians from 1987. It has nothing to do with D&D lore but it was obvious that whoever wrote the movie had actually played the game. It was D&D as it was not D&D as it is supposed to be.

Damn, I loved that movie. Now I need to see if it is streaming anywhere.

Zelen

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Re: Why are D&D movies... "D&D" movies, instead of something more specific?
« Reply #29 on: January 28, 2023, 10:54:24 AM »
Actually, my complaint is kind of more that so far that D&D movies have gone to almost admirable lengths to avoid even "cherry picking some names and tidbits of lore", when there's so much of it there to use.

I mean, honestly, at least the two D&D movies I've seen and can remember enough of to comment on, you couldn't prove to me they even were D&D movies. Just... crappy B-movie generic fantasy schlock.
My guess is they original script was not written by a D&D player and the WotC folks in charge don't know all that about the game let alone tidbits of Lore. They do know that Star Wars was used to sell Rogue One and Solo a Star Wars story and hope to do similar.

If they were smart they'd tap the Hollywood D&D celebs and they'd get a labor of love the way Marvel did when they hired John Favrau to do Iron Man and he brought in Robert Downey Jr who showed up with his collection of Iron Man comics.

This is it. The D&D movies were based on generic fantasy scripts the studios had hanging around. They plugged in a few ideas & names and called it a day.