Rating: Summary: Please kill me now...... Review: That's what I uttered about an hour into this flick. Semi-interested, I went to see it in theaters and have NEVER heard a worse audience reaction....and I sat through "Dude, Where's My Car?" and the 're-imagined' "Planet of the Apes." The actors are embarrased to be in this movie (what was Irons doing?!), the story was predictable and the ending made no sense whatsoever. All in all, a stinker to avoid like the black plague that should've killed off everyone in this movie.
Rating: Summary: ...And 2 stars is being gererous Review: As much as I wanted to like this one, this movie was pretty horrible. The plot was uninspiring, the acting was DEPLORABLE, the casting was poor, and the CGI effets were just one notch above cheesy. Don't waste your money on this one, but it might be fun to watch with a group of drunk friends if you can catch it on cable.The level of bad acting and/or overacting in this film doens't compare to anything I've ever seen, except maybe for Xena or Hercules or other such shows dubbed "Cheesy Adventure Shows." They are the ones that are fun to watch, but so mind-numbing that it suprises me that I can rememeber how to work the remote control once they're over. This movie is very much like those. The story, about two theives sucked into journey to find a magical artifact that will help save a kingdom of rival mages from civil war, was not quite boring, but far from engrossing. It lightly touched on the "mythology" of the game from time to time, but never paid it the tribute that was due. The character development was mostly non-existent, so by the end I found myself not really caring what happened to any of them. And the casting... I'll take "Movies that Marlon Wayans Should Not Be In" for $400, Alex. Wayans doesn't ruin the movie himself, but just becomes part of a long list of negative qualities that make this film the abomination that it was. The worst part of all is this: After being around for decades, D&D has a built-in audience. This is probably what New Line was counting on for profits. What they failed to realize is that the players take their game serioulsy, and unfortunately the makers of this movie didn't. The movie became more of a mockery of the game than anything else. Bad move, even if they were going for a more comical or playful angle. If New Line makes the same mistake with Lord Of The Rings, they will find themselves strongly hated after the holidays, and sadly bankrupt by mid 2002. The only reason this gets two stars from me is becuase if you watch this movie with the attitude that it's "just another cheesy adventure show," you may actually enjoy it. Grab a beer, and prepare to laugh at how horrible the movie is, MST3K style. However, if you are a follower of the game or the mythology of D&D, then this is a sad waste of time. Save your money.
Rating: Summary: Dungeons & Dragons Review: I am an extreme fantasy fan, so when I heard Dungeons & Dragons was coming out my excitement level was high. (I get overexcited about dragons) After viewing the movie, I was sorely disappointed. How can you screw up a movie with dragons in it? Ask the makers of this film. The plot was bad, the acting was bad, the guy in lipstick -- bad! I still had to give it 3 stars due to the dragons.
Rating: Summary: bates Review: I loved it,PERIOD!If you like Legend,Willow,Labrinth,this is your kind of movie.If your a Leonard Maltin type who goes to a movie looking for every little flaw,then don`t bother.
Rating: Summary: It's only a movie! Review: I liked this movie. I liked the story. Probably the only one who did. I loved the charactors and even the corny quips that Marlon Wayans chipped off in what to me was poorly done, yes. This movie is exactly what it is...a fantasy movie. Not to be insulting and lord forgive me if step on toes, but all of you gamers out there need to relax and enjoy the flick for what it is, entertainment. Trouble is too many folks expect too much and think that it should follow along with their specs, their ideas or even their charactors. The movie was a fictional story losely based on the role playing game d&d. Plain and simple. I know, I listen to people like the ones I'm referring to every weekend in my dinning room for hours on end for years. I've a 22 year old son who runs games and have never heard anyone of his friends or even him say that anyone else's charactor is better than theirs. Get it? Wipe some preparation H on your heads and pipe down!
Rating: Summary: Dungeons & Disasters Review: Well, folks, here it is- the movie we've all been waiting for. The only problem is, it's NOT the movie we've been waiting for. There must be some sort of mistake. All right, we're all big D&D fans, aren't we? That is, anyone that sits through this whole thing had better be one, or you'll probably need a 'remove paralysis' spell cast on you at the end of it. Anyone familiar with the franchise will know that the true power of D&D lies in the imagination, the development of characters, and plot- in that order of importance. Well, I suppose there is some sort of a plot mixed away in the screenplay, but it looks like someone cast 'blur' on that element of the film. Characterization? I suppose there was a hint of a romance between the hero and heroine (kissing and such, but nothing naughty), and yeah- there was the comic relief guy- who happened to be impaled and tossed off a wall much to the greater amusement of the audience. Other than that, your villains were obviously villains and your good guys were obviously good guys. Very black and white, plain, and childishly simple. Imagination? Naah. So we have a lot of dragons, I suppose, especially at the end. Boy was the firebreath flying in that part. Oddly enough, the city is still quite a city when they're done with their fireball frenzy. We should look up those architects for terror-proof buildings. The world is a completely new one, and no, that isn't a good thing. I have heard or read about a million suggestions that they redeem the D&D license on the silver screen by making a movie adaptation of Icewind Dale. I heartily agree. Not only did this new world lack the development of Faerun, but everything you did see in it seemed no different. Onward to the D&D aspects of it. If they had changed the title to something else, say- 'Attack of the Killer Fire-breathers,' you probably wouldn't be able to tell it was D&D. Okay, so the guy tells the girl that she's just a 'low level mage.' Cute, but that's where the game ends and the follies begin. There's some magic here and there that's recognizable- the mages chucking their fireballs at the end, and the dimension door that 'low level mage' is somehow able to cast even though it's a 4th level spell, which requires... okay, enough of that. Poor Snails just gets buried, no 'raise dead' or 'resurrection' for him. Then again, who wanted him back? I found myself actually cheering for the bad guys, which was unfortunate because they were all idiots. At least they were less stupid than the heroes, though. You get the feeling they're evil, but only when they feel like it. Obviously, they aren't aware of the experience penalty a change of alignment incurs on their character. As for the confrontations between the good and evil, they are so cliche it is painful. The hero just has to give up the thing-that-ends-the-world for the life of his girlfriend, but then *gasp* the evildoer double-crosses him! He lied! Son of a- ! My, my, it looks like we're going to need a sword duel to settle this. So, here is the debut of Dungeons & Dragons, that pinnacle of role playing games, now in movie format. If you haven't played the game before- or a computerized version of it- please do NOT think it's like the movie! No, it's really much better than that, because even the dumbest dungeon master in history could think up a more enjoyable adventure! For those of you that start shoveling popcorn the moment a special effect plays, maybe you'll get plenty of reconstituted butter sauce down on this one. Little kids, feel free to check it out, but unless your parents (heaven forbid) let you watch a PG-13 movie, you're probably going to have to wait until you come of age, and then you probably won't enjoy the movie anymore on account of your newfound measure of maturity. For those above age five, view at your own risk. It's a good thing I made my saving throw, or this thing would have polymorphed me into a poached egg.
Rating: Summary: A disgrace ! Review: This is a terrible movie. The acting was awful, especially Jeremy Irons, which surprised me, since everything else I have seen him in he has been good. Thora Birch absolutely ruined her role as the Princess. Whoever allowed this film to use the term Dungeons&Dragons obviously had no idea how bad the movie was going to be. It really doesn't resemble anything to do with the popular RPG, except tarnish its name. I actually thought the special effects were quite good. I don't know what other people were complaining about the dragons so much, they weren't that bad, it just seemed that way because they served no real purpose in the film. In fact, there were so many "token" fantasy elements in this it was laughable. Ultimately the film was ruined by bad, bad writing and mediocre direction. Some of the scenes didn't even make sense, and there were gaps in the plot/story a mile wide. What a shame and disappointment. When will people realise that a good fantasy story made into a good movie will actually be popular. A fantasy movie is no different from other genres, it needs good acting, a good story and believable characters. A pretty girl in a nice outfit does not a regal Empress make ! Please, someone out there do a decent fantasy movie. We have the technology for good special effects now. Let's hope Lord of the Rings lives up to high expectations (I have more faith in this because of the excellent cast and excellent director). *sigh*
Rating: Summary: worst movie ever Review: I'll admit it, I'm a Dungeons and Dragons fan, so I went to see how one would turn a game into a movie. It was worse than I ever could have dreamed. Horrible plot and bad acting was just the beginnning. I found nothing interesting about the characters at all. If it hadn't been for the Wayans brother (I can't keep them all straight) I would have walked out of the film. When he got killed I almost got up and left. The plot was cheesy and had no real depth. There were also some scenes that were direct Star Wars and Indiana Jones ripoffs. The bar scene near the beginning had an uncanny resemblance to the Mos Eisley cantina scene. Also, when the characters are with the elves in their big trees, can we say Ewok village? And the foray into the so-called dungeon to get the Rod of Red Dragon Control could have fit perfectly into an Indiana Jones scene. The only redeeming quality was the landscapes from the air views and the comic relief from the wayans brother. Don't waste your time or money. This movie is terrible.
Rating: Summary: Nothing to breathe fire about.... Review: Dragon stories and myths have been around for thousands of years. These fascinating creatures continue to intrigue the imagination. They say a dragon only will show themselves to those who truly believe dragons exist. Which of course they do, right? Almost every country in the world has a dragon story. These beautiful creatures with bat-like wings breathe fire, change the color of their scales and can even change shapes. Most of the time they just eat naughty people and hoard gold and jewels. But, some like the faerie dragon just float around on gossamer wings and look sweet. They are also rather peace loving. Visually, this is a masterpiece. The city is stunning and the special effects are on fire. Just to see dragons flying around was a treat. They are the Western-type dragons that are evil, mean and bloodthirsty. There is a scene of two dragons wrestling another one and it is spectacular as their tails swing about and they fall from the sky towards the city. This is like dragon heaven. However, the script left me cold, the humor fell flat, the plot is weak and the acting was at times sad. I have no idea what the characters actually were feeling, beyond promoting good or evil. They all seemed rather uninteresting and all they wanted to do was gain control of the dragons so they could attack one another. I mean, how boring is that? How about some mind games? Drool, drool... There were some excellent ideas that moved this up to a three. The dragon blood seeping out to the water and glowing in the dark on fire was great even though I thought they should have let the poor dragon live. Had they made this more of a serious movie, it could have been so much more. They tried endlessly... to the point of irritation ...to make this funny. This movie would be better silent or with your own music, so you could make up your own script. Sounds like fun, think I will watch it again that way. The story explodes onto the screen and then weakens to a fading light. The best line in the movie: "I would have to put a feeble mind spell on myself to take you home." Second best line: "You want to play.... do you?" There are some glimmers of hope now and then. If you want some laughs, this movie has very few. However, if you watch the movie and then read all the one and two star reviews, you will finally agree and have quite a few laughs. For the special effects and laughs when reading the reviews, it might just be worth buying. If a dragon was looking for treasure, they would perhaps hide this in their lair and forget to look at it again. Could someone give me a list of "five star" dragon movies? It is a pity they killed a few dragons in this movie, they were at least entertaining. It is enough to make a faerie dragon shed a few tears. Here is something about people who are like dragons: Dragon people are balls of fire. They are full of vitality and love of life. They are eccentric, demanding and giving. They are proud, direct and loaded with high ideals that they always try to live up to. They have the potential for accomplishing many great things as long as they don't get too far ahead of themselves. When they do something good or bad, they do not go unnoticed. They are always making news. You can hardly ever win an argument with Dragon people. They intimidate anyone who challenges them. Once you arouse their anger (as many have shown in their reviews and rightly so), they keep after you for a long time. Dragon people are extremely loyal and in spite of being overly emotional at times, they can be stubborn and irrational. They have a hard time hiding their feelings and normally don't try to because they speak from their heart and are always sincere. Being creatures of action, they motivate others. Dragons need purpose in their lives and they fight for their goals even when they bite off more than they can chew. They dazzle as long as there is someone who believes in them. This is dedicated to my favorite dragon person. >1<
Rating: Summary: This movie is ridiculous Review: Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most dumbest and ridiculous movies I've ever seen. It looks like a "Lord Of The Rings/Harry Potter" spoof. I have never played the video game Dungeons & Dragons before, but I think if I did I would make a better movie than the one I saw on DVD. The computer-generated special effects stink (do we need to see a revolving castle every five minutes?), and the acting is horrendous. The two main characters are sucked into a map and they return moments later. What were they doing during that time? Also, Marlon Wayans (Snails) can't act to save his life, but when his character was killed halfway during the movie that was the only bright spot. And in case you are wondering, there are dragons in this movie, but they are just there in the movie with no special purpose. I won't give any more details about the plot, considering the plot is a disorganized mess. I was hoping D&D would be a good popcorn movie in some way, but this was a movie that I ended up throwing popcorn at. AVOID!
|