Dungeons & Dragons (2000) User Reviews (634)

Easily forgotten

[Starbuck-13 · 4/10 · 14 April 2001]

This movie is what defines "nothing special". You watch it, you like some parts, some you don't, and you will never think about it once you leave the theater.

As a player of the Baldurs Gate computer game, the D&D cosmos is nothing new to me. But in this movie, most of the inherent magic of this fascinating world was simply let out for poor effects and cheap character stereotypes. The female mage has nothing to do but to look nice and to scream in moments of danger. She hardly ever uses her magic abilities, and therefore is a splendid example of the poor role play adaption this movie is. She is no mage - she is simply a damsel in distress.

The humor of the movie also is very simple and nothing to really laugh about. That is, if you leave out Jeremy Irons' incredibly bad acting - his bad mage routine should be added to acting books under the chapter "how to overplay a character". But, to be true, those were the most funny moments of the movie, so at least Irons was good for something here...

All in all a rather unspectacular start to the new wave of fantasy films which will accompany the giant blockbuster "Lord of the Rings" production. I pray to God that the Tolkien adaption will be far better than this mostly trashy b-movie.

Campy, amusing heroic fantasy with - you guessed it - dungeons and dragons

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 13 March 2018]

RELEASED IN 2000 and directed by Courtney Solomon, "Dungeons & Dragons" chronicles events in the kingdom of Izmer where the idealistic Empress (Thora Birch) advocates equality between the mages and commoners while the power-mad Profion (Jeremy Irons) plots to overthrow the Empress with the help of his formidable henchman Damodar (Bruce Payne). A ragtag team is assembled to save Izmer by apprehending the Eye of the Dragon: Two thieves (Justin Whalin and Marlon Wayans), a beautiful mage apprentice (Zoe McLellan), a dwarf (Lee Arenberg) and an elf girl (Kristen Wilson).

The first shot with Irons hamming it up as the diabolical Profion made me bust out laughing. In other words, the movie telegraphs from the get-go that it's not to be taken seriously. If you can roll with the campiness, this is an amusing throwaway fantasy flick. Imagine the gaudiness of "Star Wars" (1977) if the story were transplanted to a Medieval-like kingdom where dragons & magic are reality and you'd have a good idea of what "Dungeons & Dragons" has to offer.

This was a theatrical release that cost a whopping $45 million, but totally bombed at the box office. The 2005 sequel "Wrath of the Dragon God" (with only Bruce Payne returning as Damodar) cost just $15 million and is slightly better because the creators took the material seriously, but it's decidedly TV fantasy fare.

The film scores pretty well on the female front with the winsome McLellan and cutie Birch. Whalin and Wayans are entertaining as the two main protagonists, if you can get past their goofiness. People love to hate Snails (Wayans), but I found him to be a likable, amusing character.

THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 47 minutes and was shot in the Czech Republic (Kutná Hora and Prague). WRITERS: Topper Lilien and Carroll Cartwright.

GRADE: C

Just shoot me...

[gaussgoat · 1/10 · 5 February 2001]

In what can only be described as the worst movie made in the past decade, Dungeons & Dragons will leave you begging for mercy.

Hands down, the biggest contributor to the demise of this movie was the script. It was litterally the most insulting, inane dialogue I have ever been treated to in a movie.

Props arrive next in an extremely close second. The 35 Million dollars used to make this film must have been used on late night taco runs, because the quality of the props is abyssmal. The "prized artifact" of the movie looks like it fell out of a box of cracker jack, while some of the armor and backgrounds are straight out of the Bargain Bin at your local toy store. Better attempts at fantasy film making have been shot on camcorders across the globe in people's back yards.

The acting was terrible all around. The few, and I mean FEW, attempts at serious dialogue were crushed by the worst script ever. The only remotely cool character in the entire proceeding was Demadar, who was still pretty goofy. I guess if I was 8 or so, I might have thought he was creepy. The notably great actors in this film should have balked the moment they saw the script/quality of filming, and their presence on the screen only adds to the insult.

Th producers of this movie should be ashamed of themselves. Hundreds of thousands of loyal D&D fans have been waiting for over 25 years for a great, inspiring movie from their hobby. D&D has a prodigious level of material written about it, and any one of it's 100+ books would have made a better movie if read aloud by Pee Wee Herman.

This horror show of a movie will no doubt ensure the demise of a great hobby in the public eye for at least the next 10 years. Any potential fan of the game will be unable to forget this awful movie experience. Consider yourself warned, and never, EVER see this movie.

What the hell happened here?

[johnnyx-2 · 1/10 · 19 December 2005]

I knew it was going to be bad, but I like cheesy movies. And I knew it wasn't going to do justice to the D&D game, but I was open-minded to the effort. But good lord, this might be the worst movie I've ever seen.

Lots of people have shredded this movie in a lot of ways, so I've got little new to contribute to the mass lynching. But three quick summary points: The acting was embarrassing - the Jeremy Irons was clearly chewing up the set with a bad Christopher Lee impression, and Thora Birch really, really wanted to be elsewhere. Whichever Wayans got drunk enough to sign this contract was cringe-worthy, and the best thing he did was die (although he took too long getting about it).

The special effects were hilariously bad. The CGI for the sets was a distant second to Wolfenstein 3D, and anything involving 'magic' could've been better accomplished with a handful of colored yarn.

Finally, the plot was UTTERLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE. Our heroes are sent to find the Rod of Thingummy, because the Empress is about to lose her Whatchamacallit. As they mosey along, everyone says 'good lord, don't find the Rod of Thingummy, it's a horrible evil'. In fact, the only person that could be benefited by the Rod of Thingummy is Lord Sinister Big Bad. Still, our idiot heroes keep on trooping around, trying to find the Rod of Thingummy. THEN, the Empress doesn't even LOSE the Whatchamacallit in the first place, so there's NO need for the Powers of Good to get the Rod of Thingummy anyway. BUT THEY KEEP GOING. So, inevitably, they get the Rod of Thingummy (more warnings about 'don't find it' coming in along the way), and HEY, the BAD GUY STEALS IT FROM THEM.

Furthermore, that's what turns the tide of the war! The Empress was WINNING until our stupid heroes find the Rod and give it to the bad guys, what's up with that? Champions of the Realm?! They're idiots, and are personally responsible for the destruction of the city.

Which is, may I add, a good thing, as whatever Commodore 64 was building the cityscape graphics was clearly overheating at that point anyway.

Avoid at all costs. This movie is an abomination.

One of the worst films of 2000

[Wizard-8 · 16 June 2001]

If there hadn't been a "Battlefield Earth", this movie probably would have gotten my vote for worst movie of 2000. The only way it is (slightly) better than that movie is the (very) occasional good set or effect.

I could write for hours about what's wrong with this movie, but this is what comes to mind immediately

(1) The horrible acting. I honestly can't understand why someone so talented as Jeremy Irons would be going so over the top. It's clear, however, that he isn't enjoying himself in the movie, so maybe he's getting revenge against the movie by acting so terribly

The most annoying performance goes to Marlon Wayans. His shrieking, cowardly character uncomfortably brings up images of stereotypes from the 1930s. At least he doesn't say "Feet, do your stuff!" - though he sure comes close.

(2) The bright, glitterly look of every scene. When you think of sword and sorcery, I think we all think of things rough and with grit. Not here.

(3) The movie constantly rips off from other (better) movies, most notably from the four STAR WARS movies

(4) The characters. Why the hell were the dwarf and elf in this movie? They could easily have been written out without consequence. And the main thief hero is one of the blandest heroes I've ever seen in the movie.

(5) Virtually all the special effects, sets etc. are AWFUL. Sometimes they look even worse than those seen on the Xena and Hercules shows! (Though those two shows at least have the excuse of having lower budgets - and they make up for the cheap effects by having better scripts, characters, and acting!)

(6) And speaking of scripts...thos script is terrible! Mainly it's because the story itself hardly makes any sense!

What a waste

[poem · 1/10 · 27 November 2001]

It is unbelievable how this movie could have been created with such good actors and so much money, but such a bad script and directing.

Dialogues are painfully bad in this movie, as is the story itself.

The acting is also below any standard you would expect from such an expensive movie. Jeremy Irons was especially shocking, his performance was very pathetic and flat, as if this would be a bad movie for three year olds. That was not acting, that was a torment ! I cried every time he appeared on the screen.

Thora Birch was also far, far below her level in 'American Beauty', obviously unable to tell how one should put a little life into her bad dialogue and flat character, and somehow even thinking that that was her own fault.

If at all, the thief Snails (Marlon Wayans from Scary Movie) had quite some good moments in his slapstick scenes, the only good moments in the whole movie. Unfortunately they don't last long. Wayans seems to have a talent to shine even in the worst movies, however.

The performance of the main actor was also bad. His dull and cheap sunnyboy behavior really nerved me, and I saw absolutely no reason for his 'being special', but far more for 'being untalented'.

The effects where better than the story, but really not that exciting either.

Some people say fantasy is about stereotypes, but that doesnt mean you can forget all rules how to make up a good story ! This story was not worth getting on the screen. This story was also not worth getting such good actors and effects. This story was nothing but crap !

And I can't believe that Jeremy Irons and Thora Birch are such bad actors, they have proven they can do far, far better ! I can only guess it must have been the director who forced them to do such bad performances.

Definitely not recommended for anyone except maybe children below ten. Oh wait, they're not allowed ? No loss.

Surprising! Surprisingly bad, that is.

[jaburo · 1/10 · 14 May 2001]

For me, enjoying a movie can be achieved by properly managing expectations; if I expect Shakespeare, and I see Shakespeare I'm happy. Now, don't get me wrong - I liked Army of Darkness, like the rest of you. If I expect to see a dumb, camp, action flick and I see a dumb, camp, action-fest, I'm happy. With the D&D movie, I expected a dumb, camp, action flick, and I received something that was so unexpectedly foul that it caused me to write the world about it. How did this movie even get made? Now, I play D&D ( admit it, y'all do too ) so don't fault me for 'not understanding the genre'. The movie had too many characters, some of which disappear inexplicably during the course of the movie. The plot made no sense; the twists at the end came from nowhere. And don't get me started on Marlon Wayans's character - you mean to tell me that in the fantasy world of D&D, a black man can't get a role other than the Black Buddy Cop stereotype?

Pure crap, plain and simple.

One of the worst movies ever made!

[Johnny_Shannow · 1/10 · 5 November 2005]

I couldn't agree more with what the majority of reviewers have to say about this film, it was the biggest pile of crap I've ever been cursed to see at the cinema. The acting was especially shocking and horrific, Jeremy Irons's acting was very bad, from this film alone you'd think he was an amateur and had never made a good film in his life but the truth is, aside of this farce he's a great actor, which is why it was really shocking to see him camp it up as the way over the top villain. Anyone who praises this rubbish as a good film needs their head examined, and I personally thought even the plethora of cgi effects were pretty lame! The amount of other fantasy films it rips off is incredible, but The Lord of the Rings and Stars Wars seem particularly prevalent for the movie to plunder it's ideas from, and the resulting effect is merely a travesty of those classics.

Why does god hate me?

[stephen_king_kuk · 1/10 · 1 March 2007]

Why can't I give this zero out of ten? I can honestly say that this is without a doubt one of the biggest pieces of crap I have ever watched in my entire life.

The cast for a start! I know...let's get Jimmy from the new adventures of superman to play a lead role! WRONG! Oh...you know who is really funny? Marlon Wayans! WRONG! I think the biggest injustice in the film is the ruining of Jeremy Irons career. I literal felt it being flushed down the toilet while I watched it. I tried to keep watching in all honesty, but I kept on vomiting blood from its sheer awfulness.

The dwarf keeps disappearing, the orcs don't attack anyone, there is a big slow guy walking around wearing blue lipstick, Richard O'Brian is forced into a camp off with said blue lipstick wearing man, it was far too long (by too long, I mean it exists in our time and space), in one scene Jeremy Irons looks as though he is mounting the guy with the blue lipstick...why oh why oh why does this film exist? For those of you who have seen this...I pity you. For those of you who haven't or have considered doing so, save yourself some time and just ingest bleach. It's equally as fun.

Don't waste your time

[dreamdemon-1 · 1/10 · 13 December 2004]

As a D&D role player and obsessed fan I couldn't wait for this movie to come out. Expecting Lord of the Rings, I was hoping to find a fantasy prelude in D&D: the Movie. I had to see it twice, first time I couldn't believe how bad it was. I thought I had missed something but it turns out the makers of this movie missed a lot. They missed the D&D part, this movie only makes a mockery of the game and any plot imaginable. There is no acting, no plot. The very spirit of D&D is completely trashed. One of the worst parts is this Wayans guy who plays a Brooklyn rogue wannabe which is pointlessly killed in the middle of the movie. The characters are hardly believable (how stupid must the two rogues be) not to mention the entire action and party ("Only you were meant to pass"). A dwarf that barely has a role, a cute drow which also has no point in being there ... The movie barely adds up to 1 out of 10 and that's only because the dragon fight in the end is almost nice to watch.

The Perfect Bad Movie.

[darrenbjones · 8/10 · 17 May 2023]

I love this film. It's so much fun from start to finish. The plot is simple, the evil Mage Profion is trying to usurp the power of the new Empress Savina. The key to both sides is an ancient rod of power that will control Red Dragons, honestly it really doesn't matter. This is tv movie material on a cinema screen and it is a thing of beauty.

Forget all the reviews that compare this to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, this feels like a group of friends got together for some LARPing (live action role play) and someone happened to film it. Everyone just seems really happy and to be having just so much fun.

Jeremy Irons is clearly having an insane amount of fun and it's good that so much of the film's backdrops are CGI or they'd have his teeth marks all over it from his scenery chewing.

Justin Whalin tries to bring all of the intensity of an A list movie to his lead role, clearly thinking he's making Lord of the Rings.

Bruce Payne channels a drag Queen on downers for his performance as the lethargic but fabulous Damodar.

I went to the cinema 3 times to see this. It's literally the perfect bad movie.

It's not that bad!

[zepalm · 7/10 · 15 November 2014]

If you watch this film wanting it to be a film of the D&D game, you'll be upset. It's as close to the game as the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon ever was, so... Not very. If you watch it as a film, as a nice easy Sunday afternoon film, you'll like it. I actually love it. Reading the other reviews on here, I'd be put off from watching it but be your own dragon. It's got Richard O Brian in it for chuffs sake! That brings it up at least 2 stars! Don't put too much thought into the plot (sorta like a more modern Hawk The Slayer) and you'll laugh along with the comedy, get caught up in the action, boo the pantomime villain and go 'awwww' when the side kick gets killed. Give it a chance.

Oh Dear, another fine mess

[youngsteve · 2/10 · 31 August 2002]

I have just watched this film for the first time, & can confirm it is worse than what I had heard it was. Now as a rule I don't always take note of reviews of films, even if they are bad, as certain films can be bad & still quite enjoyable, even if the acting & plot are okay. Unfortunately, this is not only all the above, but also pretty tiresome & downright tedious as well.

The main unknown (to me anyway) leading threesome are all dreadful & from this showing awful actors as well. Justin Whalin is just laughable & one of the worst heroes in a long while. Probably since Val Kilmers appalling performance in The Saint. Zoe Mclellan is pretty enough (which probably explains away her deficiencies amongst other reviewers) but is still dreadful. The worse though is Marlon Wayons, whose performance is not only awful & completely unfunny, but also of a racist nature. The rest of the actors are also bad, but at least the likes of Jeremy Irons, Bruce Payne & Thora Birch, know they are only slumming it, & are at least decent actors if the material is there.

The plot is also weird & ridiculous, with no explanation of what is going on, & the upsetting thing was that the poor dragons couldn't have snacked on the lot of them, which would of at least made it a happy ending, for us & the dragons anyway. If you want to see a well acted & well made fantasy film watch Lord of the Rings instead.

You know you're watching a bad movie when...

[wastingaway · 23 June 2004]

...the ENTIRE audience cheers at the death of one of the main characters. And tries to warn the poor saps standing outside the theater afterwards to run! run away!

I started playing D&D several years ago, so I'm not some snobbish player from the days when the source books were chiseled on stone tablets. My friends and I got a group together to go see the D&D movie as a lark. It was the worst waste of my time and money. The acting was horrid, the sets cheesy, the special effects amateurish, and the story juvenile. My DM's 10-year-old son could come up with better.

Oh, and after getting home, I discovered that I was allergic to something, and my arms and legs were covered in huge, itchy hives -- my fiancé maintains to this day that I was allergic to the awfullest movie we've ever seen.

This movie would possibly be viewable through a drunken haze, except for the possibility that it would make you throw up.

disgraceful

[Snooch · 1/10 · 26 May 2001]

I can only hope and pray that all the actors and actresses who appear in this film realise their mistake and get alternative means of income, they should be ashamed of the performances they put in. Marlon Wayans does an irritatingly poor and ill-advised Chris Rock impression all the way through the film that just makes you squirm and cringe. The other performances ranged from the badly cast, Thora Birch whose other work has been superb, as the princess to the ridiculous, represented by the performance of Justin Whalin. The total lack of any character development (which for me was needed as the characters are different from the cartoon I used to love) and the shallow acting all meant that I couldn't have cared less what happened to the characters, let alone cling on to the paper thin plot. With all this though, I sat through the entire movie,waiting for the end and feeling sure that Rocky and Bullwinkle Must be better than this pile of toss, and that dude, is saying a LOT...

Mine eyes have been defiled

[Invadertim1 · 1/10 · 28 April 2005]

I can recall the event clearly... There I was... sitting upon the floor, my cousin's beside me. One of my cousin's friends had brought in a rental DVD and presented it to us with a smile stating it was "the best movie ever created". Looking at the title, a rush of excitement hit us as we realized that Dungeon's and Dragon's (a game we had all loved at one time or another) had finally been made into a respectable movie. As we opened the DVD, an aura of evil emanated from it, and although we noticed the clear evil coming from this DVD, we were expecting "the best movie ever created". However the moment the screen turned on, our cousin's friend slinked away, muttering something about the apocalypse. What followed was quite possibly the worst movie experience of my life. After this horrid event, I didn't watch a movie for about 6 mouth's, and I was too scared to turn on the TV, thinking that at any time the ear splitting screech of snails was to come upon me. Now... at first, we were slighty amused by it. However as time went on we realized the grand mistake we had made for watching this disgusting excuse for a visible object. DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS. ALSO IF YOU ARE TO READ THIS, YOU MAY WANT TO BUY A COUPLE OF VIALS OF HOLY WATER TO THROW AT YOUR COMPUTER AS YOU DO.

Alright... First off, Problem one, Snails. WHAT KIND OF A HUMAN BEING IS NAMED SNAILS??? His mind blowing screeching of RIIIIDELLLLYYYY is just plain and flat out horrifying. The acting? Throwing mine own dung at the wall would be more entertaining. The special effects? Half the scenes looked like they we're drawn with crayons. The random dwarf? Who was that guy? He just appeared, drop kicks the guy with the blue lips and then runs away to join the lard filled team. Next... If any of you did see this (then you better bathe in the river Jordan :p) you may recall how they found the "thieve den". THEY FOLLOWED A OUT OF PLACE BLUE HEADED GUY!!! How they heck did they know he was a thief? Was it is skin color? Does that mean every thing blue steals? ... Alright then you may remember how (when trying to enter the cave) The dwarf runs into the barrier. After clearly hurting himself doing so, JUST TO DOUBLE CHECK!!! HE RUNS INTO THE THING AGAIN!!! Now there are far too many things to mention and I can truly say the only good part was when snails somehow randomly died ... O but the worst part... Was the ending. EVERYONE TURNED INTO RED ORBS AND FLOATED AWAY!!!!!! AMAZING!!! Does that mean their all dead? What the heck was that supposed to be? If one could give a negative score, I could definitely see the digits after the negative sign on rating of this piece of garbage (which is being as kind as possible to this worthless lard) reaching around the sun. Don't WATCH IT!!! IF you do or did... I just don't know how you could live with yourself, get yourself exorcised or something.

If you love D&D, you'll hate this movie

[p.campbell · 3/10 · 27 October 2005]

I've been playing or DMing (A)D&D for most of my 38 years. Even before I hit my teens I was writing better scripts for adventures then exist in this movie; there are so many plot holes the truck hasn't been built that's too big to drive through them, and despite having a cast of actors that aren't all that bad, the acting is in most cases similarly dreadful.

So, if you've ever played (A)D&D do yourself a favour and DON'T watch this movie, to avoid all the hair being ripped out of your skull whilst watching. If you've never played (A)D&D then STILL DON'T watch this movie - rent out Willow or Princess Bride or Ladyhawke or Lord of the Rings to get an idea about how good a campaign/adventure could be; watching this will just put you off ever playing the game.

Fantasy Flop.

[FiendishDramaturgy · 1/10 · 12 January 2005]

Knowing some of the "inside story" with TSR, I will say this...5 stars (*****) to the Corporate Martyrs who sacrificed for this movie to be made. Unfortunately for us fans of the game, it just impacts its failure all the more.

I have always loved the game; the role playing paper game, not the video game. I have even developed my own take of fantasy role playing games and developed my own systems. So it's a given that I was looking forward to this project with a great anticipation.

Whenever you anticipate an event that much, there is simply no way it can live up to your idea of what the event should entail. There is no where to go but down.

For that reason, I have waited years to write this review; thinking that perhaps I would be less disappointed in the finished product once I had had time to review it in a less biased light.

I'm completely over hating it from the original disappointment. Now, I just hate it, period.

I don't know what other gamers expected, except for those blokes who walked around whining because there should have been DICE in the movie. Unbelievable. I never expected anything like that, but what I ~did~ expect was a cohesive story, good quality performances, adequate direction, and AD&D-worthy effects.

I was sorely disappointed in all areas and on all levels.

Time did not heal the wound that is Dungeons & Dragons.

Save yourself a torturous 2 hours and avoid this stinker at all costs.

It rates a 0.1/10 from...

the Fiend :.

DRAGON WARS: THE WINGED MENACE

[DoctorSkyTower · 1/10 · 19 November 2001]

Am I correct when I finish watching this BORING movie I've just viewed a poorly-rendered version of T.P.M? With a bit of Return of the Jedi and other star wars stuff thrown in?

Whoever did the editing for this movie must've either been asleep or stoned off their face, because the plot was ripped to utter shreds! So many things happen and are not explained or explained poorly. Now a movie of this genre should be easy to understand. So why did this flick blow chunks?

WARNING! WINGED SPOILERS! WARNING!

1) The boring political confrontation between the Princess (who was a carbon copy of Queen Amidala), and the bad-guy Darth Sidious-look-alike Jeremy Irons (whose acting was dire). Took me half the movie to figure they were fighting over plastic-looking dragon-controlling stage props so they could go to war with some enemy I missed the name of.

2) The thief-hero Ridley and mage Marina disappear into a map portraying some place I also missed the name of, and then reappear. Two hours later: still hadn't figured out what they'd done in the map that conjured up all the answers so conveniently. My 'I'm Bored' meter started rising sharply by this point...

3) Our hero and heroine kiss. He tells her magic-users are superior and he won't have anything to do with them, then contradicts himself and kisses her. Pardon? Nothing more is tacked on to this boring cliche romance. Did I miss yet something else here? Hmm... Maybe not...Yawn.

4) SNAILS?? Excuse me? JAR JAR SNAILS? I thought we'd already endured the awful side kick syndrome, learned from it, and done away with it after the emergence of that floppy-eared, idiotic pigeon-English-speaking fool BUT NO! (or should I say NOOOOOOOOOO!!) Now Jar jar Snails squeals and screams like a girl, but at least he ain't C.G.I!

5) Profion's cheesy hench man. You take Darth Maul's make up off, and what do you get? Darth Maul's blue lips! A villain has not been more fake than listening to the drawn-out hissing of his ridiculously funny, cliche lines. My acting is MUCH better... and I CAN'T ACT!

6) What the heck were those blue, pulsating eye things wondering around with the guards? Why did this movie's creators include these creatures when they do nothing, not even bothering to appear during a 'climatic' battle scene. (must've run out of money to C.G.I them doing stuff other than float briefly by!)

THE ENDING. It is by far the WORST ending I've ever had to endure, right up there with the NEXT worst ending in movie history: Hollow Man. I rate this movie 1/10, the 1 because the end act is so lame and cliche ridden, it's a laugh!

An abomination.

[kmberger · 1/10 · 20 November 2002]

Some have said that those who played the game or enjoy genre fantasy films might find something to like in 'Dungeons & Dragons'. They couldn't be more wrong. This is a useless, clueless film from start to finish that has no idea of what it wants to be. It combines elements of a bad script, terrible acting, and average special effects to create a gloriously bad achievement. It's a would-be franchise that shot itself in the foot right out of the box. And if this is any indication of what future installments would have looked like, to that I say, "Thank God."

Jeremy Irons plays the evil wizard Profion straight out of Overacting 101 - he's all sneers and shouts and waving hands. His lackey Damodar (Bruce Payne) is blue-lipped and black-armored (therefore evil) and exudes all the menace of an overripe eggplant. Thora Birch - wonderful in 'American Beauty' - looks like she was blackmailed into this role, as she's completely catatonic throughout the film, giving her Empress Savina (the wholesome representation of all things Good) zero energy and appeal.

How about those heroes? Marlon Wayans (Snails, the thief) is completely annoying, offering nothing to the proceedings; Justin Whalin (Ridley, another thief) - the nominal hero - is a goofball who'd be outclassed by the cast of Baywatch; and Zoe McLellan (Marina, the mage) is the only one who seems to even try to keep to a thematic element of fantasy, though she's in way over her head.

'Dungeons & Dragons' is a complete mess and a complete waste of your time. If you want a fantasy film that draws upon the roleplaying game, try the one that D&D was based on in the first place: 'Lord of the Rings'. Keep this thing as far away from your television as possible.

Blue lips

[DeborahgetdatOscar · 4/10 · 11 May 2023]

I don't care about anything. I don't care about the laughingly bad costumes that I think could've been bought by a high school theatre production's budget. I don't care about the bad script, bad acting, bad bad CGI.

I care only about why that evil guy's second in command dude with the bald head had a metallic blue lipstick on? Why? I couldn't look at literally anything else. At first I thought it was just a weird reflection but no he had someone put metallic blue lipstick on him. No one even mentions it. Not once. There is no indication something is slightly different about him, so I'm guessing he has always put on metallic blue lipstick.

It confounds me. I am utterly transfixed and bewilered as to why this decision was made. Everyday they sat in hair and makeup and thought let's put on a metallic blue lipstick on this bald guy. And no one objected?

I'm telling you I looked at his blue lips only. All I thought was about them. When he's being cursed or whatever and those weird things are coming out of his ears, I literally was still looking at his lips. What brand did they even find a shade like that in? It didn't smudge or nothing with him battling.

Like you're telling me this was a decision they made, like it came into thier heads and they never reconsidered. It was never explained in the script, like was it because he had evil powers? Like his lips are poison???? What?

In the battle scene, there is tons of CGI so I guess because of shading his lips look a little less blue but the lipstick was clearly not CGI they physically applied it on his lips. Everyday they made that choice.

I honestly was just wondering about this the whole movie. It's the only reason to watch this film.

D&D? Hellsballs, Yes!

[exploding-media-in · 10/10 · 27 October 2005]

Is this a quality film? No, it is not. Is this a well made film? No it is not. But is it entertaining? Thats really a matter of opinion, and mine is yes, it is. One very important thing that should be remembered when watching any sci-fi or fantasy movie is that it probably doesn't have a good budget. Or casting, or effects or maybe anything good at all. You should go into these movies, and i do mean ANY sci-fi/fantasy, knowing full well that there is a very good chance it is lacking in production value.

With all that said and done, this movie was an awesome amount of fun to watch. As a regular dice roller, i found the plot to be consistent with an average game, or at least with enough of the games elements to do it justice. Yes, the acting could have been better. And the writing. But it was FUN. I had a fantastic time the entire time i was watching it. I laughed, i cried (not really) and i joked about it afterward.

My point is, this movie is bad for the sake of being bad. I highly recommend it for any one in need of a fun hour and a half. It's probably best watched with friends, for mst3k reasons. Just don't let any pretensions ruin a fine movie for you.

what harsh reviews for an enjoyable film

[carla-field · 7/10 · 17 September 2014]

I'm not a film critic but I am a film fanatic, and if I'm completely honest the reviews are a little harsh to say the least. this film is not perfection and nor is it remotely close to what so people have described as " a waste of time " I found this film a good watch and would happily watch it again. if you like fantasy then you will like this film. full stop fully intended. I rated this film 7 stars an feel this is a fair representation of the film rather than the usual one. this film has a fully thought out and cleaver plot and the biggest ending cliff hanger ever left upon a fantasy film that leaves you wondering about what happens to the characters! this film was a fun hour or so and I have convinced my closet friends to watch it themselves. give it a go, what's the worst that could happen!

Not as bad as most would have you believe.

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 5/10 · 21 October 2006]

While not a masterpiece of any kind (the film barely exceeds mere competence) I didn't find D&D to be as bad as the negative reviews claimed. I put off watching it for so long for this reason, but it was enjoyable enough.

Comparisons to the LOTR trilogy are inevitable, so I'm not going to avoid it. I didn't really like the LOTR trilogy. It just seemed to be a bunch of movies that everyone was forced to like and if you didn't then there must be something wrong with you. Yes, they are much, much better made than the rather quaint D&D, but if you want a smaller, unassuming fantasy ride then don't completely rule this movie out.

The visual effects and production design of D&D are very similar to Paul Anderson's Mortal Kombat. Yes, it looks fake, but with just a little bit of suspension of disbelief you'll not even notice. I have a feeling that Courtney Solomon tried really hard to make it a good film but his talent doesn't extend as far as his enthusiasm.

In terms of character and story it is all pretty bland and generic. There's nothing in this movie that you haven't seen somewhere else. The actors do their best with the tepid dialogue and almost manage to not look embarrassed. The best thing about the film is it's surprisingly ferocious (maybe a bit too OTT) sound design. And the Dragon fight at the end was impressive for a medium budget film.

I was actually surprised to find Joel Silver's name on the closing credits. I will assume that without him the film would have been a REAL stinker. And what's with that ending?

Either way, I am still interested in the sequel.