The second D&D film is actually much better...

Yes, I know this is about a movie, but it's really a thread for Fantasy & Science Fiction fans, as it's about a pretty central hobby to the genre...Dungeons and Dragons (or D&D).

Even D&D fans who saw the first film (with Jeremy Irons, Marlan Wayans, etc.) pretty much didn't like it...and no wonder...it strayed way too far from the source material.

However, the sequel, while still cheesy, is MUCH better, and does stick more to the idea of the game. There is a new group of adventurers (five in all, a Fighter, a Barbarian (female), a Mage (Elf), a Rogue, and a Cleric). Gods from the gameworld are mentioned (including many references to infamous dungeon modules), and many D&D fans will find things in the movie that will give them a little chuckle.

Fair warning that the CGI isn't pricey, for the monsters, but the movie isn't bad...and any fans of Fantasy should give it a look (and it's probably going to be real cheap)...

reply to post by Gazrok


I watched this yesterday it was a huge improvement over the first and I'm glad they bought back Damodar, there were still laughable parts due to the lack of budget, I remember chuckling to myself near the end where they went back to the city and the modern red bricks were visible as they entered the gates.

I also felt proud when i corrected my significant other when she called the "Lich" a Necromancer.

She also needed teaching about the Rogues innate skill of "Detect Traps" and lockpicking and the Clerics "Dispell Undead"

I absolutely loved the second one and wanted to tear my eyes out watching the first. I liked the dvd where you could find the stats for all the main characters! Did anyone else notice they even got the run speed increase for the barbarian right in the movie? The scene in the woods where they are running she is ahead of the pack.

Originally posted by angrymomma
I absolutely loved the second one and wanted to tear my eyes out watching the first. I liked the dvd where you could find the stats for all the main characters! Did anyone else notice they even got the run speed increase for the barbarian right in the movie? The scene in the woods where they are running she is ahead of the pack.

I loved when she used "Rage" wasn't run speed innate to Barbs from 3rd edition?

reply to post by Crutchley29


Yeah in 3rd edition the barbarians got 10ft speed increase (at least I think it was ten) I don't know if it was like that in prior editions (or what I call my "dad's editions" lol). I just thought was a really nice subtle thing to throw into the movie.

ETA: ARGH! Now I want to get out my dice and play! I miss all those "nights" staying up until the sun came up, just goofing around and playing with my friends. So many trips to the local gas station that served food 24 hours a day *sigh*.

It could have had a bigger budget but i guess the first movie would have shied away big dollars from investors who fled from the atrocity of the first movie.

I recall a review made by Gygax in Dragon magazine of the first movie, he gushed over it...i wonder if he really did like it or was it an obligation since he was a driving force to have D&D reach a wider audience.

I'm actually going to play a session tomorrow night with some long-time friends. (we rarely get to these days, but it's fun to do once in a while)...total (including me, the DM) of 5 guys, 4 gals, though it's rare all of us can make it. Should be 6 of the 9 tomorrow night, so that's a good size anyhow...(one couple and one gal can't make it)

Yep, I even paused the DVD extra for the stat screens (all pretty much 7th level except the mage). Just glanced at it, but seemed accurate, and explains the vorpal sword he had, hehe...

Originally posted by zedzedtopgrade
I recall a review made by Gygax in Dragon magazine of the first movie, he gushed over it...i wonder if he really did like it or was it an obligation since he was a driving force to have D&D reach a wider audience.

It really seemed like that was his direction with it, not even mentioning the choice of actors in it.



I agree that the second film is better. It is way more serious, less of a comedic approach. Where as I like the first one, I don't care to really watch it. The second, I'll watch again. Good topic!

I'd bet a movie based on Ravenloft would do well...given the current interest in vampires. Although, my real love would be to see a film based on unlucky adventurers going through S series dungeons (competition ones designed to kill you), like Tomb of Horrors, etc.

If you've never done them, and get to, sometimes D&D competitions are really fun. One time, my whole group absolutely had slain an entire party (ok, the druid got away, but only limpingly, and after we chased him down a bit...damn shapeshifters).

We had lost one party member already due to an ambush by monsters...but, in just a couple of rounds, we killed their whole party, while their initial fireball only did 4 points of damage to me (I was playing an evil cleric, and had resist fire on me (and made a save, etc.)). I think they knew it was bad when I laughed after the fireball. We slowed them, hasted our own party, and our CON fighter had STR gauntlets (looted from our fallen member). So, what our mage's fireball didn't kill (our team was protected in a minor globe, except me), our fighter just hacked up.

As an evil cleric, I commanded the shadows that were in the dungeon designed to kill us (our DM somehow forgot that we evil clerics do that vs turning them, and had to confer with other DMs when I did it)...and sent them to work them over too,

We looked at their table and saw them ripping up their character sheets as they died... Ahh...good times, good times.