@@noblemagi Yeah, that sounds about right. Frankly, I don't think it sounds good. The whole frenetic, ADHD storytelling style repels me, oddly enough I have ADHD so maybe it's just too much for my brain to handle 😅
Lays actually is doing a thing on the 30th where if you bring a potato you get a free ticket showing to DnD honor among thieves so even the companies are picking up on the memes
I loved how it deffinetally felt like a dnd campaign. to the point where you can allmost feel the beginning and end of each session in the pacing. I also had a lot of fun trying to spot all the critical successes/failures.
I've yet to see the movie, but as someone who runs episodic DnD campaigns, that will amuse me somewhat... I like a broader campaign that is connected by little 1-shots that tell brief interlude stories.
Honestly, there was a lot of laughter in my theater not just from the jokes, but from just how DND it felt, just so epic that the only thing you can do is laugh like you’re in a rollercoaster
I saw an advanced screening and it watched like a D&D adventure. It is VERY fun and I loved it. If you’re expecting Lord of the Rings, you’ll be disappointed. Don’t. Expect a D&D adventure in movie form and you’ll love it
@@vernonhampton5863 I saw a negative review that said something like “this isn’t LotR, it’s more like Monty python”. To which I thought “Say you never played D&D without saying you’ve never played D&D.”
My feel was that, if felt as though it was an ACTUAL D&D campaign. You had the DM PC, the Paladin, the one getting all the perfect one liners, cit hitting things, sexily pulling out kittens from fish. The Pally was played by the DM cos the group just needed to head in the right direction. The druid felt like the DM's disinterested partner. Like, to the point where her accent didn't fit with anybody elses. Also "Red head, druid. I was abandoned cos I'm a tiefling..."
@@LunarrMyst I think they played the game but they were handed the characters and ran through a few scenarios. From the conversations I heard them talking about it I dont think it was for more then a few hours.
@@joshr8573 I mean that kinda works out for the way the movie is structured, they had all the main plot points laid out but the script outcome was entirely based off rolls or something
Half the jokes landed, the other half didn’t flop because they just blended into the dialog, the pacing got better and better, I liked the quick 80s cartoon series ‘cameo’ in the maze sequence. Well cast, definitely written by someone who knows their DnD. I loved it . Would watch again.
Or better a group of movies with other parties, that cross over and eventually come together, like a whole cinematic universe. There is an immense wealth of source material.
@@tomover5524 Not everything should be a universe, but this absolutely should. It's in D&D's very nature to have separate campaigns carried out by various parties throughout the world of the Sword Coast. What could be more suited for a universe style franchise? You say "please for God's Sake"? Is there any reason you can't just not go see the movies? Then it will have no affect on your fragile life, without denying it to those who want it. Just an Idea.
It felt like a D&D one shot and I loved it, saw the movie last night with my gf who isn’t into D&D and she admitted at the end she absolutely loved it. My old roommates and I play D&D together and I’m excited to see it again with them. The only suggestion I could make is in the arena fight add one or two more monsters.
I just saw it yesterday: It was an amazing movie. I noticed none of the detractors save for one comment I saw somewhere where they lamented one or two characters not being seen more. I think that's because they didn't want a 3 hour movie and it also speaks to how great the movie was that people wanted more! I didn't' see it as shallow, or too fast. All I saw was a very entertaining movie that at times reminded me of groups i've gamed with. I'm very excited for the future of D&D movies!
What I heard from your descriptions, is that this is more of an adaptation of a real DND game to film, Rather than a DND adaptation of a major film production. What this means is that the pacing and character development are more akin to what actually playing the game would feel like, with big budget style special effects. As a DND player, that sounds Awesome!
I think you nailed it. It was exactly like a silly group sitting around a table creating a story together much like I would expect from a group of my friends while we play! ❤😁
I went with 8 other D&D players, and we all left laughing our asses off throughout and pretty blown away having come in with really low expectations. And I don't really agree that they don't invest enough in the characters to get an emotional pay off. I actually thought they nailed it, and likewise all but one of my friends got pretty hard when pine makes his final "choice" in the movie (trying not to spoil). When he realizes what he wants is ultimately selfish and makes the right choice, that was like, yeah. Thats right the kind of emotional arch for a comedy/fantasy/action movie. The potato was fairly sloppy tho. Also took me out in the moment. Also, I don't know that this was about selling books directly. I actually think they're setting up a D&DU, with the way they hung out . And honestly, if they put this much thought and work into future ones I'd be on board. Certainly swinging a lot harder than current MCU phase, woof.
"Masterpiece of distraction entertainment" is an amazing way to describe something like this. Can't wait to see it. Probably going to be better than most things released lately.
I will not go to this movie. I won't give a penny more to Hasbro/WotC. I'll wait for other reviews, and maybe look at it streaming in a few years, but I have no reason to go. Anyone thinking "WotC has learned their lesson about the OGL! has not themselves learned their lesson about WotC. Success here, as all is forgiven, is a green light for WotC to do more harm to DnD.
Too late to suggest it in theaters, but go see Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It's everything you wish this movie could be and more. Yes, I know it's a sequel to a spinoff of a sequel of a hit, but trust me. It hits HARD!
The whole time watching it I imagined myself as the DM and the players are all improvising plans, scheming ideas, watching magic fail or the baddies trying to be serious and the players are just shrugging them off. It’s a solid entry for DnD that highlights the point of the game. It would serve the brand well to make a dedicated series like this giving more time for everything.
In regards of the “controversy” I feel that the writers/directors chose the wrong word. Emasculation implies making someone less “manly” than average. What they did was not have the male characters amped up to 80’s level Stallone or Schwarzenegger solo an entire army by themselves level of character and that’s not a bad thing at all. Everyone has both strengths and weaknesses and I loved it
My most charitable read of their comments was that they meant to say they like male characters that are plucky underdogs and not rambo. But they for some reason used all the language surrounding punitive writing that harms male characters for the grand crime of being male. I've heard mixed things in this regard, not having watched the movie myself yet (if ever) so it seems to come down to how beaten down a person is with this crap from other media. Which is unfortunate, yet understandable, if this movie gets flak from external factors. A huge red flag for people was the director thinking bullying a male character for being male was in any way novel and not the standard.
@@chucklebouf5379 I did watch the movie and I didn't know anything about this controversy until now if I had I would have probably waited for a pirate release, but basically yes MC is a coward up to certain degree for a reason implied in the movie, he's also a leader that acts like one taking care of others, watching over others and making sure they are okay, but there's also a gigachad character male, he was funny cause of the contrast it had with the "heroes" of the adventure Something that I just noticed now that I know about the controversy is that there are no woman characters that are portrayed weak or coward per se, that said I also had no problem with those characters since it's not "wAHmen power" or "men power" but more of a "us" power since the party is the heroes and they chipped in to make shit happen Ps: Haven't watched the video yet, hope this clear a bit of the uncertainty regarding MC and male figures in the movie Edit: Just watched the video pretty much on point, I did notice the potato and yep basically a modern DnD movie what were you expecting? Tons of lore dump and heavy hitter for a story? This is for kids be real. Also agree with the hungover movie but I call them weekend movies Edit 2: Grammar :/
With d&d it makes sense to go for less of a man's man because there's nothing else to set it apart from every other film like it and there's plenty of opportunities to go with in rouges, rangers, bards, wizards.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I feel the “episodic” feeling you described makes a lot of sense for a DnD movie. After all, DnD is played session by session so being an episodic movie feels like it would fit in really well
I saw the movie in an early screening with several people with both players and non-players. We all enjoyed it and already have plans to watch it again when it officially releases. The movie captured the shenanigans of what happens at the table without breaking the 4th wall. I did appreciate the nods to players and how the gameplay is, but I didn't think it was meta. The location to location jumping felt like how my tables were like. The creators really did their homework properly for this movie. As for the non-players in my group, as I said, we're planning on watching it again. It is an enjoyable movie that I recommend watching. Just don't expect it to be like other movies such as LoTR or such, because it isn't anything like those, and that is what makes it stand out from the multitude of action fantasy movies out there.
I heard that part of it takes place at Revel's End in Icewind Dale. Without spoiling anything, how much of Ten Towns and Icewind Dale do we actually get to see? I love that setting so much and getting to see how they portray it would be the only reason I would go see the movie.
@@jasondrouin7549 Revel's End is where the movie starts, and the movie has some nice shots (ala Lord of the Rings style travel panoramic, but it doesn't use up 20% of the movie's run time), but the story doesn't stay in the dale for long. The opening sequence to when they end up in town is worth watching... or at least its "punch line" is. So if you are going to watch it just for Revel's End and the Dale, then you'll get only a short bit of love. HOWEVER, the rest of the movie more than makes up for it. It REALLY does feel like a tabletop campaign put to the big screen. The writers and everyone involved with making the movie really did their homework and brought in much more than the dale and gave it the reverence the game and movie deserves. The jokes and pokes at the meta don't break the 4th wall, but they definitely pushed the limits. The Speak with Dead trailer shows one of the best examples of this.
I went in with low expectations and they were blown out of the water. In regards to them making jokes to break up serious moments I see that as how an actual dnd group would act. It’s a fun movie and I think a lot of people will enjoy it. Though I can see where the negative points are coming from, they weren’t enough to take me out of the fun
10:44 Well, I will say that as we walked out the theater, my 7yo daughter asked if she could try playing D&D. She wants to play an elf, and a bard, who plays a flute, and makes music magic. She did watch Owl House, though, so I don't think all of those ideas were placed in her head by the movie, but still... She also liked the "tubby dragon."
It really felt like a movie by dnd fans, for dnd fans. All of the references to notable locations and people from the official setting felt organic and the interactions between the characters felt like very accurate representations of players in an actual game of dnd in a very natural way. Would definitely recommend!
I saw it last week and thought it was great! I loved the designs of the Aarakocra and Dragonborn, but that Tabaxi pulled me out of the movie for a second. I felt the story had a decent amount of heart, and I enjoyed that it didn't get too heavy. I also thought they did a really good job of fairly quickly giving everyone a reason to be on the adventure. I also looked at it from the view of an actual game in regards to the characters backstories. When I play, I tend to have a fairly simple backstory and justification for adventuring, I don't roleplay as much as others might, but my fighting and problem-solving are solid, so, quite a bit like the druid character in the film. The bard provided the impetus for the adventure and so things were more focused on him; the barbarian shared a lot of history with the bard but her motivation didn't overlap his completely; the sorcerer had the most growth but also caused a lot of chaos; and the paladin was the experienced, grounded character that the rest of the party needed to help them achieve their goal. The anti-hero was greedy, cunning, and narcissistic which led to him working with the big bad, who was a legitimate threat, so while it didn't seem like there was a lot going on with either of them, it was still enough to justify them needing to be stopped.
Yeah I really don’t know why they didn’t just cgi in the Tabaxi. It probably would have worked way better. Animatronics are cool, but not every creature who isn’t giant has to be one
The emotional connection and the humour of the film is drawn from the D&D experiences viewers have had. Although I didn't cry, my love of the film is because it remindes me of the wonder and deep connections I've made with my D&D group. The humor as well is the same thing - we have a very similar understanding of tension and when and where to make jokes. The lack of characterisation might be a concious decision because I gaurantee there are more to come and there will be more arcs. I completely understand that some people might not like it and might not connect with it as much as I or others do - but the movie is D&D to its core and it fully understands it's subject.
I saw an advanced screening and took my wife who does not play D&D and who thought she would not like it. She loved it! She thought it was funny (so did I) and entertaining. I also thought it was super fun and entertaining, while at the same time being very accessible to non D&D players. For the D&D fan base, especially if you played a Faerun based campaign, the D&D Easter eggs are great and add a layer to the movie. But again, my wife who knows nothing about D&D enjoyed it without getting those references. This is an old school, fun summer time movie. Go watch and enjoy!
When I was a kid people walked out of The Dark Crystal. That’s the one time I’ve seen that happen. We loved it and still do. Edit- a week later and now I have seen the movie… loved it!
The only movie I've ever been in the cinema for that that I saw people get up and leave from was "Mother!" but Darren Aronofsky movies are always audience splitters 🤣
It did make me want to play a couple of the character classes represented in the movie. My whole D&D group went to see it together, some taking their kids. We all loved it. I was really impressed with how they made it accessible to non-D&D players, it's very obvious what each monster does so normals can understand instantly what the threat is as well as the general D&D lingo.
I went to an advance screening and loved it. Couldn’t have asked for a better D&D movie. Will definitely hit up the cinema a few more times while it’s there.
I watched it with my DnD group I can definitely say that the movie was EXTREMELY good and fun! Best of all, it's not entirely aimed for people who are fans of DnD but it also works for people who just medieval fantasy and action in general. It's beautifully crafted and I definitely recommend it. The character design is great, the humor is FANTASTIC in my opinion as much as it could be the same, the effects are really good and the music just screams fantasy and DnD.
I was thinking about that too. I can’t imagine that that was the only reason, but I gotta figure that now is a pretty critical time for WoTC. With a big budget movie and a new edition coming out, now probably isn’t the time for a big PR disaster.
@@sabotooth No my dude, they really went hard on the ogl Don't try to down play it with "Oh content creators are whining at what isn't there" "They make everything a mountain out of a molehill" Wizards of the coast were ready for some heavy theft and more against their customers Nothing was blown out of proportion We ALL read the same statements and agreements
@@sabotooth you could argue that they wouldn't abuse some things, but the 20% profits off all 3rd party creators was unacceptable. also the entire idea that they don't have the legal ground to deauthorize the ogl in the first place and wanted to manipulate people to willingly signing away their rights just assuming no one would notice
@@shannonhall8870 your right it was 25... so even worse... and you need to understand that gross income and net income are not the same, they are takeing 25% from the total before any costs the company needs to cover. basically through costs of production and paying wages to their workers and a ton of other things, they might only make 25% or less. so essentially they are potentially taking all profit a company could make, making growth immensely harder
Jarnathan! Trailer spoilers: I truthfully loved the movie, I personally think it landed that Guardians style comedy fairly well, and was the first movie I'd seen in theaters that had me genuinely laughing out loud. I'm sorry, a fat dragon is hilarious, especially when played on a big screen, and is being treated as a real threat. My girlfriend and I just kept looking at each other laughing as quietly as possible whispering, "Absolute Unit" and "Chonky boi". If that type of humor is for you, this movie is for you, d&d fan or no.
I saw it last Sunday, and I agree that there was not enough build-up of emotion in the movie. The big, final emotional decision at the end felt very obvious. With that being said, I think because it's just a 'fine' movie was why I enjoyed it. I watch movies to have fun or to chill and I found this movie very fun. In the best way, you can talk over the film, giving your own commentary, and you are not going to miss some big moment and be lost. PS- Thank you DnD shorts for helping me feel less lost when I joined a campaign last year, I regularly go back to your videos for ideas on how to play better
If you feel it's a good movie because you can talk over the movie, while sitting in a cinema, it makes me think the movie is the exact opposite of good... talking during a movie in theatre is a dickmove..
When I play dnd, our campaigns lack emotion sometimes too, so I feel like it will be similar. When I watched critical role in the past, I sometimes felt like it was amazing storytelling but also felt like I couldn’t get into a story as emotionally as they do.
My personal take is obvious is more like natural. It was the natural choice which is the correct one. Not everything has to be a surprise or contrast. D&d is predominantly about good over evil and making good choices. So it make perfect sense. Read Ed Greenwood's books you will see this throughout.
I'm glad to hear that what was lacking is that you didn't get enough of the likable characters. That's the sort of thing that makes sequels happen. If enough people want to get to know these characters maybe we'll get a proper Harper's story next time. Or see some legit original story for the druid. Sophia kicked butt in "I Am Not OK With This", and she can certainly provide an epic and unusual character if called to do so.
One of the writers is Sam from Freaks and Geeks. He said he played a ton growing up after filming the episode where they played Dungeons and Dragons. The two writers also wrote Spiderman Homecoming. Super excited to see it!
This felt like watching a D&D session of a bunch of friends, without the 4 hours of a single battle to slow things down. To me, it was very obvious that the cast enjoyed making this movie, and I would totally watch a sequel, or another one done similar to this.
I agree that the emotional beats and character depth felt a bit lacking in the movie, but I have to say that I really did enjoy it! I saw it with my friends in the cinema, and we laughed pretty much the whole way through. I had a blast trying to spot spells, abilities, references, rules etc, to me it really did feel like watching someone retell their D&D adventure. But I also think that the best way to approach it is how one of my friends described it afterwards: it's like a comfort movie. You don't go for the grandeur or emotional gut punches, but it's something you watch for fun with friends!
Really? The people i watched it with were laughing the entire time! the movie theatre wasn't FULL by any means, but everyone there was def a dnd nerd and found it really funny! I wonder if its something to do with different versions for different regions, but I would DEFINETLY consider it an action-comedy. Not to the levels of guardians, but def similar
Agree I hope this doesn’t flop. I went into this hoping it would y take itself too seriously, like you and other have said, treating it like LOTR. It was a fun fantasy movie. There was some super cool moments, like the creative problem solving with that thing. That would happen in a session. Wasn’t earth shattering. But I loved it.
A great audio book that really captures the D&D experience is NPCs by Drew Hayes. It takes place in a TTRPG world were some NPC's take up the role of fallen player characters to protect their town from a crazy ruler. It hops from the game world to the real world, which seems to be affected by the actions of the NPC's. I honestly think that it could make a good film adaptation if done correctly. But definitely worth the read/listen.
Movie was great in my opinion. A bit fast sure but it wasnt much of an issue for me. I also LOVE and applaud that they used so many practical effects for the creatures/races which is amazing. We def need more of that! The characters each had their own unique quirks like you would see in a DnD adventure which was for sure the funniest bits in the movie. Ontop of that whenever there was a break or a recognisable spell everyone in the theater was geeking out and talking about DnD which was a very unique experience. I hope they make sequels, maybe with different parties and based on different sourcebooks.
Just saw it on a 'sneak preview' in USA. I was impressed and enjoyed seeing Faerun on screen. It didn't seem unbearably emasculating, as u said, as was implied in that interview. I wasn't taken out by the potato scene. I was more taken out by the halflings. I thought u meant the illusion scene for the meme. I too had tears going at the end. I disagree about the emotional impact, and thought it was more impactful than u did with their backstories, and the humor was quite reminiscent of the bickering and problem solving fun that people may have around the table. I recommend it quite highly.
It might be due to my low expectations of the film going in, but I actually really liked it. It wasn’t over-the-top lame comedy (which I expected it to be), and it had more of a personal story that I expected for Pine’s character which I really liked. Of course, it’s not a movie that’s fully leaning into that element but I think it had a really good blend of humor and personal connection. I do agree that there could’ve been more time spent on other characters (I’d really like to see more of the Druid and the red wizard), but it’s under stable for a movie that’s already a decent run time. I didn’t feel like the pacing was quit as fast as you make it to be. There’s no long dramatic acting, but there are calm scenes to give you a break. But it played really well as a dnd adventure. Overall, I agree it’s definitely not a Great movie. It’s not a movie for the cinema snobs. But I’d call it pretty dang good.
Aggressively engaging is true, and it has a small heart to it but its a very basic/shallow story but its an effective one. And the idea of being told a story by a child feels right but also playing dnd is kind of like that. And I agree the druid didnt have the best with character moments, but overall it gives the vibe for me of playing a prewritten adventure in dnd adventure league. Its a fun experience but you dont get character deptth and not maybe the best possible dnd experience but still enjoyable. Def a hangover or casual film, the tyoe of movie I'd watch if im bored on my day off and its streaming or on tv.
I saw the first advanced screening a couple of weeks ago and loved it. Genuinely thought it was funny and a lot of fun. I still think the Guardians of the Galaxy comparison is apt, and have used it a few times to describe the movie to people. Hadn’t heard anything of the “controversy” until now and wonder whether it was all just trying to stir the pot for outrage clicks.
I can definitely understand a rushed feel. Being a DnD player and someone who follows CR, the same problem was in legend of vox machina where your really trying to cram multiple sessions and a whole campaign into this limited time frame and to do that obviously the pacing has to be fairly fast. I can't wait to see it myself.
It felt like a weekend one shot. Sometimes you condense a full campaign to its essence, and then athe critical path. Very fun and a great example of d&d
I havent seen it yet but damn if I actually like something you said. "It's not funny per se, it's just trying to be fun". Funny and fun are not the same. Something can be fun, and not involve constant jokes like a machine making me break a laugh. And sometimes less is more. Make it fun, make it enjoyable. Don't overload me with what gags. They are not always the best choice.
Hot take: if Hasbro’s goal is to use film to move product then they shouldn’t attempt to push a big budget Forgotten Realms movie, they should push a handful of small-to-medium budget Dungeons & Dragons films that place more emphasis on the actual tabletop game rather than the fantasy worlds the games are set in. My friends and I regularly quote indie movies featuring TTRPG and LARP elements from the last decade. These films can be made on far tighter budgets and more properly express the appeal of these games. Make another The Gamers or The Sasquatch Gang for 1/10th the price. Mazes and Monsters had 10 times the impact on D&D than the D&D film from 2000 and cost a fraction as much to make.
From someone who has been playing the game for a long time, this felt like an actual campaign being run by real players. That was what made it magical for me. The acting, the story, and the visual effects were great. I especially loved the fast pace. To me, that made the poignant moments even more so. Just like in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, you can't dwell on the sadness. The adventure must go on!
I'm seeing this when I get to my Easter holidays. I'm excited as I just don't get to see many movies anymore. That pacing you mention does concern me though. My favourite films are long, ponderous, cinematography masterpieces like Revenant, Arrival, Children of Men and 1917. Movies that frantically jump from place to place actually just annoy me. They don't let me feel anything. Xmen 3 did this and so did World of Warcraft. Here's a place, here's a thing, look at this, be entertained!
I like the review… I think people might love the film because times have been tough and this is total escapism that’s easy to watch. Not too heavy, just easy and fun xxx
It also separate itself from being another gritty fantasy that tries to be a GoT or LotR inspired movie or show. I love that it is more akin to comedy fantasy like Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Princess Bride & Shrek.
I like the idea that if this movie is a success it opens up the potential of more and potentially even more serious or higher quality d&d media like can you imagine an actual d&d cinematic universe version of the forgotte realms on screen
This movie was a great watch for me. Simple fun, something I could just sit back and enjoy for its runtime. It won't change cinema and it isn't the greatest movie ever, but to me it did catch the D&D experience from my own campaigns. Also, it served to plant some ideas for characters and plot elements in my mind. I'll probably watch it again at some point, but for now having seen it once was good enough.
I don't think the goal was to make someone buy some more D&D books. The point of this movie is to give a new player a base so they know the world of the Sword Coast. No 300-page book for you, just watch this movie. You even get a geography lesson (they walk by a lava field before they get to Neverwinter- the reason the port doesn't freeze is the hot springs generated by the lava). This also helps Tal'Dorei NOT become the default setting. I get players that ASK to play in the world of Critical Roll and Middle Earth, but no one ASKS to play in the forgotten realms (it's kinda assumed).
Lul i found the world so replaceable that i in no way want to know more about the world. The only thing it got me motivated to is playing dnd. In whatever world, just playing dnd with friends and having a lot of chaotic and good fun. Like slapping a wizard into the ground unnecessary much fun. And perhaps that could get guys to buy the core rulebooks. But not the swordcoast stuff.
Fair and surprisingly positive review. It may be a good movie, but it launches in competition with John Wick 4 and the new Mario movie, so it will bomb hard at the box office. The "emasculating men" headlines and the OGL debacle will hurt even more.
Well, if the early screening is any indicator of who shows up, it might not be as big of a bomb as you think. I know when I saw the early screening, it was almost full (maybe only 2 empty seats in the front row.) I think I read quite a few comments from other reviews about how packed their screenings were too and supposedly people that will see the movie again.
Saw it last night. I loved that it didn’t take itself seriously and that it was a fun romp. I will file this under my guilty pleasure films and I can see myself seeing it at least 10 times. It felt like a D & D game. Lots of great stuff!
Thanks for the review! Our group is planning to see it along with some players' kids, so it's good to know that it's suitable for all of us. We don't need it to be great, it just has to be good for us to have fun!
What I wonder is why they haven't (officially) done anything more like the original D&D cartoon, but live action. Every D&D project is just a straight fantasy story using D&D monsters and spells and such. That's fine, but it would be so much better to use the D&D IP for a blend of modern Earth and fantasy world. Either go the A. route of "group of modern humans get transported into D&D, ala Jumanji, the cartoon, or plenty of other isekai anime, or B. a bunch of humans are playing D&D, and their adventures are shown to the audience as fully realistic visuals, so a blend of Princess Bride, Drunk History, and One for All. I feel like the blend of relatable modern humans navigating this fantasy world fits the D&D theme much better than if that world is treated 100% as its own thing. The "tabletop" experience should be a part of the story in some way.
During the OGL fiasco, I made a promise. I wouldn’t give Hasbro the box office money or numbers. I’ll watch it when local theaters make more money per ticket sold.
@@laughingpanda4395 The full promise was that if they didn’t correct course, I’d wait for streaming. So if by “selective” you meant precise, that’s a compliment.
@@LocalMaple what I mean is... Every corporation out there in existence has some sort of shady or unethical means by which it makes its profits. Every. Single. One. If you are angry at hasbro/wotc for actually listening to the community and abandoning their plans then go home and throw away all your cleaning products, your food, your clothes, your toiletries and ESPECIALLY your medicines. The companies that made all that are far worse than anything that WotC has EVER done. So like I said, your selective outrage award is in the mail.
@@laughingpanda4395 Knowing what things you care enough about to do something about is healthy and realistic, being upset at everything bad ever is a good way to give yourself a stroke. Gotta pick your battles. "Selective outrage" is only bad when it's impotent, actually changing your course of action as a result of it is fine.
Hasbro don't get any money from the box office. Paramount already bought the rights. All you are doing is hurting paramount and making it less likely sword and sorcery movies get made in future.
I saw it last weekend, and have to say, I really liked it. When people have asked me, my answer so far has been "It's a solid campaign story, styled like The Princess Bride, set in Neverwinter." The more I've said it, the more on the nose I think that description is. You're right that it's not a StarWars/Marvel/HP style movie, but that's a plus in my book. I find most of those to be a bit rambling and repetitive. Yes, it was fast paced, but it also had lot of story to tell, and it did a good job of NOT being a 3 movie saga (which it could have easily been). I enjoyed seeing tropes in the movie that I've seen happen in real life campaigns, which gave it a truly organic feel. I have to disagree about the character depth and motivations though. I found the characters were quite up front and clear in their key motivation, but also like most real people, those motivations changed and morphed as the story progressed. I think most people may wind up missing a lot of those subtle tells though, because again the pacing was super fast. Also, a lot of the initial character development is part of the opening exposition, and I think lots of people will simply miss it. When I watched it, there were people still chattering and commenting on lore instead of listening to the movie. Most of those same people were likely lost later in the movie. One of those same chatterboxes literally mid-movie said, "Why is he making him a Harper?" 🤦Again, in most movies that type of thing is brought up again and again, to hammer it home. Not so much with this movie, in part because they want to keep the story moving. I will say though that while I personally loved it, I don't see it being a mass hit right off (much like The Princess Bride). It will more than likely be a "cult classic" in 7 to 10 years. It's just a little too ahead of the curve to have mass appeal, and the pacing and style has a LOT to do with that. This is one of those movies most people will have to watch a few times to "catch" everything. Because you can't pause, or rewind, or check out a scene again, it's really NOT a great theater movie. But I think once it's viewed at home, where one can do that, and catch all the little things; that's where it's really going to shine. If you get distracted for even a moment, you could miss something, subtle or important. And that could leave you puzzled or disconnected about things later very easily.
Saw it last night with my DnD party. Laughed out loud more times than I could count. The fat dragon was the biggest moment I think. It really did a good job capturing the essence of our party's play style and flavor. Will, many of the points you raise as criticism like saying the characters are just there to serve a specific purpose really hits home for how some people play DnD. Often you build a character to do this amazing thing an amazing way. You also say the movie is a good "distraction." A great parallel to what people play DnD for: a distraction from real-life :)
This video honestly kind of confirms my suspicions, and I’m really glad it did. The trailer looked like a fun action flick with cool dnd references, and I can’t wait to see if asap
Thanks for this great review. I wonder if the motivations were left out of this film on purpose as they are selling "prequel" books for each of the characters that you can read before going to see the movie. Has anyone read them before seeing the movie yet?
Good viewpoints, thanks for posting! Myself, I have to admit that I'm a little worn down from movies that want to show me an inner truth or reveal some hidden meaning. How's about you focus on entertaining me and not on trying to change my life. The latter is unlikely, and if that's your focus, you probably won't entertain me either! So I look forward to seeing this in the theater!
Hasbro and WotC are expecting us to forget about the OGL. I personally don't plan on seeing it in theaters because of that. If the OGL debacle didn't happen I would have tickets already. Hard Pass for me.
prequal books? I didn't know there where books. My town is too small it seems to host it (6 screen theater, but maybe it will get it later than release) but for example when the World of Warcraft movie came out it didn't have that. I can find books though and for the " it doesn't have depth" I like the idea of going in with background and knowing that a movie is rarely as good as the book (yes I'm one of THOSE people, but I try to appreciate and not ruin things for "non-readers" :P )
I finished the second one this morning before we went to see it and it definitely helped mitigate the little time spent on the characters. Made them feel like characters that you made a backstory for, it was there and you knew, but everyone at the "table" didn't have all the details. Pretty good supplement to go with the almost all action style of the movie itself. Reading the books gave me just enough investment to get a bit watery at the end. lol
I took my whole gaming group to the film, and the biggest take away we all agreed on was this: It felt like retelling an epic adventure we all experienced at the table. We all sat their identifying the spells that were being used. They didn't have a ton of "made up" spells or items. Just about everything was identifiable from the books.
7 of us went to see this yesterday, 2 of our party couldn’t make it. We all loved it, laughing all the way through. The attention to detail was fantastic, like the Tears of Selune. We are all going to see it again with our other 2 part members, and I’m also going to take my kids. It’s a winner for us. Solid 7.5/8 out of 10.
I watched the preview on friday and i loved it so much. You are right, the pacing is really fast. Kinda ADHD-y fast. But i don't mind it, probably because i might have ADHD. So if you have it as well, this is the perfect movie to watch. You can literally not get bored. The goal is to not expect to much. I usually don't watch trailers anymore, just because it can set false expectation. It gives me so many good movie theatre experiences now. I agree, it will probably not make non-dnd fans want to start with dnd right away, but they will enjoy the movie regardless (at least i hope, because i'll go watch it again with a person who probably has next to no idea about dnd).
Anecdote on walking out of a film: In 1990 a friend wanted to go to a movie, specifically be out of the house while his parents had people over, and he invited me to go with at the last minute. I hadn't heard of "A Man Called Sarge", and I started to get a clue as to why when we purchased our tickets. At the traditional outside ticket window of the last old school theater in our area, the cashier asked, "You're here to see THIS movie?" They followed it up with, "So you know, you can only get a refund within the first 30 minutes." The people behind the concession stand, were surprised to see us as well and then repeated the 30 max for refunds. As we walked into this huge, 1500+ seat theater, we were the only 2 people. Even though we were 10 minutes past the start time, no trailers were running. Once we picked our seats and got situated the basic intros started playing and it went directly into the film. Within 10 minutes we were ready to stop watching, but decided to stay for 19 more just to see where it went. 29 minutes in we got up and walked out to get our refund. It wasn't something I normally would have picked - Airplane or Police Academy style humor - but none of the jokes landed. While they processed our refund we chatted with the employees. They said only one person had sat through the entire film, and it was because they were dropped off and would have had nothing else to do until their ride came back.
I went early. I got all I was expecting to see. Rege Jean Page is brilliant. The self righteousness just pours out of his paladin. Was it the best? No. But in all things in Hollywood, they had to make sure we liked it before they went any deeper. A lot of room for improvement but really fun!!
I've told everyone I talked to that it felt like someone was telling me about a campaign they just finished. I might not have laughed at all the jokes told to me but I appreciated the enthusiasm of the telling.
When you were talking about the bad CG I was convinced you were going to mention the halflings/gnomes (unsure what they were meant to be, Bradley Coopers character). They looked absolutely horrific, so much so that it tore me out of the movie experience. We had Gandalf standing next to hobbits 20 years ago and it looked perfect, it was a bold decision to move backwards from that.
The shallowness and lack of depth comes from how Edgin's wife isn't fully fleshed out, so though we care about Edgin, we couldn't care less about the memory of who seemed to be just a normal hot person that didn't really deserve getting resurrected. Edgin's wife should've been a great Harper, whose death would've had bigger stakes for the community, like a real DnD campaign, instead it was just a run of the mill story of lost love that falls flat. That said I did cry when Edgin resurrected Holga, but that scene would've slayed 10x more if Edgin's wife was someone awesome.
Supposedly, Joe Manganiello is working on a D&D Documentary and TV show that treads that line. But don’t expect Hasbro to partner with HBO on anything D&D. While we might tell adult oriented stories with the game, the company does not cross into that territory lightly.
Doubt it, the concept itself is inherently goofy. The first movie tried to take itself to seriously and the result was not great. Making it mature isn’t always a good idea.
this film was a love letter to us life long dnd players, the easter eggs made it worth the shortfalls. just the 80's dnd cartoon party in the maze was mindblowing.
Taking my 10 year old daughter to see an early screening today. Looking forward to it. Update: just got back from seeing the movie. I can say I genuinely enjoyed it. I was laughing and thought the fight scenes were done well. It very much felt like watching a typical dnd session play out in front of me. My daughter loved it and I can honestly say I be down for a sequel.
THE POTATO OF DISILLUSION: -Gives forever illusions immunity to everyone who saw it, however in one day in 42 you will completely forever disbelieve something random that is real. Even if that thing just cut off your arm you'll think you still have it. Fortunately the others having seen the potato also have DIFFERENT disbeliefs so you're not doomed yet, but that'll be an INTRIGUING bit of roleplaying ahead!!! Also wish will dispel these effect, but the false memories from disbelieving things are still stronger than regular memories. ALSO: lethal potato allergy.
While I enjoyed the film, I think you hit the nail on the head in that I went expecting a "Guardians of the Galaxy" experience and only laughed once in the whole film. Possibly cos the trailers were overhyped and had most of the funny bits from the film. Definitely worth seeing big screen though.
Only reason i wasn't planning to see it is because i still haven't forgiven for the OGL thing and i don't plan to give money to anything that is going to give Wizards of the Coast money. So i'm going to be just putting on this nice new eyepatch I got, and there is this neat black flag i'm putting up, then I might watch it.
I actually really loved this movie. Yes, it's mostly mindless fun, but the emotional moments still very much landed for me, and I like that not all movies are really aggressively trying to be deep (though my wife still cried in the cinema). I definitely recommend it! Though I do think that this is much more fun for a D&D player than a casual. The references were AWESOME and a great deal of fun for me and my wife. 9/10, great movie, mostly mindless action, can be emotional at times. Great characters, great actors, no plot-holes or non-sense, definitely a must if you like D&D.
Yo, grab the BOOK OF EXTINCTION right here! deadmonstermanual.com
Hi, I'm a zoologist. Are you behind this? Cuz I feel like I can contribute!
So it's someone telling you about their d&d game. But how they see it, not how the listener see it
@@noblemagi Yeah, that sounds about right. Frankly, I don't think it sounds good. The whole frenetic, ADHD storytelling style repels me, oddly enough I have ADHD so maybe it's just too much for my brain to handle 😅
Thanks for the link, I was confused when the link in the description was broken
Lays actually is doing a thing on the 30th where if you bring a potato you get a free ticket showing to DnD honor among thieves so even the companies are picking up on the memes
I loved how it deffinetally felt like a dnd campaign. to the point where you can allmost feel the beginning and end of each session in the pacing. I also had a lot of fun trying to spot all the critical successes/failures.
I've yet to see the movie, but as someone who runs episodic DnD campaigns, that will amuse me somewhat... I like a broader campaign that is connected by little 1-shots that tell brief interlude stories.
That Paladin was a walking nat 20
I also thought it was funny that just like a real campaign they completely skipped overland travel!
There were several moments where I could identify if the players rolled well or rolled badly.
@@Skalesthegoat That paladin was a DMPC! No need to roll, just autosuccess
Honestly, there was a lot of laughter in my theater not just from the jokes, but from just how DND it felt, just so epic that the only thing you can do is laugh like you’re in a rollercoaster
I saw an advanced screening and it watched like a D&D adventure. It is VERY fun and I loved it. If you’re expecting Lord of the Rings, you’ll be disappointed. Don’t. Expect a D&D adventure in movie form and you’ll love it
Specifically it feels like a One Shot adventure where the DM is witty but only has 3 hours for the whole story.
@@dylancox631 Seems like they got it right, then! Edit: it's a shame the film never lets itself breathe, or has any character development.
Nobody is expecting LOTR.
@@WobblesandBean literally DND sessions tho
@@vernonhampton5863 I saw a negative review that said something like “this isn’t LotR, it’s more like Monty python”. To which I thought “Say you never played D&D without saying you’ve never played D&D.”
My feel was that, if felt as though it was an ACTUAL D&D campaign.
You had the DM PC, the Paladin, the one getting all the perfect one liners, cit hitting things, sexily pulling out kittens from fish. The Pally was played by the DM cos the group just needed to head in the right direction.
The druid felt like the DM's disinterested partner. Like, to the point where her accent didn't fit with anybody elses. Also "Red head, druid. I was abandoned cos I'm a tiefling..."
apparently they played a game before filming so i could see it being what they played
@@LunarrMyst I think they played the game but they were handed the characters and ran through a few scenarios. From the conversations I heard them talking about it I dont think it was for more then a few hours.
@@joshr8573 I mean that kinda works out for the way the movie is structured, they had all the main plot points laid out but the script outcome was entirely based off rolls or something
Sorry, "sexily pulling out kittens from fish" WTF does that mean?!
@@TonyGlock9413 watch the film 😂
Half the jokes landed, the other half didn’t flop because they just blended into the dialog, the pacing got better and better, I liked the quick 80s cartoon series ‘cameo’ in the maze sequence. Well cast, definitely written by someone who knows their DnD. I loved it . Would watch again.
Watching this movie did not make me want to start exploring D&D games, but it sure made me want to see more adventures with this cast of characters.
I suggest listening to the funny stories on the channel Mr.Ripper.
Or better a group of movies with other parties, that cross over and eventually come together, like a whole cinematic universe. There is an immense wealth of source material.
@@Dude_Slick dont make everything into a universe pls for gods sake 😭
@@tomover5524 Not everything should be a universe, but this absolutely should. It's in D&D's very nature to have separate campaigns carried out by various parties throughout the world of the Sword Coast. What could be more suited for a universe style franchise? You say "please for God's Sake"? Is there any reason you can't just not go see the movies? Then it will have no affect on your fragile life, without denying it to those who want it. Just an Idea.
It felt like a D&D one shot and I loved it, saw the movie last night with my gf who isn’t into D&D and she admitted at the end she absolutely loved it. My old roommates and I play D&D together and I’m excited to see it again with them. The only suggestion I could make is in the arena fight add one or two more monsters.
I disagree, the carriage scene would probably be a session worth of planning and execution
I just saw it yesterday: It was an amazing movie. I noticed none of the detractors save for one comment I saw somewhere where they lamented one or two characters not being seen more. I think that's because they didn't want a 3 hour movie and it also speaks to how great the movie was that people wanted more! I didn't' see it as shallow, or too fast. All I saw was a very entertaining movie that at times reminded me of groups i've gamed with. I'm very excited for the future of D&D movies!
What I heard from your descriptions, is that this is more of an adaptation of a real DND game to film, Rather than a DND adaptation of a major film production. What this means is that the pacing and character development are more akin to what actually playing the game would feel like, with big budget style special effects. As a DND player, that sounds Awesome!
That’s what it felt like…. My game group went and loved it… felt like it was made for us
same i know some and have played a little but when i was watching it felt like i was playing a game of dnd and would even watch it again
thats not true. they clearly set up a campaign for one character. while the rest kind of get half ass stories. esp the Tiefling
@@diegoaespitia 100% based
I think you nailed it. It was exactly like a silly group sitting around a table creating a story together much like I would expect from a group of my friends while we play! ❤😁
I went with 8 other D&D players, and we all left laughing our asses off throughout and pretty blown away having come in with really low expectations. And I don't really agree that they don't invest enough in the characters to get an emotional pay off. I actually thought they nailed it, and likewise all but one of my friends got pretty hard when pine makes his final "choice" in the movie (trying not to spoil). When he realizes what he wants is ultimately selfish and makes the right choice, that was like, yeah. Thats right the kind of emotional arch for a comedy/fantasy/action movie. The potato was fairly sloppy tho. Also took me out in the moment. Also, I don't know that this was about selling books directly. I actually think they're setting up a D&DU, with the way they hung out . And honestly, if they put this much thought and work into future ones I'd be on board. Certainly swinging a lot harder than current MCU phase, woof.
"Masterpiece of distraction entertainment" is an amazing way to describe something like this. Can't wait to see it. Probably going to be better than most things released lately.
Not the highest bar to set but ya probably
" better than most things released lately" watching shit dry on a stick is better than 90% of what's being released lately
I will not go to this movie. I won't give a penny more to Hasbro/WotC. I'll wait for other reviews, and maybe look at it streaming in a few years, but I have no reason to go. Anyone thinking "WotC has learned their lesson about the OGL! has not themselves learned their lesson about WotC. Success here, as all is forgiven, is a green light for WotC to do more harm to DnD.
Too late to suggest it in theaters, but go see Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It's everything you wish this movie could be and more. Yes, I know it's a sequel to a spinoff of a sequel of a hit, but trust me. It hits HARD!
I just watched it. This review is pretty spot on. It was highly entertaining but not great. Good, bit not great. I would watch again once on TV.
The whole time watching it I imagined myself as the DM and the players are all improvising plans, scheming ideas, watching magic fail or the baddies trying to be serious and the players are just shrugging them off. It’s a solid entry for DnD that highlights the point of the game. It would serve the brand well to make a dedicated series like this giving more time for everything.
In regards of the “controversy” I feel that the writers/directors chose the wrong word. Emasculation implies making someone less “manly” than average. What they did was not have the male characters amped up to 80’s level Stallone or Schwarzenegger solo an entire army by themselves level of character and that’s not a bad thing at all. Everyone has both strengths and weaknesses and I loved it
My most charitable read of their comments was that they meant to say they like male characters that are plucky underdogs and not rambo. But they for some reason used all the language surrounding punitive writing that harms male characters for the grand crime of being male. I've heard mixed things in this regard, not having watched the movie myself yet (if ever) so it seems to come down to how beaten down a person is with this crap from other media. Which is unfortunate, yet understandable, if this movie gets flak from external factors. A huge red flag for people was the director thinking bullying a male character for being male was in any way novel and not the standard.
@@chucklebouf5379 I did watch the movie and I didn't know anything about this controversy until now if I had I would have probably waited for a pirate release, but basically yes MC is a coward up to certain degree for a reason implied in the movie, he's also a leader that acts like one taking care of others, watching over others and making sure they are okay, but there's also a gigachad character male, he was funny cause of the contrast it had with the "heroes" of the adventure
Something that I just noticed now that I know about the controversy is that there are no woman characters that are portrayed weak or coward per se, that said I also had no problem with those characters since it's not "wAHmen power" or "men power" but more of a "us" power since the party is the heroes and they chipped in to make shit happen
Ps: Haven't watched the video yet, hope this clear a bit of the uncertainty regarding MC and male figures in the movie
Edit: Just watched the video pretty much on point, I did notice the potato and yep basically a modern DnD movie what were you expecting? Tons of lore dump and heavy hitter for a story? This is for kids be real.
Also agree with the hungover movie but I call them weekend movies
Edit 2: Grammar :/
With d&d it makes sense to go for less of a man's man because there's nothing else to set it apart from every other film like it and there's plenty of opportunities to go with in rouges, rangers, bards, wizards.
@@chucklebouf5379 your loss. They literally explained what they meant, and it's basically every character Chris Pine has played
I felt the same way. With the example they gave of Tony Stark and Spider-Man, I was like these guys are using the word wrong
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I feel the “episodic” feeling you described makes a lot of sense for a DnD movie. After all, DnD is played session by session so being an episodic movie feels like it would fit in really well
Like lots of other comments have said, it kinda feels like a one shot and you only have 3 hours to get it done
I saw the movie in an early screening with several people with both players and non-players. We all enjoyed it and already have plans to watch it again when it officially releases.
The movie captured the shenanigans of what happens at the table without breaking the 4th wall. I did appreciate the nods to players and how the gameplay is, but I didn't think it was meta. The location to location jumping felt like how my tables were like. The creators really did their homework properly for this movie.
As for the non-players in my group, as I said, we're planning on watching it again. It is an enjoyable movie that I recommend watching. Just don't expect it to be like other movies such as LoTR or such, because it isn't anything like those, and that is what makes it stand out from the multitude of action fantasy movies out there.
We saw the early release and gotta admit, we all actually liked it.
I heard that part of it takes place at Revel's End in Icewind Dale. Without spoiling anything, how much of Ten Towns and Icewind Dale do we actually get to see? I love that setting so much and getting to see how they portray it would be the only reason I would go see the movie.
@@jasondrouin7549 Revel's End is where the movie starts, and the movie has some nice shots (ala Lord of the Rings style travel panoramic, but it doesn't use up 20% of the movie's run time), but the story doesn't stay in the dale for long. The opening sequence to when they end up in town is worth watching... or at least its "punch line" is. So if you are going to watch it just for Revel's End and the Dale, then you'll get only a short bit of love. HOWEVER, the rest of the movie more than makes up for it.
It REALLY does feel like a tabletop campaign put to the big screen. The writers and everyone involved with making the movie really did their homework and brought in much more than the dale and gave it the reverence the game and movie deserves. The jokes and pokes at the meta don't break the 4th wall, but they definitely pushed the limits. The Speak with Dead trailer shows one of the best examples of this.
I went in with low expectations and they were blown out of the water. In regards to them making jokes to break up serious moments I see that as how an actual dnd group would act. It’s a fun movie and I think a lot of people will enjoy it. Though I can see where the negative points are coming from, they weren’t enough to take me out of the fun
10:44 Well, I will say that as we walked out the theater, my 7yo daughter asked if she could try playing D&D. She wants to play an elf, and a bard, who plays a flute, and makes music magic. She did watch Owl House, though, so I don't think all of those ideas were placed in her head by the movie, but still... She also liked the "tubby dragon."
It really felt like a movie by dnd fans, for dnd fans. All of the references to notable locations and people from the official setting felt organic and the interactions between the characters felt like very accurate representations of players in an actual game of dnd in a very natural way. Would definitely recommend!
I saw it last week and thought it was great!
I loved the designs of the Aarakocra and Dragonborn, but that Tabaxi pulled me out of the movie for a second.
I felt the story had a decent amount of heart, and I enjoyed that it didn't get too heavy.
I also thought they did a really good job of fairly quickly giving everyone a reason to be on the adventure. I also looked at it from the view of an actual game in regards to the characters backstories. When I play, I tend to have a fairly simple backstory and justification for adventuring, I don't roleplay as much as others might, but my fighting and problem-solving are solid, so, quite a bit like the druid character in the film. The bard provided the impetus for the adventure and so things were more focused on him; the barbarian shared a lot of history with the bard but her motivation didn't overlap his completely; the sorcerer had the most growth but also caused a lot of chaos; and the paladin was the experienced, grounded character that the rest of the party needed to help them achieve their goal. The anti-hero was greedy, cunning, and narcissistic which led to him working with the big bad, who was a legitimate threat, so while it didn't seem like there was a lot going on with either of them, it was still enough to justify them needing to be stopped.
Yeah I really don’t know why they didn’t just cgi in the Tabaxi. It probably would have worked way better. Animatronics are cool, but not every creature who isn’t giant has to be one
The emotional connection and the humour of the film is drawn from the D&D experiences viewers have had. Although I didn't cry, my love of the film is because it remindes me of the wonder and deep connections I've made with my D&D group. The humor as well is the same thing - we have a very similar understanding of tension and when and where to make jokes. The lack of characterisation might be a concious decision because I gaurantee there are more to come and there will be more arcs.
I completely understand that some people might not like it and might not connect with it as much as I or others do - but the movie is D&D to its core and it fully understands it's subject.
Well said.
I saw an advanced screening and took my wife who does not play D&D and who thought she would not like it. She loved it! She thought it was funny (so did I) and entertaining. I also thought it was super fun and entertaining, while at the same time being very accessible to non D&D players. For the D&D fan base, especially if you played a Faerun based campaign, the D&D Easter eggs are great and add a layer to the movie. But again, my wife who knows nothing about D&D enjoyed it without getting those references. This is an old school, fun summer time movie. Go watch and enjoy!
The part with Holga at the end with the flashback really got me, but found family stuff usually does.
When I was a kid people walked out of The Dark Crystal. That’s the one time I’ve seen that happen. We loved it and still do. Edit- a week later and now I have seen the movie… loved it!
I watched people do it for Across the Universe. Otherwise, haven’t seen it happen much myself.
That's just wild! The only way I can see someone walking out of The Dark Crystal is if they didn't like Jim Henson, puppets, or fantasy.
The only movie I've ever been in the cinema for that that I saw people get up and leave from was "Mother!" but Darren Aronofsky movies are always audience splitters 🤣
I saw someone walk out of The Devil's Rejects. Someone didn't do their research.
@@newsoulsam3889 yeah it’s a classic movie. I guess it was weird expectations.
This was one of the finest spoiler free reviews I have ever seen. Well done and appreciated.
They absolutely nailed the character classes! And yes the Paladin was a stand out
It did make me want to play a couple of the character classes represented in the movie. My whole D&D group went to see it together, some taking their kids. We all loved it.
I was really impressed with how they made it accessible to non-D&D players, it's very obvious what each monster does so normals can understand instantly what the threat is as well as the general D&D lingo.
I went to an advance screening and loved it. Couldn’t have asked for a better D&D movie. Will definitely hit up the cinema a few more times while it’s there.
I watched it with my DnD group I can definitely say that the movie was EXTREMELY good and fun! Best of all, it's not entirely aimed for people who are fans of DnD but it also works for people who just medieval fantasy and action in general. It's beautifully crafted and I definitely recommend it. The character design is great, the humor is FANTASTIC in my opinion as much as it could be the same, the effects are really good and the music just screams fantasy and DnD.
I wonder if they stopped fighting for the ogl in fear of the controversy hurting their movie
I was thinking about that too. I can’t imagine that that was the only reason, but I gotta figure that now is a pretty critical time for WoTC. With a big budget movie and a new edition coming out, now probably isn’t the time for a big PR disaster.
or because they were never trying to screw it up. just the internet "ogl avengers" hit a huge click farm and blew it WAY out of proportion.
@@sabotooth
No my dude, they really went hard on the ogl
Don't try to down play it with "Oh content creators are whining at what isn't there" "They make everything a mountain out of a molehill"
Wizards of the coast were ready for some heavy theft and more against their customers
Nothing was blown out of proportion
We ALL read the same statements and agreements
@@sabotooth you could argue that they wouldn't abuse some things, but the 20% profits off all 3rd party creators was unacceptable. also the entire idea that they don't have the legal ground to deauthorize the ogl in the first place and wanted to manipulate people to willingly signing away their rights just assuming no one would notice
@@shannonhall8870 your right it was 25... so even worse... and you need to understand that gross income and net income are not the same, they are takeing 25% from the total before any costs the company needs to cover. basically through costs of production and paying wages to their workers and a ton of other things, they might only make 25% or less. so essentially they are potentially taking all profit a company could make, making growth immensely harder
Jarnathan!
Trailer spoilers:
I truthfully loved the movie, I personally think it landed that Guardians style comedy fairly well, and was the first movie I'd seen in theaters that had me genuinely laughing out loud. I'm sorry, a fat dragon is hilarious, especially when played on a big screen, and is being treated as a real threat. My girlfriend and I just kept looking at each other laughing as quietly as possible whispering, "Absolute Unit" and "Chonky boi". If that type of humor is for you, this movie is for you, d&d fan or no.
I’m not expecting this to be an Oscar winner. I just expect it to be fun
indeed FUN is what it really is.
Dude, that pacing and not fully developing characters, or places, etc, is exactly D&D!
I saw it last Sunday, and I agree that there was not enough build-up of emotion in the movie. The big, final emotional decision at the end felt very obvious. With that being said, I think because it's just a 'fine' movie was why I enjoyed it. I watch movies to have fun or to chill and I found this movie very fun. In the best way, you can talk over the film, giving your own commentary, and you are not going to miss some big moment and be lost.
PS- Thank you DnD shorts for helping me feel less lost when I joined a campaign last year, I regularly go back to your videos for ideas on how to play better
If you feel it's a good movie because you can talk over the movie, while sitting in a cinema, it makes me think the movie is the exact opposite of good... talking during a movie in theatre is a dickmove..
When I play dnd, our campaigns lack emotion sometimes too, so I feel like it will be similar. When I watched critical role in the past, I sometimes felt like it was amazing storytelling but also felt like I couldn’t get into a story as emotionally as they do.
@@shaclown7721 It's okay if you are the only person in the theater.
@@franksmith613 and when did that ever happen?
My personal take is obvious is more like natural. It was the natural choice which is the correct one. Not everything has to be a surprise or contrast. D&d is predominantly about good over evil and making good choices. So it make perfect sense.
Read Ed Greenwood's books you will see this throughout.
I'm glad to hear that what was lacking is that you didn't get enough of the likable characters. That's the sort of thing that makes sequels happen. If enough people want to get to know these characters maybe we'll get a proper Harper's story next time. Or see some legit original story for the druid. Sophia kicked butt in "I Am Not OK With This", and she can certainly provide an epic and unusual character if called to do so.
One of the writers is Sam from Freaks and Geeks. He said he played a ton growing up after filming the episode where they played Dungeons and Dragons. The two writers also wrote Spiderman Homecoming. Super excited to see it!
This felt like watching a D&D session of a bunch of friends, without the 4 hours of a single battle to slow things down. To me, it was very obvious that the cast enjoyed making this movie, and I would totally watch a sequel, or another one done similar to this.
I agree that the emotional beats and character depth felt a bit lacking in the movie, but I have to say that I really did enjoy it! I saw it with my friends in the cinema, and we laughed pretty much the whole way through. I had a blast trying to spot spells, abilities, references, rules etc, to me it really did feel like watching someone retell their D&D adventure. But I also think that the best way to approach it is how one of my friends described it afterwards: it's like a comfort movie. You don't go for the grandeur or emotional gut punches, but it's something you watch for fun with friends!
This movie made a girl from work join my game. She went half-orc barb zealot. Her character is besties with my cousins cleric.
Really? The people i watched it with were laughing the entire time! the movie theatre wasn't FULL by any means, but everyone there was def a dnd nerd and found it really funny! I wonder if its something to do with different versions for different regions, but I would DEFINETLY consider it an action-comedy. Not to the levels of guardians, but def similar
He is British lol
American here. Mostly full theater as I live in a major city. The theater was laughing pretty good.
Our theater did the same and imo it has to be corny and funny.
Because there are a few cultural differences between British and American humour
The theater I was at was full and everyone was laughing as well. Maybe everyone was getting over a hangover in his theater?
Agree I hope this doesn’t flop. I went into this hoping it would y take itself too seriously, like you and other have said, treating it like LOTR. It was a fun fantasy movie. There was some super cool moments, like the creative problem solving with that thing. That would happen in a session. Wasn’t earth shattering. But I loved it.
A great audio book that really captures the D&D experience is NPCs by Drew Hayes. It takes place in a TTRPG world were some NPC's take up the role of fallen player characters to protect their town from a crazy ruler. It hops from the game world to the real world, which seems to be affected by the actions of the NPC's. I honestly think that it could make a good film adaptation if done correctly. But definitely worth the read/listen.
Yes good stuff. Very quirky. My wife came home with that book one day and was like, "I think you would like this."
She loves me.
Sounds like the NPC DnD channel on RUclips by Viva la Dirt League!
This felt like I was watching every campaign I've ever played. I loved it unabashedly and unashamedly.
Movie was great in my opinion. A bit fast sure but it wasnt much of an issue for me. I also LOVE and applaud that they used so many practical effects for the creatures/races which is amazing. We def need more of that! The characters each had their own unique quirks like you would see in a DnD adventure which was for sure the funniest bits in the movie. Ontop of that whenever there was a break or a recognisable spell everyone in the theater was geeking out and talking about DnD which was a very unique experience. I hope they make sequels, maybe with different parties and based on different sourcebooks.
Just saw it on a 'sneak preview' in USA. I was impressed and enjoyed seeing Faerun on screen. It didn't seem unbearably emasculating, as u said, as was implied in that interview.
I wasn't taken out by the potato scene. I was more taken out by the halflings. I thought u meant the illusion scene for the meme. I too had tears going at the end. I disagree about the emotional impact, and thought it was more impactful than u did with their backstories, and the humor was quite reminiscent of the bickering and problem solving fun that people may have around the table. I recommend it quite highly.
It might be due to my low expectations of the film going in, but I actually really liked it.
It wasn’t over-the-top lame comedy (which I expected it to be), and it had more of a personal story that I expected for Pine’s character which I really liked. Of course, it’s not a movie that’s fully leaning into that element but I think it had a really good blend of humor and personal connection. I do agree that there could’ve been more time spent on other characters (I’d really like to see more of the Druid and the red wizard), but it’s under stable for a movie that’s already a decent run time.
I didn’t feel like the pacing was quit as fast as you make it to be. There’s no long dramatic acting, but there are calm scenes to give you a break. But it played really well as a dnd adventure.
Overall, I agree it’s definitely not a Great movie. It’s not a movie for the cinema snobs. But I’d call it pretty dang good.
The way you describe the movie sounds like you're describing a D&D campaign.
Aggressively engaging is true, and it has a small heart to it but its a very basic/shallow story but its an effective one. And the idea of being told a story by a child feels right but also playing dnd is kind of like that. And I agree the druid didnt have the best with character moments, but overall it gives the vibe for me of playing a prewritten adventure in dnd adventure league. Its a fun experience but you dont get character deptth and not maybe the best possible dnd experience but still enjoyable. Def a hangover or casual film, the tyoe of movie I'd watch if im bored on my day off and its streaming or on tv.
I saw the first advanced screening a couple of weeks ago and loved it. Genuinely thought it was funny and a lot of fun. I still think the Guardians of the Galaxy comparison is apt, and have used it a few times to describe the movie to people.
Hadn’t heard anything of the “controversy” until now and wonder whether it was all just trying to stir the pot for outrage clicks.
I can definitely understand a rushed feel. Being a DnD player and someone who follows CR, the same problem was in legend of vox machina where your really trying to cram multiple sessions and a whole campaign into this limited time frame and to do that obviously the pacing has to be fairly fast. I can't wait to see it myself.
It felt like a weekend one shot. Sometimes you condense a full campaign to its essence, and then athe critical path. Very fun and a great example of d&d
“But we approved your pardon!”
I havent seen it yet but damn if I actually like something you said. "It's not funny per se, it's just trying to be fun". Funny and fun are not the same. Something can be fun, and not involve constant jokes like a machine making me break a laugh. And sometimes less is more. Make it fun, make it enjoyable. Don't overload me with what gags. They are not always the best choice.
Hot take: if Hasbro’s goal is to use film to move product then they shouldn’t attempt to push a big budget Forgotten Realms movie, they should push a handful of small-to-medium budget Dungeons & Dragons films that place more emphasis on the actual tabletop game rather than the fantasy worlds the games are set in. My friends and I regularly quote indie movies featuring TTRPG and LARP elements from the last decade. These films can be made on far tighter budgets and more properly express the appeal of these games. Make another The Gamers or The Sasquatch Gang for 1/10th the price. Mazes and Monsters had 10 times the impact on D&D than the D&D film from 2000 and cost a fraction as much to make.
From someone who has been playing the game for a long time, this felt like an actual campaign being run by real players. That was what made it magical for me. The acting, the story, and the visual effects were great. I especially loved the fast pace. To me, that made the poignant moments even more so. Just like in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, you can't dwell on the sadness. The adventure must go on!
I'm seeing this when I get to my Easter holidays. I'm excited as I just don't get to see many movies anymore. That pacing you mention does concern me though. My favourite films are long, ponderous, cinematography masterpieces like Revenant, Arrival, Children of Men and 1917. Movies that frantically jump from place to place actually just annoy me. They don't let me feel anything. Xmen 3 did this and so did World of Warcraft. Here's a place, here's a thing, look at this, be entertained!
I like the review… I think people might love the film because times have been tough and this is total escapism that’s easy to watch. Not too heavy, just easy and fun xxx
It also separate itself from being another gritty fantasy that tries to be a GoT or LotR inspired movie or show. I love that it is more akin to comedy fantasy like Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Princess Bride & Shrek.
I like the idea that if this movie is a success it opens up the potential of more and potentially even more serious or higher quality d&d media like can you imagine an actual d&d cinematic universe version of the forgotte realms on screen
This movie was a great watch for me. Simple fun, something I could just sit back and enjoy for its runtime. It won't change cinema and it isn't the greatest movie ever, but to me it did catch the D&D experience from my own campaigns. Also, it served to plant some ideas for characters and plot elements in my mind.
I'll probably watch it again at some point, but for now having seen it once was good enough.
As wide as an ocean, as deep as a puddle. I wasn’t expecting anything impacting. I just wanted a popcorn film.
I don't think the goal was to make someone buy some more D&D books. The point of this movie is to give a new player a base so they know the world of the Sword Coast. No 300-page book for you, just watch this movie.
You even get a geography lesson (they walk by a lava field before they get to Neverwinter- the reason the port doesn't freeze is the hot springs generated by the lava).
This also helps Tal'Dorei NOT become the default setting. I get players that ASK to play in the world of Critical Roll and Middle Earth, but no one ASKS to play in the forgotten realms (it's kinda assumed).
I still love Faerun, and wish they'd publish novels again. Or reprint the old ones from the 1980s.
Lul i found the world so replaceable that i in no way want to know more about the world. The only thing it got me motivated to is playing dnd. In whatever world, just playing dnd with friends and having a lot of chaotic and good fun. Like slapping a wizard into the ground unnecessary much fun. And perhaps that could get guys to buy the core rulebooks. But not the swordcoast stuff.
If there’s no dice joke I will be SO disappointed.
Fair and surprisingly positive review.
It may be a good movie, but it launches in competition with John Wick 4 and the new Mario movie, so it will bomb hard at the box office. The "emasculating men" headlines and the OGL debacle will hurt even more.
Well, if the early screening is any indicator of who shows up, it might not be as big of a bomb as you think. I know when I saw the early screening, it was almost full (maybe only 2 empty seats in the front row.) I think I read quite a few comments from other reviews about how packed their screenings were too and supposedly people that will see the movie again.
Saw it last night. I loved that it didn’t take itself seriously and that it was a fun romp. I will file this under my guilty pleasure films and I can see myself seeing it at least 10 times. It felt like a D & D game. Lots of great stuff!
Thanks for the review! Our group is planning to see it along with some players' kids, so it's good to know that it's suitable for all of us. We don't need it to be great, it just has to be good for us to have fun!
What I wonder is why they haven't (officially) done anything more like the original D&D cartoon, but live action. Every D&D project is just a straight fantasy story using D&D monsters and spells and such. That's fine, but it would be so much better to use the D&D IP for a blend of modern Earth and fantasy world. Either go the A. route of "group of modern humans get transported into D&D, ala Jumanji, the cartoon, or plenty of other isekai anime, or B. a bunch of humans are playing D&D, and their adventures are shown to the audience as fully realistic visuals, so a blend of Princess Bride, Drunk History, and One for All.
I feel like the blend of relatable modern humans navigating this fantasy world fits the D&D theme much better than if that world is treated 100% as its own thing. The "tabletop" experience should be a part of the story in some way.
I'm super excited for this. Seeing it w the DND crew on Fri.
Definitely got to disagree with you. The most impactful character of the movie was the Aarakocra Jarnathan. Legendary.
During the OGL fiasco, I made a promise. I wouldn’t give Hasbro the box office money or numbers. I’ll watch it when local theaters make more money per ticket sold.
Groan 🙄 Your selective outrage award is in the mail.
Yawn...
@@laughingpanda4395 The full promise was that if they didn’t correct course, I’d wait for streaming. So if by “selective” you meant precise, that’s a compliment.
@@LocalMaple what I mean is...
Every corporation out there in existence has some sort of shady or unethical means by which it makes its profits. Every.
Single. One. If you are angry at hasbro/wotc for actually listening to the community and abandoning their plans then go home and throw away all your cleaning products, your food, your clothes, your toiletries and ESPECIALLY your medicines.
The companies that made all that are far worse than anything that WotC has EVER done.
So like I said, your selective outrage award is in the mail.
@@laughingpanda4395 Knowing what things you care enough about to do something about is healthy and realistic, being upset at everything bad ever is a good way to give yourself a stroke. Gotta pick your battles. "Selective outrage" is only bad when it's impotent, actually changing your course of action as a result of it is fine.
Hasbro don't get any money from the box office. Paramount already bought the rights. All you are doing is hurting paramount and making it less likely sword and sorcery movies get made in future.
I have very few gripes if any, some are like yours, with fleshing out characters and pacing. But my MAIN GRIPE: Not enough dwarves!
I saw it last weekend, and have to say, I really liked it. When people have asked me, my answer so far has been "It's a solid campaign story, styled like The Princess Bride, set in Neverwinter." The more I've said it, the more on the nose I think that description is.
You're right that it's not a StarWars/Marvel/HP style movie, but that's a plus in my book. I find most of those to be a bit rambling and repetitive. Yes, it was fast paced, but it also had lot of story to tell, and it did a good job of NOT being a 3 movie saga (which it could have easily been). I enjoyed seeing tropes in the movie that I've seen happen in real life campaigns, which gave it a truly organic feel. I have to disagree about the character depth and motivations though. I found the characters were quite up front and clear in their key motivation, but also like most real people, those motivations changed and morphed as the story progressed. I think most people may wind up missing a lot of those subtle tells though, because again the pacing was super fast. Also, a lot of the initial character development is part of the opening exposition, and I think lots of people will simply miss it. When I watched it, there were people still chattering and commenting on lore instead of listening to the movie. Most of those same people were likely lost later in the movie. One of those same chatterboxes literally mid-movie said, "Why is he making him a Harper?" 🤦Again, in most movies that type of thing is brought up again and again, to hammer it home. Not so much with this movie, in part because they want to keep the story moving.
I will say though that while I personally loved it, I don't see it being a mass hit right off (much like The Princess Bride). It will more than likely be a "cult classic" in 7 to 10 years. It's just a little too ahead of the curve to have mass appeal, and the pacing and style has a LOT to do with that. This is one of those movies most people will have to watch a few times to "catch" everything. Because you can't pause, or rewind, or check out a scene again, it's really NOT a great theater movie. But I think once it's viewed at home, where one can do that, and catch all the little things; that's where it's really going to shine. If you get distracted for even a moment, you could miss something, subtle or important. And that could leave you puzzled or disconnected about things later very easily.
Saw it last night with my DnD party. Laughed out loud more times than I could count. The fat dragon was the biggest moment I think. It really did a good job capturing the essence of our party's play style and flavor.
Will, many of the points you raise as criticism like saying the characters are just there to serve a specific purpose really hits home for how some people play DnD. Often you build a character to do this amazing thing an amazing way.
You also say the movie is a good "distraction." A great parallel to what people play DnD for: a distraction from real-life :)
I think I’ll go because my wife actually wants to go to see it.
Good review
I'm the one that cried. I just found that one moment really touching.
This video honestly kind of confirms my suspicions, and I’m really glad it did. The trailer looked like a fun action flick with cool dnd references, and I can’t wait to see if asap
Movie was great. Like watching people play the characters and talk to each other the way you would at the table
Thanks for this great review. I wonder if the motivations were left out of this film on purpose as they are selling "prequel" books for each of the characters that you can read before going to see the movie. Has anyone read them before seeing the movie yet?
I mean honestly selling the backstory of the characters is an amazing play from a marketing standpoint for a D&D film.
Good viewpoints, thanks for posting! Myself, I have to admit that I'm a little worn down from movies that want to show me an inner truth or reveal some hidden meaning. How's about you focus on entertaining me and not on trying to change my life. The latter is unlikely, and if that's your focus, you probably won't entertain me either! So I look forward to seeing this in the theater!
I feel they did a great job making a magical world without having to stop and point each thing out.
Hasbro and WotC are expecting us to forget about the OGL. I personally don't plan on seeing it in theaters because of that. If the OGL debacle didn't happen I would have tickets already.
Hard Pass for me.
I'm currently reading the prequal books so that I have a little more background on the charaters, to hopefully make the film stronger in that sense
prequal books? I didn't know there where books. My town is too small it seems to host it (6 screen theater, but maybe it will get it later than release) but for example when the World of Warcraft movie came out it didn't have that. I can find books though and for the " it doesn't have depth" I like the idea of going in with background and knowing that a movie is rarely as good as the book (yes I'm one of THOSE people, but I try to appreciate and not ruin things for "non-readers" :P )
I finished the second one this morning before we went to see it and it definitely helped mitigate the little time spent on the characters. Made them feel like characters that you made a backstory for, it was there and you knew, but everyone at the "table" didn't have all the details. Pretty good supplement to go with the almost all action style of the movie itself. Reading the books gave me just enough investment to get a bit watery at the end. lol
Wait a minute..... 😂😂
I took my whole gaming group to the film, and the biggest take away we all agreed on was this: It felt like retelling an epic adventure we all experienced at the table. We all sat their identifying the spells that were being used. They didn't have a ton of "made up" spells or items. Just about everything was identifiable from the books.
7 of us went to see this yesterday, 2 of our party couldn’t make it. We all loved it, laughing all the way through. The attention to detail was fantastic, like the Tears of Selune. We are all going to see it again with our other 2 part members, and I’m also going to take my kids. It’s a winner for us. Solid 7.5/8 out of 10.
Exactly what my group thought!!!
I loved the mario kart 8 music in the background!!!
I watched the preview on friday and i loved it so much. You are right, the pacing is really fast. Kinda ADHD-y fast. But i don't mind it, probably because i might have ADHD. So if you have it as well, this is the perfect movie to watch. You can literally not get bored.
The goal is to not expect to much. I usually don't watch trailers anymore, just because it can set false expectation. It gives me so many good movie theatre experiences now.
I agree, it will probably not make non-dnd fans want to start with dnd right away, but they will enjoy the movie regardless (at least i hope, because i'll go watch it again with a person who probably has next to no idea about dnd).
Might be why I loved it too
Anecdote on walking out of a film:
In 1990 a friend wanted to go to a movie, specifically be out of the house while his parents had people over, and he invited me to go with at the last minute. I hadn't heard of "A Man Called Sarge", and I started to get a clue as to why when we purchased our tickets. At the traditional outside ticket window of the last old school theater in our area, the cashier asked, "You're here to see THIS movie?" They followed it up with, "So you know, you can only get a refund within the first 30 minutes." The people behind the concession stand, were surprised to see us as well and then repeated the 30 max for refunds.
As we walked into this huge, 1500+ seat theater, we were the only 2 people. Even though we were 10 minutes past the start time, no trailers were running. Once we picked our seats and got situated the basic intros started playing and it went directly into the film.
Within 10 minutes we were ready to stop watching, but decided to stay for 19 more just to see where it went. 29 minutes in we got up and walked out to get our refund. It wasn't something I normally would have picked - Airplane or Police Academy style humor - but none of the jokes landed.
While they processed our refund we chatted with the employees. They said only one person had sat through the entire film, and it was because they were dropped off and would have had nothing else to do until their ride came back.
I went early. I got all I was expecting to see. Rege Jean Page is brilliant. The self righteousness just pours out of his paladin. Was it the best? No. But in all things in Hollywood, they had to make sure we liked it before they went any deeper. A lot of room for improvement but really fun!!
I've told everyone I talked to that it felt like someone was telling me about a campaign they just finished. I might not have laughed at all the jokes told to me but I appreciated the enthusiasm of the telling.
When you were talking about the bad CG I was convinced you were going to mention the halflings/gnomes (unsure what they were meant to be, Bradley Coopers character). They looked absolutely horrific, so much so that it tore me out of the movie experience. We had Gandalf standing next to hobbits 20 years ago and it looked perfect, it was a bold decision to move backwards from that.
Yeah, it reminded me of Ella Enchanted, the effect was so cheap-looking
I think it was done on purpose. To add a little more comedy to the mix. Halflings are always a bit of humour in d&d.
The shallowness and lack of depth comes from how Edgin's wife isn't fully fleshed out, so though we care about Edgin, we couldn't care less about the memory of who seemed to be just a normal hot person that didn't really deserve getting resurrected. Edgin's wife should've been a great Harper, whose death would've had bigger stakes for the community, like a real DnD campaign, instead it was just a run of the mill story of lost love that falls flat. That said I did cry when Edgin resurrected Holga, but that scene would've slayed 10x more if Edgin's wife was someone awesome.
I wonder if we ever will get a Game of Thrones of D&D, like a serious dramatic interpretation. That might be interesting too.
Supposedly, Joe Manganiello is working on a D&D Documentary and TV show that treads that line. But don’t expect Hasbro to partner with HBO on anything D&D. While we might tell adult oriented stories with the game, the company does not cross into that territory lightly.
Doubt it, the concept itself is inherently goofy. The first movie tried to take itself to seriously and the result was not great. Making it mature isn’t always a good idea.
If that's what you're looking for, check out "Legend of Vox Machina."
From what I gather they dig into all of the tropes except the horny bard trope.
@@XanderHarris1023 You say that like it's a bad thing. 😇
this film was a love letter to us life long dnd players, the easter eggs made it worth the shortfalls. just the 80's dnd cartoon party in the maze was mindblowing.
I’m going to watch it.
I was looking forward to this movie before the OGL fiasco but I'm iffy about it now.
Taking my 10 year old daughter to see an early screening today. Looking forward to it.
Update: just got back from seeing the movie. I can say I genuinely enjoyed it. I was laughing and thought the fight scenes were done well. It very much felt like watching a typical dnd session play out in front of me. My daughter loved it and I can honestly say I be down for a sequel.
THE POTATO OF DISILLUSION:
-Gives forever illusions immunity to everyone who saw it, however in one day in 42 you will completely forever disbelieve something random that is real. Even if that thing just cut off your arm you'll think you still have it. Fortunately the others having seen the potato also have DIFFERENT disbeliefs so you're not doomed yet, but that'll be an INTRIGUING bit of roleplaying ahead!!! Also wish will dispel these effect, but the false memories from disbelieving things are still stronger than regular memories. ALSO: lethal potato allergy.
The movie sucks.
While I enjoyed the film, I think you hit the nail on the head in that I went expecting a "Guardians of the Galaxy" experience and only laughed once in the whole film.
Possibly cos the trailers were overhyped and had most of the funny bits from the film.
Definitely worth seeing big screen though.
Only reason i wasn't planning to see it is because i still haven't forgiven for the OGL thing and i don't plan to give money to anything that is going to give Wizards of the Coast money. So i'm going to be just putting on this nice new eyepatch I got, and there is this neat black flag i'm putting up, then I might watch it.
I actually really loved this movie. Yes, it's mostly mindless fun, but the emotional moments still very much landed for me, and I like that not all movies are really aggressively trying to be deep (though my wife still cried in the cinema).
I definitely recommend it! Though I do think that this is much more fun for a D&D player than a casual. The references were AWESOME and a great deal of fun for me and my wife.
9/10, great movie, mostly mindless action, can be emotional at times. Great characters, great actors, no plot-holes or non-sense, definitely a must if you like D&D.
Oh my God, that ad read went hard...
You're the only channel where I look forward to the ad reads in your videos.