This was actually very entertaining. Everyone did great! Didn't need to know all about D & D to enjoy. What was your reaction? What easter eggs did we miss? Early Drops & Full Reactions on Patreon: www.patreon.com/baddmedicine Backup channel Subscribe here ruclips.net/channel/UC1CLUwA27dz-94o3FR0o3xg
Didn't mentioned this before but I'm a relatively new week-old viewer here, found you guys thanks to Godzilla and you guys have become one of my favorite top reactors out there (up there with Blind Wave hehe). Absolutely amazing reactions ever since I binged your Harry Potter series! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND DESERVED A MILLION MORE SUBS AND VIEWS!
I used to watch the D&D cartoon but didn't catch the reference until you pointed it out. That is a fantastic reference inside this very enjoyable, fun movie.
I never played the games as a kid or anything but I truly enjoyed this film. It was well cast, well written and well paced. The chemistry between all the characters was perfect and I was never once bored. And since I went into this blind knowing nothing about D&D, it was a welcome surprise to watch this movie. I hope there is a sequel of some kind so they can venture further into the lore of D&D as I know the games are very deep and extensive with a lot of material to use.
I liked that they established from the very beginning that Holga and Ed were like brother and sister. Not every story requires the leads to have a romantic love interest, and I honestly find platonic love and loyalty just as if not more engaging.
Also to note that Holga is basically a adoptive mom to Ed's daughter Kira, and the movie STILL doesn't have a romance. I don't know about a sequel, but for this movie, it's kind of nice that they're just buddies.
I think it works better here. I'm a little tired of every two protagonists constantly having romantic/sexual tension in every single movie. This was great
Fun fact: the Paladin walking away in a straight line and over the boulder, as well as the other characters' reactions, are all improvised. The director didn't say cut just to see what would happen, and Regé-Jean Page just kept on walking and straight over the rock à la video game NPC.
@@Cantmakeupmymindonaname I heard that too at first, but there's an interview on.. Mashable, I think, where the director mentions he just didn't say cut.
@@riolkin He actually kinda didn't like it. He said something about the armor just being an enormous sweat fest that was really uncomfortable but congrats to him because he was flawless in the roll. It's so very exactly the Lawful Good Paladin we know and love....and hate.
The reason why Edgin always passes important items to Simon and says “hold this” is because Simon has a Bag of Holding. It’s a bit that works so well, because D&D fans will appreciate the Easter egg, but it still works as a joke for anyone who doesn’t know about Bags of Holding.
Thats the brillinace of this movie. Non DnD savvy people can appreciate it, cause it doesn't bash you on the head with the technical stuff, its clear enough what is what and how it works. And it can be appreciated by DnD fans quite easely cause you're like "Oh yeah"
I think its that and I kind of got the idea it might also be to signify that he trusts Simon to "come through when it counts". Personally I think its both he trusts items with Simon more than he trusts himself with them AND Simon has a handy bag of holding
I too assumed it would be terrible! And being such a DnD fan, I didn't want to subject myself to the disappointment 😂 But I went ahead and requested it for my Mother's Day gift after I heard it was good. We all watched it as a family and it was such a great time. Never been so happy to be so wrong about something!
@@MuricaTurkey I think one that really helped was for it to be set int the best known portion of Faerun (Forgotten Realms). A big shoutout to R.A. Salvatore who helped so many learn of that "Sword Coast" across like 40 novels or wahtever.
@@MuricaTurkey same, I ended up going because we had a bad ice rain storm and didn't have power for like a week so we went out to the theatre to relax. I was pleasantly surprised.
Simon was not a wizard. He was a sorcerer. This is an important distinction. Wizards learn magic. Sorcerers are born with it. A wizard's primary stat is intelligence, they study and learn. A sorcerer uses charisma, willpower. So the movie is actually correct, confidence IS an important part of being a sorcerer, specifically.
Also explains why the Intellect Devourers weren't interested; Sorcerer, bard, barbarian, druid and paladin, not a single intelligence based class in the bunch.
I like that Xenk was clearly the babysitter character that the Dungeon Master introduces to get the player characters back on track. And when they screw up the bridge puzzle, they have to suddenly find a convenient work-around to keep the story going. It really feels like a game of DnD!
DM: "So... you destroyed the bridge... which was the only way across the pit of fiery death.... where you need to go... and no one has any spells or items that can get you across?" Players: "...nope." DM: "........don't you have a stick?"
@@fireradfieritis8953 to be honest this series could go forever, like just have the cast play a game of dnd and write everything that happens down and then use that to make the movie!
Sofina's death was one of the most *_satisfying_* deaths I have ever witnessed in the theater. Awesome! And Holga's exclamation of "Don't tell me you wasted it on me !" almost started me bawling. But then when she asked incredulously "Why would you do that?" definitely did it. So heart-wrenching to hear from her.
Yeah it was kinda obvious they were gonna revive her but it was still so heart wrenching with the flashbacks basically showing she was her mom all along and her asking why they would waste it on her. I tear up every time I watch that scene.
@@garrickkthegreat5762 Appleton Oak caught onto it as well. The other two guys laughed, not catching on. That man is an interesting combination of intellect, common sense, _and_ heart.
In regards to Oak asking what makes it a D&D movie and not an adventure movie with the D&D name slapped on it, it’s very clearly a D&D movie, imo. There’s so many scenes where you can clearly see the D&D mechanics going on behind the scenes: you have to attune magic items, you have to maintain concentration on certain spells, Simon needed to be able to speak to cast, etc. There’s also the classes and how they worked (with certain liberties taken for Doric’s Wild shape). There were even moments where you could tell the player was failing their rolls, like when Edgin can’t get his hands untied. And Xenk was clearly a DMPC, created to guide the players and mess with Edgin’s player. The entire Speak with Dead scene was the DM messing with the players. Even the fact that normally a sorcerer wouldn’t have access to Speak With Dead, so Simon mentions he got the magic item from a cleric, who would have access to that spell. That along with locations, famous characters, Easter eggs, etc. would make it a D&D movie, but I think more than all of that, it just feels like a session of D&D.
As I watched this movie I couldn't help but imagine how it would've been at the table. Imagine the players ask the DM who are the counselors analyzing their pardon, the DM panics because they didn't have names originally. First name that comes to mind: Jonathan, but that's too mundane, so... Jarnathan it is. Or, the party needs to solve a puzzle to cross the bridge, but they're idiots and fumble it. What do you know, they had a portal gun the whole time! Then, it turns out the portal staff makes it too easy for them to get inside the vault. Oops, the painting fell face down, guess they'll need to use the helmet after all. It's all so true to DnD
The reveal of the hither thither staff felt like a dm going "Mother fuckers ruined my puzzle... shit how do I get them across now." And making a random item the needed item to cross the lava.
Fun fact that wasn't written in. It was a creative choice to play Zenk so straight-laced that he was portrayed to walk with purpose and true. Rege-Jean expected them to cut the scene earlier, but the directors were curious to see what he would do once he reached the boulder and kept recording. Rene-Jean was a bit nervous when "Cut!" wasn't yelled, so decided that Zenk would *Absolutely* walk over the boulder. -juice1984
It was great to see the characters from the old cartoon realized in LIVE ACTION!! That was Bobby the Barbarian, Sheila the Thief, Eric the Cavalier, Hank the Ranger and Diana the Acrobat! Great reaction as always you guys!
I was so shocked to see that when I watched this with my family and instantly made me love the movie even more than I already did. I can't express the amount of happiness it gave me.
The fact that the cast actually played together with the directors, one who learned to play on the set of Freaks and Geeks, is why this films works so dam well. Such a fun film
As a D&D fan I do appreciate how this felt like a campaign. I know it won't happen but Michelle Rodriguez deserves an Oscar for her role in this movie. She played a great example of a complex character, she was both tough and motherly at just the right times with just the perfect amount of humor and wit to stay true to her class.
I feel like everyone should know, the scene with Bradley Cooper was shot practically, they didn't shrink him down in post, they actually made a chair big enough for him to sit in and look that small.
@@BaddMedicine nice to see Hugh Grant still has his acting chops. And wasnt Bradley Cooper adorable? To imagine this is the same guy who did A Star Is BOrn (singing!!), The Hangover(s), and Guardians of the Galaxy.
This is one of those movies that one is cautiously optimistic, and it just blows all the expectations out of the water. Have seen it three times and haven't been tired of it
To me, the main thing that made it actually feel like a dungeon and dragons movie is the little details. For example, when Xenk was giving the directions to a bridge and then Simon put his foot on the bridge and then everything had to change. And then suddenly out of nowhere the portal staff is there to save the day.
The parole scene was basically the characters not liking their rolls, thinking they failed, panicking, and then doing something stupid that somehow worked out for them. :p
Even though I loved Bradley Cooper as a halfling, how amazing would it have been if Elijah Wood, or the other actors/halflings from lord of the rings played the ex
This made me think “hey why do we not have a series of films with Michael Rodriguez as a cool action lead?” Like she totally deserves her own franchise I think!
When Sophia's character dies she is thrown against a small tower and rocks fall upon her. This is a fairly deep cut reference to a concept in tabletop gaming where the game master or dungeon master, meaning the person who is running the game, simply ends the game by declaring, "rocks fall, everyone dies."
32:06 It’s interesting that they chose this dragon, and I can tell you why he possesses such rotundity. Themburchaud was raised by a group of underdark dwarves called Duergar, and they keep him around for the purposes of keeping their magic forges lit at all times. In return, the duergar feed the dragon an over abundance of food to keep him complacent, and to keep him so plump that he’s forever incapable of leaving their domain.
@@dyproxus1806 Forgotten Realms has been around since 2e and was updated to 3e, 3.5, 4e and 5e. Chubby old Themburchaud hasn't been mentioned in any of the official books since 2e but he was never decanonised or confirmed dead or anything so we can assume he was still around.
Yes! The Saturday morning D&D cartoon. I really like that they included some of the new races ( tieflings, dragonborn) AND some of the less used or known original monsters- Aarakocra, axe beaks, intellect devourer, tabaxi, displacer beasts). Ahh, I could go on!
I love the genuine nods to 5th Edition mechanics. In game, battle rounds last "6 seconds" for each character. In the movie the blows that went back and forth were 6 seconds each. I also love Simon's explanation of magic and how there are levels of it which come with restrictions. Like how he had to attune the helmet properly, which takes time with a specific person. Or losing concentration can make your spell fail. There's just a bunch of stuff like that and I felt like they did an awesome job visualizing that for people to pick up on.
I love how Xenk breaks character when Simon destroys the bridge, you just know the DM is contemplating having a falling rock trap kill Simon for ruining the puzzle he spent all afternoon coming up with!
This movie was such an amazing surprise. The trailers didn't look all too great but I'm so glad it was loved by critics and audiences alike. It's a genuinely funny movie (I rarely laugh out loud in front of a movie but this one made me several times) with some heartfelt moments, the action sequences are really well captured and choreographed (special kudos to Michelle Rodriguez), the CGI and puppets/costumes are very nice, some elements are really really well utilized each time they use them like the druid's shapeshifting, and they paid special attention to lore elements (such as for example not every dragon breathing fire). Overall it really does have that feel of a group of friends playing through a D&D campaign. Also, Hugh Grant was absolutely amazing in this role. I really, sincerely hope it has enough success to warrant a sequel with the same cast. It's an absolute blast of a movie.
The movie definitely has some weird pacing/ writing issues (convenient portal staff is convenient etc.) but I choose to see those as signs that we're seeing a real D&D session. Just like a DM has to somehow keep the story going after the party f*cked up. "You just destroyed your only way forward? How about that portal thingy you didn't even know you had all along"
Yeah, if there was any movie I'd like to see that kind of plot contrivance in, it would be a D&D movie- mostly because it does feel exactly like a campaign.
@@hinasakukimi Then the painting fell face down to force them to use the damn helmet they went to the Underdark for, which is also exactly what a DM would do to keep the party from cheesing their way through the plot
Simon throws out some sensory effects in an effort to keep the crowd’s attention. One of them is making the air smell like fresh-cut grass. And yes, that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves moment is a nod (and quite the clever Easter egg) to the character Fresh Cut Grass in Critical Role. Sam Riegel voices Fresh Cut Grass
One awesome thing they did was spell "Honor" with a "u" over here in the UK. So for us it was "Honour among thieves" on all the ads which was a great move. We so rarely get localised in the UK by hollywood for obvious reasons!
It must have been so nice to finally have a COOL FUN movie from a franchise you've been a fan you're whole life. ❤ This movie has so much heart, you can tell everyone involved in the project put so much into it.
I really enjoyed this in the cinema! The story telling is like Ella Enchanted and it's been a while since I've watched something similar~ NO dull moments!!
One of the things I love the most about this movie is the historical table top implement that makes the table top different from video games, improvising. Taking items that are meant for one purpose and using your brain to make it work in another situation proving that power is in being creative and thinking outside of the box.
Wow, Mason, You are an OG. I am impressed because there are not that many of us around ( or who will admit to it ). I've been playing since 1975 or so. You are going to LOVE this movie! A true rendition of the game. I hope you spot some of the references to various modules, TV show, NPCs, spells...OK, OK I am nerding out. Going to enjoy this!!
Of the three Chrises, Chris Pine is by far the best actor. Not a knock on the other two, but he has range. He never disappoints. You’re right he is under appreciated. Love this movie.
@@rubyrwby7559 For some reason I never count Evans. I think he’s fantastic, but he’s more like a Chris who was Chris adjacent with the other three for a bit, but now he’s a Chris apart.
Loved the reaction. Been waiting my whole life for a decent representation of D&D on the big screen. The girl who plays the druid is in IT part one and two (she is the girls that become friends with the boys), and Justice Smith, who plays the sorceror, is in the last two movies of the Jurassic World franchise.
The fact they went meta enough with 'playercharacter mindset' for the main cast is just GREAT. Like there's some nerd behind each of them trying their best to not break character TOO much.
I went with a buddy of mine to go watch this movie on a whim and we both had a blast with it. I've had very little exposure to D&D outside a few video games/shows, but I found the film easy to understand and I couldn't help but smile throughout.
My favourite part of this movie was Simon stepping on the wrong brick and destroying the bridge, and it's because of one of my own D&D sessions. We were making our own way through a complicated series of traps that our DM had set to protect the magical MacGuffin, on of which was a magical ball of glowing energy that tried to tempt us into touching it. We all rolled high enough on Wisdom to not touch it, but after we had gotten past our Warlock failed his own real-life Wisdom throw and decided to touch it with Mage Hand. Naturally, that triggered the spell, causing the energy ball to explode and almost wiping the party. This movie is so much like a real D&D game though. The spots where you can see the players getting Nat 20s or critical failures, the joke of 'hold this' (bag of holding), the inclusions of creatures like owlbears, mimics and displacer beasts, and the use of real spells and items. Even Zenk is clearly just there because the DM realized that the party was completely under leveled for the next bit of the campaign that they spent months on, and rather than nerf the challenges they decided to throw in their own Level 20 Paladin that they enjoyed playing in a different campaign, only with a few twists to make him fit the current story. That's why he's there for the Underdark and then vanishes right before the actual big fight. And then when one of the players asks where he went, the DM makes up on the spot that he was dealing with Forge. Such a brilliant movie.
I would say it was a Dungeons & Dragons movie. It really captured the silly banter, zany plans, and all out throw-everything-at-the-wall battles you typically find in a game.
I love that where they hid the helmet looked like a hellish Giants Causeway 😂 and the castle is Carrickfergus Castle, two of my favourite places in Northern Ireland 😊
So glad you reacted to this! It's such a fun movie that really captured the feeling of a D&D party. Lots of good easter eggs for longtime fans but a good story for everyone.
It was definitely the cartoon version Dungeons and Dragons kids that was in the maze. If you read the credits the characters are all given their cartoon names. The only one missing is Uni the unicorn. LOL! 😜🦄💖 BTW, I recognize them the very second they appeared. I yelled and pointed then flipped when I saw them. LOL! 🤣 ⚔️🛡🏹🪄🪓📺👍
Since you noticed the cartoon dungeon and dragons characters, you might realize that the statue that you thought was Mel Brooks was actually the dungeon master from the cartoon series.
In my head the reason they convinced that council to pardon them in the beginning is Edgin has high charisma by nature of being a bard. May not be true, may not be what they were going for, but its what I choose to believe
@@unimpartialobserver and aptly chaotic of a bard to not listen long enough to hear he was pardoned and break out anyway. Or at least that's the kind of foolish thing most bards I've seen would do. If only Jarnathan had forseen this
The pick you own movie idea reminds me hardcore of early RUclips. Some creators made that kind of content, but they broke when RUclips updated. Also, I feel the random elements also make it very D&D. You might not have a character who loves potatoes, but you have a character who has some sort of random obsession. I also felt like the result of their actions felt very like a roll of the dice. Pine’s character basically using charism to talk them into a pardon was a prime example of this.
Fun fact, the cast prepared for the movie by playing thier characters in a session hosted by a WoTC DM and the adventure they played was the actual adventure of the movie.
That had to have been so surreal, imagine playing a game *knowing* that it's gonna be played out in the future on the big screen as a feature-length film.
Noo!! I was waiting for the LOLs and your comments on the best part, where that Xenk guy walked in a straight line OVER the boulder. I don't think I laughed so hard at any other moment during this 2hole movie than during that one moment Btw the actor thatplayed sophia was also in the shadow and bone series.
I love that they set the whole move in the campagn the forgotten Realms the lore was on Point. Ed Greenwood should be Happy with this one. This move is all i hoped for in a D&D move and finaly they got it right. Loved the review guys!
As a long time DnD player and gamer in general, I really love how they got the balance pretty right on between having those familiar tropes in there, but putting a twist on most of them to really give it that personal touch, just like how it often goes in real games. As a woman, especially a mother, Holga is EXACTLY the kind of female character I would create, if I was going for a warrior class over a rogue or priest type: Badass, but with a contrasting detail that would make her more complex or well-rounded. In this case, it's her motherly love for Kira, and how she treats people she loves in general: Gently. No physical abuse here! Thankfully! I was so worried they were going to have her lash out at her ex and his new girl, maybe trash their new home. Maybe get into a brawl with the other tough chick... but instead she put that frustration to good use by having it fuel her drive to get what needed to be done, done. She focused on what she could do, to help those in her life that she loved, instead of being crazy and scary over some ex. MUCH better than expected! And it made me love her even more. It would have been hard to love her if she went all toxic and abusive like that. My favorite character I ever made like this was a half-orc Cleric of an obscure, almost forgotten diety name Lliira, aka The Lady of Joy. Her domain is joyful reverie, especially shown through dance and festivals. Obviously, my character was named Joy. Joy * could * kick your ass... But would much rather have everyone lay down their weapons and party instead 😂 Never happened, of course. But she didn't let that stop her from trying! Another of my favorites in this film is Xenk. I love how Xenk is so literal and black/white with his thinking, which is PERFECT for a Lawful Good character like a Paladin, but not because he's unrealistically cheesey and 2 dimensional. It's because his brain was damaged when he barely escaped that Red Wizard spell. It makes him much more realistic and likable. Often, Paladins are SO stale and, frankly, insufferable with their overly snobby, rigid ways. They often end up being almost cruel in their fanaticism. For example, they often can be racist against whole groups of people, like Tieflings, if they're played without nuance. So having it be that he's simply wired differently due to a traumatic brain injury, rather than ridiculously extreme religious beliefs, was a great writing/character creation idea. Also, being someone who is neurologically atypical myself, married to someone with a similar situation, and we have a mentally disabled son as well, I really appreciate that he was shown to have a situation like that, but didn't let it hinder him. It definitely was there, but it wasn't used in a token way that didn't make sense, and it wasn't used to make us look down on him, nor was it literally his superpower (which is an annoying fetishization tactic really overly used in entertainment). It's just part of who he is. That was just fantastic. I could go on and on, but those are my top favorites about the movie. Glad to see you guys loved it too!
I'm pretty sure Xenk is just lowkey trolling everyone as well. He reminded me of Spock from Star Trek movie 5 and onwards p.s. tbh it feels... concerning that the commonly perceived clever way to bring nuance to a badass character is "they aren't violent with people they love". is this where we are as a storytelling species? or am i just exaggerating
Paladins are often played badly because the people who play them don't understand how Lawful Good works. Mostly because a lot of people want to think they're good, but they're not willing to actually DO good.
@@JaneXemylixa Lowkey trolling, absolutely. I have personally used the "so you blame his mother" comeback, long before it was used here--mostly to get people to rethink how they phrase things.
Surprise of the year definitely. And even from the interviews of the cast, it seemed like they had a lot of fun together. Hugh Grant's charm, even as a bad guy, shines through
Late to the party here, but to answer back to Oak's question about what makes a movie a "D&D" movie... I think what made this movie feel so great as an ex-D&D player, was seeing the characters succeed and fail at anything small or big. When Edgin and Holga are tied up about to die in the alley, Ed fails a LOT trying to cut his ropes until the end, while Holga must be proficient in "improvised weapons" like that brick or anything else she can grab like the hanging bow in the armory later on. Another good moment was when Simon made an illusion of Edgin singing to the guards and then it starts melting because Simon can't concentrate and walk, because now his foot is stuck (he must have rolled low). So with that lens of experience of having played D&D, I freakin loved this movie!
The dragon, Themberchaud, is actually a dragon from the lore. The Deugar, or dark dwarves, use a red dragon that they hatch to keep their forges lit. They overfeed him to keep him satiated, and make it harder for him to leave. They live in the Underdark, hence why there is a FAT red dragon in the Underdark.
Simon's actor was in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Detective Pikachu. Doric's actress was young Beverly in IT. IT was absolutely a D&D movie, as it utterly captured the overarching player experience for tabletop. They had character backstories that occur before the game starts (The entire thing at the prison), they had the party picking up new people who have to then explain their backstory and motivations to the party, they had quests, they had DM NPCs (Forge and Xenk and the Red Wizard), they had puzzles, they had traps, they had magic items, they had an NPC having to get the party back on track with dispensed wisdom (Xenk again) etc, and even leaving the poor dead guy awake without asking the last question is a nod to players just wanting to get to the next thing after doing research lol.
that story from the oak IS SO RELATABLE haha. you end up doing the most absolutely insane things in d&d. I rememebr one time my ranger dove into lava to save a priceless mythic artifact that we needed for the campaign. unhinged!
Watched this once on my own to see if it was any good, loved it. Watched it with my 12 y/o and he was in tears laughing during the dragon scene. Definitely becoming a regular watch at the house now.
They chose an intimate story: a father trying to get back his daughter. Big battles would have been out of place because our main group is not trying to save the world (even if somehow they stopped a bigger threat from the red wizards) but trying to be a family again- both blood-related and chosen.
The scene with the Intellect Devourers is golden as well... Think about it... Edgin, Simon and Zenk all have a class that uses Charisma as their core stat. The druid uses Wisdom. Holga is pretty much Strength and Constitution, maybe Dexterity too. NONE of them has Intelligence as a core class stat and thus, the Intellect Devourers sense nothing to devour ;D
IIRC, they have official stat blocks on D&D Beyond, and they all have pretty good INT scores. In a tie-in comic, though, Xenk gave the monsters in that cave a thorough beating, so it's just as likely they weren't eager for Round 2. But the joke is still worth it, no matter what the reason.
what the Badd Medicine crew are if they're in this movie / their D&D classes: Mason Quinn - Templar/Heavy Night The Answer - Sorcerer The Oak - Barbarian
@@gollumandeowyn but he's a tough so and so - I can totally see him in scale mail, so.. CLeric.. wailing about madly with a mace and then stopping for a sec to heal the tank who got overzealous
I enjoyed this film so much. It is sad that so many films lack the ability to tell a complete story and tell it competently. A beginning, middle, and end. Loved the chemistry between Pine and Rodriguez. Loved the actress playing the daughter. Loved everything about it.
11:33 I just recently caught this movie and this is the third reaction that I’ve seen. Having said that, after Forge says he won’t give back the Tablet of Reawakening, I wouldn’t have charged him. I would have picked up the chair I’d been sitting in and flung it at him as hard as I could THEN I would have charged. Hopefully, the chair would have distracted them enough (and hurt really, really badly) that I could have closed the distance before any magic came into play.
I mostly watched the movie because I figure there will be a lot of views/reviews of it. I never played D&D but I found the movie quite enjoyable. I like the humor in this film because it fits the characters and was not demeaning to the characters.
I love seeing your reaction to different movies. It makes me find a new joy in watching a film again. Your interpretations afterwards are so entertaining and yet eye-opening. Please continue. I love The Oak's analysis in particular.
Sofina is a real good villain. I expect some campaigns to play this movie. It's fun. It's an excellent representation of how games actually go. I'd not be shocked if they actually just played a full game rather than writing.
Sofina's actress had small roles in The Sandman and the Wrong Turn remake. Doric's actress plays Beverly in IT 2017, Gretel in Gretel and Hansel, the lead in I Am Not Okay With This and more recently she played in Asteroid City and I'm glad she's doing well in the acting department. Simon's actor had the lead in Detective Pikachu and was a playable character in a video game: The Quarry.
I was VERY skeptical until I saw Chris Pine do that little skip while playing the lute and went "huh, did they actually make him a bard?" And then the other trailers got funnier and funnier. When my husband and I saw it, we laughed our butts off. Such a fun movie!
I'm so happy you guys watched this movie! This is a first one I watched in a while where I laughed out loud🤣🤣The cast was stellar! LOVED how Dorik just smashed that Red Wizard into the ground🤣🤣🤣Enjoyed the movie and your reactions immensely! Thank you so much!
The plot of the movie and the characters are pretty basic, but the execution and the direction, especially with the action and some of the tropes-made this insanely entertaining. Watch another one of these guys' movies-Game Night. Total fun.
As someone who is a fan and player of DnD, I loved this movie! Definitely gave me vibes of some of the earlier editions but overall, a great start! I'd love to see this continue as well, and perhaps a bigger cameo of the characters from the DND 80s cartoon! I would love to see you guys react to "The Legend of Vox Machina", which is an animated show based on Critical Role's campaign(s), since you all liked this movie! Anyways, love your guy's reaction and can't wait to see what comes next!
Regarding the big battle question (1:08:33), D&D is primarily about smaller encounters. A part is typically 4 to 6 players and an in-game battle is what they can feasibly take on, which, depending on their level, can mean a lot of low level enemies or a few tougher opponents. If a big battle is taking place, the party tends to be involved in a limited part of that like a commando team taking out a specific objective.
I was so pleasantly surprised by how good this movie ended up being. I enjoyed just how funny the entire movie was and the overall chemistry of all the characters. I hope it did well enough for a sequel
Finally a D&D movie we deserve! What made it a D&D movie is the fooling around that also happens between friends when you're playing. Plus all the classic, timeless monsters and spells. They also put their finger on a humor style that works for non-initiated, and a story binding it all together. Great movie!
Glad you guys liked it. went looking through your stuff and going to watch your invincible series, but was a little surprised you guys haven't done The Legend of Vox Machina. Animated D&D show based on the Critical Roll campaign.
For me this was a DnD movie because it felt like the story as it was unfolding during a DnD night. The bridge that got destroyed reminded MD of when a DM spends hours setting something up and the players instantly mess up their plans.
And then the DM has to do an ass-pull to salvage the adventure, and so declares an object the party has already (the walking stick) to be a magical item...but because it was a last-minute thing, the object is rather overpowered and the party proceeds to abuse the HELL out of it (which I loved, because that was a frickin' brilliant heist using that)
Daisy Head, Sophia, also played in the iconic movie Underworld: Blood Wars. A movie series that is well known and beloved by many. It’s a cult classic.
I saw this in theatres with a friend of mine and it was really enjoyable. I saw it as something that never took itself seriously and so it was something you could turn your brain off to and just watch and enjoy. My favourite scene was probably the graveyard scene.
I really like how this movie was for everyone. If you didn’t know D&D it did not matter. You didn’t need to know the Meta to understand the movie it was an action adventure comedy. If you did know the meta then there were plenty of Easter eggs. I also like how it was a clean film aka:no cussing, not too much blood/gore, nudity etc. you don’t really get that now a days except in Kid flicks.
The guy that plays Simon is from Detective Pikachu,Doric the girl from from IT and Sofina is in Shadow and Bone series her dad was Giles in Buffy The Vampire Dlayer.
If you give any old writer the task of writing a D&D movie, they'd likely spit out a high fantasy epic full of eloquent speech and melodrama. But that's never been what D&D is (for most players). Yeah, epic high fantasy plots are still a part of it, but it's mostly you and your friends trying to make each other laugh while you collaboratively weave together a fun story. All that to say, the writers of this movie NAILED the tone!
For me the BEST thing is that the whole movie is structured exactly like an actual DnD campaign! Up to bacstories, roles, decision making process, locations! And it's FINALLY lore-friendly, I've seen just a few things that I never heared of in the Forgotten Realms lore and even those might as well be my lack of lore knowledge. Brilliant movie. And imo it serves it's purpose - lot more people might get into DnD, which is great!
This was actually very entertaining. Everyone did great! Didn't need to know all about D & D to enjoy. What was your reaction? What easter eggs did we miss?
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Didn't mentioned this before but I'm a relatively new week-old viewer here, found you guys thanks to Godzilla and you guys have become one of my favorite top reactors out there (up there with Blind Wave hehe). Absolutely amazing reactions ever since I binged your Harry Potter series! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND DESERVED A MILLION MORE SUBS AND VIEWS!
Neverwinter and Baldur's Gate are popular games made from D&D so those were my reactions when they name drop those locations
Never played D&D but I enjoyed it. It is achieved the most important thing for a movie - it entertained
I used to watch the D&D cartoon but didn't catch the reference until you pointed it out. That is a fantastic reference inside this very enjoyable, fun movie.
I never played the games as a kid or anything but I truly enjoyed this film. It was well cast, well written and well paced. The chemistry between all the characters was perfect and I was never once bored. And since I went into this blind knowing nothing about D&D, it was a welcome surprise to watch this movie. I hope there is a sequel of some kind so they can venture further into the lore of D&D as I know the games are very deep and extensive with a lot of material to use.
"I don't want to see you die... which is why I'm gonna leave the room" is one of my favorite lines in a long time lol
Hugh Grant was so much fun in this. What a great villain
@@riolkin you can tell he was having a really fun time. They all did. It really helps when the people involved are having fun.
I liked that they established from the very beginning that Holga and Ed were like brother and sister. Not every story requires the leads to have a romantic love interest, and I honestly find platonic love and loyalty just as if not more engaging.
Also to note that Holga is basically a adoptive mom to Ed's daughter Kira, and the movie STILL doesn't have a romance.
I don't know about a sequel, but for this movie, it's kind of nice that they're just buddies.
I hate how everything gets shipped … like show platonic friendships as well
its better fitting with dnd as well. interplayer character relationships almost never happen, and when they do its usually a disaster
Well and it makes the sacrifice more meaningful. He did bring her mom back and he hasn't found something else to replace what he legitimately lost.
I think it works better here. I'm a little tired of every two protagonists constantly having romantic/sexual tension in every single movie. This was great
Fun fact: the Paladin walking away in a straight line and over the boulder, as well as the other characters' reactions, are all improvised. The director didn't say cut just to see what would happen, and Regé-Jean Page just kept on walking and straight over the rock à la video game NPC.
I didn't know that but it definitely makes that moment even funnier. Regé-Jean seems like he had a lot of fun playing this role
I was told the director did say cut but noone heard him so everyone just kept going. Either way i am so glad they kept it all in
@@Cantmakeupmymindonaname I heard that too at first, but there's an interview on.. Mashable, I think, where the director mentions he just didn't say cut.
Oh that's funny as hell. I didn't know that!
@@riolkin He actually kinda didn't like it. He said something about the armor just being an enormous sweat fest that was really uncomfortable but congrats to him because he was flawless in the roll. It's so very exactly the Lawful Good Paladin we know and love....and hate.
The reason why Edgin always passes important items to Simon and says “hold this” is because Simon has a Bag of Holding. It’s a bit that works so well, because D&D fans will appreciate the Easter egg, but it still works as a joke for anyone who doesn’t know about Bags of Holding.
Thats the brillinace of this movie.
Non DnD savvy people can appreciate it, cause it doesn't bash you on the head with the technical stuff, its clear enough what is what and how it works.
And it can be appreciated by DnD fans quite easely cause you're like "Oh yeah"
it's definitely more funny that Simon had it instead of Edgin 😂
Imagine if they didn't have a Bag of Holding, *and* they were using encumbrance 😂
I think its that and I kind of got the idea it might also be to signify that he trusts Simon to "come through when it counts". Personally I think its both he trusts items with Simon more than he trusts himself with them AND Simon has a handy bag of holding
They definitely should have mentioned it though because the Helmet just disappears.
I had no intention of watching this and was dragged to the theater to see this. Absolutely ended up loving it 😂
It was a pleasant surprise 🤘
I too assumed it would be terrible! And being such a DnD fan, I didn't want to subject myself to the disappointment 😂 But I went ahead and requested it for my Mother's Day gift after I heard it was good. We all watched it as a family and it was such a great time. Never been so happy to be so wrong about something!
@@MuricaTurkey I think one that really helped was for it to be set int the best known portion of Faerun (Forgotten Realms). A big shoutout to R.A. Salvatore who helped so many learn of that "Sword Coast" across like 40 novels or wahtever.
@@MuricaTurkey same, I ended up going because we had a bad ice rain storm and didn't have power for like a week so we went out to the theatre to relax. I was pleasantly surprised.
Was so good :D
Simon was not a wizard. He was a sorcerer. This is an important distinction. Wizards learn magic. Sorcerers are born with it. A wizard's primary stat is intelligence, they study and learn. A sorcerer uses charisma, willpower. So the movie is actually correct, confidence IS an important part of being a sorcerer, specifically.
Also explains why the Intellect Devourers weren't interested; Sorcerer, bard, barbarian, druid and paladin, not a single intelligence based class in the bunch.
@GriffinPilgrim yet, still felt a tad insulting.
@@GriffinPilgrim
I like that Xenk was clearly the babysitter character that the Dungeon Master introduces to get the player characters back on track. And when they screw up the bridge puzzle, they have to suddenly find a convenient work-around to keep the story going. It really feels like a game of DnD!
They original consider using Drizzt Do'Urden. I'd have freaked.
@@JnEricsonx I hear they have a sequel in the works potentially so who knows?
DM: "So... you destroyed the bridge... which was the only way across the pit of fiery death.... where you need to go... and no one has any spells or items that can get you across?"
Players: "...nope."
DM: "........don't you have a stick?"
@@fireradfieritis8953 to be honest this series could go forever, like just have the cast play a game of dnd and write everything that happens down and then use that to make the movie!
@@garrickkthegreat5762 Pretty much, lol. Not quite a Critical Role situation, but... Well, just look at Legends of Vox Machina.
Sofina's death was one of the most *_satisfying_* deaths I have ever witnessed in the theater. Awesome! And Holga's exclamation of "Don't tell me you wasted it on me !" almost started me bawling. But then when she asked incredulously "Why would you do that?" definitely did it. So heart-wrenching to hear from her.
I like how they managed to get her death be emotional, even though the whole audience already knows they can just revive her.
Yeah it was kinda obvious they were gonna revive her but it was still so heart wrenching with the flashbacks basically showing she was her mom all along and her asking why they would waste it on her. I tear up every time I watch that scene.
@@garrickkthegreat5762 Appleton Oak caught onto it as well. The other two guys laughed, not catching on. That man is an interesting combination of intellect, common sense, _and_ heart.
I loved the fact that rocks fell.
Yes, Mason was right. Those were the 5 kids from the 80s D&D cartoon. They're even credited.
Just no Uni.
In regards to Oak asking what makes it a D&D movie and not an adventure movie with the D&D name slapped on it, it’s very clearly a D&D movie, imo. There’s so many scenes where you can clearly see the D&D mechanics going on behind the scenes: you have to attune magic items, you have to maintain concentration on certain spells, Simon needed to be able to speak to cast, etc. There’s also the classes and how they worked (with certain liberties taken for Doric’s Wild shape). There were even moments where you could tell the player was failing their rolls, like when Edgin can’t get his hands untied. And Xenk was clearly a DMPC, created to guide the players and mess with Edgin’s player. The entire Speak with Dead scene was the DM messing with the players. Even the fact that normally a sorcerer wouldn’t have access to Speak With Dead, so Simon mentions he got the magic item from a cleric, who would have access to that spell. That along with locations, famous characters, Easter eggs, etc. would make it a D&D movie, but I think more than all of that, it just feels like a session of D&D.
As I watched this movie I couldn't help but imagine how it would've been at the table. Imagine the players ask the DM who are the counselors analyzing their pardon, the DM panics because they didn't have names originally. First name that comes to mind: Jonathan, but that's too mundane, so... Jarnathan it is. Or, the party needs to solve a puzzle to cross the bridge, but they're idiots and fumble it. What do you know, they had a portal gun the whole time! Then, it turns out the portal staff makes it too easy for them to get inside the vault. Oops, the painting fell face down, guess they'll need to use the helmet after all. It's all so true to DnD
The reveal of the hither thither staff felt like a dm going "Mother fuckers ruined my puzzle... shit how do I get them across now." And making a random item the needed item to cross the lava.
Doric's Owlbear shape actually isn't too much of a stretch. I read that there was a feat for it in 4th edition I think.
I loved the movie for this. You could see the Nat 1’s and nat 20’s how your game was going etc. they did the D&D name justice/lore for sure.
Simon: "And we get to ask them five questions"
Doric: "Five? That seems arbitrary."
D&D Fans: He-yo!
You're truly a parent when you chose your child's happiness over your own.
My favorite part was when Zenk is walking away from them. In a straight line. Right over the boulder.
The Paladin on his righteous path 😛
@@inawinchester such a straight line
Fun fact that wasn't written in. It was a creative choice to play Zenk so straight-laced that he was portrayed to walk with purpose and true. Rege-Jean expected them to cut the scene earlier, but the directors were curious to see what he would do once he reached the boulder and kept recording. Rene-Jean was a bit nervous when "Cut!" wasn't yelled, so decided that Zenk would *Absolutely* walk over the boulder.
-juice1984
@@ALVINTRA 😂
same, and the fact that you can see him still walking in a straight line in the distance for ages after the bit
As a long-time player, this movie was everything I wanted for 20 years.
It was great to see the characters from the old cartoon realized in LIVE ACTION!! That was Bobby the Barbarian, Sheila the Thief, Eric the Cavalier, Hank the Ranger and Diana the Acrobat! Great reaction as always you guys!
And Presto the Magician
I was so shocked to see that when I watched this with my family and instantly made me love the movie even more than I already did. I can't express the amount of happiness it gave me.
The fact that the cast actually played together with the directors, one who learned to play on the set of Freaks and Geeks, is why this films works so dam well. Such a fun film
The actors for Doric and Xenk showed up with their character sheets already prepped, IIRC.
As a D&D fan I do appreciate how this felt like a campaign. I know it won't happen but Michelle Rodriguez deserves an Oscar for her role in this movie. She played a great example of a complex character, she was both tough and motherly at just the right times with just the perfect amount of humor and wit to stay true to her class.
If this movie were a campaign, you can see where the players rolled badly or successfully or even a partial success. I love that.
My husband and I will just randomly turn to each other and go "BRATE BRATE BRATE BRATE BRAAAAAAATE" and collapse laughing.
Holga's potato throw to save Kira near the end was 100% a joke move that rolled nat 20 and the DM had to go with it.
Haha, I blinded the stone dragon with a tent...oh crap, darn loop...aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh
@@niero4201
Difficulty Class: 99
*Critical Success*
I feel like everyone should know, the scene with Bradley Cooper was shot practically, they didn't shrink him down in post, they actually made a chair big enough for him to sit in and look that small.
My favorite movie of the year so far! As a DM, this movie genuinely felt like a real campaign, it's so good! So glad you guys reacted to this! 💙
Everyone crushed it in here. I'm really glad they didn't over do it on the comedy. It was just the right amount.
john wick 4 is my favorite. D&D sure is up there though
John wick , suzume and big George Forman and then this movie for me
@@BaddMedicine nice to see Hugh Grant still has his acting chops. And wasnt Bradley Cooper adorable? To imagine this is the same guy who did A Star Is BOrn (singing!!), The Hangover(s), and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Yes, but then we wouldn't have gotten the Mini-Cooper!
This is one of those movies that one is cautiously optimistic, and it just blows all the expectations out of the water. Have seen it three times and haven't been tired of it
This was a perfect recapturing of how players view their own campaigns.
I am delighted to see men with deep friendships and love. It's inspirational.😊
To me, the main thing that made it actually feel like a dungeon and dragons movie is the little details. For example, when Xenk was giving the directions to a bridge and then Simon put his foot on the bridge and then everything had to change. And then suddenly out of nowhere the portal staff is there to save the day.
Don't forget the obligatory rope...
The parole scene was basically the characters not liking their rolls, thinking they failed, panicking, and then doing something stupid that somehow worked out for them. :p
I always felt it was the DM stonefacing them, with the rolls hidden behind the screen.
Even though I loved Bradley Cooper as a halfling, how amazing would it have been if Elijah Wood, or the other actors/halflings from lord of the rings played the ex
Because they wanted a mini cooper ...😁
He was a Mini Cooper!
I appreciated the mini-Cooper, but I also have to give props to the character. Dude is a mountain climber.
This made me think “hey why do we not have a series of films with Michael Rodriguez as a cool action lead?” Like she totally deserves her own franchise I think!
When Sophia's character dies she is thrown against a small tower and rocks fall upon her. This is a fairly deep cut reference to a concept in tabletop gaming where the game master or dungeon master, meaning the person who is running the game, simply ends the game by declaring, "rocks fall, everyone dies."
Sofina
32:06
It’s interesting that they chose this dragon, and I can tell you why he possesses such rotundity.
Themburchaud was raised by a group of underdark dwarves called Duergar, and they keep him around for the purposes of keeping their magic forges lit at all times. In return, the duergar feed the dragon an over abundance of food to keep him complacent, and to keep him so plump that he’s forever incapable of leaving their domain.
He's from 2e, isn't he?
@@unimpartialobserver Considering that this takes place in the Forgotten Realms (the standard setting of 5e) I doubt it.
@@dyproxus1806 He did indeed first appear in Drizzt's Guide to the Underdark, which was a supplement for 2e.
Forgotten realms was a 2nd edition product. I still have the original 1987 boxed set
@@dyproxus1806 Forgotten Realms has been around since 2e and was updated to 3e, 3.5, 4e and 5e. Chubby old Themburchaud hasn't been mentioned in any of the official books since 2e but he was never decanonised or confirmed dead or anything so we can assume he was still around.
I didn't have high expectations for this movie but my d&d group wanted us to go see the movie. I ended up being blown away
Yes! The Saturday morning D&D cartoon. I really like that they included some of the new races ( tieflings, dragonborn) AND some of the less used or known original monsters- Aarakocra, axe beaks, intellect devourer, tabaxi, displacer beasts). Ahh, I could go on!
I really hope they get to do a sequel to this
I hope they don't, the sequel is rarely as good as the original
I love the genuine nods to 5th Edition mechanics. In game, battle rounds last "6 seconds" for each character. In the movie the blows that went back and forth were 6 seconds each. I also love Simon's explanation of magic and how there are levels of it which come with restrictions. Like how he had to attune the helmet properly, which takes time with a specific person. Or losing concentration can make your spell fail. There's just a bunch of stuff like that and I felt like they did an awesome job visualizing that for people to pick up on.
I love how Xenk breaks character when Simon destroys the bridge, you just know the DM is contemplating having a falling rock trap kill Simon for ruining the puzzle he spent all afternoon coming up with!
The guy who played Simon the Sorcerer is one of the most versatile actors I ever seen......he can literally play anyone! 🔥🔥
Justice Smith. He is very good, yes, and a true nerd.
Idk, I've only seen him playing a nerd character
This movie was such an amazing surprise. The trailers didn't look all too great but I'm so glad it was loved by critics and audiences alike. It's a genuinely funny movie (I rarely laugh out loud in front of a movie but this one made me several times) with some heartfelt moments, the action sequences are really well captured and choreographed (special kudos to Michelle Rodriguez), the CGI and puppets/costumes are very nice, some elements are really really well utilized each time they use them like the druid's shapeshifting, and they paid special attention to lore elements (such as for example not every dragon breathing fire). Overall it really does have that feel of a group of friends playing through a D&D campaign. Also, Hugh Grant was absolutely amazing in this role.
I really, sincerely hope it has enough success to warrant a sequel with the same cast. It's an absolute blast of a movie.
The movie definitely has some weird pacing/ writing issues (convenient portal staff is convenient etc.) but I choose to see those as signs that we're seeing a real D&D session. Just like a DM has to somehow keep the story going after the party f*cked up.
"You just destroyed your only way forward? How about that portal thingy you didn't even know you had all along"
I think that's what they were going for anyway. It felt like they wanted it to feel like a real campaign you play at at home with your friends
Yeah, if there was any movie I'd like to see that kind of plot contrivance in, it would be a D&D movie- mostly because it does feel exactly like a campaign.
The portal stuff felt very tabletop
and what they did with the portals was so creative that it didn't just feel thrown in, they actually used it in a really clever way
@@hinasakukimi Then the painting fell face down to force them to use the damn helmet they went to the Underdark for, which is also exactly what a DM would do to keep the party from cheesing their way through the plot
Simon throws out some sensory effects in an effort to keep the crowd’s attention. One of them is making the air smell like fresh-cut grass. And yes, that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves moment is a nod (and quite the clever Easter egg) to the character Fresh Cut Grass in Critical Role. Sam Riegel voices Fresh Cut Grass
Was looking for this comment.
One awesome thing they did was spell "Honor" with a "u" over here in the UK. So for us it was "Honour among thieves" on all the ads which was a great move. We so rarely get localised in the UK by hollywood for obvious reasons!
It must have been so nice to finally have a COOL FUN movie from a franchise you've been a fan you're whole life. ❤ This movie has so much heart, you can tell everyone involved in the project put so much into it.
I really enjoyed this in the cinema! The story telling is like Ella Enchanted and it's been a while since I've watched something similar~ NO dull moments!!
One of the things I love the most about this movie is the historical table top implement that makes the table top different from video games, improvising. Taking items that are meant for one purpose and using your brain to make it work in another situation proving that power is in being creative and thinking outside of the box.
Wow, Mason, You are an OG. I am impressed because there are not that many of us around ( or who will admit to it ). I've been playing since 1975 or so.
You are going to LOVE this movie! A true rendition of the game. I hope you spot some of the references to various modules, TV show, NPCs, spells...OK, OK I am nerding out. Going to enjoy this!!
Of the three Chrises, Chris Pine is by far the best actor. Not a knock on the other two, but he has range. He never disappoints. You’re right he is under appreciated. Love this movie.
Of the 4?
@@rubyrwby7559 For some reason I never count Evans. I think he’s fantastic, but he’s more like a Chris who was Chris adjacent with the other three for a bit, but now he’s a Chris apart.
@@katpiercemusic ahh I see :>
Loved the reaction. Been waiting my whole life for a decent representation of D&D on the big screen. The girl who plays the druid is in IT part one and two (she is the girls that become friends with the boys), and Justice Smith, who plays the sorceror, is in the last two movies of the Jurassic World franchise.
The girl who plays the druid is in IT part one and two (she is the girls that become friends with the boys)"
Beverly, her name in IT was Beverly.
never clicked on anything so fast
🤜🤛
Same 😂
The fact they went meta enough with 'playercharacter mindset' for the main cast is just GREAT. Like there's some nerd behind each of them trying their best to not break character TOO much.
You have seen the actor for Doric before.. she played Beverly in the 2017 "It" movie
And Nancy Drew in Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase.
I went with a buddy of mine to go watch this movie on a whim and we both had a blast with it. I've had very little exposure to D&D outside a few video games/shows, but I found the film easy to understand and I couldn't help but smile throughout.
My favourite part of this movie was Simon stepping on the wrong brick and destroying the bridge, and it's because of one of my own D&D sessions. We were making our own way through a complicated series of traps that our DM had set to protect the magical MacGuffin, on of which was a magical ball of glowing energy that tried to tempt us into touching it. We all rolled high enough on Wisdom to not touch it, but after we had gotten past our Warlock failed his own real-life Wisdom throw and decided to touch it with Mage Hand. Naturally, that triggered the spell, causing the energy ball to explode and almost wiping the party.
This movie is so much like a real D&D game though. The spots where you can see the players getting Nat 20s or critical failures, the joke of 'hold this' (bag of holding), the inclusions of creatures like owlbears, mimics and displacer beasts, and the use of real spells and items. Even Zenk is clearly just there because the DM realized that the party was completely under leveled for the next bit of the campaign that they spent months on, and rather than nerf the challenges they decided to throw in their own Level 20 Paladin that they enjoyed playing in a different campaign, only with a few twists to make him fit the current story. That's why he's there for the Underdark and then vanishes right before the actual big fight. And then when one of the players asks where he went, the DM makes up on the spot that he was dealing with Forge. Such a brilliant movie.
I would say it was a Dungeons & Dragons movie. It really captured the silly banter, zany plans, and all out throw-everything-at-the-wall battles you typically find in a game.
In addition to the enjoyable story, I was impressed with the cool action sequences. And the inspirational speech in the middle genuinely moved me.
50:56 Yeah you have, Simon’s actor (Justice Smith) plays Ryan in The Quarry and Doric’s actress (Sophia Lillis) plays Beverly in It :)
I love that where they hid the helmet looked like a hellish Giants Causeway 😂 and the castle is Carrickfergus Castle, two of my favourite places in Northern Ireland 😊
So glad you reacted to this! It's such a fun movie that really captured the feeling of a D&D party. Lots of good easter eggs for longtime fans but a good story for everyone.
It was definitely the cartoon version Dungeons and Dragons kids that was in the maze. If you read the credits the characters are all given their cartoon names. The only one missing is Uni the unicorn. LOL! 😜🦄💖
BTW, I recognize them the very second they appeared. I yelled and pointed then flipped when I saw them. LOL! 🤣
⚔️🛡🏹🪄🪓📺👍
Since you noticed the cartoon dungeon and dragons characters, you might realize that the statue that you thought was Mel Brooks was actually the dungeon master from the cartoon series.
In my head the reason they convinced that council to pardon them in the beginning is Edgin has high charisma by nature of being a bard. May not be true, may not be what they were going for, but its what I choose to believe
Charisma, and some solid Insight on the part of the judges. Edgin and Holga really are sorry they did it, really repentant.
@@unimpartialobserver and aptly chaotic of a bard to not listen long enough to hear he was pardoned and break out anyway. Or at least that's the kind of foolish thing most bards I've seen would do. If only Jarnathan had forseen this
The pick you own movie idea reminds me hardcore of early RUclips. Some creators made that kind of content, but they broke when RUclips updated.
Also, I feel the random elements also make it very D&D. You might not have a character who loves potatoes, but you have a character who has some sort of random obsession. I also felt like the result of their actions felt very like a roll of the dice. Pine’s character basically using charism to talk them into a pardon was a prime example of this.
Fun fact, the cast prepared for the movie by playing thier characters in a session hosted by a WoTC DM and the adventure they played was the actual adventure of the movie.
That had to have been so surreal, imagine playing a game *knowing* that it's gonna be played out in the future on the big screen as a feature-length film.
Noo!! I was waiting for the LOLs and your comments on the best part, where that Xenk guy walked in a straight line OVER the boulder. I don't think I laughed so hard at any other moment during this 2hole movie than during that one moment
Btw the actor thatplayed sophia was also in the shadow and bone series.
I love that they set the whole move in the campagn the forgotten Realms the lore was on Point. Ed Greenwood should be Happy with this one. This move is all i hoped for in a D&D move and finaly they got it right. Loved the review guys!
As a long time DnD player and gamer in general, I really love how they got the balance pretty right on between having those familiar tropes in there, but putting a twist on most of them to really give it that personal touch, just like how it often goes in real games.
As a woman, especially a mother, Holga is EXACTLY the kind of female character I would create, if I was going for a warrior class over a rogue or priest type: Badass, but with a contrasting detail that would make her more complex or well-rounded. In this case, it's her motherly love for Kira, and how she treats people she loves in general: Gently. No physical abuse here! Thankfully!
I was so worried they were going to have her lash out at her ex and his new girl, maybe trash their new home. Maybe get into a brawl with the other tough chick... but instead she put that frustration to good use by having it fuel her drive to get what needed to be done, done. She focused on what she could do, to help those in her life that she loved, instead of being crazy and scary over some ex.
MUCH better than expected! And it made me love her even more. It would have been hard to love her if she went all toxic and abusive like that.
My favorite character I ever made like this was a half-orc Cleric of an obscure, almost forgotten diety name Lliira, aka The Lady of Joy. Her domain is joyful reverie, especially shown through dance and festivals. Obviously, my character was named Joy. Joy * could * kick your ass... But would much rather have everyone lay down their weapons and party instead 😂 Never happened, of course. But she didn't let that stop her from trying!
Another of my favorites in this film is Xenk. I love how Xenk is so literal and black/white with his thinking, which is PERFECT for a Lawful Good character like a Paladin, but not because he's unrealistically cheesey and 2 dimensional. It's because his brain was damaged when he barely escaped that Red Wizard spell. It makes him much more realistic and likable.
Often, Paladins are SO stale and, frankly, insufferable with their overly snobby, rigid ways. They often end up being almost cruel in their fanaticism. For example, they often can be racist against whole groups of people, like Tieflings, if they're played without nuance. So having it be that he's simply wired differently due to a traumatic brain injury, rather than ridiculously extreme religious beliefs, was a great writing/character creation idea.
Also, being someone who is neurologically atypical myself, married to someone with a similar situation, and we have a mentally disabled son as well, I really appreciate that he was shown to have a situation like that, but didn't let it hinder him. It definitely was there, but it wasn't used in a token way that didn't make sense, and it wasn't used to make us look down on him, nor was it literally his superpower (which is an annoying fetishization tactic really overly used in entertainment). It's just part of who he is. That was just fantastic.
I could go on and on, but those are my top favorites about the movie. Glad to see you guys loved it too!
🤜🤛
I'm pretty sure Xenk is just lowkey trolling everyone as well. He reminded me of Spock from Star Trek movie 5 and onwards
p.s. tbh it feels... concerning that the commonly perceived clever way to bring nuance to a badass character is "they aren't violent with people they love". is this where we are as a storytelling species? or am i just exaggerating
Paladins are often played badly because the people who play them don't understand how Lawful Good works. Mostly because a lot of people want to think they're good, but they're not willing to actually DO good.
@@JaneXemylixa Lowkey trolling, absolutely. I have personally used the "so you blame his mother" comeback, long before it was used here--mostly to get people to rethink how they phrase things.
Surprise of the year definitely. And even from the interviews of the cast, it seemed like they had a lot of fun together. Hugh Grant's charm, even as a bad guy, shines through
Late to the party here, but to answer back to Oak's question about what makes a movie a "D&D" movie... I think what made this movie feel so great as an ex-D&D player, was seeing the characters succeed and fail at anything small or big. When Edgin and Holga are tied up about to die in the alley, Ed fails a LOT trying to cut his ropes until the end, while Holga must be proficient in "improvised weapons" like that brick or anything else she can grab like the hanging bow in the armory later on. Another good moment was when Simon made an illusion of Edgin singing to the guards and then it starts melting because Simon can't concentrate and walk, because now his foot is stuck (he must have rolled low).
So with that lens of experience of having played D&D, I freakin loved this movie!
The dragon, Themberchaud, is actually a dragon from the lore. The Deugar, or dark dwarves, use a red dragon that they hatch to keep their forges lit. They overfeed him to keep him satiated, and make it harder for him to leave. They live in the Underdark, hence why there is a FAT red dragon in the Underdark.
Simon's actor was in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Detective Pikachu. Doric's actress was young Beverly in IT. IT was absolutely a D&D movie, as it utterly captured the overarching player experience for tabletop. They had character backstories that occur before the game starts (The entire thing at the prison), they had the party picking up new people who have to then explain their backstory and motivations to the party, they had quests, they had DM NPCs (Forge and Xenk and the Red Wizard), they had puzzles, they had traps, they had magic items, they had an NPC having to get the party back on track with dispensed wisdom (Xenk again) etc, and even leaving the poor dead guy awake without asking the last question is a nod to players just wanting to get to the next thing after doing research lol.
that story from the oak IS SO RELATABLE haha. you end up doing the most absolutely insane things in d&d. I rememebr one time my ranger dove into lava to save a priceless mythic artifact that we needed for the campaign. unhinged!
Watched this once on my own to see if it was any good, loved it. Watched it with my 12 y/o and he was in tears laughing during the dragon scene. Definitely becoming a regular watch at the house now.
They chose an intimate story: a father trying to get back his daughter. Big battles would have been out of place because our main group is not trying to save the world (even if somehow they stopped a bigger threat from the red wizards) but trying to be a family again- both blood-related and chosen.
It kind of feels like the breakover from low-level characters to mid-level, IMO.
The scene with the Intellect Devourers is golden as well...
Think about it...
Edgin, Simon and Zenk all have a class that uses Charisma as their core stat.
The druid uses Wisdom.
Holga is pretty much Strength and Constitution, maybe Dexterity too.
NONE of them has Intelligence as a core class stat and thus, the Intellect Devourers sense nothing to devour ;D
IIRC, they have official stat blocks on D&D Beyond, and they all have pretty good INT scores. In a tie-in comic, though, Xenk gave the monsters in that cave a thorough beating, so it's just as likely they weren't eager for Round 2.
But the joke is still worth it, no matter what the reason.
what the Badd Medicine crew are if they're in this movie / their D&D classes:
Mason Quinn - Templar/Heavy Night
The Answer - Sorcerer
The Oak - Barbarian
Nah... Oak is so damn smart and insightful. He's definitely a Intelligence or Wisdom based spellcaster. Druid or Wizard. Haha
@@gollumandeowyn he's a wizard fs
@@gollumandeowyn Harry squatter, the boy who lifted fr
@@gollumandeowyn but he's a tough so and so - I can totally see him in scale mail, so.. CLeric.. wailing about madly with a mace and then stopping for a sec to heal the tank who got overzealous
I enjoyed this film so much. It is sad that so many films lack the ability to tell a complete story and tell it competently. A beginning, middle, and end.
Loved the chemistry between Pine and Rodriguez. Loved the actress playing the daughter. Loved everything about it.
Yes that was the people from the 80s cartoon. My friend told me about it too. The cage is the story after the show ended about where they were.
11:33
I just recently caught this movie and this is the third reaction that I’ve seen. Having said that, after Forge says he won’t give back the Tablet of Reawakening, I wouldn’t have charged him. I would have picked up the chair I’d been sitting in and flung it at him as hard as I could THEN I would have charged. Hopefully, the chair would have distracted them enough (and hurt really, really badly) that I could have closed the distance before any magic came into play.
I mostly watched the movie because I figure there will be a lot of views/reviews of it. I never played D&D but I found the movie quite enjoyable. I like the humor in this film because it fits the characters and was not demeaning to the characters.
I really recommend you to search for behind the scenes of this movie, the practical effects of this movie were so good!
I love seeing your reaction to different movies. It makes me find a new joy in watching a film again.
Your interpretations afterwards are so entertaining and yet eye-opening.
Please continue.
I love The Oak's analysis in particular.
Sofina is a real good villain. I expect some campaigns to play this movie. It's fun. It's an excellent representation of how games actually go. I'd not be shocked if they actually just played a full game rather than writing.
Sofina's actress had small roles in The Sandman and the Wrong Turn remake.
Doric's actress plays Beverly in IT 2017, Gretel in Gretel and Hansel, the lead in I Am Not Okay With This and more recently she played in Asteroid City and I'm glad she's doing well in the acting department.
Simon's actor had the lead in Detective Pikachu and was a playable character in a video game: The Quarry.
sofina's actor is also playing a major role in shadow and bone Netflix series
This and Mario were probably my top two movies of this year. Such a great film!
I was VERY skeptical until I saw Chris Pine do that little skip while playing the lute and went "huh, did they actually make him a bard?" And then the other trailers got funnier and funnier.
When my husband and I saw it, we laughed our butts off. Such a fun movie!
... 50:55 actually you have seen the actor who played Doric (Sophia Lillis) You watched her in "It" and "It: chapter 2"
I'm so happy you guys watched this movie!
This is a first one I watched in a while where I laughed out loud🤣🤣The cast was stellar! LOVED how Dorik just smashed that Red Wizard into the ground🤣🤣🤣Enjoyed the movie and your reactions immensely! Thank you so much!
The plot of the movie and the characters are pretty basic, but the execution and the direction, especially with the action and some of the tropes-made this insanely entertaining.
Watch another one of these guys' movies-Game Night. Total fun.
As someone who is a fan and player of DnD, I loved this movie! Definitely gave me vibes of some of the earlier editions but overall, a great start! I'd love to see this continue as well, and perhaps a bigger cameo of the characters from the DND 80s cartoon! I would love to see you guys react to "The Legend of Vox Machina", which is an animated show based on Critical Role's campaign(s), since you all liked this movie! Anyways, love your guy's reaction and can't wait to see what comes next!
YES! They'd love TLOVM!
@@carlycchapman😀 Yup! Fit in nicely with "Invincible" that they're currently going through.
Would love to see these guys react to TLoVM!
Regarding the big battle question (1:08:33), D&D is primarily about smaller encounters. A part is typically 4 to 6 players and an in-game battle is what they can feasibly take on, which, depending on their level, can mean a lot of low level enemies or a few tougher opponents. If a big battle is taking place, the party tends to be involved in a limited part of that like a commando team taking out a specific objective.
I was so pleasantly surprised by how good this movie ended up being. I enjoyed just how funny the entire movie was and the overall chemistry of all the characters. I hope it did well enough for a sequel
Finally a D&D movie we deserve! What made it a D&D movie is the fooling around that also happens between friends when you're playing. Plus all the classic, timeless monsters and spells. They also put their finger on a humor style that works for non-initiated, and a story binding it all together. Great movie!
The prisoner in the beginning is a bugbear (they’re related to goblins)
Glad you guys liked it. went looking through your stuff and going to watch your invincible series, but was a little surprised you guys haven't done The Legend of Vox Machina. Animated D&D show based on the Critical Roll campaign.
For me this was a DnD movie because it felt like the story as it was unfolding during a DnD night. The bridge that got destroyed reminded MD of when a DM spends hours setting something up and the players instantly mess up their plans.
And then the DM has to do an ass-pull to salvage the adventure, and so declares an object the party has already (the walking stick) to be a magical item...but because it was a last-minute thing, the object is rather overpowered and the party proceeds to abuse the HELL out of it (which I loved, because that was a frickin' brilliant heist using that)
@@Frostfyre7 exactly
Been waiting for this. Sweet!
Daisy Head, Sophia, also played in the iconic movie Underworld: Blood Wars. A movie series that is well known and beloved by many. It’s a cult classic.
I saw this in theatres with a friend of mine and it was really enjoyable. I saw it as something that never took itself seriously and so it was something you could turn your brain off to and just watch and enjoy. My favourite scene was probably the graveyard scene.
I really like how this movie was for everyone. If you didn’t know D&D it did not matter. You didn’t need to know the Meta to understand the movie it was an action adventure comedy. If you did know the meta then there were plenty of Easter eggs. I also like how it was a clean film aka:no cussing, not too much blood/gore, nudity etc. you don’t really get that now a days except in Kid flicks.
I wasn't going to see this movies. But with you guys... I absolutely will.
It was fun! Highly recommend it.
The guy that plays Simon is from Detective Pikachu,Doric the girl from from IT and Sofina is in Shadow and Bone series her dad was Giles in Buffy The Vampire Dlayer.
If you give any old writer the task of writing a D&D movie, they'd likely spit out a high fantasy epic full of eloquent speech and melodrama. But that's never been what D&D is (for most players). Yeah, epic high fantasy plots are still a part of it, but it's mostly you and your friends trying to make each other laugh while you collaboratively weave together a fun story. All that to say, the writers of this movie NAILED the tone!
For me the BEST thing is that the whole movie is structured exactly like an actual DnD campaign! Up to bacstories, roles, decision making process, locations! And it's FINALLY lore-friendly, I've seen just a few things that I never heared of in the Forgotten Realms lore and even those might as well be my lack of lore knowledge. Brilliant movie. And imo it serves it's purpose - lot more people might get into DnD, which is great!