Dungeons & Dragons

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

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

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

Ridley and Snails are thieves in the underclass of their world. Breaking into the magic school to steal they are captured by Marina but, when her master is killed, the thieves find themselves drawn into an attempt by the evil Profion to use the power of a lost sceptre to seize control from Empress Savina, who is trying to reform and make all men equal.

It is hard to really judge the plot of this film because I'm sure it could have been a rollicking, engaging "swords & sorcery" affair and it is only the delivery here that has turned it into a massive, insulting pile of rubbish. The way that the characters have to explain every single action in BIG LETTERS for the audience was something that grated on me and took me from thinking of it as lazy writing to finding it offensive that the writers thought I was too stupid to follow the story myself. Instead of being a strong narrative the film is just a basic adventure for kids, with effects and noise to keep them distracted. As such it is still only so-so because even children might struggle to care about the unimpressive CGI backgrounds and action set pieces. It'll please the very undemanding genre fan under 12 years old but unlikely many others.

The characters are another major failing – who thought that writing obnoxious, annoying or smug characters across the leads would cause an audience to be engaged by them? With this to work with, is it any wonder that the cast are roundly poor? Whalin must have thought his luck was in when he landed this role, but he messes it up with a performance that shows he is out of his depth and unsure of himself. McLellan is bland and quite irritating for the majority of the film but her faults pale in comparison to a trio of performances that stick in the mind as the worst of the film. Irons hams it up with all the carelessness of a pro who knows an easy payday when he sees it – he is hilariously terrible at times. Payne's blue lipstick seems to have affected his voice and every line is delivered as a sneer – it is never menacing and quickly becomes tiresome. However the worst performance is form, surprise surprise, Wayans who made me understand what Spike Lee's Bamboozled was getting at. He is a shrieking, mugging ethnic cliché – even worse than he usually does and even more annoying. The odd cameo from O'Brien or Baker do nothing to stop the rot and the cast add to the impression that this was cheaply made without much love.

Overall a poor film that will probably only appeal to kids. The plot is badly delivered and the effects are not as impressive as director Solomon was clearly banking on them being. The cast are lost in the middle of it all and not a single on of them gives a performance that you could call "good", all in all producing a pretty poor attempt at a blockbuster.

There are many people out there who are completely and in my opinion ridiculously set in their views on movies. So when anything out of the ordinary comes along they dismiss it as bad or poorly made. When in reality it is a breath of fresh air in an ever stagnating Hollywood. It isn't often that something fresh comes along and while the story might not be the most original the style of this movie is. Some people say that the acting is terrible in this movie bu, I felt that it was very well done. For those of you who say it is corny and unrealistic I would love to introduce you to the real world. I an't count how many times I have seen people act exactly the way the characters/actors do in Dungeons and Dragons.

The plot in this movie was obviously streamline for time purposes but it doesn't suffer because of this. In fact it benefits greatly by keeping the action moving and the audience engaged. For once I actually felt the urgency of the task set before the heroes where as in other movies the horrible destruction of the world always seems to wait until the hero is done having sex with the girl and all the snappy jokes are delivered. If anything is unrealistic it is that type of story. Anyway I am rambling on so to finish up I love this movie and I feel that all those involved did a wonderfully spectacular job.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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