The Gaming Den

So, it's been out for a couple of weeks now. I watched it with my family on opening night and enjoyed it more than I expected I would. I think we're far enough away from the movie release that it's okay to discuss.

At the moment I'm going to try to avoid spoilers, but there are definitely a lot of Easter Eggs for people that have been playing D&D for a long time. D&D-specific critters are a weird bunch and I thought they fit into the world surprisingly well. Overall I thought the acting was generally good and the characters were believable.

With their plans facing multiple 'hitches' I felt like it was a more accurate depiction of an adventure than most other movies.

Who else saw it?

The graveyard scene was like it was ripped directly from many of my sessions. Overall solid movie, and I'd go see more.

I look forward to seeing the movie again. My dad took my kids to see it a few days ahead of me, so that meant I got to watch it with several of my gaming buddies instead. Great movie, lots of fun.

It was rather bold of them to recognize that Monty Python is as much part of D&D's DNA as Tolkien or Jack Vance. It was certainly one of the movies of all time and I hope it doesn't bomb so they make sequels.

nockermensch wrote: ↑

Tue May 02, 2023 8:17 pm

It was rather bold of them to recognize that Monty Python is as much part of D&D's DNA as Tolkien or Jack Vance. It was certainly one of the movies of all time and I hope it doesn't bomb so they make sequels.

It looks like it has made $195Million on a budget of $150Million, so a modest success. It's no Super Mario Brothers which somehow made $1 Billion worldwide, but I think it has the ingredients to be a cult-hit in addition to justifying a sequel.

Not as glorious as last three, but still reflects enough of game tables' reality.

Finally watched this on streaming. Definitely agree it was nice to watch a D&D movie that was both good and didn't feel the need to explain or apologize that it was D&D.

I also found it interesting what they left out.
Weirdest thing is clerics and divine/healing magic. I know Forgotten Realms is a little weird about clerics but it's kinda weird how studiously avoidant they were, to the point that the druid doesn't cast spell. The convenience of the sorcerer having a magic item that casts speak with dead (seemingly) at will almost makes me think they removed a cleric from the script.

Another thing they left out is that the Bard character seems to just not have any class abilities? He is explicitly called out as the plans/ideas guy which is a role in heist movies and the Leverage RPG but in the context of D&D he might as well be an Expert with a lute.

I think it was important for the plot that Chris Pine didn't have solutions to the problems he had with the Scarlet Brotherhood, but recruiting friends to his cause counts as an ability. The party couldn't exist or function together without him not just from a planning perspective but from an incompatible personality perspective.

The official explanation is that Edgin hands out bardic inspiration with his pep talks and uses Subtle Spell to cast spells that don't have obvious effects, which is a plausible enough build for a secret-agent type.

I assumed Chris Pine’s character was a Rogue who happened to play a lute.

I feel it reflects the "Talk in funny voices at the table and the DM decides it works or gives you a magic artifact to succeed" aspect of Real Play D&D. The system to play like they do in the movie would be Shadowrun. Maybe the wildshaping is reflavored adept powers.


Latest check says it made 208 million worldwide, which is nice.

I thought this movie was total trash. Bad dialogue, annoying tone, lame action, and too much "haha D&D is so silly" crap for zoomers.

3% Milk wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:57 pm

I thought this movie was total trash. Bad dialogue, annoying tone, lame action, and too much "haha D&D is so silly" crap for zoomers.

Oh word? What was your least favorite scene?

D&D is silly. But it's also fun. Sometimes it is serious, too. The movie felt a lot like a game to me because it didn't take itself too seriously, which I felt was the big mistake of the Dungeons & Dragons movie in 2000. It was silly without realizing it was silly, which is one of the main reasons it didn't work.

For me, I liked how they used the 'ring portals' for a heist. When things didn't go quite to plan and the party had to adjust that felt like the kind of thing I've seen happen in games. I also liked the discussion of moving from Plan A to Plan B (and C, and D), and I enjoyed the dialogue at that point particularly. Again, that felt like something our group may have said. I enjoyed their decision to enter the Gelatinous Cube as a means of egress. At the very end, it seems like they felt they had succeeded, but they hadn't actually dealt with the 'true villain'. That also rang true for me.

I am not a Zoomer - I've been playing D&D since the mid-80s - and I felt that a lot of the humor was aimed at people that are long time players. Even though I don't play Forgotten Realms I'm aware enough about the setting that I could understand all of the setting elements like the Harpers and the Red Brotherhood.

My children really enjoyed the chonky dragon. While they are not immersed in D&D they thought the movie was fun. They liked the Mario movie more (which I haven't seen) but they enjoyed the D&D movie as well. It wasn't too scary for my 8-year-old, but it was close.

Everyone, of course, is entitled to their opinion. I certainly would enjoy more 'serious' fantasy movies like the Lord of the Rings, but if you want to go that route there's no reason you need the D&D name. Game of Thrones and Wheel of Time have adaptions for TV, and I think there's room for move of those types of movies. If you call it D&D, you need the iconic D&D aspects which can't NOT be silly in aggregate.

deaddmwalking wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 3:10 pm

It wasn't too scary for my 8-year-old, but it was close.

Hold up, what?

Bigdy McKen wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 3:49 am

Oh word? What was your least favorite scene?

Hmm, I think the obese dragon in the Underdark was probably most cringe for me.

deaddmwalking wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 3:10 pm

D&D is silly. But it's also fun. Sometimes it is serious, too.

Well. Yes. Sort of. Kind of. Not exactly. For my experience, D&D games aren't really silly overall. They are, rather, characterized by extreme shifts in tone. There are often silly, ridiculous, and absurd moments or "scenes." Lots of good laughs when you've got old time friends hanging out and gamin'. But campaigns that last longer than a few sessions tend to isolate the silliness to times when the stakes are low and everyone's chillin', with just the occasional unexpected wacky moment. This new movie was, I would say, far too silly overall. I wanted to like it but the vibe did not work for me.

The movie felt a lot like a game to me because it didn't take itself too seriously, which I felt was the big mistake of the Dungeons & Dragons movie in 2000. It was silly without realizing it was silly, which is one of the main reasons it didn't work.

I would have preferred a movie that took itself more seriously, while having a few funny moments here and there (like most good movies), not trying so hard to be a silly-willy movie throughout. Most people are not funny in real life. I don't want every character to be a "funny character." I'd put the new movie on par with that awful 2000 movie, though they are mostly bad for different reasons.

I'm kinda resentful about this movie. Still waiting for good new fantasy adventure movie... it's been a long time since we've gotten one.

Neo Phonelobster Prime wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 21, 2023 1:29 am

deaddmwalking wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 20, 2023 3:10 pm

It wasn't too scary for my 8-year-old, but it was close.

Hold up, what?

I don't know if you think it's crazy that it was scary or crazy that it wasn't.

The scene with the blood-sucking clouds was a bit of a problem, but it wasn't long enough that we had to leave the theater or anything. There was just a brief period of closing eyes.

I wasn't watching scarier things when I was 8. (Well, I was actually)

I was DOING scarier things when I was 8.

Maybe that was just rural Australian childhood for you.

Were you playing "convince someone else to throw rocks at a wasp nest" or playing "convince someone else to ride a shopping trolley down a hill"? Or how about "We wanted to play brandy, but lost our single collective tennis ball, but someone found a cricket ball and that's basically the same, right?"

Koumei wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:03 am

Were you playing "convince someone else to throw rocks at a wasp nest" or playing "convince someone else to ride a shopping trolley down a hill"? Or how about "We wanted to play brandy, but lost our single collective tennis ball, but someone found a cricket ball and that's basically the same, right?"

What is this "Convince someone else to"?

And it was more like swim in flood waters, jump over the deadly snake, get stampeded by a herd of sheep, try and determine if the bone shards in mysterious fenced in burnt out circle in the heavy scrub are human, and since you are now eight, you are the senior placed in charge of leading the younger kids on expeditions into the dangerous wilderness where those things and various pieces of sharp rusty metal are at.

I told that kid to wear shoes.

Blood everywhere.

I saw this movie like...3 months ago? Aside from some pacing issues (the Sorcerer's problem was so boring and felt like it dragged on forever for no fucking reason) and the usual "every dramatic moment needs to be ruined with unfunny quips" thing that appears to be required ever since MCU movies became popular it was a genuinely enjoyable movie. Not as enjoyable as the D&D movie where we got Jeremy Irons, a sleepy princess, and Bluelip Badguy, but this D&D movie was enjoyable an intentional way instead of being so bad it's good.

Pretty ok movie, one of the more competent uses of the D&D brand in the last 5 years.

Neo Phonelobster Prime wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 23, 2023 9:50 am

Koumei wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:03 am

Were you playing "convince someone else to throw rocks at a wasp nest" or playing "convince someone else to ride a shopping trolley down a hill"? Or how about "We wanted to play brandy, but lost our single collective tennis ball, but someone found a cricket ball and that's basically the same, right?"

What is this "Convince someone else to"?

And it was more like swim in flood waters, jump over the deadly snake, get stampeded by a herd of sheep, try and determine if the bone shards in mysterious fenced in burnt out circle in the heavy scrub are human, and since you are now eight, you are the senior placed in charge of leading the younger kids on expeditions into the dangerous wilderness where those things and various pieces of sharp rusty metal are at.

I told that kid to wear shoes.

Blood everywhere.

....so many things about NPP suddenly make sense...

There was a "buy 2 get 1 free" sale on movie DVDs at JB Hifi a little while ago, so I finally saw this film.

And:

3% Milk wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:57 pm

I thought this movie was total trash. Bad dialogue, annoying tone, lame action, and too much "haha D&D is so silly" crap for zoomers.

OTOH, it seemed to me that nobody remembered to tell the actresses playing the druid or the evil witch that they should be as painfully unfunny and unlikeable as possible, and they thought they were just doing a bad generic fantasy film, so the bits with them in it were pretty good.

Much preferred the Dragonlance animated film from way back when, And that has an effing kender it in.

Thaluikhain wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 10, 2024 8:19 am

Much preferred the Dragonlance animated film from way back when, And that has an effing kender it in.

Hadn't seen this so I went and downloaded it - I think if you watched it again now, you would prefer the new D&D movie

Sounds like the D&D movie captured the spirit of the game well, with fun nods for longtime players. I should go and check it out. Am yet to watch it.