I have just watched this film for the first time, & can confirm it is worse than what I had heard it was. Now as a rule I don't always take note of reviews of films, even if they are bad, as certain films can be bad & still quite enjoyable, even if the acting & plot are okay. Unfortunately, this is not only all the above, but also pretty tiresome & downright tedious as well.
The main unknown (to me anyway) leading threesome are all dreadful & from this showing awful actors as well. Justin Whalin is just laughable & one of the worst heroes in a long while. Probably since Val Kilmers appalling performance in The Saint. Zoe Mclellan is pretty enough (which probably explains away her deficiencies amongst other reviewers) but is still dreadful. The worse though is Marlon Wayons, whose performance is not only awful & completely unfunny, but also of a racist nature. The rest of the actors are also bad, but at least the likes of Jeremy Irons, Bruce Payne & Thora Birch, know they are only slumming it, & are at least decent actors if the material is there.
The plot is also weird & ridiculous, with no explanation of what is going on, & the upsetting thing was that the poor dragons couldn't have snacked on the lot of them, which would of at least made it a happy ending, for us & the dragons anyway. If you want to see a well acted & well made fantasy film watch Lord of the Rings instead.
Dungeons & Dragons
2000
Action / Adventure / Fantasy
Dungeons & Dragons
2000
Action / Adventure / Fantasy
Plot summary
The Empire of Izmer has long been a divided land. The Mages - an elite group of magic-users - rule whilst the lowly commoners are powerless. Izmer's young Empress, Savina, wants equality and prosperity for all, but the evil Mage Profion is plotting to depose her and establish his own rule. The Empress possesses a scepter which controls Izmer's Golden Dragons. To challenge her rule, Profion must have the scepter, and tricks the Council of Mages into believing Savina is unfit to hold it. Knowing that Profion will bring death and destruction to Izmer, Savina must find the legendary Rod of Savrille, a mythical rod that has the power to control Red Dragons, a species even mightier than the Gold. Enter two thieves, Ridley and Snails, who unwittingly become instrumental in Savina's search for the Rod. Joined by a feisty Dwarf named Elwood, and helped by the Empress's expert tracker, the Elf Norda, the young heroes go in search of the Rod of Savrille. From the deadly maze of the Thieves Guild at Antius to an Elven Village, secret grotto and abandoned castles, Ridley and his band must outwit Profion's chief henchman Damodar at every turn while, back in Izmer, Profion prepares to do battle with the Empress. All depends on the Rod, but the outcome of the race to reach it first is far from certain, and Izmar's very survival hangs in the balance.
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Oh Dear, another fine mess
The worst fantasy movie I have ever seen!
Sorry guys, I really didn't like this movie. I do think not only is it the worst fantasy movie I have ever seen, honestly Legend and Princess Bride were much better, but one of the worst movies ever made.
The dialogue was inane and vomit inducing. In one part of the movie Snails says something along the lines of "That is the riddlyiest thing I have ever heard". Not only was that unfunny, but entirely out of place. The direction was off too, and the scenery was okay, but the camera-work was so flat and unfocused, it was barely a redeeming quality. And the plot was poor too, likewise with the special effects and you could drive a big tube train in some of the holes in the action.
And the acting was atrocious. Jeremy Irons is a great actor, participating in fantastic films like Lion King and Reversal of Fortune. But as the villain in possibly the worst performance of his career, not helped by the terrible dialogue he was given, he chews the scenery to pieces, honestly the dreadful overacting puts someone like Tim Curry to shame. Marlon Wayans was cringe worthy, his humour was lame and in some cases unnecessary, and Justin Whalin; bland beyond bland. Unbearably wooden at times, and as the hero? Tom Cruise did better in Legend and he was the main flaw of that movie. Just for the record, I do think Legend has its flaws, but it is gorgeous to look at, and Tim Curry's Darkness was phenomenal, and should've got an award. Thora Birch acquits herself better, but her dialogue was poor, and I was thinking, is she a little too young for the part?
Overall, terrible. You may like it, and I have no problem if you do, but as a die hard fantasy fan, I hated it. Watch Legend, Princess Bride or NeverEnding Story instead. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Indescribably awful
I like the fantasy genre. I like the whole Dungeons & Dragons world. I even used the watch the cartoon as a kid in the 1980s. Although I never played the RPG, I used to be - and still am - an avid fan of the adventure gamebooks that you play with a couple of dice. So this is just the sort of film that should appeal.
Unfortunately it turns out to be an absolutely appalling travesty of a movie and one of the worst ever made. Gone is any attempt to make a movie on a serious level. Instead, we have a semi-comic fantasy that contains a few recognisable elements from the genre - including a badly-animated CGI dragon - but feels like a student play in all other respects.
Everything is bad about this film, and I mean EVERYTHING: the writing is horrible, the direction sub-par, the characterisation is nil, the costumes are eye-wateringly ridiculous and the special effects are anything but. Literally the only enjoyment I got from the whole thing were the cameos from Tom Baker and Richard O'Brien, two British cult favourites.
Actually, I lie; I did get some fun from trying to figure out who the worst actor was on-screen. It's not Bruce Payne, whose B-movie villain duties come in handy, nor is it Jeremy Irons, who delivers a pantomime performance reminiscent of Alan Rickman's in ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES. It's not Marlon Wayans in another lame comedy relief part, nor is it Justin Whalin, as wooden as he is. No, it's a toss-up between Kristen Wilson, who's really bad as the elf, and Thora Birch as some kind of princess. In the end, Birch wins out; her acting really is that terrible. It's cringeworthy and embarrassing every time a sentence comes out of her mouth.
Thankfully, I'd seen the even cheaper DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: WRATH OF THE DRAGON GOD, so I had some idea of the level of sheer awfulness I was about to witness. But forget going in to this and having a good time; it's not even so-bad-it's-good, it's just so-bad-it's-bad.