Just for the record, I hate the original Dungeons & Dragons, and consider it not only the worst fantasy film of all time but one of the worst movies ever made. This sequel was an improvement, but it was for me still mediocre. The sets, special effects, music and pacing are better, and the lack of Marlon Wayans- who was so irritating in the first film- was a major bonus. However, while not as unbearably cheesy the script is weak, and the plot line is predictable. The pacing is rather sluggish, and the direction is lacking at times. The acting was an improvement, but the protagonists were bland(not as bland as Justin Walin though) and the villains while more interesting and less exaggerated are underdeveloped in terms of character development and not very well explored. Overall, not unbearably awful like the first film, but it could have been better. 4/10 Bethany Cox

We're talking fantasy on a bargain-basement level here, of the kind not seen since the woeful days of BEASTMASTER 3 and KULL THE CONQUEROR. With a threadbare narrative propelling along a tired old story about "collect X magical relic of old and destroy X evil wizard in the process", WRATH OF THE DRAGON GOD is a walking cliché through and through.

With copious nods to Lord of the Rings along the way, this film follows a party of adventurers as they set out on a seemingly impossible quest and...yep, I'm bored already. Although I haven't seen the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS film, I can't imagine that it was much of an improvement on this. When a movie's sole actor of note is hammy B-movie stalwart Bruce Payne (PASSENGER 57),you know you're in trouble, and the would-be thespians appearing here instill zero confidence in the viewer. This is a cast picked for their looks alone, which occasionally pays off (Ellie Chidzey's female barbarian is a pleasure to watch) but often fails (Clemency Burton-Hill's wizard would look more at home pushing a pram around Bluewater).

There are set-pieces galore, from a lich ambush in the woods to the battle with an ice dragon in a ruined village. Along the way, there's some dungeon adventuring stuff, a magic battle and a supposedly full-scale dragon attack climax. The CGI effects are never less than awful, but even worse are the rubbery masks worn by the likes of the guy playing the lich...absolutely terrible, Halloween-party stuff. As for Payne, he hams it up as you'd expect but would be more suited to a pantomime role instead of this dreck. Give WRATH OF THE DRAGON GOD a miss if you respect this genre even a tiny little bit.

The first film was based on the popular role-playing game, as is this sequel, the original was a huge box office flop, and I only found out about this follow up being shown on television, it was straight to DVD. Basically evil sorcerer Damodar (Bruce Payne) has returned, one years since the previous events, and he seeks revenge on the kingdom of Izmir and the descendants of those who defeated him. He finds what restores his curse, the ancient artifact, an Orb, linked to the power of Faluzure, and with this he also plans to awaken the dragon to destroy the kingdom. Fighter and former captain of the king's guard Lord Berek (Mark Dymond) and his gifted wife Melora (Clemency Burton-Hill) are investigating toxic gases in caves, where they find the slumbering dragon, and they also find out about the missing Orb. Melora is cursed by Damador in an encounter, and she hides this from Berek, while they gather together a group of warriors, female barbarian Lux (Ellie Chidzey),male Cleric Dorian (Steven Elder) of Obad-Hai, female elven wizard Ormaline (Lucy Gaskell) and master thief Nim (Tim Stern). They set out to find the enemy's lair, while Oberon (Roy Marsden) head of the Mages' Council and his colleagues try to decipher the tomes of Turanian magic, a way to defeat the dragon. The heroes travel through haunted forest, get the attention of Klaxx the Maligned (Aurimas Meliesius),solve some riddle and get through some obstacles, and Dorian is killed. Berek manages to take the Orb while injured Ormaline and Nim are teleported to the clerics, while a transformed Klaxx kills the Oberon and takes his shape, and when Melora returns his true identity is unmasked, before he steals the Orb and kills the King. The dragon has been awakened and destroying the Orb regains all its power, and while Berek rides to save the day, near death Melora deciphers the magic needed to attack the creature and restore her own health. Berek and Lux are ready to face Damador, who no longer has Klaxx at his side, and the heroes manage to defeat and imprison him in the dark dungeon beneath Izmir, all the courageous good guys get their rewards, while the villain smiles that he may be able to return again. I will be honest and say, I don't care about any story at all, as you can tell this is straight to DVD by the terrible quality of acting, the useless attempts of action sequences, and the most often times stupid special effects, it is definitely worse than the original, a rubbish fantasy adventure sequel. Poor!