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Brief Report on DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

D&D- Shit! by X2zero	Jun 7th, 1999 04:31:34 AM
Who cares about this pile of shite? The only fantasy movie that counts will be Lord Of the Rings, not this crap rip-off for illiterate teenagers.
Dungeons & Dragons by Trevor Trousers	Jun 7th, 1999 04:40:23 AM
Damn right this is going to utter pants. Where's Venger and little wee Dungeon Master himself. And mores the point WHERE'S ERIC THE CAVALIER???
Gimme a break by Alessan	Jun 7th, 1999 04:51:31 AM
Yet again we see a bunch of idiots cashing in on something they know nothing about. D&D is a game system, nothing more; any straightforward movie made will just be a Tolkien ripoff. If they want to do something worthwhile they should make a film based on one of the countless AD&D worlds, like Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance (a Spelljammer movie would be especially great, but it will never be done. Holywood just can't wrap its mind around such a bizarre and brilliant setting). Conversely, how about making another Conan movie, and so le Aanuld cap his career successfully.
open your minds a little people by Glaze	Jun 7th, 1999 06:10:28 AM
There is no one who is looking forward more to LOtR than I am, but why can't there be other good movies in the epic fantasy genre. Granted there never has been one yet except for Excalibur although would really hesitate at calling it purely fantasy. Saying that every fantasy movie will just be a cheap take-off on LOtR is like saying that every Sci-Fi film is a takeoff of Star Wars or Star Trek or Alien or whatever great Sci-Fi series you want to choose. Personally I am excited by the sound of this movie as I was by Willow when I heard it was being made. Unfortunately Willow was a tremendous disappointment but I will not give up hope on the epic fantasy genre. There is a plethora of excellent books out there that could be made into excellent movies now that FX have improved to the level they are today. I say it is time the movie world began to discover this mainly unexplored genre. One thought though. They should change the name to remove the negative press that anything associated with D&D will inevitably receive because of its damaging influence on the minds of innocent children.
Re: Gimme a Break by Lord Shell	Jun 7th, 1999 06:31:26 AM
Whattaya know, I thought I was the only sentient in existence who liked SpellJammer (R.I.P.). I also think you're right about the Tolkien clone. Pretty much every fantasy setting since LOTR was published has been a Middle-Earth rip-off (Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, etc. Yawn). Only major exception would be the Amber setting by Zelazny (also R.I.P.). Now wouldn't you like to see THAT world on a screen!?
smart thinkin' by Uncle Cracky	Jun 7th, 1999 07:44:12 AM
Released on Halloween? Good! That'll keep all those warped teens busy and dirupt their plans for kidnapping innocent children and sacrificing them in their Satanic rituals! :-)
My favorite D&D story (6 points of damage) by spike lee	Jun 7th, 1999 07:47:08 AM
I know this has nothing to do with the film, but this post has flamed this memory from my childhood. I lived out in the country, about 30 miles outside Houston. I was 7 years old, and kids were starting to bring this strange and facinating game called D&D, and I started playing it. My mother and the rest of the school mothers found out about the game, and concidered it devil worshiping. Remember, this is a small, Christian community. And I asked my mother why it was wrong to play this game, it was fun and I was nowhere near becoming a devil worshiper. TRUE STORY!!!MY MOTHER LOOKS ME IN THE EYE AND SAYS "DO YOU KN0W MICHAEL WHO LIVES UP THE STREET, HIS BROTHER BECAME OBSESSED WITH D&D, AND TIED MICHAEL UP TO A TREE, PLACED FIRE UNDER HIS FEET AND BEGAN CASTING SPELLS AROUND HIM" After that, I played D&D at school every chance I got.
D&D and Amber by SamIAm	Jun 7th, 1999 07:55:49 AM
I use to love getting together with my buddies, drink a few brews and roll the dice. I always seemed to escape reality during those sessions. This movie should approach D&D from that angle. A game, where a group escapes the "real" world to a fantasy world where hacking apart a pig-like creature is perfectly. Also, I always thought Amber would make a great movie. acceptable.
Gygax Involvement by thebernards	Jun 7th, 1999 08:04:50 AM
I have one question: Is Gary Gygax involved in this effort? I've read things in the past, where he had promised D&D fans that he would soon start working on a movie based on the game. Just wondering if this is finally it, or if this is someone else's project.
"Here there be dragons..." by CaptainBerryman	Jun 7th, 1999 09:13:14 AM
I like D&D and all...back when I used to play it I loved playing Dwarves. And I think Dragonlance has OODLES of film potential, and that Forgotten Realms has some...but 75 dragons for $30 million? Oh man that sounds risky...sounds like we might have better luck with Legos...$30 million? Didn't I see this movie when it came out twice already and was killed BEASTMASTER and DEATHSTALKER? I mean damn! If you're not gonna blow some coin on a Fantasy flick then don't bother. Otherwise we get a few has been stars and some orcs who look like people who took a mud bath. End Transmission.
Great more crap... by RudeDog	Jun 7th, 1999 09:19:08 AM
Could the story for this movie suck any worse? "An evil magician seeks to destroy...and with the help of a few brave souls...roll credits." What a bunch of garbage! Why don't they get some adults who actually play this game to come up with a screenplay? Just read any of the old modules and the screenplay practically leaps off the page at you. How about looking at some of the Dragonlance stuff?? This movie will be a laughing stock for sure. I hope it never sees the light of day. Jar Jar Binks and that stupid pod race, Sean Connery and Richard Gere in Lord of the Rings (WTF??), and now a juvenile paper thin D&D movie. The Tony awards are starting to look entertaining.
Still haven't recovered from "Mazes & Monsters" by Brad_H	Jun 7th, 1999 09:57:44 AM
RUDE_DOG+GLAZE: I heartily agree with the both of you. I've been playing AD&D off and on since 1979 (I'm 35). I also agree with you on the idea suggesting it would be best written by adults who've actually played the game properly and enjoyed it. I havent read much about this flick, but I have incredibly POOR expectations about it by default. How many of you remember the last time that AD&D was featured in film ? It was "Mazes and Monsters" in 1982, starring Tom Hanks. It was an utterly wretched movie that did a terrible disservice to all Roleplaying Games, and gave mountains of ammo to shallow minded parental groups who hate the game. I'd much rather look forward to TLOTR. AD&D is best left out of the hollywood spotlight, because I doubt that hollywood will ever be able to resist abusing the unfortunate stereotypes that have evolved around it - in the same that wiccans (i.e., "witches") are rarely portrayed in anything but an unfortunately distorted caricature of reality.
Amber or Aahz by Arioch2112	Jun 7th, 1999 10:20:32 AM

Digging a $30M grave for AD&D by ChrisCarpinello	Jun 7th, 1999 10:24:55 AM
The only thing WotC is going to accomplish by branding this movie with AD&D is to further illustrate to the world that the AD&D game system (specifically combat) is inadequate. I am willing to bet a great deal that any sort of choreographed fight scenes will not be translatable into the existing AD&D combat system (no matter which official optional rules you want to use). People are going to watch the movie and say "I want to play a character that can do that move." All they are going to get (after spending $100 on books and supplements) is a huge disappointment. If you actually want to see a game system with realistic combat, check out the Imagine Role Playing System: http://www.role-playing.com/
Amber or Aahz by Arioch2112	Jun 7th, 1999 10:32:33 AM
Given the fact that this movie will probably draw out all the southern baptists to picket and boycott the movie, why hasn't anyone picked up on "Nine Princes in Amber" or the "Myth" series. I think Henson Prod. would be great for Aahz and co. Something else, why not shoot an "Elric of Melinbone (sp?)" flick. I'd love to see Stormbringer in action. "Blood and souls for my Lord Arioch" as the black blade howls! Soundtrack for Elric would have to be done by Blue Oyster Cult. By the by, where the hell were they for the Godzilla ST? Should've been a no brainer but instead we get the likes of the Wallflowers butchering David Bowies "Heroes". Go figure!?!
This is a stupid idea. by devil0509	Jun 7th, 1999 11:01:03 AM
Gotta agree with the consensus here. I played D&D a bunch and it simply cannot be translated to a movie. It's SUPPOSED to be entirely within the imagination of the players. Pick a book, write a screenplay that does the book justice, and film that. I just hope that this idioticy never sees the screen. Take the $30 million budget or whatever it is and apply it to a worthwhile story. As soon as I got to "Evil sorcerer" I ran to the bathroom, evacuated out of every oriface, drank a quart of whiskey and slammed Army of Darkness into the VCR so I could watch some quality quazi-fantasy fun. Wanna enjoy D&D? Get your dice, blow the dust off your lvl 11 fighter/cleric/assassin and call yer fellow geeks over for beer, chips, and some hearty monster disembowelling.
Babbling about fantasy (long) by Jusmee	Jun 7th, 1999 11:29:42 AM
I've been involved with RPGs since about 1978 also, and I disagree that there haven't been good attempts at fantasy flicks. I would personally put Conan the Barbarian (NOT the Destroyer!!!) higher on the list than a lot of people would, and move Excalibur lower. And what was wrong with Willow that couldn't also be said about every fantasy movie ever spawned? I agree that branding a movie "Dungeons & Dragons" is a death sentence for it. The name is lame (for a movie), and the subject matter is too open. Generic fantasy, like The Sword and the Sorceror (with Lee Horseley), tends to fail. They should use an established story, like DL or FR. There had been rumor of a DL movie. Any news? LOTR is, without a doubt, the best choice for a fantasy film right about now. I hope they don't screw it up. I loved the Bakshi film, hated the Rankin/Bass stuff. A Melnibone movie? Believe it or not, Moorcock has wanted to do one for decades, though it would be animated. There has been a fair amount of work done on the subject, including some art by Wendy Pini (Elfquest), and the thought of using Christopher Lee as Lord Arioch's voice. Amber would also be a terrific setting, but I think such a movie would cater only to fans of the series -- it's a little too involved to fit into a 2-3 hour feature film. I'd say more, but this is already too much. Have fun flaming me, and I'll be back later.
A Brief History of Rumours by The Traveller	Jun 7th, 1999 11:34:42 AM
The saga of this movie is one that I've watched with a sort of idle curiosity and given some of the feedback above, I thought I should throw in a brief history of rumours (as viewed from afar). First off, Gygax won't be involved, having been removed from TSR (the company than makes the game) many, many years ago. A decade and a half ago, TSR started publishing novels (Dragonlance) and these did very well for them - better than the game itself, I hear. It seemed only natural that they turn their profits to expanding into another line of business: movies. The original plan (floated many years before the current LotR effort started) was for a $100 million epic. There was even talk that they had quasi-securred the funding for it. Then a messy take-over attempt happened, TSR almost died and ended up being bought up by Wizard of the Coast (the Magic card game). Needless to say, the movie effort fell apart (and it was at about this time that the serious LotR rumours started). I'm a little surprised that they've managed to pull off at all, but it looks like they've scaled back their expectations to be their big breakthrough into "mainstream" entertainment. Some of the stuff I heard TSR people say on the net years ago makes me worried about the quality of the script (they oohed and aahed about the big dragon scene with only rare mentions of the rest of the story). So my point: don't assume that this is a quick knock-off to counter LotR - it has existed in development hell for years even if the timing of the actual start of filming is a little suspicous.
OH DEAR GOD NO! by Cineman	Jun 7th, 1999 01:04:38 PM
This sounds like it just could be one of the worst movies ever made. I mentioned to a lot of my friends that this movie is going to be made, and not one person gave a shit! That's not too good considering I am in the age group that would probably go to see this trash! I hope that $30 million isn't too important.
Uh-oh by phong3d	Jun 7th, 1999 01:40:43 PM
$30 million? Even if the entire cast and crew works for scale, the effects budget will turn out to be rather small compared to some more recent CGI extravaganzas. Market this to an audience weaned on Dennis Muren's formidable effects division, and we could be looking at another "Superman IV". I'll keep my fingers crossed, though. Even a modicum of success in this genre (coupled with Lord of the Rings) might help pave the way for more fantasy-based filmmaking.
D&D by King jEsTEr	Jun 7th, 1999 02:07:58 PM
I am sorry 30 mil does not cut it for a fantasy flic thesedays, why did they just not adapt the old Dragonlance novels for this they acctually had a decent plotline, or hell for that matter dug up the old D&D cartoon from the 80's and played that for an hour and a half probably would have made for a better show.
$30 Mill goes a long way... by BonScott	Jun 7th, 1999 02:57:24 PM
In Prague, you can live like a king on $20 a day, and everybody's per diem alone they'll live like gods. The Czechs have an extensive studio space that mainly sits idle, with quality unmmatched at the rates charged.The Republic has stunning views and castles to work with, especially in Bohemia. So if you add up a ultra-strong dollar, quality studios and ideal locations, the principal photography budget would cost 1/2 as much as shooting anyplace else, if not less. The movie'll probably suck, but that's a whole different kettle of fish.
Why not just use the old characters??? by magusreno	Jun 7th, 1999 03:30:28 PM
Yeah this sounds really dangerous. If they had, say Drizzt or Raistlin in a movie, fans would jizz in their pants. Instead they insult us with a generic movie with a generic script. Shit, there are loads of D&D books that would make a better movie than this, and a 3 story epic wouldn't even be necessary. Hell, the Crystal Shard sounds a lot better than this! Come to think of it, Crystal Shard would rule as a movie because you really don't need that much plot to make a perfectly good movie. The Dragonlance books would also be excellent, and they would probably offer alot more depth.
I'm so excited. by TOstfeld	Jun 7th, 1999 03:32:36 PM
Oh boy, more CGI monsters, I am so very, very excited. Yay, let me get on line now.
Elric, TSR movie attempt by JarethM	Jun 7th, 1999 03:54:36 PM
An Elric movie would really be something to see, if done right. I can really imagine there being protests though, what with a main character who serves a demon, and whose sword steals people's souls. As for the Blue Oyster Cult as a soundtrack, wouldn't you have to throw in some Hawkwind just because Moorcock was involved with them somewhat? :) Hey "Jusmee", could you email me any URLs to more info on the "fair amount of work done on the subject" if you have any? I'd love to see some of that art, or read more about that. Thanks in advance. As for the TSR movie attempt, I heard the same things as The Traveller (under A Brief History of Rumours). I also heard that the people who owned TSR (I think the last name is Williams) gave a crazy sum of money ($5 million sticks in my head) to their son to try to get a few minutes (around 3-5 I think) of sample shots, and apparently he squandered the majority of it, and all they got was a minute or two of some characters walking down a torch-lit hallway. I heard this at Gen Con from someone very closely associated with TSR, though they were basing it on hearsay as well, I believe.
30mil by manticore	Jun 7th, 1999 04:33:36 PM
With that story synopsis, budget, and stooting time, things aren't looking good for this movie. The Dragonlance books is a great idea, but they must make the characters(some of them) the fairly complex characters that they are. Raistlin could be great if they did him right. The movie must be made for at least 70 mil or so. But they will never make that.
Can you say "STRAIGHT TO VIDEO?" by Impetus26	Jun 7th, 1999 07:24:56 PM
Looks like we'll be seeing this winner on "Monster Vision" before you know it.
Ok guys there already was an AD&D movie by Cav	Jun 7th, 1999 09:13:43 PM
Of course most of you probably never even heard of it as it was anime. Title was "Record of Lodoss War" and it was a VERY GOOD series (13 parts total). I sincerely doubt this movie will be anywhere near that level though. The guys who did that movie actually had knowledge of the AD&D universe from what I saw (I am no expert at AD&D I will be the first to admit this, I just have an intermediate knowledge of it). The best fantasy movies out there are all anime (Lodoss War, Slayers, Ruin Explorers, Demon City etc etc etc) and we don't see any of them except at the local Blockbuster. Luckily there is one anime movie finally hitting the big screens in the U.S. being released by Paramount, the name escapes me at the moment. Let me put it this way : overseas animation makes up as much as half of the total percentage of movies appearing in theatres. Even Disney is adapting techniques from anime. Pok
Elric by Integra	Jun 7th, 1999 11:32:50 PM
Almost any of moorcocks stories would be great to translate to film, tons of great visual imagery and movement. Its a pity to see all these ppl who think that anything written after tolkien is simply a rip off of him, give me a break. Check out the White wolf Omnibus reprints of Moorcocks books. Stormbringer, the final elric story, would especially be great for film. I can just see effects houses jizzing over all the various locations, beasts, and machinations (chaos ship). Not to mention the finale.
JUST MAKE A DRAGONLANCE MOVIE!!!! by sweets	Jun 7th, 1999 11:53:49 PM
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Nuff said.
Sweets is an Idiot by Princpl Kahotec	Jun 8th, 1999 12:21:39 AM
nuff said!
Dungeons&Dragons by Lilpilgrim	Jun 8th, 1999 07:41:42 AM
Absolutely! A film without Dungeon Master is going to be complete pants. Long live DM! May his medallion forever gleam.
Station X & D&D by artbot	Jun 8th, 1999 10:52:48 AM
Station X is an NT-based Lightwave studio run by the guys who originally headed up an NT unit (as opposed to SGI) at Digital Domain. They did some really solid work on Titanic, as well as a lot of good commercial work and they have a lot of very talented people there. I don't know much about D&D not having played it in 20 years, but I'd say the odds are stacked against this being a good movie. It will be interesting to see if a relatively small studio like this can pull off feature work of this magnitude.
Evil! EEEVVIIILLLL!!! by Gogmagog	Jun 8th, 1999 12:37:25 PM
Why does it always have to be some stupid-ass evil wizard? People who don't know anything about D&D must think half the world is populated by semi-retarded evil wizards trying to enslave some lame town or capture some bimbo to lure out the head-up-his-ass paladin. And whoever made the comment about Lodoss Wars is right; it's pretty good. Except for that part when the dwarf throws his BATTLE AXE at Deihdo's (or whatever) head, knocks off her magic headband and doesn't even scratch her. You know, if I had a 40lb battle axe and threw it at someone's head, chances are their brain would get some fresh air. Anyway...
Let's try some reality people.. by Aexia	Jun 8th, 1999 07:21:44 PM
Everyone who's calling for Dragonlance et al to be made into a movie: The movie's only going to be two hours at most! Let's face it, two hours cannot do justice even to Dragons of Autumn Twilight by itself. So, you can't cram any existing story in so you write a new one. And then, you might as well just do an original universe as well. People'll just nitpick the changes to death and complain about the "bastardizations" of existing characters. To the general movie-going public, it's not going to matter a whit whether it's based on Dragonlance, Forgotton Realms, or whatever. They will have never heard of it. And, finally, if the writing sucks, the movie is still going to bomb, even with Raistlin in it. Would you rather have DL/FR be associated with this turkey or let the movie stand or fall on its own merits?
Worthwhile fantasy movie projects by Halcyon Flay	Jun 9th, 1999 08:56:17 AM
Has anyone thought of adapting Jack Vance's amazing Dying Earth books? Gygax ripped off plenty of his spells for D&D from Vance's work anyway... (oh sorry - I meant to say "was influenced by" :)) Anyone recall "Prismatic Spray"? And how about science-fantasy? I'd give my left nut for a faithful adaptation of Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. Virtually anything on the Net which I log in to that requires a username has me registered as "Severian". I'd have done that on Talk Back too, but someone beat me to it :( - so I had to resort to using Mr. Flay from the Gormenghast trilogy (more terrific filmic source material). And in response to the poster that pointed out that most fantasy novels rip off Tolkien anyway - quite true, but the 3 works I have referenced above are sterling examples of classics which do not).
JEREMY IRONS??? by CaptainBerryman	Jun 11th, 1999 10:08:18 AM
Cinescape.com is reporting that JEREMY IRONS has now signed on to be the BAD GUY in this!! What does he see in this that we don't? Suddenly my interest is piqued. End Transmission.
Let me open your eyes people by The-Dragon	Jul 1st, 1999 10:37:54 AM
I know this movie is not what you've all been waiting for (this also applies to myself). But look at it this way, all previous fantasy movies were great mistakes (mainly because of stupid directing and screenwriting) and therefore this movie is still testing the grounds. If this movie fails when it comes to theatres you can expect no more fantasy movies for the next 10 years. That's how stupid holywood works. If some movie is a success, every producer jumps on the sucess wagon, if it fails no one will try that again. So as you can see you MUST fall in love with this movie and let it be a success if you TRUELY wish to see DragonLance, SpellJammer or Master of the Rings movies in the theatres in the millenia. That is my opinion and may differ from yours, but give it some thought.
hold on there one minute by bigmclarge	Jul 9th, 1999 08:15:37 PM
i agree that the d and d film should be about one of the book or realms like spelljammer or forgotten realms. a dragonlance trilogy with script treatment by weis and hickman would be beyond stellar. but don't think this is a ripoff! elves and their like were thought off a long time before tolkein was born, their european fantasy, where do you think he got them from? i love tolkein and i think he is a master of his craft, but he didn't create fantasy, he just refined it. d and d made it accessible to everyone else. both a rings movie and a d and d movie are long overdue, almost past, but the d and d flick should be a larger run, with noticlable characters from the massive amount of characters and noted actors. who would love to see drizzt do'urden played by jet li?
It take more then the name Dungeons and Dragons to make this fil by Duran70	Sep 6th, 1999 04:56:54 PM
I have to disagree with glaze who commented on how the film is not going to be successful because of the negative publicity generated by the name Dungeons and Dragons........Negative publicity my ass!!!! This movie is going to suck ass big time!!! Hell, any intelligent person who agrees with can tell you it's just not the name. Its the story that counts. No actor in their right mind will play a part in this movie, it's akin to playing career suicide. Also what do you expect to get done on a 26 million dollar budget?? They could use that money to make a documentry on the people that play these types of games (like trekkies) that way the people that support this stuff "will appreciate it." I hate to say this but if you think this movie is going to do gang-busters business like all those guys on those AD&D web sites say then "FUCK YOU!!!" You've been smoking crack!!! It's movies like this that get my blood boiling! MST3K where are you when we need you!!!!!
AAAAAH! IT TASTES LIKE BURNING! by Wolfpack	Jul 30th, 2006 01:54:51 PM

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