Fantasy fun (Dungeons & Dragons (DVD))

Member Name: MorganaDQ

Product:	Dungeons & Dragons (DVD)
Date:	10/05/01 (61 review reads)
Rating:

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I've been known to roleplay in the past. I've been known to drool over some rather tasty looking men too. I love a good chuckle, I love a 'good' bad guy, I love dragons, I love fantasy, and I love romance. Yeah yeah yeah, I'm a woman, of course I love romance.

If I was that way inclined I'd leave the op just as that one little paragraph, but I know I wouldn't get away with it. I'm a rambler, and as such who am I to disappoint my friends? But that one little paragraph is exactly what this film is.

I hadn't intended to go and see this movie, and I probably wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't for a friend taking me out. That's how much impact the advertising had on me. But along I went.

I was rather unsettled as to what I'd committed myself to when we walked into the theatre. We were the only ones there. As far as I could tell this was going to be a private showing. Now okay one part of me says, "Wooohoooo, my own little cinema". Then there was the other part, the bigger part which said, "Oh 'eck, this is gonna be one big dud of a film, and we're gonna look really pathetic because we're the only ones who want to see it". As it turned out, there were maybe a dozen of us by the time it started, maximum.

Okay, so bear in mind this film is rated 12 before I go any further. This is something which I didn't realise until it started, and had I known I'd have probably not bothered watching it. It would have been a mistake.

It's most likely that the vast majority of you will all have heard of Dungeons & Dragons, the roleplaying game. No doubt you're thinking that's what this film is all about, and you'd be right. For a lot of people I may not need to venture further in my dissection of the plot (which I do try to do very carefully... can't go spoiling it for you can we?), but for the sake of those who don
9;t have the first clue what it's all about, let me tell you.

The plot
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Ooh, look at this, I've rediscovered structure ;)

Okay, imagine a fantasy empire. We have mountains towering over the city's ornate buildings. The most spectacular of which is the magic school, which shall be mentioned again in a moment. We have class division, the highest regarded (and hated) amongst the people being the Mages. They are, of course, also the most dangerous.

The film opens with the Arch-Mage, Profion, trying to create a sceptre which will allow the user to control dragons. There is already one which exists and can be used to control the Gold Dragons, but this is the property of the Empress.

Savina, the young Empress, believes that all people should be equal, and her plan is to abolish class division from her Empire completely, much to Profion's anger. So in order that she doesn't get her wish, he sets about trying to turn the Council against her and force her to surrender her crown and her sceptre. Of course, it doesn't take a genius to work out that what he really wants is the sceptre and the power which accompanies it.

When Savina learns what could happen, she knows the Rod of Savrille (which will control the Red Dragons) must be found and returned to her before Profion is able to find it and use it to wage war on the Empire.

Enter two thieves and the story really begins. Ridley persuades his loyal friend and partner in crime to help him break into the Magic School. Their only plan is to get in, grab a few things, and get out again, thus sealing their fate as two of the greatest thieves in the city. Of course, nothing is ever quite so easy in a story such as this. They do, of course, get discovered, and lo and behold it just happens to be by a beautiful trainee wizard, Marina.

By a string of unfortunate circumstances, the three of them are forced to go on what
can only be described as a suicide mission, in order to save their city from destruction.

The cast
--------

The biggest names in this film, oddly enough, for the most part only have cameo appearances. And I have to say I think it's to their credit in this case.

-- Justin Whalin (Ridley) : The character itself is one of the most used in cinema, to my mind at least. He's the lovable rogue. He's the handsome, intelligent, floppy-haired bit of 'talent'. He's the hero of the film, and as such he has a sparkle in his eyes and an energy which is difficult to describe, but always recognisable.

Bearing in mind this isn't a film to be taken too seriously, the actor here strikes the perfect balance between hard-man and romantic lead. Yes there's a love interest here, and he plays these scenes spot on. He's always believable in whichever role the character needs to play, whether it's as a fighter or a lover he gets it right. It seems obvious to me that he's perfectly cast here. He has all the charm in the world without even opening his mouth, but he doesn't seem too good to be true, thankfully. Otherwise it could have been a total disaster.

-- Zoe McLellan (Marina) : This is a character who's strong willed, calm and cool. That is until she finds herself in unfamiliar territory, at which point she could become quite pathetic, but thankfully doesn't.

The actress, I thought, was best in the most light-hearted scenes. She almost seemed to be holding back a little at times, though not so much that it made it unbelievable. The humour at times in this character is almost subtle, and often outwardly very sarcastic, and she does lend well to both extremes. The romantic aspect of this role was played well too, and the two characters did play off each other well in these instances. All in all a most enjoyable performance.

-- Jeremy Irons (Profion) : He&
#39;s the bad guy, and he's the *big* bad guy at that. As the evil Arch-Mage, Jeremy Irons is excellent, although his performance seemed a little forced in the most extravagent of scenes. He was most definately the right choice for the role though, and plays the psychotic tendencies well. The slyness of the character is what's most apparent here, which Irons plays perfectly. He's the stereotypical fantasy bad guy, and he's wonderful.

-- Marlon Wayans (Snails) : If there was ever an actor to watch out for, this is him. He really does stand out here as Ridley's loyal, thieving friend. The character seems cowardly on the surface, but scratch a little deeper and you find that he simply prefers to use his brains to get out of a bad situation.

He really carries this film's humour most of the time. I suppose if I was forced to compare him to anyone I would have to say he's most like Will Smith, though he's different enough not to be a replica. There weren't a great deal of places in this movie which made me (or any of the other eleven people in the cinema) laugh out loud, but those there were, were provided by Wayans. Saying that though, his only role isn't to make us laugh. When needed, he also puts in excellent performances for the more serious moments in the film. The two extremes in the role never had me feeling uncomfortable, on the contrary it was to the actors credit that it worked so well. He truly was excellent.

-- Thora Birch (Empress Savina) : This is the only role in the film I felt was miscast. Maybe it's because I find the actress just a little too sickly, or maybe it was the role itself which was the problem. She did play the strengths of the character reasonably well, but it was the almost glazed look in her eyes that seemed to be constantly visible to me which didn't convince me that this was indeed an Empress. Unfortunately she seemed more like a teenage girl playing
dress-up.

Saying that though, it wasn't a bad performance. She still played her part reasonably well and she certainly wasn't enough to stop my enjoyment of the film.

-- Bruce Payne (Damodar, Commander of the Crimson Guard) : Oh my, oh my oh my. What a performance! If I had to choose just one favourite from this film, he would be it. He's another bad guy, the one who's sent out by Profion to recover the sceptre, along with his troops.

There really is something very special about a 'good' bad guy, isn't there? And he really was special. He was so good I'm not sure I can even explain it. He was evil, manipulative, violent, blood-thirsty, creepy, and somehow sexy at the same time. Weird, but there you have it. Payne really did do this role justice, and seemed to relish in it throughout the film. My only criticism would have to be the blue lipstick, but then again it did seem to accentuate his oh so descriptive mouth. I know that sounds odd, but anyone who's seen this guy in such a role will understand what I mean.

Special mentions now go to Tom Baker as Hallvarth (Clan Leader of the Hunter Elves), and Richard O'Brian as Xilus (Head of Antius City Thieves Guild). Both were excellent. Tom Baker played the wise gentle leader in his usual easy-going way, and Richard O'Brian was his normal eccentric and almost manic self. Both just added that little bit extra to the film, although I must admit Richard O'Brian is already a firm favourite of mine anyway, so I was bound to be biased in this case ;)

The special effects
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What can I say other than, "Wow"! If nothing else you'll come away from seeing this movie remembering the dragons. They were absolutely stunning, as were the rest of the effects.

The magic truly was 'magic'. When you consider that this film was supposed to have taken around ten years to deve
lop from scratch, you'll understand why when you sit down to watch it. Whole cities were created, scores of dragons where made to soar through the air, between the stunning buildings and to the backdrop of beautiful scenery.

The effects in this movie aren't simply for aesthetic pleasure, they help to tell the story too, and the integration with real locations and cast members was superb. A small part of me wishes I could go into technical exlpanations for you, but where's the need for it? Just sit and let yourself be taken to a fantasy land where almost anything is possible, and don't try to think about how it's done. That's when the enjoyment can start to fade, at least for me.

The countless varieties of creatures here was excellent too. A bar scene saw some of the most grotesque-looking things you ever saw. Some were simply amusing, others were just plain horrible, but all were excellently created and couldn't be faulted.

General comments
----------------

I was dubious about seeing this film for reasons I stated at the beginning of this opinion, but I was so glad I did. I wasn't stuck on the edge of my seat, although some parts in the maze had me a little more tense than I expected.

My husband later told me that others have said the film watches like an actual game of Dungeons & Dragons... as though a group of people had sat and played a game, mapping out everything that happened, and then created a film out of it. On reflection, I can see why they would say that. Yes, we have an expected format here, but the rate at which the story moves is a little swifter than I would have anticipated, and elements of roleplaying can be seen if you look hard enough.

My advice though, is not to look hard at all. This isn't a film to be scrutinised, it's sheer entertainment and should be watched as such. I'm not saying it's the greatest film I've ever seen, but
it is good.

Take it as it is... pure fantasy... and I don't think for one moment you'll be disappionted.

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