The newDungeons & Dragonsmovie, like allD&Dgames, isn’t entirely an original production but has a variety of inspiration. It’s a reboot of the trilogy that was released between 2000 and 2012, and even though the old movies have less than rave reviews, they’re far from a total loss.
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The movie from 2000 is simply titledDungeons & Dragons.The sequel from 2005 has a much more epic name,Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon Godand the third would impress even the most hardcore player,Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness. The trilogy also gets a lot of other important details right, and even viewers who aren’tD&Dfans will recognize some of the tropes and features of this popular TTRPG.
6Characters Identified By Class
The characters do have names in the trilogy, but they’re more commonly identified using their class roles. The modern movie takes this up another notch by using only their class roles in the credits, which might just be a quirk of the impending release. Considering the tone of the film, however, it might be part of the joke.
The “party” in the original trilogy is made of multiclass characters like Rogue/Thieves, which might have been the most popular class combo for players at the time.Every party needs ranged DPSand someone to identify the things, so a Mage is also included in every party in every movie. Other classes include a Ranger and a Fighter, and that was almost the extent of the choices back in the day.
5Evil Sorcerers…
Jeremy Irons gets all the much-deserved props for his portrayal of the evil Mage Profion, and although the over-the-top performance might not be to everyone’s taste it feels perfect for a movie based onD&D. Plenty of modules usethe evil wizard trope, so why not make it one the main antagonist for aD&Dmovie?
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Like all mages, even the bad ones, Profion has a plan to take over the kingdom from the good Empress Savina. Only our heroes can stop him with a magical item called the Rod of Savrille, which they have to find because aD&Dstoryline also needs a fetch quest.
4…With Evil Henchmen
Every really good villainneeds a henchman, and Profion’s right-hand man Damodar is one of the classics.It’s not just the unique makeup choicesthat make him stand out, either. He’s not only the ideal villain chewing up the screen with his antics but the perfect foil to the much more clever (but not more subtle) Profion.
The actor who played Damodar, Bruce Payne, already had a history of playing villains and also appeared in movies likeThe HighlanderandEndgame. Fans appreciated his performance even if the movies are less than stellar. He was the only actor to return to reprise his role in the 2005 sequel.
3The Kingdom Of Ismir…or Izmer?
Like mostD&Dmodules, all three movies take place in a certain setting, and depending on the version of the game you’re playing, certain details tend to change. It might not have been done on purpose, but in the five years between the two movies the name of the kingdom changed slightly but it’s still the same place.
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Although the only character the two movies have in common is Damodar, and this movie is intended to be a standalone story, the plot is set in motion when he acquires a powerful artifact and swears revenge on Izmer. That makes it the same place, and this time it’s might and magic in the form of a Warrior and Mage team that defeats him.
2Cursed And Magical Items
The party usually has a quest to find or reclaim certainly lost artifacts, and that plotline is consistent in all three movies. Rod of Savrille is the MacGuffin in the first film, Damadar’s new toy in the second is a magical orb, and the title of the third movie gives that special item away,The Book of Vile Darkness.
Each of the items featured as the main goal in the movies is typical of what a DMwould find in any common module, kicked up a notch or two as a DM is wont to do. The item in the last movie is the creepiest of all considering it’s made of an evil Mage. Not made BY, made OF, that’s not a typo!
1Dragons
Well, we can’t have a D&D movie without them, right? The whole point of finding the Rod of Sarville is to use it to control the Red Dragons, the most iconic beasts inD&Dlore, and use them to fight against Profion. One of these intimidating critters is featured on the cover of the first edition of theD&D Basic Setand again on the firstBasic Rulebook.
The second movie also includes a dragon, as the title reveals, but this is an evil black dragon that Damodar is trying to wake up using his magical orb. This is a twist from the first movie that had us rooting for the dragons, butD&Dfans know better. The lore of chromatic dragons describes black dragons as the vilest, and they spew acid and bile instead of fire. A black dragon appears in the trailer of the new movie, and viewers get a glimpse of the kind of damage they do.
