The Original Dungeons & Dragons Movie is Hilarious

The new D&D movie came out a few weeks back. I haven’t seen it yet, but from what I’ve heard, it’s pretty good. It even has an Easter egg referencing the old D&D cartoon, which is hysterical to me. So I’m sure it’s a fun time.

Me? I can wait to watch an actual good movie. I gotta do my homework first. In this case, that means watching an incredibly bad one.

Lucky for me, it’s the fun kinda bad. Because I dunno if I can do another Illumination kind of bad.

When a political disagreement occurs within the land of Izmir, a great race begins for the Rod of Savrille, a legendary item that can control dragons. While trying to rob a magic school, our young heroes, thieves Ridley and Snails, end up with the map leading right to it! Now they, along with the magic apprentice Marina and some other friends, must find the rod before it can fall into the wrong hands!

In all honesty, this isn’t really a D&D movie. It lacks the goofy charm and carefree fun that makes the tabletop game so iconic and beloved. The closest thing we get to the source material is that all the characters are a fantasy race and have a generic party role; the thief, the fighter, the mage, so on. In reality, this is a completely generic fantasy movie with a nonsensical plot, boring characters, and bad acting.

Except for Jeremy Irons. I can’t tell if that dude is on something or if he just doesn’t give a fuck. Either way, his performance is hysterical.

This movie is perfect material for those who enjoy ‘so bad they’re good’ films. Things barely make sense, the special effects are extremely dated, and the movie never stops for anything. It even tries to get a tear out of you with the death of one of the main characters, but all that results in is an ending scene so completely insane that it becomes impossible to take seriously.

Though its length is an issue. One hour and forty-eight minutes is just too long for this kinda movie. It gets to be kind of exhausting by the end of it. If it were rounded down to an even ninety, then it would be fine.

Even better, the plot would be even more nonsensical. Which would have been hilarious. Alas! This is what we’ve got.

Yeah, this isn’t a good movie. Not for fantasy fans, movie fans, or D&D fans. But it is really funny if you go into it with the right frame of mind. That, and a few friends and some drinks.

But you know what’s even better? This movie got not one, but two sequels! Both of them straight to DVD! If that ain’t a good sign, I don’t know what is!