Riddley (Justin Whalen), Snails (Marlon Wayans), and Marina (Zoe McClellan) in New Line Cinema's Dungeons & Dragons |
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Okay. I know I promised a review of the Third Edition of Dungeons and Dragons when it came out. Well I did manage to get my hands on the Players Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster Manual (available at www.amazon.com). But real-life pressures have conspired to absorb any time I could have had to actually get to play the game. Thankfully, coming out December 8 is Dungeons & Dragons, a new motion picture from New Line Cinema, to fill the D&D void.
The Dungeons & Dragons fill project has purportedly been in the works for years. I have played the game since 1980, and remember hearing rumors of a movie version as early as 1990. The film remained un-funded until just recently. Part of that problem may lie in the monetary problems that plagued D&D creator company TSR (now a part of Wizards of the Coast, creators of Magic: the Gathering card game).
A Gold Dragon in flight |
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Dungeons & Dragons stars Academy-Award winner Jeremy Irons as the evil Arch-Mage, Profion. He steals the Royal Scepter (an artifact that can control dragons) from the Empress Savina of Izmer (Thora Birch). An unlikely group of heroes is arrayed against Profion, opposing his bid for world domination: the orphaned rogue Riddley (Justin Whalen), the cautious thief Snails (Marlon Wayons), and wizard in training Marina (Zoe McClellan) head the pack. In a special treat to sci-fi/fantasy fans, Tom Baker (the 4th Doctor of Doctor Who fame) makes an appearance as Hallvarth, Clan Leader of the Hunter Elves. Other cast members include Lee Arenberg as Elwood the Dwarven Veteran, Bruce Payne as Damodar the Commander of the Crimson Guard, and Kristen Wilson as Norda the Half-Elven Ranger.
The Wizard, Marina (Zoe McClellan) |
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The movie was filmed on location in Prague, in the Czech Republic. Any of the locations in the film are purported to never have appeared in American film, including the Strahov Library, and the Bone Church in Kutna Hora. The locations were chosen for their medieval and mysterious feel.
Dungeons & Dragons was directed by Corey Solomon. The story was written by Carroll Cartwright and Topper Lilien. The executive producer was Joel Silver.
I don't want to delve into the plot, partly because I don't want to ruin the movie for you, and partly because I didn't want to ruin it for myself. Check back next week for my review of Dungeons & Dragons. Our chief editor muses that this movie is 15 years too late. Maybe it is; the RPG phenomenon is not nearly as big as it was in the 80's. I think it looks cool, and may energize a new generation of gamers. We'll see on the 8th!
Bibliography:
On the Set of the D&D Movie: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Movie_Article_001.asp
DNDMovie.com: http://www.dndmovie.com
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