Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons | ||
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Director: | Courtney Solomon | Actors: | Jeremy Irons (as Profion), Bruce Payne (I) (as Damodar), Justin Whalin (as Ridley Freeborn), Marlon Wayans (as Snails), Robert Miano (as Azmath), Tomás Havrlik (as Mage), Thora Birch (as Empress Savina), Edward Jewesbury (as Vildan Vildir), Zoe McLellan (as Marina Pretensa), Lee Arenberg (as Elwood Gutworthy), Kristen Wilson (I) (as Norda), Martin Astles (as Orc #1), Matthew O'Toole (II) (as Orcs), David O'Kelly (as Three Eyes), Richard O'Brien (I) (as Xilus) | Country: | USA | Category: | Adventure | Year: | 2000 | Personal Rating: | |
| Description: | *** DVD Rip: No - Quality: Low *** The Empire of Izmer has long been a divided land. The Mages - an elite group of magic users - rule whilst the lowly commoners are powerless. Izmer's young Empress, Savina (Thora Birch), wants equality and prosperity for all, but the evil Mage Profion (Jeremy Irons) is plotting to depose her, and establish his own rule. The Empress possesses a scepter which controls Izmer's Golden Dragons. To challenge her rule, Profion must have the scepter, and tricks the Council of Mages into believing Savina is unfit to hold it. Knowing that Profion will bring death and destruction to Izmer, Savina, must find the legendary Rod of Savrille, a mythical rod that has the power to control Red Dragons, a species even mightier than the Gold. Enter two thieves, Ridley (Justin Whalin) and Snails (Marlon Wayans), who unwittingly become instrumental in Savina's search for the Rod. Joined by a feisty Dwarf named Elwood (Lee Arenberg), and helped by the Empress's expert tracker, the Elf Norda (Kristen Wilson), the young heroes go in search of the Rod of Savrille. From the deadly maze of the Thieves Guild at Antius to an Elven Village, secret grotto and abandoned castles, Ridley and his band must outwit Profion's chief henchman Damodar (Bruce Payne) at every turn while back in Izmer, Profion prepares to do battle with the Empress. All depends on the Rod, but outcome of the race to reach it first is far from certain, and Izmar's very survival hangs in the balance. | Imported Comments: | This movie had all the promise of being an enterprise in futile cornballery, and I went to view it with some trepidation. I am pleased to say that it rises far above my expectations. Better than average acting from the less-known portion of the acting ensemble, a couple of surprises, and a much better storyline than what you might expect all raise this feature above past attempts by moviemakers to capture the D&D audience. Yes, Jeremy Irons overacts quite a bit, but it's all in context. Some of the special effects are weak, most noticeably the dragons themselves, but many of the other effects scenes are breathtaking and beautiful. Viewers who know nothing of D&D lingo can watch without feeling left out, but long-time roleplayers will appreciate the care with which the filmmakers remained true to the rules of the game. All in all, an admirable piece of work, given the constraints of a popcorn adventure-comedy-fantasy genre, and well worth a look if you enjoy swords and sorcery. 6.5 out of 10. | Languages: | English | Subtitles: | None | Length: | 107 | Video format: | DivX 3.11 Low Motion | Audio format: | MPEG Layer 3 (MP3) | Resolution: | 352x288 | Files sizes (Mb): | 341 |