PixlBit

I almost missed this because I wrote the wrong release date down, but a co-worker set me straight and I dashed out to see it before it was out of the theaters. I'd say I liked it mostly, but there was something that just seemed flat about the performances and story to me. It was a sight to behold though, I'll give it that. 

The story is pretty good. About half way through I thought the story made a good DnD campaign (which I guess is intentional). You assemble a group, you gain a quest, visit many creepy locations to gather the important items to complete it, fight a dragon, and finally have a showdown with an evil sorcerer. The story is peppered with humor, but not all that funny, mostly too obvious. It's also got pathos and emotional bagage but that sort of felt fake or half realized. It was almost as if the actors weren't really into it enough.

Which brings me to the cast. Chris Pine is the leader Edgin Darvis, a bard with no apparent fighting ability (and barely any musically), which is strange to me as a DnD player. Michel Rodriguez is his close barbarian partner who does all the fighting, and some great fighting scenes with her too (take note Cary, she's your girl. haha). Justice Smith is Simon Aumar, a sorcerer with a bad self confidence problem. He's really good, one of the better characters in the film as he battles his own demons as well as the evil sorceress. Sophia Lillis is Doric, a Druid who can shape change into any creature. She probably changes into a dozen different life forms throughout the movie but has few lines. Their is no apparent healer, which is also strange, although maybe Sophia healed a character once, I forget now. And that's the core party. 

The villains are Hugh Grant as Forge Fitzwilliam, a rogue once friend to Edgin, and Daisy Head as Sofina, a red wizard working for Forge but who has her own secret agenda. She's pretty great and the true villain of the film. Forge is sort of pathetic. Sofina is scary, magically inventive and dangerous. She impressed me a lot. Frankly, no one in this film really should have stood a chance against her.

The special effects are, as you would expect, incredible. Fight scenes are really well done too and the whole presentation and editting seemed impeccable. It was the just the acting, jokes and dialog that felt a little unispired to me. 

But let's get to DnD nerdy stuff, which may be spoilers to an extent. Monsters: you got a red dragon, gelatinous cube, undead warriors and sorcerers, owlbear, mimic, displacer beast, dwarf, gryphon, and rochnon (intellect devourers). Place names mentioned: Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter. Player Characters portrayed: a paladin warrior who befriends the crew, bard, theif, barbarian, druid, and mage (again no cleric or other healer type). Items: a magic staff a helm, madic totem and magically locked doors. 

I would've liked to see a mind flayer or beholder, but they would've competed for main boss, I think. 

This movie makes me recall the fantasty/comedy flick Your Highness, which is my favorite DnD style comedy movie. I'm still looking for one to top it because it isn't this. I'm also looking for a really dark fantasy flick, like something akin to the Souls games, maybe a bit like the 80s Dragonslayer movie.