D&D1 sucked balls. D&D2 was awesome! D&D3 was also good.
My favourite character from D&D2 has to be Nim. "I'm about to employ ancient secrets from the rogue's guild that only I know, and I want it to stay that way!" *pulls one lever*
Not medieval, but the Conan films are quite good (even if he is played by Schwarzenegger...he fits that role quite well!).
Willow and Legend have already been mentioned, I think. There's also Ladyhawke and Hawk the Slayer, which are regarded as classics, though they may be a bit cheesy now.
Also, Stardust was quite good, but again, it's not really medieval - more Victorian/steampunk, but it's still worth a watch.
@Shandyr, I just watched the Once Upon A Time premier, and I thought it was awesome. I just looked up these three videos to see how true they are to the originals. I think they've got it pretty close. It's interesting to now see their interpretations of Cruella's magic green smoke, and Ursula's two green eel/octopus tentacles. Maleficent is just... well, Maleficent. I saw Sleeping Beauty as my first Disney film when I was about 6, and she terrified me, and she has ever since been the Queen of the Disney Villains in my mind.
I am sure it has been mentioned by now, but the Classic Ray Harryhousen Sinbad movies were loads of fun if you are looking for Adventure. They aren't "Quite" Medieval, but it is classic fantasy.
Also very high on my list include Ladyhawk. Definitely a 'Quest' feel to this one. A curse, a damsel in distress. A knight on a mission. A trusty sidekick. Very cool.
It's been mentioned that Willow is another one.
I was a huge Xena fan and would recommend that. Hercules, the legendary journeys as well, but not as much as Xena.
If you care to stray into Books, I am a huge fan of the Dresden files as very 'Adventuresque'. Light, funny, easy to read and lots of magic and Swords & Sorcery. Worth a try.
Thanks @Shandyr for reminding me to watch OUAT again! American TV and random mid-season breaks continues to confuse me greatly. I guess I can't complain too much, most British shows have less episodes in a whole season than half a season of an American show.
In further reviewing the thread, I have to second Krull as well. Although not strictly Medieval, it is very similar in a lot of ways.
There was a Anime cartoon back in the 80s that was the closest I've ever seen. I can't for the life of me remember the name, nor even very much about it, but I remember this party of adventurers and some kingdom to save. I remember one of the party was a wizard and I want to say that they had a knight and a thief as well. I wish I could remember what it was because that was awesome. And it was like a 13 part series or some such if I remember properly.
Oh, and they did actually make a Dragonlance Cartoon at one point. Wasn't very good, but it was interesting to see the book translated (sort of) into a movie.
I've been too busy binge-watching this (fairly crappy) season of House of Cards this weekend!
I am disappoint. They turned it into a less-egregious version of that crappy The West Wing show by making the main character (villain) into a decent human being... its far less interesting when he is not being an atrocious person!
I know its not fantasy, but Frank Underwood would go Medieval on yo a$$ if you got in his way
@Shandyr, I've always been partial to Maleficent, because, as I mentioned in my earlier post, she was my first experience with a classic Disney villain. I saw Sleeping Beauty before I ever even saw Snow White, which I caught a few years later, when I was about 10, during a re-release. I've also recently seen the movie Maleficent, and I liked Angelina Jolie's performance in it, as well as the more nuanced interpretation of the character.
I never saw The Little Mermaid at all, so Ursula isn't really in the running for me, but I absolutely loved her production number from the movie that I posted above. I must say, I think they've missed the essence of Ursula by quite a bit. She's supposed to be a big woman with a big personality, and they've cast her as slender and model-perfect. I think they missed a great chance to show that a plus-sized woman can be a great, charismatic, and attractive character.
Arn, the son of a high-ranking Swedish nobleman is educated in a monastery and sent to the Holy Land as a knight templar to do penance for a forbidden love
And the 2008 sequel are among the best I've seen. I highly recommend for everyone. I think I cried...
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (drat, the_spyder beat me to it) and (the original) Clash of the Titans. Conan, Xena and the various Herc series have been mentioned. It used to drive me nuts how even with all the advancements in film-making technology no one could come up with a D&D movie on the level of these two films, and the how the the ones closest to achieving it were cheesy adventure series (which I enjoyed regardless, they were great kid shows). Anyway at least some good came out of it. Xena and the various Herc series ->LotR.
Among others Pirates of the Caribbean:the Curse of the Black Pearl would also make my list. Jack Sparrow is Chaotic Neutral made flesh.
There are several anime based on D&D like Record of Lodoss War and The Slayers. Then there's similar anime like the Tower of Druaga (I'd recommend either this or the original Slayers as a starting point, neither takes itself too seriously).
In further reviewing the thread, I have to second Krull as well. Although not strictly Medieval, it is very similar in a lot of ways.
There was a Anime cartoon back in the 80s that was the closest I've ever seen. I can't for the life of me remember the name, nor even very much about it, but I remember this party of adventurers and some kingdom to save. I remember one of the party was a wizard and I want to say that they had a knight and a thief as well. I wish I could remember what it was because that was awesome. And it was like a 13 part series or some such if I remember properly.
Oh, and they did actually make a Dragonlance Cartoon at one point. Wasn't very good, but it was interesting to see the book translated (sort of) into a movie.
Record of Lodoss War maybe? I think that was in the 90s though.
It's 13 Episodes long and is one of my favorite anime series in all of ever. It even has Dark Elves! I love Dark Elves.
It's a gorgeous anime. Keep in mind, when you get to the part when the dragons show up, all of those dragons were hand-drawn from scratch. Mind-blowing stuff.
If, instead of pseudo-medievil fantasy, you are willing to give pseudo-19th century fantasy a go, the BBC's current adaption of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is worth a look. In a similar vein, Sky's adaption of Going Postal is also good.
Just to add to the list of medieval-fantasy-inspired anime, here's some of the ones I've seen and liked, not in any real order:
-Slayers -Berserk -El-Hazard -Magic Knight Rayearth -Record of Lodoss War -Heroic Legend of Arslan -Tears to Tiara -Sacred Blacksmith -Scrapped Princess (this one kinda turns into sci-fi toward the end) -Yona of the Dawn (less medieval, more feudal... Still awesome) -Orphen (gets...REALLY WEIRD toward the end...) -Kyo Kara Maoh! (well, I like it, but you boys might not so much :P )
I'd have to add Silent Moebius to those. It's humans (in the modern/Slightly Future day) fighting Demons. The Main Character, Katsumi Liqeur, is a mage.
The joke here is that all the characters are named after deserts. There is Tira Misu and her sister Chocolat, Marron Glace and his brother Carrot, and the Big warrior guy is Gateau Mocha (Chocolate Cake).
There was a second series of Record of Lodoss War. Not as good as the first, though (and more of a sequel).
I also found a live-action film called "Midnight Chronicles" at the library, which has a sticker on the cover proclaiming it to to have a module inside from 4th edition D&D. It's based on the game "Midnight" by Fantasy Flight Games.
Not medieval fantasy but like future medieval fantasy we have the Warhammer 40k Movie. It was alright. Nothing spectacular but I enjoy watching guys with chainsaw swords and holy warhammers fight against space demons.
Comments
I always have the urge to play BG/IWD when I see that movie, so I never finished it.
My favourite character from D&D2 has to be Nim. "I'm about to employ ancient secrets from the rogue's guild that only I know, and I want it to stay that way!" *pulls one lever*
Not medieval, but the Conan films are quite good (even if he is played by Schwarzenegger...he fits that role quite well!).
Willow and Legend have already been mentioned, I think. There's also Ladyhawke and Hawk the Slayer, which are regarded as classics, though they may be a bit cheesy now.
Also, Stardust was quite good, but again, it's not really medieval - more Victorian/steampunk, but it's still worth a watch.
*shakes her fist at her work schedule*
Also very high on my list include Ladyhawk. Definitely a 'Quest' feel to this one. A curse, a damsel in distress. A knight on a mission. A trusty sidekick. Very cool.
It's been mentioned that Willow is another one.
I was a huge Xena fan and would recommend that. Hercules, the legendary journeys as well, but not as much as Xena.
If you care to stray into Books, I am a huge fan of the Dresden files as very 'Adventuresque'. Light, funny, easy to read and lots of magic and Swords & Sorcery. Worth a try.
*rants about lazy actors*
There was a Anime cartoon back in the 80s that was the closest I've ever seen. I can't for the life of me remember the name, nor even very much about it, but I remember this party of adventurers and some kingdom to save. I remember one of the party was a wizard and I want to say that they had a knight and a thief as well. I wish I could remember what it was because that was awesome. And it was like a 13 part series or some such if I remember properly.
Oh, and they did actually make a Dragonlance Cartoon at one point. Wasn't very good, but it was interesting to see the book translated (sort of) into a movie.
I am disappoint. They turned it into a less-egregious version of that crappy The West Wing show by making the main character (villain) into a decent human being... its far less interesting when he is not being an atrocious person!
I know its not fantasy, but Frank Underwood would go Medieval on yo a$$ if you got in his way
I never saw The Little Mermaid at all, so Ursula isn't really in the running for me, but I absolutely loved her production number from the movie that I posted above. I must say, I think they've missed the essence of Ursula by quite a bit. She's supposed to be a big woman with a big personality, and they've cast her as slender and model-perfect. I think they missed a great chance to show that a plus-sized woman can be a great, charismatic, and attractive character.
Those poor, unfortunate souls! (joke)
Watching OUAT, don't you sometimes just think, "man Emma just doesn't catch a break!"
Arn: The Knight Templar (2007)
Arn, the son of a high-ranking Swedish nobleman is educated in a monastery and sent to the Holy Land as a knight templar to do penance for a forbidden love
And the 2008 sequel are among the best I've seen. I highly recommend for everyone. I think I cried...
It used to drive me nuts how even with all the advancements in film-making technology no one could come up with a D&D movie on the level of these two films, and the how the the ones closest to achieving it were cheesy adventure series (which I enjoyed regardless, they were great kid shows).
Anyway at least some good came out of it. Xena and the various Herc series ->LotR.
Among others Pirates of the Caribbean:the Curse of the Black Pearl would also make my list. Jack Sparrow is Chaotic Neutral made flesh.
There are several anime based on D&D like Record of Lodoss War and The Slayers. Then there's similar anime like the Tower of Druaga (I'd recommend either this or the original Slayers as a starting point, neither takes itself too seriously).
It's 13 Episodes long and is one of my favorite anime series in all of ever. It even has Dark Elves! I love Dark Elves.
and then the opening for the 26 episode series (I haven't watched it but I love Yoko Kanno, the person who did the opening).
If you haven't watched his: Ondskan (Evil) that was released in 2003, you should do so.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338309/
Just to add to the list of medieval-fantasy-inspired anime, here's some of the ones I've seen and liked, not in any real order:
-Slayers
-Berserk
-El-Hazard
-Magic Knight Rayearth
-Record of Lodoss War
-Heroic Legend of Arslan
-Tears to Tiara
-Sacred Blacksmith
-Scrapped Princess (this one kinda turns into sci-fi toward the end)
-Yona of the Dawn (less medieval, more feudal... Still awesome)
-Orphen (gets...REALLY WEIRD toward the end...)
-Kyo Kara Maoh! (well, I like it, but you boys might not so much :P )
Wizards of the Demon Sword
Bakuretsu Hunters (aka Sorcerer Hunters)
The joke here is that all the characters are named after deserts. There is Tira Misu and her sister Chocolat, Marron Glace and his brother Carrot, and the Big warrior guy is Gateau Mocha (Chocolate Cake).
There was a second series of Record of Lodoss War. Not as good as the first, though (and more of a sequel).
I also found a live-action film called "Midnight Chronicles" at the library, which has a sticker on the cover proclaiming it to to have a module inside from 4th edition D&D. It's based on the game "Midnight" by Fantasy Flight Games.
There is also the "Scourge of Worlds" Game/DVD
I could only find this review of it…