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Dungeons and Dragons 3 Book of Vile Darkness

Stargazer5781Stargazer5781 Member Posts: 183
Just watched this movie and I want to recommend it to this forum. It's undoubtedly the best of the Dungeons and Dragons films made. That's certainly not saying much, but I actually enjoyed this one. I went in with very low expectations. I expected cheese, bad acting, awful script, and occasional dumb appeals to the franchise. It delivered on some of that.

The acting is surprisingly solid and the dialog is well-written. Actually I like it better than a lot of dialog I hear in Hollywood blockbusters. The most wonderful thing about this film, though, is the risks it takes. The protagonist is a paladin who's been rejected by his god Pelor. His order is attacked and slaughtered by barbarians and his father is kidnapped. He drags himself to a nearby town, buys new equipment with money collected from his deceased friends and tries to find something to do with his life. He winds up joining a party of very evil adventurers with uncertain motives.

The character dynamics are beautiful. The good characters have complex flaws and you're never sure if they're going to turn evil or stay on a good path. The evil characters have redeeming qualities, or at least likeable qualities. You're never sure where anyone stands and they surprise you throughout the film. In fact the best thing about the movie is how frequently it goes in directions I didn't expect. It doesn't assume the audience is a bunch of morons who need a clear good guy and a clear bad guy to not be confused. The battle scenes are tastefully done. There's tension to them, they're not dragged out, and there are real consequences to them. It's not action for action's sake - it's action to advance the plot. Characters get injured and die, materials get destroyed, things go wrong, characters have to improvise. And there are quite a few battles too.

The special effects are sub-par but that's easily forgiveable. There is some cheese and a fair amount of the movie will undoubtedly be lost on anyone unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons, but I imagine that doesn't include anyone on this forum. You will occasionally have to suspend disbelief - the town just happened to have the equipment shop with everything he needed ON SALE! He stumbles upon the most knowledgeable and well-connected prostitute in human history who just happens to have a motive to help him for free, and a few other things that are kind of silly. Overall highly recommend watching it if you can.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1733125/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVwPgrQ_R_s

Comments

  • BeowulfBeowulf Member Posts: 236
    I did not like it because the Palidin is Lawful Good but does some evil things that involve violence when just before is hero to child... and yet gets power back after this non Lawful good action - so the whole thing is rather silly on the 'morality' I did decide I want to befriend the evil wizzy / nerco actress though...
  • Stargazer5781Stargazer5781 Member Posts: 183
    Pelor - "Those sacred texts got me all wrong, I'm really an evil god, and that kid was the first one of my worshipers to stop being a panzy."
  • amftronamftron Member Posts: 109
    I think the second film was better to be honest.

    Though i did admire the "evil" whatever class they decided she was woman.
  • KurumiKurumi Member Posts: 520
    amftron said:

    Though i did admire the "evil" whatever class they decided she was woman.

    She's a Shadar-Kai Sorceress.
  • Stargazer5781Stargazer5781 Member Posts: 183
    Kurumi said:

    amftron said:

    Though i did admire the "evil" whatever class they decided she was woman.

    She's a Shadar-Kai Sorceress.
    And I thought they just served the emperor in Dune...
  • ChowChow Member Posts: 1,192
    There was a third movie?
  • KurumiKurumi Member Posts: 520


    And I thought they just served the emperor in Dune...

    You're thinking of "Sardaukar", the soldier-fanatics of the Padishah Emperor.

  • KurumiKurumi Member Posts: 520
    Chow said:

    There was a third movie?

    Aye.

  • amftronamftron Member Posts: 109
    Kurumi said:

    amftron said:

    Though i did admire the "evil" whatever class they decided she was woman.

    She's a Shadar-Kai Sorceress.
    I thought she was a Sorceress, wasn't sure though. I was sure i heard her called something else during the film.

    Ii would like to know why the male lead was played by the worst actor in the entire film though....
  • bigdogchrisbigdogchris Member Posts: 1,336
    edited December 2012
    I thought Eleanor Gecks – "Akordia" was a Calashite.

    This movie was pretty good. The second one was very good as well.
  • KurumiKurumi Member Posts: 520
    edited December 2012

    I thought Eleanor Gecks – "Akordia" was a Calashite

    Nay.. the movie isn't even set in Faerûn.. so no "Calishites" here :) !!
  • bigdogchrisbigdogchris Member Posts: 1,336
    edited December 2012
    Here's a nice little writeup about the characters and story.

    http://community.wizards.com/sarialmorphopracktix/blog/2012/11/29/book_of_vile_darkness__dd_3_film_review
    Beowulf said:

    I did not like it because the Palidin is Lawful Good but does some evil things that involve violence when just before is hero to child... and yet gets power back after this non Lawful good action - so the whole thing is rather silly on the 'morality' I did decide I want to befriend the evil wizzy / nerco actress though...

    At the beginning I thought he did not have his powers yet and was disappointed by that (not thinking he was ever going too), but was trying to receive them. At the end when he does the selfless deed while saving his father he receives them.
  • ChowChow Member Posts: 1,192
    Beowulf said:

    I did not like it because the Palidin is Lawful Good but does some evil things that involve violence when just before is hero to child... and yet gets power back after this non Lawful good action - so the whole thing is rather silly on the 'morality' I did decide I want to befriend the evil wizzy / nerco actress though...

    Alignments are guidelines, not something that's set in stone. Being Lawful Good doesn't necessarily mean being nice.
  • amftronamftron Member Posts: 109
    I would love a Vermin Mage kit in BG..... that was probably the best thing about the film for me....
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    How do we get to see these movies?
  • amftronamftron Member Posts: 109
    @reedmilfam the first got a major release, at least i think it did here in the UK. The second was probably straight to video and the third i think was shown on the SyFy channel.

    Otherwise, there's always torrents.....
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    @Reedmilfam The Second was shown on the SyFy Channel. You can also watch the entire thing on YouTube.

    I know I posted the link on the threads somewhere...
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