Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Prak, the Mad 03-15-07, 02:53 PM	I realised the other week that A Knight's Tale is a much better D&D movie(ie, it represents the world of D&D, albeit a low magic campaign) better than the atrocities we've gotten as D&D movies. I reason this is because of the anachronisms, as while D&D usually takes place in a fantasy mideval europe setting, it's has very modern ideas(such as that a man can "change his stars") and very modern sentiment(such as that women are people). I also saw 300 last night, and thought it was a good D&D movie as well, for anachronisms and sentiment. So, I figured maybe we could start a list of movies that we think represent the ideas/sentiment/world/etc. of D&D. I open with: 1) A Knight's Tale 2) 300 3) The LotR trilogy 4) Sin City
GoriceXII 03-15-07, 03:02 PM	13th Warrior Brotherhood of the Wolf Conan the Barbarian Willow
razorboy 03-15-07, 03:18 PM	Beowulf (the newest one with Sarah Polley) The Headsman (a.k.a. Shadow of a Sword) 13th Warrior Underworld II (at least the opening scene and the ending, very D&D-like traps and puzzle) 7th Voyage of Sindbad (yeah, the old one, with the stop-motion skeleton fight, etc. One of the best swashbuckling movies ever!) Dragonheart (only the first one) Kingdom of Heaven (almost completely historically inaccurate, but very pretty and good bloody fights) Krzyzazy [Crusaders] (this is a 1960 Polish movie based on a book Teutonic Knights written by Henryk Sienkiewicz, about the war between Teutonic Knights and Polish-Lithuanian kingdom. It's hard to find but WELL WORTH IT! It has an enormous Battle of Grunwald in the end - back in the days of no CG, historically accurate costumes, and filmed entirely in the actual historical castles in Poland, Prussia and Lithuania.)
okaynowa 03-15-07, 04:15 PM	Labyrinth Ladyhawke Legend
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-15-07, 04:25 PM	Serenity. Indeed it does a far better job of approximating the lifestyle and behaviour of your average D&D party better than pretty much any other film including LotR.
Archon515 03-15-07, 04:28 PM	Eragon. :rofl::rofl: Seriously though, I don't think that there are that many movies that can get close enough to Dnd without being Dnd, except maybe Lotr. However, you can't forget Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I wonder what the Killer Rabbit would look like as a monster...
Prak, the Mad 03-15-07, 04:30 PM	Serenity. Indeed it does a far better job of approximating the lifestyle and behaviour of your average D&D party better than pretty much any other film including LotR. very true Seriously though, I don't think that there are that many movies that can get close enough to Dnd without being Dnd, except maybe Lotr. meh, we'll see
Ninja_Sensei 03-15-07, 04:33 PM	Another vote for the 13th Warrior, Ladyhawke, and Dragonheart The Seven Samurai The Vikings The Merlin mini-series Excalibur Flesh+Blood (Rutger Hauer, Jennfier Jason Leigh) ... very dirty and gritty, down to earth, mud and blood, mercenaries, etc Ninja Scroll (anime) the Record of Lodoss War (anime) (the first one) Most swashbucklers. Especially... Robin Hood (Erroll Flynn's for panache & Patrick Bergen's for a feeling of reality) The Three Musketeers (just about any) The Black Arrow
CantripN 03-15-07, 04:49 PM	Serenity. Indeed it does a far better job of approximating the lifestyle and behaviour of your average D&D party better than pretty much any other film including LotR. Thirded. The Seven Samurai is also seconded. As is The 13th Warrior. Men in Tights is also an odd one, but still a common D&D thing.
Mpinkard 03-15-07, 04:51 PM	upto what 31? I have a short list that are more cult favorites than anything but still good and Class/Race interpritations of D&D: Hawk the Slayer (http://www.amazon.com/Hawk-Slayer-Jack-Palance/dp/B00006G8H4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3685352-0233616?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1173991580&sr=1-1) Hearts and Armor (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6300270556/stomptokyo) More later...
Kazeofwinds 03-15-07, 05:12 PM	Well, with my group. The Princess Bride. Slayers(anime) Yeah, we're serious types </sarcasm>
High Octane 03-15-07, 05:23 PM	Thirded. FOURTHED! Mal Reynolds is the embodiment of the Chaotic Good alignment. It is the most accurate display of real D&D type conversation too. You cannot tell me that your D&D sessions are anything but clever quip to clever quip.
primemover003 03-15-07, 05:35 PM	Hmmm... let's see 36. Dragonslayer 37. Krull 38. Lionheart (eric stoltz, dexter fletcher) 40. Three Musketeers (Kiefer sutherland, charlie sheen, tim curry) 41. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (animated)
Ezell Pike 03-15-07, 05:37 PM	Wow someone else remembers Hawk the Slayer.:rofl:
Prince_of_Murder_Kinghall 03-15-07, 05:54 PM	monsters and mazes :rolleyes:
Drodain 03-15-07, 05:54 PM	Army of Darkness
mtrpcic 03-15-07, 06:11 PM	Shrek
Seghan 03-15-07, 06:33 PM	monsters and mazes :rolleyes: Dang, you beat me to it. Rome, the HBO series. As far as the intrigue in our Eberron games goes. Clerks, is where our games seem to end up.
Sudnji_cas 03-15-07, 06:40 PM	The demented cartoon movie (http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/demented.php)
Magetastic 03-15-07, 07:00 PM	47. The gamers
The White Sorcerer 03-15-07, 07:10 PM	47. The gamers It's a small wonder this didn't get mentioned before.
Pangeon 03-15-07, 07:10 PM	Clerks, is where our games seem to end up. Yeah, same here. I'll also put in another vote for 300. Damn that movie was awesome. Batman Begins. Throughout the whole movie, I was thinking "Hah! Lawful Neutral, Lawful Neutral, I KNEW he wasn't Lawful Good!
longlivetheloud 03-15-07, 07:12 PM	certainly not Sin City. Conan films, LOTR Trilogy Excalibur BeastMaster Braveheart Eragon (minus the <i>very</i> ****** costumes towards the end) uhm. that's all i can think of.
Bruunwald 03-15-07, 07:23 PM	My wife says: The Neverending Story The Last Unicorn My little boy says: The Dark Crystal Treasure Planet I say: Well, most of what I would have said has been said, but there's also The Heroic Legend of Arislan (anime) and the ultimate... Star Wars (old wizard finds boy, gives him sword, they meet up with some guys in a tavern and go on an adventure - I mean, come on!) ;) Really, we could do this all day with any movie where the fighters fight well and with a recognizable style, and the wizards cast recognizable spells. I mean, don't we all sit there and name the feats as we watch the action unfold? I drive my wife nuts doing it.
Sudnji_cas 03-15-07, 07:26 PM	Legend of the sleeping hollow. For a horror campaign of course.
supernerd222 03-15-07, 10:28 PM	I'd say 300 is more Warhammer than D&D. I nominate the Indiana Jones movies.
Stardrake 03-15-07, 11:04 PM	Well, let's see... LADYHAWKE. Already mentioned, but it may be specifically the great AD&D movie: The characters are obviously classed (Phillipe's a straight-up, high-Dex Thief, while Navarre makes a good Fallen Paladin (he's gone Neutral at first, but changes to Neutral Good by the end) Nobody uses shields (just like in AD&D :D ) And, of course, a classic Quest storyline. THE THREE MUSKETEERS / THE FOUR MUSKETEERS (dir. Richard Lester, 1973/75). You want to see a true teamwork party, and some INCREDIBLE swordplay, these are your movies. And for true dumbness: THE BARBARIANS (1987) -- A shaker full of Parmesan* of a movie, it may be bad, but DAMN it's fun! David and Peter Paul, a brother act of pro wrestlers known as the Barbarian Brothers, amiably chew the scenery amid much grunting and sword-swinging. *cheap, bad Italian cheese!
razorboy 03-15-07, 11:15 PM	Ok, I fifth (or whatever the number is) for Serenity - it's a brilliant friggin' suggestion. Star Wars as well, the original trilogy. Oh, almost forgot a couple more: Van Helsing Star Ocean anime series
Pfisiar 03-15-07, 11:59 PM	Record of Lodoss War (anime series) (ofc, this is cheating since the characters were supposedly based on AD&D characters)
Krusk 03-16-07, 12:19 AM	monsters and mazes :rolleyes: come on guys, mazes and monsters.
Silverthumb128 03-16-07, 12:42 AM	certainly not Sin City. There aren't Storm Giants and Wizards gallavanting about, but what's wrong with Sin City? Its a very plausible campaign setting easily translatable into 3.5 Rules. Hell, you could probably do it in 2nd edition, too.
Prak, the Mad 03-16-07, 01:14 AM	There aren't Storm Giants and Wizards gallavanting about, but what's wrong with Sin City? Its a very plausible campaign setting easily translatable into 3.5 Rules. Hell, you could probably do it in 2nd edition, too. precisely, and it and 300 are more about sentiment than setting, same with A Knight's Tale
navar100 03-16-07, 01:33 AM	The Chronicles of Narnia Star Wars The Magnificent Seven (tag along with The Seven Samurai) Pan's Labyrinth I'd want to say Harry Potter, but it is too perfect a fit for Ars Magica.
bonethug0108 03-16-07, 01:44 AM	Parmesan* *cheap, bad Italian cheese! Hey, that happens to be my favorite cheese.:P However said willow, man that is a classic. I haven't seen it in years, though.
KendallDM 03-16-07, 01:48 AM	The Sword and the Sorcerer (Lee Horsley of all people played a great scoundrel) Conan the Barbarian, nicely low magic and barbaric. But I agree with others here... Ladyhawke by far best exemplifies the roles of D&D. LotR wasn't bad, if you like a little horror & cheese with your game. The 13th Warrior was great representation for a low magic game, same as Conan. Last but not least, a few episodes of Hercules and Xena were pretty nicely done in D&D roles (especially with Bruce Campbell as the Prince of Thieves).
bonethug0108 03-16-07, 01:56 AM	Last but not least, a few episodes of Hercules and Xena were pretty nicely done in D&D roles (especially with Bruce Campbell as the Prince of Thieves). Man, any sort of mythologic movie pretty much. D&D heavily took just as much from mythology as it did from medieval europe. We should extend this to books or make a new thread, because the Iliad and the Odyssey was very D&Dish.
KendallDM 03-16-07, 03:00 AM	AD&D = The Black Company set of books... oh man, it was AD&D through and through. BTW, does anyone remember the old TV series Wizards and Warriors? Too bad it didn't last a season, way before its time in acceptability. But that one was nice too, and I just recalled it.
khyron1144 03-16-07, 03:10 AM	I can't believe that The Princess Bride only got one mention so far. Very what I want my D&D games to be. Shakespeare In Love. Sword fights. Women in drag. And somehow it all works out in the end. Also I based a Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle on the families and city set up from Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet The movie version that had Leonardo Dicaprio in it. Two noble houses in dignity alike... It's a perfect D&d set-up and you can edit out the mushy bits and focus on the feuding families if you want. While I'm on Shakespeare and related things, I've gotta mention The Tempest and MacBeth although I'm unaware of any good, recent cinematic versions or even simply any recent (less than 25 years old) cinematic versions. Also A Midsummer Night's Dream. Disney's Aladdin, The Sword In The Stone, Beauty and the Beast (cue up the "Kill the Beast" song, rewind and repeat; after the third or fourth watching, you should have some wonderful killer DM ideas), Alice in Wonderland (a little more Changeling: the Dreaming than D&D, but it has D&D applications too), and Robin Hood (the anthropomorphic animals one with Robin as a fox). Shrek 2 Somebody already said Shrek, but personally I find Puss in Boots to be better D&D inspiration than anything in the original movie. The fairy tale villains bar was cool too.
bonethug0108 03-16-07, 03:15 AM	I can't believe that The Princess Bride only got one mention so far. Very what I want my D&D games to be. Disney's Aladin Definitley the princess bride. Aladdin, come to think of it, is a very good d&dish movie.
epifreak 03-16-07, 03:27 AM	Almost Famous Reasoning: I like the movie Almost Famous; I like D&D; the D&D movies were horrid. Likewise, Almost Famous had almost as much to do with D&D as did the "official" movies, as Almost Famous featured characters I believed might actually exist in a real world setting and that I liked/cared about.
draco1119 03-16-07, 03:41 AM	Clash of the Titans Ice Pirates That is all. Except for ones that have already been mentioned. Just wanted to toss a couple new ones at you. :P
TheOinodaemon 03-16-07, 03:56 AM	Second Star Wars. And sixth Serenity. Beyond that: 300 LOTR Exorcist (Ravenloft) Seven Samurai From Hell (Ravenloft) Bladerunner (Eberron) Red Sonja (I'm kidding, please put down the chairs) Merlin Assault on Precinct 13
InkBlot 03-16-07, 04:29 AM	Serenity. Indeed it does a far better job of approximating the lifestyle and behaviour of your average D&D party better than pretty much any other film including LotR. Another vote for Serenity. Firefly was an even better example, but it's not a movie. Come to think of it, I could name a lot more TV shows than movies that exemplify the D&D party dynamic and adventurer lifestyle. D&D adventures tend to be longer and more convoluted than any movie would care to detail. Further, most movies don't have the time to focus on each "party member" equaly. They only have enough time to properly develop a single protagonist, and the other protagonists are mostly developed only enough to support the main protagonist's development. A lot of kids shows, and a lot of action/adventure anime, use a 5-member-party formula similar to a standard D&D party. Each hero will be able to perform a single important role, so that the writers can try a lot of different scenarios. Of course in a TV show the characters are more free to have solo adventures than a typical D&D player-character is, but kid's shows will usually emphasize the value of teamwork in an almost D&D way. Action anime isn't always quite as brain numbing as Ninja Turtles, but still empasize the group dynamic over the individual. Inu Yasha is a bad example of non-brain-numbingness, but a good example of a very D&D-ish party of adventurers.
FnordBear 03-16-07, 07:36 AM	I would also add Labyrinth - Becasue of this movie I have a high charisma goblin king named Sting. Dune - Replace all technology with magic and the guild navigators with Arcane/Mercane and you have Spelljammer. Most of the Sci-Fi channel fantasy movies (Earthsea, Dark Kingdom, Etc.) - Nuff Said Braveheart - Men in kilts with swords fighting for freedom... Dragonslayer - I feel old for remembering this movie... The Sword and the Sorcerer - ROCKET SWORD GO! Bloodrayne - Say what you want about Uwe Boll(sp?) I acctualy liked this movie *ducks* Onmiyoji 1 and 2 - I have an extensive collection of Asian cinema but these two bear specific mention, if you want to know how Oriental Adventures is meant to be played, watch this. The Musketeer - Mmmm, swashbuckling The Three Musketeers (90s versionw/ Charlie Sheen) - This really wasnt a bad movie and I enjoyed it. Kull the Conqueror - This was a pretty bad movie, even for Kevin Sorbo(and thats pretty bad) But it was still a decent slave-to-warriorking flick. The Count of Monte Cristo - Tweak the story a bit and make the count evil and you have the basis of a campaign right there. Conan the Destroyer - No where near as good as the first but it does have your typical adventuring party in it (Barbarian, Fighterx2, Rogue, Wizard, Princess) Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - Kevin Costner aside it was a decent flick and a good semi-swashbuckler of a movie. Gladiator - Surprised this wasnt mentioned yet. Troy - Again, hating aside, it is a pretty decent flick for the mass battles and the scene where Achilies takes down the large fighter in one blow. King Arthur - A poor attempt at historical accuracy...but still a neato medieval action yarn. Guenevir was a hottie too... Shrek 1 and 2 - Im only throwing them out there... Tons of various anime offerings - I could name too many... 300 - I too am on this bandwagon, I mean come on, 300 Klingons....uh I mean Spartans vs. an nigh invinsible army. Add in spellcasters and a slim chance of vicotry and you have a Heroes of Battle campaign right there! First Knight - Crummy, I know, but Sean Connery as King Arthur and Hand Crossbows that penetrate about an inch and are instantly fatal are worth watching. The Scorpian King - Add a few more main characters and you have a D&D campaign right there. Ok Im spent
LCD2YOU 03-16-07, 07:46 AM	A "better" DnD movie than the official ones? Hell, "National Velvet" was a better DnD movie than the DnD movie.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-16-07, 09:37 AM	Labyrinth - Becasue of this movie I have a high charisma goblin king named Sting. Why Sting? :confused: Dragonslayer - I feel old for remembering this movie... Best. Movie. Dragon. Ever.
razorboy 03-16-07, 11:23 AM	Wow, someone mentioned The Scorption King, but Mummy 1 and 2 haven't been mentioned yet. Definitely more great D&D-like goodness there. :)
d20diceroller 03-16-07, 11:35 AM	Almost Famous Reasoning: I like the movie Almost Famous; I like D&D; the D&D movies were horrid. Likewise, Almost Famous had almost as much to do with D&D as did the "official" movies, as Almost Famous featured characters I believed might actually exist in a real world setting and that I liked/cared about. Almost Famous is a great flick.
Greg K 03-16-07, 11:46 AM	Wow someone else remembers Hawk the Slayer.:rofl: Some of us make it an effort to not remember:D
Greg K 03-16-07, 11:56 AM	The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire : A short lived TV series about Thoran (barbarian hunter variant from UA with a magic bow), Estra (a spellcaster (wizard or cleric variant) with an amulet that grants her shapechange into animals), Slant (rogue) Beastmaster Hercules Xena
OneWinged4ngel 03-16-07, 12:18 PM	Almost *anything* is a better D&D movie than the ones they put out. Seriously. You might as well say "Mr. Deeds." A "better" DnD movie than the official ones? Hell, "National Velvet" was a better DnD movie than the DnD movie. So true. As for Serenity, I definitely agree (Consider it fifthed), though I would note that the TV show Firefly is a better representation than the "let's-wrap-it-up-since-we-got-cancelled" movie.
FeceMan 03-16-07, 12:24 PM	LotR does not represent D&D. If it did, the story would be really boring. Bilbo: I have a ring! It makes you go invisible. Gandalf: [Takes the ring.] Well, this is no good. [Casts greater teleport, drops the ring into Mt. Doom, teleports back.] I win. Let's all celebrate with some pipeweed.
Greg K 03-16-07, 12:28 PM	Gandalf: [Takes the ring.] Well, this is no good. [Casts greater teleport, drops the ring into Mt. Doom, teleports back.] I win. Let's all celebrate with some pipeweed. Assuming that Gandalf is high enough level to cast it or we aren't talking of a homebrew game where the DM either nixed the spell or put limits on levels in spellcasting classes. :P
Scavelock 03-16-07, 12:48 PM	I'll show my age by picking the movies that inspired me to play as a kid, in no particular order: Krull Dragon Slayer (with that guy from Allie McBeal) Flash Gordon (With Queen doing the soundtrack) The Sword and the Sorcerer Excalibur Flesh and Blood (This movie is actually still good to watch) Conan the Barbarian Conan the Destroyer Ladyhawke Hawk the Slayer Atar the Fighting Eagle (this one is really bad) Clash of the Titans The Beastmaster Bradamante (with that chick from Charlie's Angels) Labrynth Willow Captain Blood (the old one) Sinbad Jason and the Argonauts
khyron1144 03-16-07, 01:02 PM	The Da Vinci Code One of those thoughts that hits you as you try to go to sleep came to me concerning this movie. It has some good D&D qualities: bloodlines of power, a quest for hidden lore/ great treasure, puzzles, an ally turned enemy, and even a cleric-like healing. It also shows why it's good for Wizards and Bards to use that open access to Knowledge skills to pick up something other than Knowledge (Arcana).
Nihzlet 03-16-07, 01:15 PM	well, most of what i thought of has been mentioned already(some of it many times, like Serenity--although honestly that makes me want to play Alternity more than D&D :P), but im surprised i havent seen Pirates of the Caribbean pop up yet. take out the guns, add people who can cast spells, and voila, its very D&D. every time i see one of those movies it makes me want to run an ocean-based swashbuckling campaign.
SquirrelMortis 03-16-07, 01:38 PM	Star Wars LOTR Labyrinth (David Bowie is awesome, no matter what, and the Bog of Eternal Stench had me doubled over with laughter). Willow (I saw it when I was little, and I had nightmares... but it was good.) Dragonheart (with Sean C. and the guy that plays Lupin in Harry Potter.)
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-16-07, 02:15 PM	Dragonheart (with Sean C. and the guy that plays Lupin in Harry Potter.) Oh come, now. The D&D movie was bad but Dragonheart was much worse.
Prak, the Mad 03-16-07, 02:49 PM	hey, I thought Dragonheart was awesome... granted I was eleven when I saw it, but... Definitley the princess bride. Aladdin, come to think of it, is a very good d&dish movie. yeah, very Al Qaudim. . . ...anyone know if that's getting an update? Ice Pirates never heard of it, but it sounds too much like 'ass pirates' fo my taste... :) Action anime isn't always quite as brain numbing as Ninja Turtles hey! I like TMNT... Most of the Sci-Fi channel fantasy movies (Earthsea, Dark Kingdom, Etc.) - Nuff Said except that most of them suck.... IMO The Count of Monte Cristo - Tweak the story a bit and make the count evil and you have the basis of a campaign right there. the count was evil, I'd say... 300 - I too am on this bandwagon, I mean come on, 300 Klingons....uh I mean Spartans vs. an nigh invinsible army. Add in spellcasters and a slim chance of vicotry and you have a Heroes of Battle campaign right there! technically, there were spellcasters... in that the spartans didn't understand grenades... Almost *anything* is a better D&D movie than the ones they put out. Seriously. You might as well say "Mr. Deeds." yes, but does Mr. Deeds represent or reflect D&D? that's the idea here. LotR does not represent D&D. If it did, the story would be really boring. It's a low-magic setting with a high-magic history, also Gandalf isn't a spellcaster, he's a celestial, who shouldn't mettle(even as much as he does, but the cat's away, so the mice will play, if you will) The Da Vinci Code One of those thoughts that hits you as you try to go to sleep came to me concerning this movie. It has some good D&D qualities: bloodlines of power, a quest for hidden lore/ great treasure, puzzles, an ally turned enemy, and even a cleric-like healing. It also shows why it's good for Wizards and Bards to use that open access to Knowledge skills to pick up something other than Knowledge (Arcana). you may have just convinced me to read and watch that... well, most of what i thought of has been mentioned already(some of it many times, like Serenity--although honestly that makes me want to play Alternity more than D&D ), but im surprised i havent seen Pirates of the Caribbean pop up yet. take out the guns, add people who can cast spells, and voila, its very D&D. every time i see one of those movies it makes me want to run an ocean-based swashbuckling campaign. or it could reflect a low-magic variant of Faerun. I whole-heartedly agree. also, as long as we're opening it up to cartoons and such... Lilo and Stitch, the series(the first movie isn't particularly representative of D&D, and I haven't seen the other, what, three?) The Mortal Kombat series(movies are ok, too...) Babylon 5(as far as sentiment goes...) as much as I hate to admit it, Brother Bear would be fairly representative of a game run for little kids(I despise that movie...)
SquirrelMortis 03-16-07, 04:00 PM	Oh come, now. The D&D movie was bad but Dragonheart was much worse. Comparing any movie to the D&D movie is an insult of the highest order!
khyron1144 03-16-07, 04:01 PM	yes, but does Mr. Deeds represent or reflect D&D? Classic or Adam Sandler? I could probably find ways to relate either to D&D but it would be a stretch. For the Adam Sandler version, I think the Hawai'ian punch drinking fountain would be an excellent example of what retired, successful adventurers do with their money. Just a thought.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-16-07, 04:11 PM	Comparing any movie to the D&D movie is an insult of the highest order! I would rather watch a 24 hour marathon of the D&D movie than watch 24 minutes of either A.I. or Moulin Rouge. The D&D movie is Citizen-frakking-Kane compared to those piles of ****. And I liked the second D&D movie. It is B-grade S&S schlock of the school (Hawk the Slayer, Sword and the Sorcerer, etc.) but it is better than most of them. It is of the top tier of B-grade fantasy.
LordThavian 03-16-07, 04:43 PM	The anime series: Escaflowne! & The movie: Mirrormask! :)
khyron1144 03-16-07, 05:02 PM	I would rather watch a 24 hour marathon of the D&D movie than watch 24 minutes of either A.I. or Moulin Rouge. The D&D movie is Citizen-frakking-Kane compared to those piles of ****. And I liked the second D&D movie. It is B-grade S&S schlock of the school (Hawk the Slayer, Sword and the Sorcerer, etc.) but it is better than most of them. It is of the top tier of B-grade fantasy. I never saw the D&D movies or Moulin Rouge, but I rather liked A.I. The script and the acting were fairly decent as far as I remember and visually, it was amazing.
drakkonflye 03-16-07, 05:42 PM	Check out a miniseries called The 10th Kingdom starring John Laroquette and Kimberly Williams. Yes, it's loosely based off of fairy tales and may seem more akin to Changeling, but still some very D&D type plotlines and such.
Scavelock 03-16-07, 05:46 PM	Check out a miniseries called The 10th Kingdom starring John Laroquette and Kimberly Williams. Yes, it's loosely based off of fairy tales and may seem more akin to Changeling, but still some very D&D type plotlines and such. I remember that. It was a fun kind of show.
primemover003 03-16-07, 06:12 PM	Dragonheart (with Sean C. and the guy that plays Lupin in Harry Potter.) David Thewlis... he was much better in Kingdom of Heaven.
Relic 03-16-07, 06:41 PM	Memento. In the Mouth of Madness (Cthulu rules!). Ice Pirates (a movie that is damn hilarious). Jurassic Park (trapped on an island and big beasties want to eat you? DnD!). Alien. Alien. Alien. (yes, the movie is so bad ass it deserves to be mentioned thrice). Spellbinder. The Dirty Dozen (supplement guns with magic). Firestarter (hurrah for psionics!). The Road Warrior. Mad Max and the Thunderdome. Space Balls.
BaldTune 03-17-07, 12:25 PM	The BBC "Neverwhere" miniseries based on Neil Gaiman's novel. No flashy wizards and dragons, but much more &D-esque than, say, Kevin Costner's Robin of Bloomington: Prince of Bad Acting.
Sudnji_cas 03-17-07, 01:08 PM	The BBC "Neverwhere" miniseries based on Neil Gaiman's novel. No flashy wizards and dragons, but much more &D-esque than, say, Kevin Costner's Robin of Bloomington: Prince of Bad Acting. They made a miniseries! I gotta watch that!
Silverthumb128 03-17-07, 03:31 PM	Onmiyoji 1 and 2 - I have an extensive collection of Asian cinema but these two bear specific mention, if you want to know how Oriental Adventures is meant to be played, watch this. I'm going to agree and throw in The Great Youkai War. Monsters VS Monsters with a Human PC. Plus, its just great. Assuming that Gandalf is high enough level to cast it or we aren't talking of a homebrew game where the DM either nixed the spell or put limits on levels in spellcasting classes. :P He killed a Balor, using a lot of melee, he's definitely high enough level. And you'd have to nix a lot of spells. Mordenkainen's Disjunction, for one.
Capt. Pixel 03-17-07, 03:53 PM	Disney's Atlantis (animated) The newly formed gang of amiable misfits, but experts each in their own field. The epic adventure to where no has gone before. The plot twist of the greedy, misguided party leader. The cool psuedo-techno-magic that must be understood and controlled for The Atlanteans to find peace and happiness. and of course, the star-crossed lovers that fate has brought together. What's not to like? :cool: And most everything already posted that I recognize. The Good, the Bad and the moronic.
Evil DM Mk3 03-17-07, 04:03 PM	[QUOTE=Prak, the Mad;11776667]I realised the other week that A Knight's Tale is a much better D&D movie[\quote] Better reprisents DnD than the DnD movies? The mupet's cristmas carol.
Grakelin 03-17-07, 04:19 PM	Pirates of the Caribbean is very much D&D. A bunch of zombie pirates, led by a recurring villain (what better way for him to recur over and over again then for him to NEVER BE ABLE TO DIE), boundless treasure, stuffy government types, swashbuckling adventure, romantic subplots where EVERY male character is infatuated with the ONLY female character, who dresses like a man.
SpectacularFailure 03-17-07, 04:19 PM	The Flight of Dragons Anyone who hasnt seen this animated classic should check it out for free on google video.(im assuming that videos on google are public domain)
High Octane 03-17-07, 04:20 PM	I realised the other week that A Knight's Tale is a much better D&D movie Better reprisents DnD than the DnD movies? The mupet's cristmas carol. Better represents D&D than the D&D movie? Dorf Goes Fishing.
High Octane 03-17-07, 04:24 PM	Double post.
BeefotronX 03-17-07, 04:45 PM	National Treasure: An adventure with chases, evading the authorities, and generally traipsing around the countryside, culminating in a classic dungeon crawl with a ginormous treasure at the end. Straight up 21st century D&D. As a campaign, the only particularly remarkable thing about it is that the good guys form an unbalanced party, and the people they bring on to round things out turn out to be the bad guys.
roninwolf109 03-17-07, 04:50 PM	Three movies I can think of: Yojimbo Ran Kagemusha (great mass battle scenes in the last two. As for Yojimbo? Toshiro Mifune is just plain cool :))
The White Sorcerer 03-17-07, 04:57 PM	Oh, come on, the first D&D movie represents D&D perfectly. There's the cheesy plot and villain. The DM's best friend. Plays Ridley Freeborn. The really annoying player. Both the DM and the other players want to kill off his character, Snails. The guy who plays a chick, Marina Pretensa. Remember, the romance between Marina and Ridley is just "harmless roleplaying". The player who joins in the middle of the campaign and was inserted into the game in some weird random way and hasn't really fleshed his character, Elwood Gutworthy, beyond race and class. Also seems to forget how tall dwarves are. The DMPC, Norda. Also, the DM seems to be an elf-lover ("Elves don't need to cast spells.") The DM realizing that the monster he rolled on the random monster chart was a bit out of the party's league, and allows them to bypass the encounter by distracting the monster with a rock. All in all, a really crappy campaign, but D&D nonetheless.
High Octane 03-17-07, 05:30 PM	Elwood Gutworthy, beyond race and class. Also seems to forget how tall dwarves are. Oh god.... the dwarf was named Elwood? OH GOD, I named my bard Elwood! I named him after the Blues Brother I swear! Oh god I just threw up in my mouth...... oh I'm going to be sick.... I have to go cut myself now for hours and bleach my brain and burn my character sheet for having that much in common with anything remotely associatede with the D&D first movie....... oh gods of roleplaying forgive me!
Leo 03-17-07, 09:50 PM	Okay, so we should put it this way: What half-decent movie makes you remember D&D? Since it seems any movie with some kind of storyline and action in it can classify as D&Dish. Or maybe just because the movie was so freaking bad. My one: Princess Monomoke Guy gets cursed, guy goes adventuring, guy meets mysterious girll and bizzarre creatures, villain, plot, kill beasts saves the world, everything a good D&D game needs.
supernerd222 03-17-07, 10:19 PM	Yeah, I agree. No matter what movie you come up with, it'll have something to do with D&D. A Scanner Darkly? Has a demon. Bruce Almighty? High level spellcasters. Volver? Undead campaign. Michael Jackson Moonwalker? Call him a bard. Little Miss Sunshine? Traditional party: Fighter (wants to fly fighter jets), Barbarian (short tempered guy with few social skills), Rogue (makes charisma checks for a living), Bard (uses perform skill), and the compulsory Emo Guy of Unimportant Class. Go on a big cross country adventure. No matter what movie you pick, there's some tangential semblance to D&D. And even though Pan's Labyrinth had a Satyr and a giant frog that looked much like the miniature, it also had Spanish Fascists. I can't remember the last time I put Spanish Fascists in a game of D&D, but if I did it would be quite the strange game session.
Stardrake 03-17-07, 11:48 PM	Hey, that happens to be my favorite cheese.:P Not any Parmesan--the cheap stuff in the plastic shaker bottles, that bears little relationship to good Parmesan. Just like The Barbarians bears little resemblance to good Italian cinema.
Myree 03-18-07, 12:15 AM	I'll leave off both the seconds and denial arguments and such .. a lot of good stuff already mentioned -- 'nuf said. But, what I am surprised by is that no one has mentioned Mask of Zorro or Legend of Zorro. Both contain great fight scenes and story lines and some good BBEG's too. For that matter, how about the old version "Zorro The Gay Blade" -- now there was a hoot that gave a whole new twist to an old swashbuckling adventure.
madd0g200 03-18-07, 02:46 AM	Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. No dragons but it is an enitre movie about making epic skill checks.
longlivetheloud 03-18-07, 03:29 AM	It's Dungeons And Dragons. Not Guns...and whatever. that just goes against what D&D is. fantasy, man.
longlivetheloud 03-18-07, 03:33 AM	but the ultimate d&d film I have ever seen... uhm... perhaps the Conan films. the swords, blood, giant snake, everything. overthrowing a dark leader that has a spell cast on a bunch of people, and being told by the king to stop him, totally d&d.
draco1119 03-18-07, 03:40 AM	It's Dungeons And Dragons. Not Guns...and whatever. that just goes against what D&D is. fantasy, man. Guns and Girls. And if none of the three in that movie occupy your fantasies, then you're just not normal. :P
khyron1144 03-18-07, 04:02 AM	Guns and Girls. And if none of the three in that movie occupy your fantasies, then you're just not normal. :P At first, I read that as saying that guns are part of a normal person's fantasy life. That struck me as wrong. Now that I see you mean the three girls: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Lieu, I feel much more normal. Drew Barrymore's been the celebrity I have an adolescent crush on since Bad Girls. Now that I think on it, Bad Girls might be D&Dish for those who use the 1e Harlot Encounters table regularly
calronmoonflower 03-18-07, 04:42 AM	Well it a series, not a movie, but Louie the Ruin Soldier. 4 of the standard classes are represented. Louie- low int/wis sorcerer Genie- fighter Merrill- rogue Melissa- cleric All four of them first came togther at once in a bar, which Louie blew up. In the end Louie saved the kingdom by taking a leak. :uh-huh:
longlivetheloud 03-18-07, 04:48 AM	"Guns and Girls. And if none of the three in that movie occupy your fantasies, then you're just not normal. " I'll keep porn and fantasy gaming seperate, ha ha. Plus i'd prefer Swords and Girls.
longlivetheloud 03-18-07, 04:50 AM	and none of those babes were even hot! they're just 3 skinny chicks.
draco1119 03-18-07, 07:04 AM	and none of those babes were even hot! they're just 3 skinny chicks. BLASPHEMER!!!
The White Sorcerer 03-18-07, 07:25 AM	BLASPHEMER!!! Eh. Skinny = not attractive, mostly.
longlivetheloud 03-18-07, 08:04 AM	totally. blasphemer...I suppose it's my chaotic half talking...
Otto the Bugbear 03-18-07, 10:43 AM	Too many good ones to repeat, so I'll just try to add to the list... the 1001 list with almost no numbers... :confused: Anyway... Dracula - specifically Bram Stoker's, but most vampire movies can qualify. This one is so obvious it's amazing it took this long. Predator - An adventuring party gets sent on a "quest" which amounts to "kill stuff and take things". On the way back they encounter a demon/devil and have to defeat it. The Outlaw Josey Wales - He's a bad mother f...shut your mouth! that gets hired to guard the settlers as they travel out west. Battle is attracted to him the same way it's drawn to an adventuring party. Unforgiven - Retired adventurer with a shady past. He hears about one more big-time quest/adventure for hire. He hooks up with his old adventuring pal and takes on a newbie as well. Town is run by an "evil" lawman that abuses his powers. Adventurer and friends have run-in with that sheriff. Revenge ensues after his old adventuring pal is murdered. Blues Brothers - Somebody mentioned it in passing, but didn't actually add this movie to the list. They're "On a mission from god,", which is translated into D&D-speak as "quest". Old allies and enemies abound as they get where they need to go, despite all their foibles. Sounds like a typical D&D group to me.
zvbxrpl 03-18-07, 11:32 AM	I'd definitely agree with National Treasure being a good example, as well as both Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Additionally, if we're allowing TV shows to count, Farscape is great. The semi-dysfunctional nature of the 'party' therein really captures the interaction of most of the parties I've been in. Rygel particularly is a good example of an evil PC's relationship to a mostly good aligned party. Also, every character's backstory comes back to haunt them, which is great DMing.
Cryforge 03-18-07, 11:41 AM	Treasure Planet I second this movie for D&D representation of the Spelljammer campaign setting. It is very similar in many ways. (Plus the city it begins in looks like Sigil from Planescape.)
crimsonwolf 03-18-07, 11:47 AM	flicka :)
cat_god 03-18-07, 12:16 PM	I was going to say the Blues Brothers! That movie is great. I'll say both the Record of Lodoss War series. I'll also second Army of Darkness. I didn't know that the dwarf from the horrendous D&D movie had a last name. I also like the cheap parmesarn too...
Silverthumb128 03-18-07, 12:29 PM	Eh. Skinny =/= attractive, mostly. Fixed for agreeable truth. :D
terracustos 03-18-07, 12:58 PM	dark crystal labyrinth more to come later
Donald_Cannith 03-19-07, 01:06 AM	I can't believe this hasnt been mentioned yet. In terms of thw kind of intrigue i like in my my campain, I very much thoguht National treasure was a decent representation of dnd. Youve got some fighting, though th only ighter wind up turning o nthem. You've got Nick Cage's character who couldeasi;y be the archivist class, and Riley who is a decent rogue or wizard depending on where you stavk your comps and i mean i kno its not exactly the same but its beyter re than the marlon wayans movie.
WhiteRaven810 03-19-07, 02:06 AM	Red Dawn. Red Dawn. Red Dawn. Greatest. Movie. Ever. Take a step back, forget Red Dragons, stop looking for Elven Wizards, and ignore your yearning to slay rampaging Orc Hordes. Now replace that big Red with an Mi-24 helicopter gunship, that Elven Wizard becomes an AK-47 armed one Hit Dice Warrior, and instead of stomping Orc's, your going guerilla on Communist's. If you want "themes", "feelings", or "settings" remember, evil and tyranical empire dropping troops into the kingdom of a "good" (I believe America is generally good, but I'll leave it open for reasons of fairness) in an attempt to expand their land mass, gain new subjects, and make revenge against an old enemy. What not D&D about that?
johnhansen 03-19-07, 02:56 AM	This is a list of movies I own and show people who have never played a roleplaying game some interesting charaters or worlds to help them create their own characters. Dragonslayer The Hobbit Willow Ladyhawk Excalibur Clash of the titans The princess bride Conan the barbarian Dragon heart (I love 50% of this movie and hate the other 50% Big trouble in little china
The White Sorcerer 03-19-07, 03:37 AM	I didn't know that the dwarf from the horrendous D&D movie had a last name. In fact, for the whole length of the movie I didn't know the dwarf had a first name. The first time I noticed it being mentioned was during the end credits.
Zenogias 03-19-07, 04:05 AM	Another vote for Record of Lodoss War, which includes Louie the Rune Soldier being that both stories take place on the same planet, just different locations. Record of Lodoss War exceeds where any other media fails as the story of Lodoss is based on an actual campaign replay (which means that each session was logged and turned into something similer to a light novel). I suppose the 2nd D&D movie was 1000 times better then the first, but it needed a bigger budget, although they did well with what they had.
graddlin 03-19-07, 04:29 AM	monsters and mazes :rolleyes: HAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!! Tom Hanks was a genius in that film!! GENIUS!!! Behold the evil trash can!! .........don't ever watch that film.
graddlin 03-19-07, 04:34 AM	Sleepy Hollow. FANTASTIC MOVIE. Ya got da bad guy, da other bad guy, da big twisty plot, and da low level adventurers dat gain 52 exp at da end due to da fact dat they dont kill noffin but manage ta solve da mystery.:D GOOD STUFF!!
terracustos 03-19-07, 07:55 AM	the 300 spartans is perhaps the greatest film ever. It does not rely on CGI to make it appealing. ( I hate all the modern films that do that). It has some awesome battles scenes and it looks so natural and real. If you have not seen this movie you have to see it. I am also looking forward to seeing frank millers interpretation of the battle of thermopylae. I am so jealous of all of you that have seen 300. It hasn't came out in England yet. Have watched the trailers, I dont know how many times, and it could potentially be the greatest film ever. Yeah, I get to see it in 2 weeks. I am counting down the days:D
Ninja_Sensei 03-19-07, 09:29 AM	Reign of Fire (for the way they depicted dragons) And I've actually been watching the cartoon show (anime) called Avatar: The Last Airbender before my weekly game as it seems to be very D&D-ish to me and gets me in the mood.
Sudnji_cas 03-19-07, 09:34 AM	Well try living in Serbia. I learned about it from this thread. Who knows when will it be out.:weep: Samurai Champloo is good DnD example. You have the party. You have the bad guys. Zombies, ogre, bandits, pirates and lawful evil samurai. Reign of fire I watched that movie long time ago. I don't remember it at all. My cousin (she didn't liked it) depicted it like this: Well dude who the hell are you? I'm the guy who's taking over your fort. Oh, no you won't! Ok, I won't, whatever. *One night later* Guess what I've taken your fort! Then I guess we are gonna have to hunt the dragon. Yeah, lets take a bunch of warriors with us. Sure, time to go at a random direction. *After few days of travel dragon swoops down and scorch them* Well, we didn't need those losers anyway. Lets go. Wait I learned how to read and the dragon is this way. *They kill the dragon, with yelling "Oh, sh*t" alot and bunch of explosions* Well, I guess we're pretty cool for killing a single dragon with losing a huge band of useless people. Sure, see you later I'm going to wear sunglasses and be bald in my half burned castle.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-19-07, 09:47 AM	As for Serenity, I definitely agree (Consider it fifthed), though I would note that the TV show Firefly is a better representation than the "let's-wrap-it-up-since-we-got-cancelled" movie. Absolutley, but the thread is about movies so I kept it to that.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-19-07, 09:50 AM	The Flight of Dragons Anyone who hasnt seen this animated classic should check it out for free on google video.(im assuming that videos on google are public domain) I recommend skipping it and instead reading the far better book "The Dragon and the George" upon which it is losely based.
terracustos 03-19-07, 09:50 AM	Well try living in Serbia. I learned about it from this thread. Who knows when will it be out.:weep: Samurai Champloo is good DnD example. You have the party. You have the bad guys. Zombies, ogre, bandits, pirates and lawful evil samurai. If you haven't already, google '300 trailer'. It looks so awesome. I am intrigued - what is 'samurai champloo'?:confused:
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-19-07, 09:56 AM	Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. No dragons but it is an enitre movie about making epic skill checks. Oh sweet lord Jebus that movie sucked! Seriously, it is third, just behind A.I. and Moulin Rouge, on my list of worst movies ever.
terracustos 03-19-07, 09:59 AM	Oh sweet lord Jebus that movie sucked! Seriously, it is third, just behind A.I. and Moulin Rouge, on my list of worst movies ever. I second that about A.I. Worst movie ever. At the end i was thinking ' thats 2 and a half hours of my life that i wont get back!'.:zzz:
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-19-07, 09:59 AM	I can't believe this hasnt been mentioned yet. In terms of thw kind of intrigue i like in my my campain, I very much thoguht National treasure was a decent representation of dnd. It has been moentioned. Twice.
celtredleg 03-19-07, 10:33 AM	If you are old enough Tales of the Gold Monkey. I know short lived TV series, but we seem to be running out of movies.
Sudnji_cas 03-19-07, 10:42 AM	If you haven't already, google '300 trailer'. It looks so awesome. I am intrigued - what is 'samurai champloo'?:confused: I just googled it and... and... :OMG!: Some scenes seem kinda sick, and I wonder how did they made that fit int one movie does it last for 300 minutes? j/k Man, that guy likes to yell!
Dark Wizard 03-19-07, 10:54 AM	Almost all the movies from this list: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=788976
lastknightleft 03-19-07, 11:43 AM	However, you can't forget Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I wonder what the Killer Rabbit would look like as a monster... You see a white furred rabbit approaching, it's just a rabbit, no distinguishing features, yes it's definitely a normal white rabbit
EvilVegan 03-19-07, 12:15 PM	... Labyrinth - Becasue of this movie I have a high charisma goblin king named Sting. ... OMFG THATS !$@%*&^ DAVID BOWIE NOT STING YOU !$@%*&^ @!$)@(# ! !@$!!!$!@$ /explode. Sorry. No offense, but that's david bowie, not sting. That's like calling "golden apples" "expired mayonaise". I agree with most/all of the above suggestions and would like to add : Mad Max 2 & 3. Tank Girl Moonwalker (yes the one with michael jackson) Most martial arts movies Fifth Element Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV show and the original script for the movie) and Aliens 4 and anything else Joss Whedon has touched (even including those episodes of Rosanne he wrote). Buffy = Monk with sub levels and "Slayer" template, Willow = Sorcerer, Xander = Expert, Spike = Vampire fighter, Oz = Werewolf bard.
Prak, the Mad 03-19-07, 12:42 PM	It's Dungeons And Dragons. Not Guns...and whatever. that just goes against what D&D is. fantasy, man. I take it you are unaware that Forgotten Realms has guns... anyway.... we get the idea guys, anything is better than the D&D movies, lets get onto listing movies that actually represent D&D's ideals. I don't give a flying explosive rat's ass if Mr. Deeds is a better movie than either D&D flick, it doesn't represent D&D, in fact, I think they're about even... so let's stop the snide remarks, because they're getting annoying. the terminator movies kinda do... half-assed plot as far a D&D game goes, but they work. in fact it'd be interesting to take it a bit further and say the terminator accidently went a bit too far back(and shoulda taken a left at albequerqie) and wound up in oerth...
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-19-07, 12:52 PM	If you are old enough Tales of the Gold Monkey. I know short lived TV series, but we seem to be running out of movies. It was transparently a ripoff of Indiana Jones/RotLA, though, more than anything D&D-like.
The White Sorcerer 03-19-07, 01:05 PM	And I've actually been watching the cartoon show (anime) called Avatar: The Last Airbender before my weekly game as it seems to be very D&D-ish to me and gets me in the mood. Well it's technically not anime since it's an American show. But yeah, Avatar is an okay show.
Selena Ombrenoire 03-19-07, 01:30 PM	Although this thread is about movies, I have to mention the Angel TV series. It has great storytelling, developped and multilayered characters, lot of action and it feels epic. It's the standard I try to have in my D&D games. As for movies, I think Kingdom of Heaven hasn't been mentionned yet; it represents well what a paladin is really. X-Men 2 also deserve a mention for representing D&D in a modern setting: a party of people with superpowers trying to save the world. -Selena
Thrivol 03-19-07, 09:58 PM	Big Trouble in Little China. You have wind, fire, all that kind of thing.
terracustos 03-20-07, 06:11 AM	Hocus Pocus Neverending Story ( not the 2nd and 3rd as they are cheap sequels that insult the Neverending Story name) (Man, i should really start writing things down, I will have to add some more later when i can remember them):D
Kargush 03-20-07, 06:28 AM	Red Sonja (I'm kidding, please put down the chairs) Oh, it wasn't that bad. Well, maybe, but then it was so bad it almost became good. Like Buffy.:P
Kargush 03-20-07, 06:55 AM	Adding a new post since the EDIT didn't work. Oh come, now. The D&D movie was bad but Dragonheart was much worse. I quite liked Dragonheart. A little pretentious perhaps, but still good. David Thewlis... he was much better in Kingdom of Heaven. Oh yes, best Cleric ever! As for movies, I'm shocked none have mentioned The Magic Sword! OK, the dragon looks like a papiermache parade wagon, but the rest is all there! Even a casting of Baleful Polymorph! And the villain, an evil sorcerer, c'mon! Excellent movie, despite being from the sixties.
Zumarai 03-20-07, 08:45 AM	-Wizards (animated Ralph Bakshi film): Especially good for a Gammaworld type campaign – faeries and mutants etc. Heavy Metal (animated film based off of the magazine): Especially the "Tarna" chapter (an actual cool example of what a paladin could be like).
Ninja_Sensei 03-21-07, 08:56 AM	Well it's technically not anime since it's an American show. But yeah, Avatar is an okay show. Oops. Forgive me. I claim age-reduced mental capability. (My daughter and her anime friends would be sooo disappointed in me. ;) )
Ninja_Sensei 03-21-07, 08:58 AM	Big Trouble in Little China. You have wind, fire, all that kind of thing. And don't forget the six-demon bag! "We really shook the pillars of heaven, didn't we?"
Zumarai 03-21-07, 10:17 AM	And don't forget the six-demon bag! I thought it was "Seven Demon Bag"? "Are you insane, is that your problem?"
Seldriss 03-21-07, 11:02 AM	A Knight's Tale Barry Lyndon Conan the Barbarian Cyrano de Bergerac Dark Crystal Dragonheart Excalibur Hercules tv series (often cheesy but you get the point) Kagemusha Labyrinth Ladyhawk Princess Bride Ran Rio Bravo (seriously, westerns are so D&D, just remove the guns) Robin Hood (any version) Scaramouche Sleepy Hollow The Duelists The Lord of the Rings Trilogy The Magnificent Seven (see comment on westerns) The Seven Samurai (yes i know that's the original of the above) The Three Musketeers (any version) Zorro (Tyrone Power or Guy Williams) Willow ...
Zumarai 03-21-07, 11:50 AM	Barry Lyndon Interesting call. Apparently Kubrick developed (or stole from NASA) special lenses to film it, since it was shot entirely with natural lighting
ArcTan 03-21-07, 05:05 PM	certainly not Sin City. You really don't think so? To me the monologues are a great pulpy intro to the idea of the badass morally-ambiguous loner that a lot of "gritty" D&D scenarios demand. And the whole way characters have ridiculous power and can take down mooks easily and *acknowledge* this -- and the various power-levels of the characters around them -- in the story feels very old-school RPGish to me.
ArcTan 03-21-07, 05:06 PM	It was transparently a ripoff of Indiana Jones/RotLA, though, more than anything D&D-like. How is Indiana Jones anything but D&D-like? I object to the idea that "D&D-like" has to mean something that looks like medieval Europe.
ArcTan 03-21-07, 05:09 PM	It's Dungeons And Dragons. Not Guns...and whatever. that just goes against what D&D is. fantasy, man. Fantasies can't include guns? But they can include swords? You know that swords are also real, right? I don't mean to spin this off into a whole side discussion, but the way people unquestioningly accept the tropes of the "fantasy" genre kind of annoys me. All the time.
roninwolf109 03-21-07, 07:18 PM	I can't believe I never thought of Samurai Champloo! I even tried to build a Mugen-ish character once! The NG Ronin (Jin), CN (at best) Barbarian/Rogue (Mugen), and the NPC chick (Fuu) that makes the two of them take her somewhere and the three of them have adventures along the way! All kinds of D&D goodness!
High Octane 03-21-07, 07:32 PM	Jin is LG or LN. Fuu is a rogue.
The Livewire 03-21-07, 10:21 PM	Big Trouble came to mind immediately. Last of the Mohicians. improptu allies and all. Spaceballs is D&D, epic adventure, interrupted by constant bad jokes and references :-) Is Shogun counting as a movie?
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-22-07, 10:48 AM	I understand the desire to trash the D&D movie, I really do, but not every single other film in existence better represents the conventions of D&D - even the ones where a group of people get together to accomplish a goal. The biggest divergence of the film from D&D-ism is having a single "PC" be the chosen one upon whose shoulders everything rests, even going so far as having him leave the other "PCs" behind while he goes dungeon crawling on his own. That was about as anti-D&D as you can get. The second film, now that was D&D. It was still not a great film, of course - though it was miles better than the first, a top-tier B-movie fantasy - but it was D&D…right down to the stilted acting. ;)
Prak, the Mad 03-22-07, 02:06 PM	well, except for the cleric who apparently cast arcane spells...
roninwolf109 03-23-07, 10:52 AM	Okay, I'll relent that Jin is most likely LN (I've just watched the episode where he helps the girl escape from the brothel again)...however I'll have to stick to my original point that Fuu is just an NPC. What did she ever really do except in the first 2 episodes or so that didn't inspire a side quest for Mugen and Jin (usually in the form of save her from bad guys?)
High Octane 03-23-07, 12:19 PM	Spaceballs is D&D, epic adventure, interrupted by constant bad jokes and references :-) Its OOTS style D&D. Personally I think Serenity is still the closest to the style of D&D play, clever quip to clever quip. Joss Whedon could direct a good D&D movie if given the chance methinks.
Stormonu 03-23-07, 01:10 PM	the 300 spartans is perhaps the greatest film ever. It does not rely on CGI to make it appealing. How can you say that? The Rhino scene, the Elephant scene, Arrows blotting out the sun? The freaky WOLF? There's CGI everywhere in that movie, but it's interlaid so deceptively well. My List: Big Trouble In Little China Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven Yojimbo/Fistful of Dollars Seven Swords (chinese; about seven magic swords and their wielders & a wu jen..) Willow Dark Crystal Conan (1st is much better than 2nd) Hawk the Slayer (cheesy, but better than the D&D movie) Seventh Voyage of Sinbad Cutthroat Island (precursor for Pirates) Alien/Aliens/Alien 3/AVP Clash of the Titans Troy 300 Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (hey, we ran a D&D campaign based off this in 2E) Star Wars Pirates of the Carribean Jason and the Argonauts Has no one mentioned Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Harry Potter? I wish they'd make Fred Saberhagen's Book of Swords into a movie series...
WHW4 03-23-07, 02:18 PM	How can you say that? The Rhino scene, the Elephant scene, Arrows blotting out the sun? The freaky WOLF? There's CGI everywhere in that movie, but it's interlaid so deceptively well. Not to mention the sky, sea, ships, massed troops, and blood splatter during all those Woo-like slow-motion scenes. I enjoyed the movie except for a couple or three things... 1. The nudity. Call me a prude, but I just feel funny watching "jiggly bits" with a packed theatre. During the oracle scene, I half-thought the reel guy had thrown on an old Skin-emax movie. Yeah yeah... it's all setting and stuff, but... ah well, I guess it's my repressed Bible-belt upbringing crying for validation. Hehe. 2. The complete lack of any mention of the naval battle ocurring simultaneously. I just wanted a mention, I know the story was about the 300 Spartans... if I missed it, let me know. 3. Aside from a mere handful of Athenians, there is no mention of the -7000!- other Greeks at the pass. I know the Spartans were cool warrior dudes with a strict martial culture and all, but come on! Back on topic though... Second (and third) Dark Crystal. That movie has entertained and inspired me for years, and few movies do that for me. I appreciate the different vision of popular fantasy it shows.
Kazeofwinds 03-23-07, 02:21 PM	an addition to my previous mentions. Harold and Qumar go to White Castle. Its DnD with a drug problem and the munchies.
Kensan_Oni 03-23-07, 02:33 PM	Just because SOMEONE has to say it... The D&D movie is not a bad film. Bad cinimatography and editing, for sure, but it's not a bad film. It's in fact dead on par with Conan the Destroy and Krull, and is a better film then many mentioned on this list. I can go through the lists of the reasons people hate this film and knock them off one by one, but it's rather pointless. The only problem this film had, and the ONLY problem is had, was that the directors were new to the game, and made some lousy mistakes when filming. Even so, there was enough left in the cans to create a descent and fun film. That said, yes, there are some movies that do reflect how players actually play D&D better. Top on the list of mine is Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Swashbuckler!. However, that does not make D&D a bad film, like so many people WISH it was.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-23-07, 03:59 PM	Just because SOMEONE has to say it... The D&D movie is not a bad film. Bad cinimatography and editing, for sure, but it's not a bad film. It really was a bad film. A very bad film. Indeed I have a hard time thnking of anything good about it. You are welcome to try to "go through the lists of the reasons people hate this film and knock them off one by one" and I will happily refute every one of them on a case-by-case basis. It had a bad script, cast, plot, director, effects, sets, creatures, and costumes. That is was not "how players actually play D&D" is absolutely the least of its problems. Pray tell me, what about it was not bad? The single biggest problem I have with it is that the plot makes no damned sense at all. The good guys had a Rod of Gold Dragon control and could use it to kick the hell out of the bad guys. The bad guys want the Rod of Red Dragon control to fight back, but it resides in a magic dungeon that only one guy can enter. The good guys send said only guy who can enter the magic dungeon to get the one artifact that can fight them on even terms, thus putting it in reach of said bad guys? WTF?!? :uh-huh: Why didn't they just leave the damned thing where it was, safely out of reach of their enemies? When your story hinges around the fact that the best thing the hero could do is stay home and do nothing then you have some major plot issues.
Kensan_Oni 03-23-07, 04:18 PM	It really was a bad film. A very bad film. Indeed I have a hard time thnking of anything good about it. You are welcome to try to "go through the lists of the reasons people hate this film and knock them off one by one" and I will happily refute every one of them on a case-by-case basis. It had a bad script, cast, plot, director, effects, sets, creatures, and costumes. That is was not "how players actually play D&D" is absolutely the least of its problems. Pray tell me, what about it was not bad? Script: We will admit that some of the lines needed work. The opening with Marina could have used a real rewrite, but once you get past that, the script is just fine. Bad Cast? Let's see. Jeremy Irons? No, he's good. Bruce Payne? No, he's fine. Justin Whalin? No, he's got cred. Marlon Waynes is probably better in this film then most other things he's involved in. Kristen Wilson, a bad choice? No, no.. nothing is wrong with the cast. Plot. Wizard tries to find an artifact that will destroy the world. Theives are asked to steal the artifact first. Boy discovers his legacy in the meanwhile. ... Sounds like every Conan movie I've ever seen. Seems like a solid plot to me. Effects are in line with lower production values of the day. Considering how many people loved Xena and Hercules, you're just wrong on the graphics. Sets: Top notch sets, mostly shot on location. You can't complain about real life when it comes to sets. Creatures; Poor use of creatures, mainly due to poor directorship (Which I will not say was not good. The directors need to be shot) For the most part, however, if the Beholder scene was cut, there would be a lot less fuss over that aspect of the film. Costumes: What the heck is wrong with the costumes? I didn't see anything wrong with those. Heck, they're wearing more in this film then the Scorpion King. In conclusion, no, there was a lot good and fun about the film. Poor editing and bad directorship just makes it painful to the D&D player. However, that doesn't make it a bad film.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 03-23-07, 04:55 PM	Script: We will admit that some of the lines needed work. The opening with Marina could have used a real rewrite, but once you get past that, the script is just fine. Not fine. Not even clsoe to fine. Unless by fine you mean "very small and thin," cos then you might have a point. Bad Cast? Let's see. Jeremy Irons? No, he's good. Bruce Payne? No, he's fine. Justin Whalin? No, he's got cred. Marlon Waynes is probably better in this film then most other things he's involved in. Kristen Wilson, a bad choice? No, no.. nothing is wrong with the cast. Bad cast, or even more to the point bad casting. There is everything wrong with this bunch. There is only one name actor - who chews so much scenery he's probably still picking plaster out of his steeth - the rest are pretty much a bunch of nobodies who phone it it. Yes, a bad cast. The best one of the lot was Marlon Wayons, and I mean that. the only moment of the film that rang with any modicum of emotional truth was when Snails was up against Profion. His back was agianst the wall and he knew he was likely going to die, so he dropped the doofus facade that he hides behind to put people off guard and faciliatate his theivery and prepared to throw-down for real, to go out fighting even if he's going to lose. Plot. Wizard tries to find an artifact that will destroy the world. Theives are asked to steal the artifact first. Boy discovers his legacy in the meanwhile. ... Sounds like every Conan movie I've ever seen. Seems like a solid plot to me. Plot: Wizard tries to create an artifact that will destroy the world. Wizard fails. Wizard tries to find an artifact that will destroy the world but only one person in existence can get to it. Thief, said only person is existence who can get to the artifact, is asked by the good guys to go get it instead of leaving it forever beyond the reach of the bad guys. :uh-huh: Seems like a frakking idiotic mess of loosely connected plot-holes plot to me. Effects are in line with lower production values of the day. Considering how many people loved Xena and Hercules, you're just wrong on the graphics. Considering how much more the effects budget was on this flick than an entire season of Xena or Hercules I am absolutely right. The opening scene with Profion killing the dragon cost 1/3 of the film's budget, and it still looked like ass. Sets: Top notch sets, mostly shot on location. You can't complain about real life when it comes to sets. Locations aren't set's, they are locations. By "sets" I was refering to the purpose-built crap like the styrofoam Thieves Maze. Creatures; Poor use of creatures, mainly due to poor directorship (Which I will not say was not good. The directors need to be shot) For the most part, however, if the Beholder scene was cut, there would be a lot less fuss over that aspect of the film. The issue is not poor use of monsters, it is poor design of them. Check out the "orcs" in the bar scene some time, or even figure out what the hell that three-eyed purple guy is supposed to be. The only good monster in it was the beholder (which is actually not a true beholder, it is a lesser one). Costumes: What the heck is wrong with the costumes? I didn't see anything wrong with those. Heck, they're wearing more in this film then the Scorpion King. The costumes are fine so long as your idea of D&D style clothing comes from a Gap catalogue. Otherwise they looked like utter shash. For Bog's sake, Norda's breastplate looked like plastic, and it has nipples! In conclusion, no, there was a lot good and fun about the film. Poor editing and bad directorship just makes it painful to the D&D player. However, that doesn't make it a bad film. In conclusion, yes. What makes it a bad film is not that it is "painful to the D&D player," what makes it a bad film is that it is a bad film. As you have no doubt gathered, I think the D&D movie is total crap - utter, total crap - yet I also own a copy of it and have watched it more than once. Just cos "there was a lot good and fun about the film" does not make it any less bad. The second D&D movie was many times better. With no name actors at all, a fraction of the budget, and even worse effects, they still managed to make a better film.
Stormonu 03-23-07, 04:57 PM	Kensan, I can't agree with one thing you said. The script was poor, the plot worse, the acting horrible - for a movie. It is, at best, a C+ of a movie and definately a B grade movie overall. Unfortunately, when you have an epic like LotR to compare it to, the D&D movie just shows its ugly colors. The 2nd D&D movie was closer to what I'd expect from a D&D movie, but it had some bumbling to it as well. Overall, down the road I'm more inclined to pick up Dragonslayer (and I recently bought it and watched it again a couple weeks ago, in fact - not bad for a movie from 83') and watch it over the D&D movies. I think 10 or more years down the road, other than a few fanatical cult followers, they will be forgotten trash and maybe someone will make a real jab at a decent version. I mean compare the recent LotR movies to the one that came out in the 70's...
Deamon 03-23-07, 05:20 PM	How can you say that? The Rhino scene, the Elephant scene, Arrows blotting out the sun? The freaky WOLF? There's CGI everywhere in that movie, but it's interlaid so deceptively well. He's talking about the old film, that was based on the actual battle.
The Livewire 03-23-07, 06:18 PM	Ok. Well I'll need to get/rent The 300 spartans. The nudity in 300 didn't bother me, well the horacle did, but that's because she was so tiny she looked 12 :( and I enjoyed the 2nd movie, taking it for what it was. It's even better with the Commentary on. Krusk: "He's sitting in a soup of his own filth!" Jozan: "It's called a bath, Krusk. We suggest you try it sometime." Hmm, the original Power Rangers movie is kind of D&D themed. Heroes get butts kicked, heroes go on mystic quest, gain experience and magic items, come back kick bad guy's butt.
High Octane 03-23-07, 06:45 PM	Those who know me KNOW I can argue and I hate that movie with a vengeance. BRING IT! Script: We will admit that some of the lines needed work. Read: ALL OF THEM. The opening with Marina could have used a real rewrite, but once you get past that, the script is just fine. Every word spoken in the script is either badly worded, cliche, outside of the realm of D&D (Wayans says at one time "Why dont we just rob God while we are up here?" seeing as how monotheism is rare in D&D, thats way off base.) or used in such a blaringly obvious manner to portray something that they may as well have been reading stage directions. Bad Cast? Let's see. Jeremy Irons? No, he's good. Yes he is. IN GENERAL. Not in this movie. He didnt want to do this movie. You can see it. And he was directed horribly. Bruce Payne? No, he's fine. He was still badly directed and given bad lines. Hes also campy in this movie. I dont personally think hes a great actor, but hes not embarassingly bad. Really, for SOME actors, the problem wasnt taht they were bad actors, the problem is that in this movie they acted badly. Justin Whalin? No, he's got cred. From WHAT? Marlon Waynes is probably better in this film then most other things he's involved in. Um...... not hard. And pretty much false. Kristen Wilson, a bad choice? No, no.. nothing is wrong with the cast. was she the mage? Cause the mage was the only one I would give the lofty wonderful description of "Mediocre". The rest got MUCH worse ratings. Plot. Wizard tries to find an artifact that will destroy the world. Theives are asked to steal the artifact first. Boy discovers his legacy in the meanwhile. ... Sounds like every Conan movie I've ever seen. Seems like a solid plot to me. Read: CLICHE. And poorly executed cliche at that. The artifact itself in its description is offensive to D&D players. A rod that controls dragons, like they are some dumb beasts. Actually the plot was that they needed the second rod so the queen would have leverage after giving up the first one. That was the most idiotic idea ever since the entire idea of the giving up the rod was giving up her leverage. Now the queen's "Goodness" was never explained. "All people should be free and equal" was said, but what was that supposed to mean? Equal protection under law? What exactly was she trying to do? THIN PLOT, FULL OF HOLES, CLICHE. Plot = Lose Effects are in line with lower production values of the day. This movie was made AFTER Dragonheart. Considering how many people loved Xena and Hercules, you're just wrong on the graphics. TV shows have far lower expectations than theatre releases in the effects department, and the effects are egenerally better placed on those shows. Plus the shows were given slack for being campy because they were intentionally a bit campy to be funny! Hell what do you expect with Sam Raimi producing? Sets: Top notch sets, Some were okay, but they were poorly lit and failed to set correct moods. Many sets felt small and quite empty. Sets aside, the ambience was bad. mostly shot on location. You can't complain about real life when it comes to sets. I have to disagree. You can complain about real life if its a poor set. Also its a FANTASY world. Being a real castle doesnt make it any more authentic than a well made fake one. Creatures; Poor use of creatures, mainly due to poor directorship (Which I will not say was not good. The directors need to be shot) For the most part, however, if the Beholder scene was cut, there would be a lot less fuss over that aspect of the film. I agree. Not even all the beholders needed to be cut. Just the part where they threw a rock and it fell for it. Costumes: What the heck is wrong with the costumes? I didn't see anything wrong with those. Heck, they're wearing more in this film then the Scorpion King. Erm, Scorpion King is not the best comparison idea. Its not exactly Shakespeare. The costumes werent all bad, but some stuck out as obnoxiously bad. The dwarves costume was awful. The elf's costume was laughable (pointy boobplate on a balet outfit) and the queen was awfully dressed at every point. In conclusion, no, there was a lot good and fun about the film. Yes there was! First it ended, which made MANY people happy, and then there was the ritual BURNING of any copies of it and everything associated! And you get a free lollipop from the doctor after you go to him to have the part of your brain that holds that memory of seeing this movie and ever having knowledge of it EXISTING. Poor editing and bad directorship just makes it painful to the D&D player. However, that doesn't make it a bad film. Yes. It. Does.
johnkretzer 03-23-07, 06:51 PM	Reign of Fire (for the way they depicted dragons) really? You like the way they reduced the games most intelligent and dangerous monsters into giant fire breathing locusts?....I hated that movie due to their depiction of dragons.
High Octane 03-23-07, 06:58 PM	really? You like the way they reduced the games most intelligent and dangerous monsters into giant fire breathing locusts? They pretty much did that in the D&D movie.
johnkretzer 03-23-07, 07:07 PM	They pretty much did that in the D&D movie. I do not speak about that.... movie anymore.
protonik 03-23-07, 10:47 PM	precisely, and it and 300 are more about sentiment than setting, same with A Knight's Tale I wouldn't tell Frank Miller that as regards Sin City, to him the setting is as intrinsic as the story.
protonik 03-23-07, 10:53 PM	I don't know if anybody has said it but the temple in Alien/Predator was a bad *** dungeon and the story was very much in tune with D&D. Whether the movie was goo dis entirely subjective, I found it enjoyable with weak elements, but it was still extremely D&D.
Adamaro23 03-24-07, 01:38 AM	:rofl::rofl: you can't forget Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I wonder what the Killer Rabbit would look like as a monster... Me and my friends made him, i think we made the uber-power bunny with a CR of 35:D it took 16x damage from Holy-Hand Grenades Upon creating this we played a "Quest for the Holy Grail" Campaign that lasted for 3 months. That was awsome, we threw in a house rule that everything you said was said by your character in-game. Even if you declared that you were saying something out of character. We played every Friday at a Burger King, he best-line ever was: p1:"I want some fries, can you give me some money dude?" p2:"Why should i give you my gold?, i've got a family at home!" p1:"Cut it out." p2:"Cut what out?" p1:"Can we talk out-of character?!!!" p2:"I've no idea what your talking about good sir." This campaign was so hilarious, and annoying to player1. but on topic, Ladyhawk, and The Sword and the Sorceror
High Octane 03-24-07, 10:53 AM	I don't know if anybody has said it but the temple in Alien/Predator was a bad *** dungeon and the story was very much in tune with D&D. Whether the movie was goo dis entirely subjective, I found it enjoyable with weak elements, but it was still extremely D&D. I did too. Scott Kurtz said it best. "Thirty minutes of brilliance wrapped in an hour of suck."
Prak, the Mad 03-24-07, 01:49 PM	2. The complete lack of any mention of the naval battle ocurring simultaneously. I just wanted a mention, I know the story was about the 300 Spartans... if I missed it, let me know. the spartans hated the athenians, and it was a spartan telling the story, that's why. 3. Aside from a mere handful of Athenians, there is no mention of the -7000!- other Greeks at the pass. I know the Spartans were cool warrior dudes with a strict martial culture and all, but come on! again, spartan telling the story The nudity in 300 didn't bother me, well the horacle did, but that's because she was so tiny she looked 12 did you miss the part where they said the Ephols chose the preetiest girls to be the oracles? or perhaps the part where, historically, 12 was an adut? it's vaguely historical, and likely the reason... I wouldn't tell Frank Miller that as regards Sin City, to him the setting is as intrinsic as the story. I meant their inclusion in my list is more about the sentiment than the setting...
programmer182 03-24-07, 01:58 PM	i've been playing for many years and i have played modern classic even space and wild west campaigns and nothing out but sin city and other random tarrintino flics actually even come close to a real role playing experience. the game moves from session to session based on the moods of players individual motives and even a dm's eagerness to finsih his campaign if a dm's unhappy it could end viollently. one player befriends another only to kill him latter they don't make movies like that it takes too much time to build up the characters.
Sudnji_cas 03-24-07, 02:03 PM	did you miss the part where they said the Ephols chose the preetiest girls to be the oracles? or perhaps the part where, historically, 12 was an adut? it's vaguely historical, and likely the reason... It doesn't make it any less sick. Not even ONE tiniest little bit
The Livewire 03-25-07, 12:23 AM	It doesn't make it any less sick. Not even ONE tiniest little bit Agreed. The actress is 22, and a model, and tiny as a reed. So yes it's an adult gyrating, which only makes sense. My Goddaughter's 12. I don't want her moving like that.
Ubermog 03-25-07, 03:41 AM	What about FInal Fantasy VII: Advent Children? It's pretty close to a decent ebberon-style setting, villians, monsters... and on the first d&d movie, i thought the villans started with the good wand, and the good guys were after the evil wand as a counter?
terracustos 03-25-07, 07:30 AM	How can you say that? The Rhino scene, the Elephant scene, Arrows blotting out the sun? The freaky WOLF? There's CGI everywhere in that movie, but it's interlaid so deceptively well. Sorry. but you are thinking of the wrong film. I am talking about the classic 1962 film 'The 300 Spartans'. It is completely different to the 2007 film '300'. I am going to see this new film '300' though next weekend and i cant wait. Not all CGI is a bad thing. I just dont like films that rely solely on CGI.:D
terracustos 03-25-07, 07:46 AM	My Current list: A Knights Tale Troy Labyrinth Dark Crystal Conan 1 and 2 Barbarian Queen 1 and 2 Deathstalker 1 to 4 The 300 Spartans 300 (haven’t seen it yet but I know it’ll be awesome) Clash of the Titans Jason and the Argonaughts The Warrior and the Sorceress Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2 Any Robin Hood film Willow LoTR trilogy Any other classic 80’s fantasy films with realistic fighting, hot topless women:shocked: and a good story line :D
Scavelock 03-25-07, 11:51 AM	Just because SOMEONE has to say it... The D&D movie is not a bad film. Bad cinimatography and editing, for sure, but it's not a bad film. It's in fact dead on par with Conan the Destroy and Krull, and is a better film then many mentioned on this list. I can't agree with you here. The special effects in the DnD movie were better than both Conan and Krull, but at least those films had interesting stories and a sense of wonder. Conan the Destroyer was a great film; the music was powerful and the story needed very little dialogue to sell it. Krull was imaginitive; the special effects were terrible by today's standard, and maybe not even great by it's own days standard, but it was orginal. I never got that from the DnD film, and in an age of technological wonder, that is rather strange. I agree that the DnD film is as good or better than many of the films mentioned, especially some of the films I liked as a kid, but it certainly didn't feel like DnD to me. It didn't help that the story, in my opinion, was rather boring.
Angel Black 03-26-07, 06:57 PM	an addition to my previous mentions. Harold and Qumar go to White Castle. Its DnD with a drug problem and the munchies. That's one of my "More Than Meets The Eye" movies :D, here there are a little more - Bubble Boy: Permanency spell + Prismatic Sphere at its best !!! - Ladyhawke: Best Cleric/Rogue/Fighter/Aristocrat party ever. - The Mighty: A "tank" and a smart little guy, they are totally into the epic hero's business. - The Man who Knew Too Little: Funny and clever uses of Versatile Performer , Skill Focus(Bluff), and many more feats that grant skill bonuses. - The Princess Bride Just that little tale that one grandfather told his grandchildren...:D
Devil Gnasher 03-31-07, 07:41 PM	The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen (better source for paladins than Miko or her ilk.) The Sting (great for designing evil and non-evil thieves guilds alike. Shows you how a party of non-Lawful rogues can work together without stabbing each other in the back.) Ocean's Eleven (think of it as a social interaction adventure/dungeon crawler without a bodycount. Just like The Sting it shows you how a party of non-Lawful rogues can work together without stabbing each other in the back.) The Princess Bride (already mentioned.)
terracustos 03-31-07, 08:30 PM	Holy mother of god! I have just seen something as godly as me! 300 is the greatest film that has ever and will ever be created. I will have to go and c it 2moro...and the day after that...and the day after that...and the(this may go on 4 a while). If anyone has not seen this film you have to go c it!
khyron1144 03-31-07, 10:08 PM	Better reprisents DnD than the DnD movies? The mupet's cristmas carol. How about the Muppet's Treasure Island? The plot is very D&Dish (a quest for treasure). The pirate names are very D&Dish (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=816208): Old Tom, Really Old Tom, Dead Tom, Bug-Eyed Baby-Eating (whatever the rest of it was), and Sweetums. And eveyrone must hear the "When You're A Professional Pirate" song before they die.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 04-02-07, 10:14 AM	Alien/Predator…Whether the movie was goo dis entirely subjective No, it isn't. The movie is objectively ****.
Screams_of_the_Oak 04-02-07, 10:30 AM	Labyrinth Ladyhawke Legend Legend makes it for me as well.
roninwolf109 04-02-07, 10:38 AM	Yes, Aliens vs. Predator was a steaming pile of go se....I was so ticked when I left that flick. I couldn't believe I had waited ten years to see that...movie...and they ruined it! Movie so...bad...can't make...words...*inarticulate rage filled mutterings* It was almost as bad as the first D&D movie! Two races of dragons fighting each other...that are both immune to the other's breath weapons! And what do the uber-smart BBEGs do? Start lobbing FIREBALLS at the (as previously mentioned) dragons that ARE IMMUNE TO THE GORRAM FIREBALLS! WHO'S THE BAKA YARO WHO THOUGHT THAT UP!!
mobius2702 04-02-07, 11:30 AM	The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen (better source for paladins than Miko or her ilk.) The Sting (great for designing evil and non-evil thieves guilds alike. Shows you how a party of non-Lawful rogues can work together without stabbing each other in the back.) Ocean's Eleven (think of it as a social interaction adventure/dungeon crawler without a bodycount. Just like The Sting it shows you how a party of non-Lawful rogues can work together without stabbing each other in the back.) The Princess Bride (already mentioned.) Speaking of a party of non-lawful rogues... Heat (w/DeNiro/Pacino) was a great example of a party of rogues. It had the NPC who sets up the missions (Jon Voight), Al Pacino (The BBGG to the party of thieves), stealth stuff, skill checks galore, and brutal mass combat when the party gets sold out and the plan goes awry. I would love to play the bank shootout scene in DnD. Remove the guns, of course, and you would have what combat turns into when some high level adventurers think they are above the law and decide to fight their way out. Remove the dramatic elements (if you're inclined, leave the dramatic elements in!) and you have a great adventure. You even have the BBGG meeting a party member and letting him go! Whenever I want inspiration for a criminal element to an adventure, I watch Heat. A movie that has horror potential, but I haven't done anything with it yet, is Event Horizon. Change the setting (spaceship in deep space) but you still have the party investigating a mysterious horror. That's it from me.
Shadowhowler 04-02-07, 12:54 PM	It's interisting how people relate varrious seemingly unrelatable films to D&D. I would guess a lot of this is becuase those players only play D&D and not any other games. For me, I love gaming, so I often relate films, books, storys to varrious gaming experinces... but I play many differant games, so I have a broad basis for relating. An above poster mentioned 'Heat'... a great film, I found it to be TOTALY in the feel of the Cyberpunk game, which I also play. Likewise 'BladeRunner', which was also mentioned... total Cyberpunk... in fact, the movie was one of the insperations for the game itself. Other movies relate more To White Wolf games like Vampire or Warewolf for me then to D&D. So... yeah, I can draw a comparasion from most movies to some gaming experince... but the ones that go to D&D normaly have some sense of 'genre' that takes them there... the already mentioned LotR's movies, Braveheart, Laybrinth, The Princess Bride, Conan, and on and on. How many of you that have refrenced these less genre related films actualy play games other then D&D? Not a sarcastic question, I honestly want to know.
mobius2702 04-02-07, 01:21 PM	It's interisting how people relate varrious seemingly unrelatable films to D&D. I would guess a lot of this is becuase those players only play D&D and not any other games. For me, I love gaming, so I often relate films, books, storys to varrious gaming experinces... but I play many differant games, so I have a broad basis for relating. An above poster mentioned 'Heat'... a great film, I found it to be TOTALY in the feel of the Cyberpunk game, which I also play. Likewise 'BladeRunner', which was also mentioned... total Cyberpunk... in fact, the movie was one of the insperations for the game itself. Other movies relate more To White Wolf games like Vampire or Warewolf for me then to D&D. So... yeah, I can draw a comparasion from most movies to some gaming experince... but the ones that go to D&D normaly have some sense of 'genre' that takes them there... the already mentioned LotR's movies, Braveheart, Laybrinth, The Princess Bride, Conan, and on and on. How many of you that have refrenced these less genre related films actualy play games other then D&D? Not a sarcastic question, I honestly want to know. Ideally, I would prefer to keep the guns and play it out as a Shadowrun scenario, but since this is the Dungeons & Dragons forums, I adapted a bit. Event Horizon? More Call of Cthulu than D&D... But no, anymore, I only play D&D. I only have 2 saturdays a month. One of those saturdays I run a game. The other one is run by a buddy. We have 12 gamers total (not everyone makes every game) and the one game we all know is D&D. So we both run D&D games. It's not so much about the time to learn different games... it's the time to play campaigns. If even one session was a one-shot for some other game thrown in, that ultimately means two months between sessions for one of the campaigns. That is unacceptable, especially given that there will be time involved in that one-shot that will be character creation... and certainly, we will be teaching at least one gamer rules to any game we deicde to play. So now every movie I watch, every book I read, gets examined through D&D-colored lenses. Because that's all we have time for.
khyron1144 04-02-07, 01:24 PM	It's interisting how people relate varrious seemingly unrelatable films to D&D. I would guess a lot of this is becuase those players only play D&D and not any other games. <snip> How many of you that have refrenced these less genre related films actualy play games other then D&D? Not a sarcastic question, I honestly want to know. To me there is no such thing as an unrelatable film because most of the things that put a film into one genre over another are set dressing: Blade Runner is as D&D-related as it is Cyberpunk-related. I do play other games, including Call of Cthulhu, old World of Darkness, and DC Heroes. I would probably harvest the same movies on this list for inspiration for the other games, the same as I would for D&D.
TheFlash 04-02-07, 01:26 PM	Xena The Warrior Princess Hercules: the Legendary Journey This is what a D&D series could look like! (with more characters) but , beatiful outdoor set, great comedy and action with small budget!!! MOVIE: The Lord of the Rings Willow Clash of the Titans 13th warrior Dragonslayer Lodoss War Narnia
Shadowhowler 04-02-07, 01:29 PM	So now every movie I watch, every book I read, gets examined through D&D-colored lenses. Because that's all we have time for. I know what you mean about time... I only play once in a great while now, and the only game people around me play anymore is D&D, thus I only play D&D now as well. However, I HAVE played the other games, and wish I could play them again... so when I relate movies, books and stories to gaming, I still relate them to the game I think best exmplifies the story in question, even tho the only actual game outlet I curently have is D&D.
Shadowhowler 04-02-07, 01:33 PM	To me there is no such thing as an unrelatable film because most of the things that put a film into one genre over another are set dressing: Blade Runner is as D&D-related as it is Cyberpunk-related. Sure... if you want to, you can draw a relation from any story to any game genre, but if you HAVE more then one game genre to refrence, then I find it more natural to draw the refrence to the game that most closly fits the story in question, with the least modifcation needed. No way in HELL that Bladerunner is as D&D related as it is Cyberpunk related. To relate it to D&D you need to completely alter the setting, where as to relate it to Cyberpunk you need do nothing, it *IS* Cyberpunk, timeline, setting, equpement, everything. Many adaptations/changes need to be made to draw the relation to D&D... so the similarities are no where near equal.
mobius2702 04-02-07, 01:47 PM	But I think we're talking about movies which reflect the nature of DnD... which leads to movies that we use as inspiration for either our characters (as players) or our adventures (as DMs). Back in the mid 90s when Heat came out, when we were playing lots of Shadowrun, that movie became an instant inspiration for us. Since we've had to default to DnD for reasons mentioned earlier, we've had to adapt any movie to DnD. It doesn't matter the system I play, if I were looking for inspiration for a good thieving-type scenario, I would turn to Heat. In my current campaign, my players are active Waterdeep City Watch members (meaning they solve crimes, patrol the streets, etc...). Since Heat has served me so well in the past, I am again drawing on that movie, only this time from Pacino's point of view. These are mostly different players than the ones I gamed with in the mid 90s, so I can again draw from that movie. Does it matter that everything is different? Not really. It has the elements I'm looking for in a good watch vs. guild story, so I use it.
_Jayne_Cobb_ 04-02-07, 05:18 PM	It's interisting how people relate varrious seemingly unrelatable films to D&D. I would guess a lot of this is becuase those players only play D&D and not any other games. I find it equally strange how many people relate various films to D&D when the only thing they have in common is the swords and/or fanatsy genre. Something like Bravheart - despite the presence of swords and battles - is remarkably far-removed from the "kill monsters and steal their ****" school of heroic party-based fantasy exemplified by D&D.
Shadowhowler 04-02-07, 10:16 PM	I find it equally strange how many people relate various films to D&D when the only thing they have in common is the swords and/or fanatsy genre. Something like Bravheart - despite the presence of swords and battles - is remarkably far-removed from the "kill monsters and steal their ****" school of heroic party-based fantasy exemplified by D&D. Guess it depends on the kind of D&D you like to play. Certainly the above example you give is the more comon one, but there are groups that play D&D games that are more like what goes down in Braveheart... except that there are other races and magic involved. However... not every gaming group is about killing and looting just to gain more stuff and levels. Some are actaully playing characters with goals and ideals, and the adventures they get invovled in are to further those goals and ideals, not just to kill stuff, level up and get phat loot. Differant strokes.
Ninja_Sensei 04-03-07, 08:58 AM	In light of recent posts (where we are referring to inspiration for characters, style of play, etc), I'd have to add Kelly's Heroes to our group's list. We've had many face-offs as did Telly Savalas, Clint Eastwood, and Donald Sutherland when facing off the Tiger tanks (which, of course, was stolen from the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns). And of course: "Make him a deal." "What kind of deal?" "A deal deal."
_Jayne_Cobb_ 04-03-07, 09:12 AM	Certainly the above example you give is the more comon one, but there are groups that play D&D games that are more like what goes down in Braveheart... except that there are other races and magic involved. How odd. Most of the D&D games I've played in focus on a group of adventurers accompliching goals collectively, not just a single hero and his love story/vengeance quest. YMMV. However... not every gaming group is about killing and looting just to gain more stuff and levels. Some are actaully playing characters with goals and ideals, and the adventures they get invovled in are to further those goals and ideals, not just to kill stuff, level up and get phat loot. Yes, I am well aware of that. Sorry, I assumed it was blatantly obvious that "kill monsters and steal their ****" was tongue-in-cheek humour and that the "heroic party-based fantasy" was the salient point.
Sajek 04-03-07, 08:59 PM	There's a new movie coming out this summer I think, called Pathfinder: Legend of the Ghost Warrior. It's about the viking invasions into North America in the 800s AD. Looks very D&Desque.
Chimaera2000 04-04-07, 08:39 AM	Joss Whedon could direct a good D&D movie if given the chance methinks. I :inlove: this idea. :drool: It would never happen (just like more seasons of Firefly will never happen), but we can dream! The single best representation of a D & D session I've ever seen is, of course, "The Gamers." If you haven't seen this movie, SEE IT NOW. I haven't laughed that hard at a movie in a long time. The movie "Poseidon" can be considered vaguely D & D-esque in that you have a group of people that must cooperate together to overcome a number of obstacles, very much akin to a dungeon. It's a low-level game, of course.
Shadowhowler 04-04-07, 09:28 PM	The single best representation of a D & D session I've ever seen is, of course, "The Gamers." If you haven't seen this movie, SEE IT NOW. I haven't laughed that hard at a movie in a long time. I have not seen, or even heard of this movie... :confused: I'll look for it ASAP.
High Octane 04-05-07, 02:07 AM	One of the things that I notice is that everyone is mentioning as many fantasy movies as they can think of. D&D is set in a fantasy realm, but its most important aspect is not the swords and sorcery. Its the heroes. Even though the characters arent necessarily "heroes" they are a band of a few who overcome incredible odds and beat things no ordinary man could. Also, it involves teamwork and a group of not necessarily like-minded people working together. Movies like Serenity had a band of different types with different skills working together. This is a good example. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen also had the traits that would make a fine D&D movie (it wasnt a very good movie, but it had the traits). The Hercules and Xena adventures also had the whole heroes overcoming incredib le odds thing going. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly certainly had the personalities of a few characters bouncing off one another. Finally, The Princess Bride had characters with different methods, goals, and abilities working against each other and together in very fun manners, not to mention the clever witty dialog.
RichardAwesome 04-05-07, 02:03 PM	The Big Lebowski. The character interactions alone say it all. "Walter Sobchak: You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don't wanna know about it, believe me. The Dude: Yeah, but Walter... Walter Sobchak: Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this afternoon... with nail polish. These %@^# amateurs..." "The Dude: Walter, ya know, it's Smokey, so his toe slipped over the line a little, big deal. It's just a game, man. Walter Sobchak: Dude, this is a league game, this determines who enters the next round robin. Am I wrong? Am I wrong? Smokey: Yeah, but I wasn't over. Gimme the marker Dude, I'm marking it 8. Walter Sobchak: [pulls out a gun] Smokey, my friend, you are entering a world of pain. The Dude: Walter... Walter Sobchak: You mark that frame an 8, and you're entering a world of pain. Smokey: I'm not... Walter Sobchak: A world of pain. Smokey: Dude, he's your partner... Walter Sobchak: [shouting] Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a #@%$ about the rules? Mark it zero! The Dude: They're calling the cops, put the piece away. Walter Sobchak: Mark it zero! [points gun in Smokey's face] The Dude: Walter... Walter Sobchak: [shouting] You think I'm @%^$ing around here? Mark it zero! Smokey: All right, it's ****ing zero. Are you happy, you crazy ^%$@? Walter Sobchak: ...It's a league game, Smokey. " Dunno why, but this reminds me of some player interactions during a game..(in character and out). Minus a gun, really.
DreadArchon 04-05-07, 05:13 PM	-Wizards (animated Ralph Bakshi film): Especially good for a Gammaworld type campaign – faeries and mutants etc. Agreed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_(film)), especially for the part where it shows what happens when you don't plan out your BBEG's well. :D
Shatteredtower 04-05-07, 09:03 PM	Joss Whedon could direct a good D&D movie if given the chance methinks.Oh, dear god, no. What a dull, dreary idea. Sure, the villain would be interesting for all of seven minutes, but he does pathetic protagonists, as can plainly be seen once you get past the quips slathered sixteen layers deep like rancid mayonnaisse.
roninwolf109 04-06-07, 12:46 PM	Shatteredtower, just allow me to say.... BLASPHEMER! YOU DARE MOCK JOSS! :headexplo :censored: :censored:
Vyvyan Basterd 04-06-07, 01:05 PM	Sure... if you want to, you can draw a relation from any story to any game genre, but if you HAVE more then one game genre to refrence, then I find it more natural to draw the refrence to the game that most closly fits the story in question, with the least modifcation needed. No way in HELL that Bladerunner is as D&D related as it is Cyberpunk related. To relate it to D&D you need to completely alter the setting, where as to relate it to Cyberpunk you need do nothing, it *IS* Cyberpunk, timeline, setting, equpement, everything. Many adaptations/changes need to be made to draw the relation to D&D... so the similarities are no where near equal. But sometimes pulling your inspiration from an unexpected source creates a better product. The Cohen brothers took the Odyssey and produced Oh Brother Where Art Thou, one of my favorite movies.
Shatteredtower 04-06-07, 01:18 PM	Thank you, roninwolf109 -- I had forty bucks riding on having the word "blasphemer" appear in the very next post. I don't mock Mr. Whedon. I just happen to find his work incredibly predictable and overrated. I also can't have much respect for a show that displays significant Asian influences, regular use of Mandarin, two characters named Tam among the main cast... ...and not a single major cast member of Asian heritage. His romances lack any level of emotional maturity, but he tends to kill them off before his audiences notice that. (At least Spike waited until Buffy was out of her teen years, but yeesh.) His handling of death is also rather inconsistent when it comes to characters: compare Jenny Calendar, Anya, Kendra, and Joyce Summers. Yeah, okay, so most D&D campaigns are like that. Nobody pretends they'd make remotely good movies, though.
Otto the Bugbear 04-06-07, 04:02 PM	Back on topic... I haven't kept up with the thread, but I just wanted to mention one more that I just finished watching. Beowulf and Grendel I've never read the translated poem, but the movie certainly qualifies as a D&D style movie. As well it should, considering the source.
Angel Black 04-10-07, 07:43 PM	Movies for... the Fighter: The Scorpion king,Highlander,The Patriot the Barbarian: Planet of the Apes,Conan the Barbarian,Musa "The Warrior" the Rogue: The Great Escape,The Thief of Bagdad,Gangs of New York the Monk: Kung Fu Hustle,Kung Pow:Enter the Fist,Shangai Noon