Tuesday, December 22, 2020

The D&D Movie

 So, there was a time when fans spoke of good, bad, and Sci-Fi channel bad. 

And within our own niche of fantasy and science fiction there was good, bad, and D&D movie bad.*

But now the powers that be are thinking of giving the whole D&D thing another try:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/17/new-dungeons-dragons-movie-chris-pine-repeat-lord-of-the-rings-magic?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR2EmEbPveuPrJlMaiKOjdX-NZSXsuqXBqKxPggyy5L_INhzcy

I admit I shuddered a bit at the reference that the story would  

"take a subversive approach to the game".

This cd mean a witty, ironic take on a typical party of PCs on a typical adventure. Making a mock, as it were. Laughing with us, not at us.

Or it cd mean throwing together a stream of random jokes and pratfalls, with no clue what makes this strange game so appealing to so many.  Laughing at us, rather than with us.

We shd soon know: filming is supposed to take place in the first quarter of 2021. Which wd start a little over a week from now.

I admit I'm curious over one detail: the choice of Belfast as the place to film this. Too modern a city, I wd have thought: not medieval enough.

--John R.


*The writer of the Guardian article puts it well when he sums up the earlier efforts with  "some of you may recall in regret the awful Jeremy Irons movie from 2000, with its two lamentable sequels".




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2 comments:

  1. insurrbutionDecember 24, 2020 at 8:57 AM

    Ever since The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, I've always had an 'itch' for fantasy and medieval films, no matter how good or not they were.

    A great example of a 'good "bad" movie' is Warcraft from 2016 and King Arthur from 2017. They weren't too good (on a "cinema" level) but they were definitely entertaining. You know, for enjoying the spectacle of action scenes, etc. Popcorn movies, if you will.

    I also feel the same way towards Game of Thrones, and Vikings. One of my favourite things is watching a 2 hours Viking premiere (or finale) and having a big mug of beer.

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  2. John D. RateliffDecember 25, 2020 at 11:58 AM

    Dear Insurrbution

    I know what you mean. Since the end of the Peter Jackson films I've seen a few good fantasy movies (e.g. GOLDEN COMPASS), a lot of anime (which includes a lot of good fantasy), and all the Godzilla movies (classic popcorn movie fare).

    One development I didn't see coming was the popularity of watching-people-play-the-game shows online.

    And I admit to looking forward to the Amazon LotR series with eager misgivings, if that makes sense.

    --John R.

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