Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Blake Rivera If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Anssi Vartiainen As someone who has played D&D for years, I can only marvel how this movie even manages to exist. It feels like someone literally took their campaign notes and used them as a script. It's not a movie inspired by roleplaying games, it's not based on any single campaign. It simply is a campaign, word for word.And for what it is, it's amazing. The world of Dungeons & Dragons is transferred to the silver screen in all of its geeky glory. Men of might and valor set worth from their rural origins to battle great evil. Necromancers openly walk the streets, mass murdering people left and right with their black magic. Because that's what you do when you're evil. Loot is gathered, and even sold in stores, using the geekiest names imaginable. Dragons are slain, forces vanquished and damsels saved. It's glorious.It's also stupid beyond all belief, don't get me wrong, but that's how we like it. The acting is surprisingly decent, given the budget, but it's still pretty terrible. The technical aspects show the lack of budget and the story... well, as stated, I think they simply used the campaign notes instead of writing an actual script.This movie has a lot of "so bad it's good" value to it, especially if you're a gamer. It's bad, it's oh so bad, but it's entertaining as well. Exercise caution and bring a bowl of popcorn.

TheLittleSongbird That is saying a lot though, because the first Dungeons & Dragons gets my vote as the worst fantasy film ever made and among the worst movies in general; the second is a little better but is rather mediocre. Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness isn't great but compared to the previous movies it's certainly watchable. The ending is far too rushed and anti-climatic, also on the convoluted side. The dragon battle is also rather hastily paced and a little cheap-looking. The movie does drag a little at the beginning(the prologue maybe could have been trimmed a bit), there is the odd cheesy line and Jack Derges looks somewhat ill at ease as the hero. The cast mostly are very reasonable though, the best of the lot is Barry Aird as Bezz who is very menacing but in an understated way, thankfully a far cry from the chewing-the-scenery-to-pieces approach seen with Jeremy Irons in the first. Lex Daniel is an amusing and threatening assassin and Eleanor Gecks is sexy while not falling into the trap of being too vapid. There are definitely far cheaper-looking movies than Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness, the costumes are decent enough and the scenery is great. The special effects aren't award-worthy with the dragon being a disappointment but they do look as though some effort was put into them. The undead mutant child is really creepy and in a good way. The make-up is good as well, especially for Bezz. The music is dynamic enough and at least has a pace to it, the characters have a likability generally(they're not too bland and none of them are anywhere near as irritating as the one played by Marlon Wayans in the first), and the dialogue while ropey at times is still an improvement over the script-writing of the previous two movies, being thought-out and cohesive and there is little misplaced humour or tedious melodrama. The story is fun, swiftly paced and with a welcome dark and gritty touch, thankfully not going the camp or melodramatic route which the first two did, and the action excepting the dragon battle is decently choreographed with some intensity and energy. What Dungeons and Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness also has over its predecessors is that it is more loyal in spirit to what makes Dungeons & Dragons as an overall franchise work so well with the odd referencing, which the first two movies did not. Overall, the definitive Dungeons & Dragons is yet to be made and this movie doesn't really do the franchise justice, but it is not a bad movie at all and a significant improvement over the second and especially the first. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Debitte I have read a number of reviews of this movie that seem to judge the film simply by its limited budget.Personally, I have watched this move over and over several times and I rate it the best of the three. Two was pretty good and one just showed how much a plentiful budget does not make a good film.The acting is universally sound and in some cases very good indeed. In particular Barry Aird's necromancer and Lex Daniel's assassin are very entertaining. The two highlights are Aird's character quoting Mark Twain (he doesn't reference him directly of course) and Daniel's character explaining his touching religious devotion. That speech has resonated with me since I first saw the film, and you to may also find yourself reflecting of how many of the under-people you would like to liberate from the celestial grind wheel.If you're a fan of this genre (fantasy) you will very much enjoy this film which benefits greatly from being set in an evil-aligned adventuring party.Strongly recommended 'over a beer' viewing.

Howie Reith I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I watched it expecting cheesy fantasy action with a dumb plot, bad acting, and blatant appeals to fans of the game like Wrath of the Dragon God did. It delivered on some of those things, but it far surpassed my expectations.The most wonderful thing about this movie was how many risks it took. It was not a traditional fantasy movie at all. The protagonist is a good knight type but he teams up with a very evil party. The writers didn't assume its audience was dumb and that they'd need a clear good guy and a clear bad guy. I appreciated that so much. The character dynamics are excellent and you're constantly wondering where everyone stands. The good ones have flaws and the evil ones have relateable and redeeming qualities. They're complex, it's really wonderful. Hollywood doesn't do that much any more. The ending is also very non-traditional. Some may find it disappointing, and to some degree it is, but I thought it was effective. It's elegant in its simplicity.I found myself wondering what would happen next the entire film. At the end I wished it were longer. The dialogue was well-written and well-delivered, which is more than I can say for a lot of Hollywood blockbusters.Special effects were sub-par but that's easily forgiven, I thought they were pretty excellent for the budget. There was some cheese and some of the film will definitely be lost on people unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons. I imagine that's why it has such a low rating. I gave it 10 to boost it up, but IMO it deserves a solid 7/10 or more.