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Dungeons & Dragons
Rated PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 45min
Staring: Justin Whalin, Marlon Wayans, Zoe McLellan, Jeremy Irons

MFG Rating: 2/5

It would be fun to meet the person(s) responsible for putting up the $35 million budget for this film. I would spend at least 15 minutes pointing, laughing, and verbally teasing them. Consider this: how big do your nads have to be and/or how small does your brain have to be to give that much money to Courtney Solomon, a first time producer & director, who wants to make a movie in the traditionally "iffy" Fantasy genre with a screenplay created by a first-time writer?

I feared that this movie would simply be an exercise in the blind leading the blind down a rough road and, unfortunately, I was correct. The sometimes imaginative sets and ambitious CGI simply cannot make up for the extremely amateurish dialogue and direction of this movie. Looking back over my notes, I see where I wrote "This is a film student's multi-million dollar final project" which, I believe, sums this up quite nicely.

The movie gives us two would-be thieves: Ridley (Justin Whalin, most notably known as Jimmy Olsen from "Lois & Clark") and his pal-for-life Snails (Marlon Wayans; yes, another one of those Wayans brothers) who, with the aid of the usual ragtag band of misfits (an apprentice mage, a dwarf, and an elven tracker), set out to save the kingdom of Izmer from the evil mage, Profion (played by a slumming Jeremy Irons) who, by manipulating the all-powerful mage's council, is scheming to overthrow the Empress Savina (Thora Birch).

Profion learns of the heroic quest and sends his capable lieutenant Damodar (Bruce Payne) after them. What follows is a series of adventures/mishaps filled with well-worn cliche's and punctuated with lackluster action, humorless slapstick, and predictable stereotypes. The ending isn't hard to guess either.

This one can definitely wait for DVD and don't be too heartbroken if you skip it even then.

- Alex

Vital Stats
                   
Less
More

Gun Play
                   
No fireARMS, but wizards and dragons do have lots o' firePOWER.


Blood & Gore
                   
A good bit of dragon blood but little of the humanoid variety.


Car Chases
                   
Cars? These people barely know what a wheel is!


T&A
                   
Nowhere near enough.

Chuckles
                   
A few, but not as many as was intended, I'm sure.