Rylee McDonal ~ Copy Editor
An early screening of the new “Dungeons and Dragons” movie took place this past Sunday, and it was an amazing experience.
Starring an ensemble cast of Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Paul, Justice Smith and Hugh Grant, the movie was a spectacular representation of what a heist movie should be.
The movie kept with the tropes of most heist movies: main character leaving/escaping prison, the characters finding something new to steal, and even the formation of the team to steal whatever they are after.
However, what made this movie different from those was the added fantasy element. With this movie being based off the popular tabletop RPG, it took the typical heist movie genre and dialed it up to eleven.
For starters, the movie came off as an actual “Dungeons and Dragons” campaign, and if you have ever been in one, you know it can be absolutely ridiculous.
A Dungeons and Dragons campaign is where a group of people come together to play through a story set by the person leading it, which is called the Dungeon Master. The others in the group will make characters with backstories and abilities that can be found within players handbooks.
The members of the party make jokes and do ridiculous things, and something has to go wrong at least once.
The characters were also very memorable. Their backstories gain love from the audience and leave them wanting more.
In addition to this, they each had levels of growth that I found to be uncommon among many movies that have come out this year. They didn’t simply appear on screen just because they were needed for the story, but they had their own arcs and progression to better develop their own skills and personalities.
Even this made the movie feel like a campaign being played in real time.
The movie was also incredibly hilarious, with ongoing gags and jokes being told throughout the movie. Some of which even played a role in the movie.
The movie switched between CGI and practical effects. Much like a true campaign, many of the background characters were of different races that have all been played in official campaigns.
Many of which were made using actual suits with a little added CGI. When it comes to some of the bigger creatures, they were obviously made with CGI. However, they were amazing to look at.
Many notable creatures were used in the movie, including an Owlbear and an amazing red dragon known as Themberchaud, one of the funniest moments of the whole movie.
While the movie is not officially out yet, it will be premiering March 31st, and is a hilarious adventure that you do not want to miss.
