- Structured like a story mode from an adventure/fantasy game, we get to follow the characters embark on an epic quest searching for teammates of different skill sets, retrieving lost objects, encountering unknown creatures and fighting their nemesis. Is it adventurous enough? Quite so. They could have done a lot more throwing more exciting stuff along the way but what we have here is still pretty awesome.
- What's very great about D&D is the visual that we get every time the action scenes appear to play on screen. The choreography combined with its camera works make us feel like we're controlling the movements and actions of the characters. Like there are buttons that we need to press when certain characters move or fight against someone. If you have ever played games like Tomb Raider, Uncharted or God of War, you have a clear idea how this works. It's so addicting!
- We salute Michelle Rodriguez here. Her character fits her perfectly. This is the kind of roles she needs to play more. Regé-Jean Page is great, he has this charismatic energy we like and his character is not the sort of typical knight you always know. He has a soft-mannered tone when he speaks and walks and we thought he did an excellent job. Sophia Lillis is also good. We're reminded of Jenna Ortega when she speaks, we're not sure why. Justice Smith is okay but could have done better. Chris Pine... hmmm. We're having a hard time understanding his character. We're fully wrapped on his story but his character lacks the charm. There's nothing that sort of stands out. Hmm.
- And for all you fans of Regé including us, it is with heavy heart to inform you that he will only be in this movie for a short while. He's there for 1/4 of the film which leads to a big disappointment. Marketed him to be one of the main supporting leads, we're shocked to see that he only plays a part in one of the small but important segments of the story.
- We're quite confused with Doric's superpower who is played by Sophia Lillis. She can shape shift into different animals but her superpower is a bit two-dimensional. We apologize if we may have missed out any important points given along the movie, but it seems that she does whatever the story sees fits. What animals and how many animals can she shape shift? Can she turn into one whenever and wherever she wants? Is there any limitations? What about weaknesses? Her superpower is awesome but with all the questions, it's a little hard for us to appreciate her character.
- We like the first act. We also like the third act. The second act... not so much. D&D apparently suffers from this. It suffers from not really knowing what to do in the middle and when they have something, it seems like they don't know how to juggle with it. It's bland. They should have added more surprising elements. They should have let the adventure cruises the ship and anything related to the characters; development, back stories should only pop up when need be. Instead, it's more of the characters getting to know one another and about the history rather than the adventure taking place and have fun.
- We're not a fan of... NO. We have never ever played D&D before. Okayyy so throughout, you'll see plenty of things that D&D fans may relate. And most of them are through humour. So the big question is... would a non-D&D fan understand and appreciate all the D&D-related stuff? Well, it's a 50/50 gesture. We get some of the jokes but didn't for a few others. We also get some of the jokes but may not know for a fact that those jokes may actually be tied to how you play D&D or some sort. We understand some of the things as we've played games before. But certain things are thrown specially for the fans. Inside jokes and humours are there for you. But no worries, even if you don't know the existence of the game, you'll understand the story just fine.
Verdict: With a great ensemble team, Dungeons & Dragons embarks on an exciting epic quest that is significantly improved with its game-like visual, supported by fluid cinematography and precise choreography you would enjoy in an adventure game. However, the below average middle act, the existence of two-dimensional characters and the inconsistent pacing left the movie on a shaky ground. Nevertheless, D&D is still a good movie overall.