Everything GREAT About Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves!

[@Niles_Champagin]

"We approved your pardon!" Is 100% the DM having a planned story beat, and the player characters having a plan that absolutely disregards it.

[@ghomerhust]

yep, chaotic neutral CAN apply to the DM as well. in fact most of the really good ones ARE that alignment haha

[@ChainsGone2012]

Yea, that's a hilarious way to think about it.

[@tuesdaynext7370]

I always imagine the DM sitting at the table cradling their head in their hands and saying "You passed the persuasion check, you dipshits"

[@PirvateerKurei]

And makes a perfect excuse to throw in an action packed chase scene

[@hbt739]

No surprise it a bard😊

[@Aurich88]

One of my favorite details is that Simon, as a sorcerer, draws his power from charisma, so it makes perfect sense that he was bad at magic until he gained more confidence.

[@joshgreiner2599]

I also love that when the Intellect devourers give them a pass, it's both a great throw away joke, and also because none of the classes there are INT based. There's some great jokes that work on two levels based on knowledge of the game.

[@imbarmstrong]

Also love the whole discussing stats in that Meta way as they straight out say Forge has huge Charisma.

[@jamrockz100]

Wait? is that how all magic works in DnD? charisma over intellect?

[@imbarmstrong]

@@jamrockz100 different types of magic draw on different attributes. Classic Wizards use Intellect.

[@Zakemaster]

@@jamrockz100different classes cast magic with different stats. Fit full casters in 5th Edition, Wizards and Artificers use Intelligence, Bards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks use Charisma, and Clerics use Wisdom.

[@finndelimatamay1983]

I just realised that at no point in this movie is Edgin concerned with revenge. He’s not trying to track down the people who murdered his wife to kill them back. He couldn’t care less about them for the whole movie. He just cares about his wife, and his daughter. I don’t know. That’s just a … really nice thing to see in a protagonist.

[@triscuitgonzalez7936]

It makes sense, since his arc is about moving on n shit

[@DirectorsChoice]

Especially when he gave up the chance to revive his wife so that his daughter could keep the mother she's known in her life. It was a nice little character growth. They did a good job tying in the lore of D & D.

[@finndelimatamay1983]

@@triscuitgonzalez7936 moving on from the death of his wife, yes, but at no point was he even contemplating revenge.

[@halfbee7886]

❤

[@ahstiasummers5583]

Especially since most D&D campaigns start low scale stuff like regaining honor or saving someone before "oops, I fucked up this side quest and now gotta save the world"

[@TotalTrashmMammals]

The bridge joke is my favorite because it’s kind of a meta joke. The amount of times a group will mess up an entire puzzle the DM laid out resulting in the DM giving them an OP item is astronomical.

[@mbessey]

And it just keeps going... DM: "oh, hey - it turns out that random thing you picked up way back in session 2 is actually exactly the item you need to get out of the corner you just painted yourselves into" Players: "Cool! We're going to use this to solve EVERY problem from here on out!" DM: "Oh."

[@adriangaliver]

And it's not only an OP item. It's an actual portal gun for God's sake!

[@captainalieth]

I had a one-off campaign where we went through several rooms, all having a perception check. We only got 1. Turns out there was a combination lock at the end. We ended up brute-forcing the lock open 😂

[@cameirusisu1024]

as a long time DM, I have used the stare xenk does when the bridge collapses so many times.....

[@Memorex996]

@@cameirusisu1024 we watched this as a party and we al laughed at our DM because he's given us that look at least once a session

[@chrissugg968]

Xenk is the absolute perfection of 'NPC that the DM brings in to complete a specific task, but they can't stay because they're horrifically OP'

[@Voltboy1449]

He's such a palidin

[@Quincy_Morris]

@@Voltboy1449or a broidin

[@tysondennis1016]

He feels like the character of an kid brother of the DM

[@Gantzie]

And an NPC with the lucky feat!

[@Arnor2207]

Initially they were going to use drizzt do urden but for various reasons they used zhenk

[@Nogapu]

Fun fact! The fight in the courtyard of everyone vs Safina is written to be exactly 18 seconds (3 rounds of combat). Each of the party attach once during that fight, Safina acts 2-3 times to account for her legendary actions

[@Attaxalotl]

Now THAT is attention to detail!

[@wazer85]

❤ Wow.

[@neruba2173]

So they stick to some rules but dump the rest? I guess thats a way to shut the fans.

[@Iyforthis]

@@neruba2173you can be a fan of this dic

[@Bubbly_Dragon]

@@neruba2173 Whereas I find that to be the perfect way of showing their love of the game. DnD has always been about having fun over following the rules to the letter. Sometimes rule of cool trumps everything, especially in an adaptation that isn't necessarily aiming for perfection

[@derekdunbar6352]

"Jarnathan" is a very clear "oh crap I forgot to name this character" moment. Pure DND

[@RFieth]

'Jonathan' and any variation I could come up with on the fly has been our table's go-to impromptu NPC name for years. Jarnathan made me feel very seen.

[@jw__11]

@@RFieth Fun fact, one of the two directors of the movie is called Jonathan and iirc the cast and crew played/are still playing DnD and I read that Jonathan's PC (player character) is called Jarnathan

[@DainnGreywall]

@@RFieth Mine's Eric, "Edric, Elric, Eric, Ferric, etc the list goes on lmao.

[@HunterIsRad]

I always use Geremy as a throwaway name for any one-bit characters I need to fill a role with, usually having said character be in the least fortunate spot possible. The one time I made him a main character in DND, his name was Geremy Widagee, he was a terrible fighter who rolled so awfully that he died in the first session, thus proving Geremy to be the unluckiest man/name in the universe.

[@theeviloverlord7168]

And then thePCs develop an obsession with him. We have a Paul-Émile like that.

[@uncleBeardface]

As a DM the moment that hit my soul was when they messed up the bridge puzzle so the DMPC says " hey look a portal stick" because I spent three hours on this encounter and it will be played come hell or high water.

[@genericname2747]

And the players using the item you panic-gave them more then the actually important item

[@Elinbemyname]

Which of course immediately gets shamelessly abused by the party

[@ChainsGone2012]

😂😂😂

[@bukaneja]

😂😂

[@AgentSapphire]

Yes this is every other session in my game.

[@jgcoverkknot5701]

I like the relationship between Edgin and Holga. They're not in love, but they're both parents to Kira. It's really nice to see wholesome well rounded characters who are opposite genders be very good platonic friends.

[@vanthadoun1]

I like that too. I like their banter like old friends. Heres my take on the party and why it works. Edgin- charismatic leader, planner, and caring father, trying to be a better person Holga- strong barbarian, great fighter, has halfling fetish Simon- sorcerer with self doubt, very intelligent and knowledgeable about artifacts and lore Doric- the coolest and most mature member of the party

[@MR.LMR1996]

Same. They're more like a brother and sister that found one another in their dynamic with one another.

[@mac2637]

Holga was such a well written barbarian. She killed it in every scene

[@zhishangdi3522]

They love eachother but they're not in love with eachother.

[@PatientSqueaky]

I was able to guess the whole “picking to revive hogla over wife” but I did truly enjoy how their relationship wasn’t as much as cliché as I thought it was going to be. I enjoyed this movie because of how things felt new and exciting and it all makes sense when you remember it’s based off of dnd. I also loved how they didn’t pull the whole “it was just a game thing” at the end by showing people playing dnd which would’ve taken me out of the movie for sure

[@Dannihilate]

"But we approved your pardon!" was the best joke. I laughed so hard at this and it was the point where the movie totally won me over.

[@itsDaedrin]

Find some good DnD players. Many are this effortlessly hilarious.

[@williambouchard4077]

That was also one of the best parts for me. I could clearly see the desperations on the DM's face when the players jumped out of the window after a succesful diplomacy or deception check and the DM had secretly let then off impressed. And then they just fuck everything up again hahahaah.

[@Lazarultos]

@@williambouchard4077 You just KNOW they rolled like 12 or 14, and normally that wouldn't work but Edgin's player did so well appealing his case and explaining his backstory to the judges (probably talking in-character and everything) that the DM was willing to let it be enough... and the players were like "Jarnathan's here, GRAB HIM!"

[@Mavakor]

Same

[@Grandtheatrix]

This was the joke that let me know I was in good hands. They knew Exactly what they were doing. They nailed the self-sabotaging D&D spirit.

[@benzaiten933]

what I clearly loved most about this movie is that Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez's characters weren't in a romantic relationship, there was no unrequited love between them and even at the end Chris Pine didn't realize he loved her (in a romantic way) all along. a male and female character truly just being friends? loving each other and being family without romance? it was just so very refreshing!

[@JaneXemylixa]

The way it's established at the start is also very good. He says "we became like brother and sister", and later at the inn the innkeeper says "wife" and they brush it off completely. Not in an awkward, hashtag-no-romo, totally-hinting-at-hidden-truths way, but in a very secure, man-ppl-are-stupid way. And then it's never brought up again. Loved it

[@JohnSmith-bn5mi]

I really do think that the story reflects a group's campaign. And from that, I think those two were played by siblings. They and the DM started off and then invited more people as they played.

[@mr.incorporeal7642]

We need more different-gender platonic life-partners in media.

[@DavidGowers]

Exactly! He didn't see that he loved her from the beginning because he was so focused on the love for his wife that he didn't realise the relationship he had with Holga is also one based on love, just not romantic love. They really did play that out, and pay it off, so well.

[@girlyghoul]

Besides... He's too tall for her tastes!

[@Eric-md3mp]

He wasnt just rolling low in his attempts to cut his rope cuffs, he was also using his bardic inspiration, a few positive words from a bard helps his allies do better in combat

[@ghoulthebraineater]

I'm not convinced he's a bard. He never casts a spell, not even a cantrip. I think he's a mastermind rogue. He mentions he makes plans, steals, and the 3rd level feature functions a bit like Bardic Inspiration by letting them use the help action as a bonus action with a range of 30ft. He just happens to have an extra tool proficiency and chose a lute.

[@Bookconsumer]

​@@ghoulthebraineaterthey confirmed he was a bard and all his spells are subtle like Friends or charm person.

[@scorpiolight]

@@ghoulthebraineaterhe also casts Calm Emotions on Holga after the scene with her ex

[@bradleyogilvie8869]

I want a sequel to this movie with all the same actors, but all of them playing different characters, like they are starting a new campaign

[@EnTyme53]

I would have loved to have seen one of the characters die in an embarrassing way, but have the actor come back two scenes later as a different character.

[@darthbek]

There has never been a more perfect idea in the history of ideas.

[@kevinescobar237]

@@EnTyme53 LOL omg that would have been awesome, these are really fun ideas.

[@Tensen01]

@@EnTyme53 They did exactly that in the first gamers movie. "Ah, you seem like a trustworthy fellow! Would you like to join our quest?" "yes I would"

[@Raguleader]

@@Tensen01 Another endorsement for the Gamers movies. So many fourth-wall/meta jokes in that one because the folks playing the game and their characters are distinct characters in the story.

[@WhiteWoof]

One thing that was pointed out to me, the fights with Holga isn't just a horde of enemies. It's the same guys getting up again. The armor's actually doing what it's designed to do.

[@breanainn28]

It's so true though!!!🤣

[@samuelleask1132]

That’s amazing, love that detail

[@LostInNumbers]

Also: Hit points!

[@tigergamer998]

Or is it reusing the same mini figures because the dm doesnt have limitless funds to get more?

[@Lord_Numpty]

Not to mention how, when fighting said enemies, she only ever uses blunt or heavy weapons, things that would actually do something against an armoured target instead of trying to cut through steel with a sword.

[@tonyrigby6065]

My favorite part of this movie is the most subtle plotline of the film. Almost every DND group starts off as goofy adventurers, and most have some sort of tragic backstory that just seems, contrived. But the truly great ones add depth and deeper understanding of the character motivations as they continue until it becomes so deeply engrossing that it creates honest feelings at the table. This campaign found that place when you found out that the reason the wife was killed wasn't due to bad guys being bad guys, but by the hero having a moment of weakness without recognizing the danger in an attempt to improve the life of his family. That is so much more intriguing and thought provoking a concept, because suddenly you wonder what you would have done. Sure, anyone can tell themselves they would fight the bad guys and be the hero. They'd take risks to bring their loved ones back if they could. But could you hold yourself accountable and sacrifice the comfort of your family for an honorable goal? How long could you live in poverty, risking your life saving the world, before you would risk taking something that would put food on the table for your family? That question resonates, and it was when this movie went from "This is fun!" to "They really understand DND" for me. Hope you get a game in, hell, I'd run it if you lived out by me!

[@hollow1585]

The Wildshape chase just embodied "The rule of cool" and a great DM is going to usually allow it to happen. This movie was simply amazing.

[@MathasiaJ]

The other thing about the wild shape chase is that the movie took away the spellcasting of druids to make them more separate from sorcerers, so she got more wild shapes as a compensation

[@johnathanswope6419]

​@MathasiaJ I just kinda figured she'd dipped into Master of Many Forms 😂😜 (3rd Ed. Jokes 😂😂)

[@lluewhyn]

She seemingly has no other Druid abilities. So it's really just like the player went to the DM and asked for a Homebrew variation where she could trade all of her spells and other things for infinite Wildshape.

[@basedeltazero714]

In 5E? Infinite wildshape = infinite HP, no sane DM would allow it. Well, okay, the capstone does, but at that point enemies can do so much damage it's glorified DR. In 3rd edition making Wildshape time based rather than use-based is a nice ability, but nothing as earth-shattering as, say, Natural Spell. 4th Edition Wildshape actually *does* work like this.

[@hollow1585]

@@basedeltazero714 I can think of at least 3 different ways I can make this work as the DM without anyone at the table except for a rules lawyer thinking it was OP or unfun. Rules lawyers in DnD when everyone else at the table wants to enjoy themselves are the worst. Your comment doesn't take away or make mine untrue, just shows why I said a great DM and not a terrible one, like a rule lawyer, it proves my point. Thank you.

[@rdbjl01]

One of my favorite things in the whole movie was the final fight where everyone's ganging up on Sofina. Rounds of combat in D&D are 6 seconds of in-game time, and every character in the final fight had 6 seconds between each action they took, each punch they threw, etc. INCREDIBLE attention to detail

[@salchi-papa]

Came to say this

[@criticaltipper7699]

I thought they were 10 seconds

[@salchi-papa]

@@criticaltipper7699 nah it's six cause every 10 rounds of combat adds up to a minute.

[@scr1bblezh3re95]

was going to say the same thing. love this movie.

[@ccorvid]

that's amazing. I ofc noticed that they took turns, but I never realized they were that specifically timed! perfect detail.

[@eltsoldier]

The chonky dragon round boi had to be my favorite part of the whole movie. I NEVER saw it coming. They managed to get around my usually-jaded sense of dragons perfectly! XD Him tripping on a chain and rolling down the hill at everyone nearly made me choke on popcorn. Then that scene where Ed's sliding toward the mouth is like "NOOOO" but the dragon's maw open like "YEEAAAAH!"

[@seabass5892]

What's even funnier about that dragon is that he's actually canon to the Forgotten Realms lore. His name is Themberchaud, and he's domesticated by some duegar (evil dwarves) to heat their forges. That might also be where the "Did he eat the last one?" line comes from.

[@tysondennis1016]

Yeah, the chonky dragon was equal parts silly and threatening.

[@abiean222]

@@tysondennis1016 that is the best sort of horror too. its mind-bending. how can something so cute and silly be that horrifying?

[@genericname2747]

​@@tysondennis1016You know, I bet this is what fat cats look like to mice

[@JuanAntonioGarciaHeredia]

Idk, bears and hippos are also chonky and they can tear us appart like we are made of cotton candy.

[@sakurap95]

I loved that Egan and Holga don’t get together romantically. It’s clear they treat each other as siblings. I also love that Holga, as an aunt, gets appreciation for being there for Kira as a mother figure.

[@animeotaku307]

FR. Platonic parents FTW

[@benzaiten933]

same! it's just great to see a male and female character being friends, loving each other and being family but without romance. that almost never happens, because somehow writers think that when two attractive and single characters are in close proximity, they naturally must have a romantic relationship.

[@zeynaviegas]

oh god, i absolutely loved their dynamic!

[@invaderzam]

Thankfully, the movie reinforces this by hinting at a potential love interest for Holga towards the end. And as the video puts it, she really has a type.

[@tjadenjason]

She's like Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy 2: "He may have been your father, but he wasn't your daddy." She didn't claim it herself because she didn't have to, but Egan realized that Holga essentially WAS Kira's mom, and when he decided to bring her back she was "bringing Kira's mom back." It was definitely a character growth moment and a painful sacrifice for him, because it meant he couldn't bring the romantic love of his own life back, but he gave his daughter the gift of the only mom she had ever known.

[@daetur]

I loved the "But we approved your pardon!" bit so much- I've seen so many hilarious situations where a party gets SO stuck on carrying out their dramatic, "clever" plan that they are completely blindered to everything else. Never even paused to consider for a second that a well-executed story could simply work.

[@catbox1677]

I once had a player spend 30 real minutes trying to figure out if a book she found in a dungeon was cursed, trapped, or a mimic. It was just a book. I fully intended it to be just a book. She was being so clever about trying to figure out how to feel out the trap that could be attached, that at one point I considered revising and making it a trap, but I decided not to. It is now a reoccuring joke that this character (a triton cleric) is afraid of paper books

[@tyrant-den884]

As a DM main: This was the most D&D like to me.

[@RajaniIsa]

To be fair in the group I'm in... we had someone open a book, and it caused another player to die.@@catbox1677 Right now I'm running a game, and on the day before I was playing Magic with two of the players. When one of them played a bag of devouring card, I laughed and said "Well isn't that a coincidence." and decided to give them a small bag of holding the next day. Only took about 15 in game minutes before they tried putting something in and pulling it out.

[@craigwilde2162]

I won't deny as a DM I have far too much fun with heavy doors the party throw everything into pushing open when it's simply a pull door.

[@DanteYewToob]

I had the theory/headcanon that Holga probably resisted arrest and has a worse sentence than Ed, and he assumed they would likely pardon him, but not Holga and he would never leave her behind. I do love the joke though and I’m fine with it either way.

[@flipside2086]

The thing about Doric using all those Wild shapes is for a chase that intense I might be incline to just let her do that as a DM. It was clear that that would have been HER moment in the Campaign where it was her time to shine on her own and for something that everyone would remember, I'd absolutely bend the rules for it. We often share the spotlight with our fellow party members and maybe once per campaign do we get an opportunity where we are truly the star of the show.

[@betsyb]

yeah exactly, the way i interpret that scene is the dm thinking to themselves “that’s technically against the rules, but it’s awesome so i’ll allow it”

[@PlayMadness]

I also think it's a fantastic choice as a director to really hammer home for unfamiliar viewers just what a druid's gimmick is.

[@deonalecsteichen5941]

The best DMs in my opinion know when to roll with "the rule of cool" and I feel like the filmmakers had the same mindset which just made me love the movie even more.

[@tdrrr4337]

My headcanon is that the druid player is a newbie player that replace the rogue char and dm just hand her a lvl 20 druid sheet so the group have enough people to play and because she likes animals. Then she only laser focused on the wild shape ability throughout the game (which you would have unlimited use as a lv20 druid)

[@LurchTheBastard]

There's also the fact that we never see her cast a spell. She ONLY wildshapes. Spells are another big part of the Druid's toolkit, they are casters as much as a wizard, sorcerer or cleric. But Doric doesn't use them. And Simon does describe her as "one of a kind". Could be a lowkey thing pointing out that she is a bit different from most druids. I could imagine a cut scene along the lines of "You're good at that", "Yeah well I can't do some of the other druid stuff but I'm really good at this bit of it". Whilst trading spells for wildshape would be kinda OP on the tabletop, it IS pretty cool and that whole shapeshifting chase sequence was one of my favourite moments in the film. I can forgive it not being super accurate to game rules when rule of cool trumps that for a film, especially as it makes it easier for a non-D&D playing audience to grasp what makes that character different. It also sets Simon up as more specifically the Magic Guy. You could find a way to explain it, sure, but it would be a scene existing purely to placate those people who care a little too much. Films already require suspension of belief when set in the real world, you can give them some for other worlds too.

[@TheScarletTroll]

The fact that you spend most of the intro expecting a plan with at least some semblance of thought or ingenuity behind it regarding Jarnathan only for it to turn out the entire plan was based on "he has wings, let's grab him and jump out a window!" is peak D&D and I'm here for it.

[@AndreiFierbinteanu]

And the DM going along with it, probably due to rule of cool, and actually letting them survive that.

[@daviddaugherty2816]

I love how the whole world seemed to have a "where's he going with this" feel. As if there's a DM behind it all who's very confused.

[@itsDaedrin]

@@daviddaugherty2816 It does have a feel of "Okay...Chris....What's Edgins plan here? Uh huh. Uh huhhhh. FINE. ROLL AN x CHECK!"

[@KyleWoodlock]

But at the opposite end of that spectrum... The "let's buy a portrait and put one end of the portal on the back side of the frame and then sneak it onto the wagon carrying loot into the vault we can't enter" is ALSO peak D&D planning. Complete with it being way too complex and foiled by a minor detail (what happens if the portrait falls over?)

[@AzureIV]

@@KyleWoodlock That was my favorite scene. It reminded me of all the "heist" movies and kinds of things you would see in D&D.

[@peregry]

One win you missed, because it was a SUPER META layered joke was the Intellect Devourer (brains with legs) scene. On it's surface it's just a classic "everyone is stupid" joke, but here's the thing: every class of the characters in the movie have Intelligence as a dump (non-essential) stat. Both Rogue and Bard use Dex and Charisma as their primary stats. Barbarians use Strength and Constitution. Druids are Wisdom based for their abilities, Sorcerers are THE iconic Charisma spellcaster (which was also why personal self confidence was so important to his character arc), and Paladins are also Strength and Charisma based classes. None of the characters there HAD high Int scores or a reason to have them... So of course the Intellect Devourers, which feed in Intelligence would pass them by, nobody there was a good meal. ;)

[@itsDaedrin]

Yeah they probably all had 8-11 in INT at most. It was a lovely joke.

[@ArilliusDM]

Depending on the edition. And even then, rogues don't usually dump Int over Str.

[@peregry]

@@ArilliusDM This is why I actually think that Pine's character was a Bard over a Rogue, despite the "canon" character sheets they published. Sure he never uses Bardic spellcasting, but he does seem to use pretty much all the other Bardic abilities, and it fits better with that joke as Bard definitely has a lower priority to Int than Rogues do in most editions.

[@ArilliusDM]

@@peregry I do think it'd be funny if he was 'inspiring' his teammates whenever he hit something with the lute.

[@MidasMakeItRain]

@@peregry The beauty of Bards is you don't have to hard lean into the spellcasting. With College of valor you can make an effective fighter out of a bard, with spells just as support options. I ran a campaign with a valor bard that mostly fought with his sword, but used a lot of spells that were more out of combat focused. Like friend, mending, etc.

[@trishapellis]

15:16 In a 'normal' DnD game, Xenk would generally be a DMPC - a character run by the DM that joins the party for at least a few sessions but is mainly there to give exposition and provide support while the party is in a situation where they're outnumbered or really need class-specific abilities from a class they don't have or something. However, if you're Critical Role, then Xenk is Shakäste. An extremely cool character played by a guest player who wraps everyone around their little finger and then leaves mysteriously, leaving the party in awe.

[@d.maxwell8669]

What's funny about the Paladin character is that they're traditional portrayed as the "straight" arrow lawful good guy. And at the end of the scene where he walks away, he continues to walk in a straight line even though there was a boulder in front of him. It's so entertaining because aside from the joke, it truly symbolizes his lawful good character of being a straight arrow.

[@Technodreamer]

From what I've heard, that may have been the actor not hearing them tell him to stop walking away, so he just...kept going.

[@ethanrose9682]

@@Technodreamer That's so fuckin perfect.

[@nicholasvinen]

I thought it was a joke that he was an NPC so when he moves from point A to point B he takes the shortest and most direct path.

[@NitariWindrider]

​@@Technodreamer I heard this too! I also heard that none of Chris Pine's commentary there was scripted, but it was just so perfect that why not run with it

[@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868]

I'm pretty sure the joke is that he keeps moving over difficult terrain in a straight line

[@ukotoa1639]

As a player of D&D this movie was an absolute love letter to every fan, past, Present and future

[@Backyardpastor]

I positively loved this movie, and I thought it was gonna be trash. And I could absolutely see where they rolled Nat 1's and Nat 20's.

[@kinghoenn3478]

I saw this with my DnD group. We were all pointing out the tiny easter eggs and all the spells being used. This movie had the love of the actual game put into it. From the player's screwing up a puzzle room and the DM winging it by making the staff into a Mcguffin magic item to get them to the next stage.

[@driloni1burri119]

i am not a dmd fan but this movie was really enjoyable to watch

[@dancook6114]

Agreed. And it still managed to be super accessible to anyone who knows nothing about dnd and just wants something fun to watch with their friends/family

[@AnEvolvingApe]

It was boring to me but I loved the owl bear, especially when she killed the red wizard at the end. Ooops SPOILER!

[@ozpin8329]

My favorite little nod in the movie was when they were questioning the corpse. From the moment he asks the first question to the moment the corpse becomes dead again is exactly thirty seconds. A round in DnD is six seconds long, and each asked question would take a round to ask and answer.

[@Azmodeus87]

A true genious is seldom recognized in his time.

[@Octopugilist]

I love how genuine the guard's horror was when the illusion started glitching "...what is this madness?!"

[@TaliesinBHeidkamp]

seriously, if I had to single out one single line from this film, it's that one. And that's not the writing, but the delivery. That extra needs more work.

[@Heritage367]

It really sells the joke 😂

[@tysondennis1016]

When your N64 cartridge is off one degree:

[@scrabblescribbler3982]

Let’s celebrate lasses, Let’s celebrate lasses, Let’s celebrate lasses, Let’s celebrate lasses, Let’s celebrate brate brate brate brate brate brate brate brate brate brraAAAAAAAAaaaaate!

[@jeremytung1632]

Holga’s deadpan “I think they’re starting to get suspicious.” Sells the moment for me.

[@Grady_Oconnell]

Fun fact Holga using whatever is around her as a weapon is actually a feat called tavern brawler that allows use of improvised weapons

[@Technodreamer]

I think of it as the Jackie Chan feat.

[@YAH93]

@@Technodreamer That is what the Way of the Open Hand Monk is for. Unlike Way of Kensei, which is the John Wick subclass.

[@runawaygemm5397]

@@YAH93isn’t that when Way of the Drunken Fist is for

[@samuelsoliday4381]

I hereby claim the 666th like for myself.

[@cordellpatrick9517]

​@runawaygemm5397 drunken fist is him in the drunken master but way of the open fist is him in rush hour while way of the elements is him in Jackie Chan adventures

[@lordbaconator8648]

No matter what movie I see, "Can somebody ask me another question?" Was my favorite movie theater moment since I just blurted out "How are you?" And the entire room just started laughing as the credits rolled. This entire movie was a really great experience to watch in the theater despite me never playing D&D before.

[@HoodieHorizon]

This movie felt exactly like a real dnd campaign. Like I can totally see Forge being a player who dropped out of the campaign halfway through and the DM just rolled with it or Xenk as the DMPC the DM brought in but quickly realized he was too OP so made him leave before the final fight Not to mention all the crazy moments that you know only happened because the player managed to roll a nat 20 or nat 1 Also holga and edgin have to use lamps in the cave but not Simon and Doric because half elves and tieflings have dark vision and don’t need lights. It’s such a small detail I adore

[@herestia_photography]

I don't play DnD, but a friend does, and she told me about the dice moments. She told me that the potato moment (right at the end) was one of those!! :D

[@aTimeToRunLikeHell]

100% agree, although with Xenk I get more of a "friend of the DM with a powerful PC they've been playing years who had to drop out of the campaign because work got crazy" vibe

[@haroldsandahl6408]

My favorite is the sudden realization of the hither thither staff because the pc screwed up the DM's plans and the DM needed to BS a way across

[@fauxpas4589]

legit this happened. a player left our campaign group, so the DM turned them into one of the BBEGs that we spent a whole lot of time tracking down and trying to kill

[@ShaggyRogers1]

@@aTimeToRunLikeHell Yeah, honestly it felt kinda like playing adventure league, and having the OP player who has earned a reputation for being the power player of the store. Pops in mid-way through the short campaign, shows off the character that is super powerful from tons of previous sessions, and then gets a phone call from the wife so has to leave early.

[@rusticdebris8021]

Something I love about Simon is how his character development actually makes sense in how he gets stronger. Simon is a Sorcerer, and Sorcerers are reliant on their Charisma stat. Charisma does represent things like personality, but also self-confidence. Simon was a bad Sorcerer BECAUSE he had low Charisma. As he goes, his development was his raise in Self-Confidence, which would reflect in a raise in Charisma, in-turn making his magic more powerful.

[@alceusrydan6237]

Also after he gained confidence. He said to the red haired girl doric i think when they were all running away “not bad for a second date?” (If that line is right). Simon wouldn’t have said that if he didn’t have confidence

[@wisemoon40]

Maybe Simon got to 4th level and put that ability score bump into Charisma!

[@rusticdebris8021]

@@wisemoon40 He got that sweet, sweet, ASI

[@rusticdebris8021]

These are all great points, but according to the Player's Handbook, Paladins actually use Charisma. Which I suppose could be interpreted as "He's a great leader, not a great people person"@@paidian40

[@alanbugler4404]

The number of times I have seen someone say Simon and sorcerer in this comment section, without anyone else realising the reference is sad.

[@lukemccann8930]

One of my favorite narrative bits in this movie is how the bard and barbarian character really WOULD do the same for each other. It said a lot in movies but rarely actually shows it like it does here. He gives up what he wants most for her and his daughter, and her reaction isn't angry or ungrateful but not overjoyed either. She knows and accepts how much she means to them both but also expresses that she would have died for them without a seconds hesitation.

[@JumbletonPeatrice]

This movie really just felt like the writers sat down, played DnD for a few weeks and gave us the highlights, which is exactly how I want my DnD movies.

[@mistamemewide]

Fun Fact: they actually did

[@DavidGowers]

@@mistamemewide further fun fact: John Francis Daley, one of the writers/directors has been a fan and player of DnD since 1999 when he was on Freaks & Geeks. His character there was a DnD nerd so he played it to get better into character and has kept playing it since.

[@Malachi3-3]

I just would love them not continuing to roll basically Nat 20s, but that they would have let them fail, do random things etc. Because that's what I've always seen and done in dnd

[@GabrielArchon]

​@@Malachi3-3 Maybe we didn't watch the same movie, but it is full of fails. It is quick and lateral thinking which makes the things work out. Example, Simon's -knowledge- of magic is near impeccable, but he is still a subpar caster throughout the movie and that's the point. His growth into a capable spellslinger. Ed barely can keep himself alive, but it's thanks to Holga that they work their best together. One thinks, the other acts. The fact that everything came right at the end might not even be because "nat 20's" but because they worked well together, and managed to overcome the difficulty. "Only nat 20's" would have finished the movie in 10 min.

[@pierluigidipietro8097]

​@@Malachi3-3seriously? This movie is literally full of fails, just starting from Ed triggering the trap in the vault, failing to escape (he trips on a calice) and so on and on. Critical fails in D&D are of same importance as critical successes, more often than not leading to incredibly fun plot twists and drama/adventure. I dare to say that fails are the true inner driver of D&D fun. In the movie, fails are the real spice of the story. Ed makes a very magnificent speech about failing, in the movie

[@1.21jiggawatts2]

As a huge D&D fan, the Johnathan scene was hilarious and a massive twist. Aarakocra are Neutral Good, meaning that they have a loose belief in what is right, making them the perfect type of person to smooth talk into giving you parole. I thought this was a really cool reference to the race and the escape plan completely through me off guard.

[@AStrangeWindmill]

The plan had me rolling specifically because I assumed _that_ was why they wanted him there. But nah - "yeet the nice bird-man out the window" was the plan.

[@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868]

Through the entire beginning, me and my party just heard "he's an aarakocra, I have a feeling he'll be especially amenable to our cause" (I'm paraphrasing idk exactly what he said but it was along those lines) and assumed that he was just planning on appealing to the goodness inside of your local bird person nice friendly judge person. His actual plan was such a funny subversion of expectations

[@LightStreak567]

By "loose belief", jiggawatts2 actually means Neutral Good aligned characters generally play the role of a benefactor, they aid both good aligned law enforcers and people who act outside the law with noble intentions.

[@anhnhvn]

I suspect that was plan A if Jarnathan was on schedule. But he arrived too late for his judgement to hold any weight so they went with plan B.

[@connorjohnson8590]

When I heard that Edgin was in the Harpers, I totally thought Jarnathan would be associated since, you know, bitds, also Aarokocra are typically good. And that they were banking on that for their testimony.

[@theeveningcallsforfairies5246]

I got to see this in theaters with my uncle and my brothers, which was a legendary experience. My uncle has taught the three of us to always stay in the theater until the end of the credits, and in doing this we learned that the one particular corpse is credited as “Yes Corpse” which is fantastic.

[@snoopist5817]

Fun fact Sophina knew Doric was a Druid in wild shape because she has Truesight. Truesight allows her to see the true for of a creature. So at that point It was just a matter of finding Doric, which she did.

[@eule2585]

That explains everything 😮

[@TheKazragore]

We never see her use a spellbook, but she very clearly has a connection with Szass, so I actually think she was some kind of Warlock with Szass as her patron and that was actually Witchsight, which lets you *specifically* see a shapeshifter's true form.

[@YAH93]

@@TheKazragore Usually, one takes a being from another plane of existence as a patron, but I think it works. Also, I do not think she is a Warlock, because she uses spells a Warlock cannot, like Meteor Swarm, Time Stop, or even Shield. She is rather a very powerful necromancer archmage. And I like to imagine that when we see Szass in the room with her, it is either via Sending or Astral Projection.

[@shlebben0]

that entire Speak with Dead sequence was phenominal - from the first time players messing it up completely to the DM making up a thousand new random NPCs so that he can work on the next part of the sidequest in the background, absolutely everything there was perfect

[@belegur8108]

Also Doric asking Simon why the hell only 5 questions and him just saying something on the line of "that's just Rules as Written!" got me in a fit of laughter

[@tjadenjason]

The mini-trailer with that scene was what sold me on the creators really understanding the movie they were making.

[@dbrokensoul]

@@tjadenjason Same here. And the chonky dragon was the nail on the coffin for me

[@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim]

​@@dbrokensoulBest part is, if you don't know, that Chonky Dragon is a legit thing in DnD

[@daviddaugherty2816]

What I love about it is that the first corpse's voice is harsh and raspy while the rest have increasingly normal voices. It's like the DM was getting a sore throat from doing the voice, so he slowly let it go.

[@VDAband]

This movie really nailed the dynamic of bringing a lawful good paladin into an overwhelmingly chaotic party. Good stuff.

[@YAH93]

I like to think that Xenk is more Neutral Good rather than Lawful.

[@redstranger07]

My favourite part of this film is that I was so annoyed that they couldn't see the evil plan, and then realised that none of the brain monsters attacked them because their intelligence stats are too low 😂 I was so mad when I figured that out 😂😂😂

[@illyahrthebard3303]

That's why Ed said he felt insulted lol

[@redstranger07]

@@illyahrthebard3303 I know that's why he felt insulted, I mean the connection to them not seeing the bigger picture is because thier intelligence is too low ☺️

[@MeTaLISaWeSoMe95]

That... I totally missed that connection but my God that makes it significantly funnier.

[@cpcoultertweedles7216]

Well, it's a bard, a druid, a sorcerer, a paladin and a barbarian. Of course intelligence is the dump stat.

[@MissCaraMint]

... Now I feel dumb for missing that joke. But still I could see this happening in a group setting too. Just you know too much time between sessions can make you forget until it's spelled out for you.

[@syleshwhycantileavethisbla802]

@ 5:38, it's not just Ed having bad rolls, as a Bard one of his defining abilities is being able to inspire allies to boost their rolls, so his shouts of encouragement are also a gameplay feature.

[@dewayner5388]

They're bad encouragement: he was also rolling bad on his inspiration die. Poor guy couldn't catch a break till that last nat 20 to clock the final guy with his lute.

[@rhymeswithmoose228]

Counterpoint: He never casts a spell. Maybe he's actually a mastermind rogue, who don't get spells but can help their teammates easily and at range.

[@syleshwhycantileavethisbla802]

@@rhymeswithmoose228 YOU'RE BLOWING MY MIND

[@rhymeswithmoose228]

@@syleshwhycantileavethisbla802 Seriously, all his combat contributions are some meaty thwacks with a lute. Hell, in the last fight scene with Sofina it opens with him bashing her in the back of the head while she's distracted-easily an attack from hiding for advantage and therefore sneak attack.

[@joshonatir09]

@@rhymeswithmoose228 Not to be "That Guy" but unfortunately Edgin is officially mentioned to be a Bard in the official character sheets created by Wizards, also in the Magic: The Gathering cards that were created for the characters. Though Forge is a Rogue apparently, from the same sources.

[@ConnieDrums]

I think my favorite detail about this movie is during the final fight you can actually see Sofina stabbing Holga. I think its an awesome detail just showing how well the fight scenes are done.

[@andraakmalmaulidani1793]

I really loves the continuity of this movie, like the reason Edgin can outtalk the judges to let him out of the prison, he can convince the whole party to work together once more, and even convince Forge to let them play in the game instead of killing them is bcs he was the bard. They even gives us a scene where Forge tries to do the same thing but didn't work out, to solidify how great of a bard Edgin is.

[@daviddaugherty2816]

Technically, it was Sofina who wanted them in the games. I suspect she wanted them around so she could turn them into her undead servitors along with the rest of Neverwinter.

[@joeguarinoni8923]

he isnt a bard tho, he is a rogue

[@zashgekido5616]

@@joeguarinoni8923 He's a bard.

[@joeguarinoni8923]

@@zashgekido5616 nah, he is a rogue, he even sneak attacks the red wizard with his guitar. Do you think a bard is just "character who plays instruments"? he doesnt cast spells, he doesnt use any healing, he also doesnt use any subclass attacks or stuff like that. He seems more like a charlatan rogue like a swashbucker. And if this bard is based on a 3.5 version or previous, then he doesnt do performance either

[@zashgekido5616]

@@joeguarinoni8923 He's literally marked down as bard on the wiki, the promotional stat sheet, anywhere of written information about the movie marks him as a bard dude. As for your latter point you don't see Doric cast any spells either, does that mean she's not a druid?

[@solkattt]

Edgin talked throughout the movie about how he was going to use the tablet to save her mother, and in the end that’s exactly what he did. I did see it coming but it didn’t mean it didn’t hit less hard. Beautiful moment and storytelling!

[@cirrustate8674]

That's actually one of my favorite things about this whole movie. Very little of it is any major twist or big reveal. It's all pretty straightforward and relatively easy to see coming. But it's done so WELL that it doesn't matter that you saw it coming, it still hit you. The movie pulled something of a Larry Bird trash talking move. It told you what it was going to do, and then did it, and you still had to stand in awe of it.

[@cameronsydnor7330]

One thing I love is that in the big epic fight scene at the end Simon clearly casts scorching ray (three bolts of fire) and all three just miss Sofina completely, she doesn’t even dodge they just miss. I’m sure any sorcerer or pact of the fiend warlock player will be happy to tell you that when casting scorching ray it’s safer to assume that at least 2 of the three bolts will miss.

[@russellhutchison7811]

No one ever mentions Forges' BBEG monologue at the dock being interrupted by the potato to the face. It's such an iconic occurrence in DnD games. I just love that they brought that into the movie.

[@rozieredz]

I know!! I loved that too, although my favorite bit of that was Ed interrupting Sofina's villain speech by whomping her on the head with his lute.

[@MG_Spy]

At one point in the campaign I'm a part of, there was someone who was (at the time) an antagonist giving a very long-winded and pretentious spiel to our party. We were all _technically_ on the same side but the guy was just an arrogant jerk. I was playing a shifter barbarian who was new to the team and he did not have the patience for it so he leaned down to one of his party members (who was basically the child of the group) and had this little exchange: "Are there any rules against punching this guy?" "Well technically no but-" "Good enough for me." So he just runs up and decks the guy in the face while he was mid-monologue, I rolled high enough that the punch alone _would_ have just straight up killed him but since he was plot-important the DM just made it so he was knocked the fuck out. Still one of my proudest moments so far.

[@zachcushing-murray2663]

I had a similar thing happen to me in a campaign: was monologuing as I was about to smite my mortal enemy, one of the key moments our campaign had been building towards. As I knock a final arrow on my bow, one of my party members used their last action to throw something akin to a potato (i forget the exact item), rolled a nat 20, and killed my 1hp opponent before my turn in combat.

[@tysondennis1016]

@@zachcushing-murray2663Killstealer

[@nicholascross3557]

Whilst I was still an active DM, I had one party that decided they didn't want to face a large cavern full of giant frogs in melee combat, so they used a Cloudkill spell from a scroll they'd been hanging on to. This wiped out the amphibian opponents in one fell swoop, which I announced as "The frogs have croaked." I have yet to be forgiven.

[@ser132]

fantastic pun; it would have been criminal to not use it.

[@kirkkerman]

Half of being a DM is building entire arcs around the most terrifying idea you can possibly imagine so you can subject your players to it, the other half is building an entire arc around the dumbest pun you can possibly imagine so that you can subject your players to it.

[@MikaKahdarmon]

As a non native speaker, I kinda don't get the joke. Would you mind explaining the pun O.O?

[@kirkkerman]

@@MikaKahdarmon croaking is the sound that frogs make, but it's also an irreverent slang term for dying

[@MikaKahdarmon]

@@kirkkerman Thanks:)!

[@Cuiasodo]

Dnd fan here! I personally LOVE the component pouch variant that the sorcerer has for three reasons. One, it makes a lot more mechanical sense than just a bag, as it would presumably be easier to make precise selections of components than just reaching into a leather pouch and hoping you grabbed the right thing. Two, it looks cool as hell and way more visually interesting than reaching intk a bag. Three, Simon is a Wild Magic sorcerer specifically. What this means is that when he casts spells, there's a chance that there are unexpected consequences that can varry wildly between being beneficial or being harmful. We see this happen a bit with him not always able to pop a spell off, but the component dispenser gives us another fun themeing justification for why his spells sometimes go wrong; sometimes he fumbles and pulls the wrong components or it goes a little weird and dispenses the wrong thing.

[@3000asianboy]

Also it somewhat reminds me of in-game mechanics when spellcasting in RPG games, as if you gotta press the correct combo to cast a spell.

[@marcusreading3783]

Really? Damn, I wish we could have got to see him turn into a potted plant.

[@lord6617]

Honestly Michelle Rodriguez was both the best casting choice of the entire movie, and also one of the best performances. She literally brought the idea of a barbarian to life

[@stephengrigg5988]

I'm not a huge fan of hers because I think she plays her fast and furious character in everything. While she does do a similar character she added a lot of heart and warmth to her and played her a lot more mellow and likeable. I thought she'd be my least part of the movie and she was very good

[@RobMedellin]

​@@stephengrigg5988agree

[@Ambience31]

​@@stephengrigg5988she's been playing that character since the first resident evil movie imo

[@Ser_Salty]

I think the truly fascinating thing about her casting and performance is that it allowed her to show more range and talent, while also simultaneously staying completely within her typecast

[@nicholaswilliams6475]

5:35 I never really thought about the results of actions in the movie being likened to rolls but I love the idea that Ed is consistently getting low rolls and can't even get out of his cuffs whereas Holga is over here getting nat 20s and just demolishing the entire entourage.

[@SeleenShadowpaw]

that's not even nat20's. Tavern brawler and grapple are scary scary scary feats on a PC in enclosed spaces with a bard to inspire them on hand. And bricks do _really_ hurt as an improvised weapon with proficiency.

[@ozpin8329]

If you play DnD you can absolutely see where the rolls are and what characters get. My favorite moment is when they're all recalling information about Xenk. You can tell they all rolled History checks and Edgin was the only one who failed.

[@Forestxavier20]

It's really funny when you think about how each character rolls too because like, Ed getting such low rolls is mixed with him having some kickass Charisma, so he rolled high on his persuasion checks but he must have flubbed every dex roll for cutting the ropes.

[@biiill5259]

Well if you think about their stats I’d assume getting out of the ropes was either a dex or strength check. A bard might have decent dex but his best stat is charisma. Hulga being a barbarian would have high dex and strength meaning she’d pass that check easily.

[@Deadpikachu666]

The joke that killed me ( I got better ) was Xenk going over the rock on the beach. That guy is going so straight, following such the right path, that nothing can make him deviate from it. Tunnelvision paladin. Just perfect. I'm a bit sad there wasn't a win for the intellect devourers going right past them and Ed muttering "well, that's a little hurtful'. That one had multiple layers and was pretty clever. :D

[@jaythetired2076]

This movie cares so much about DnD and I adore this. Every scene that feels odd or makes you go “why didn’t they do this?” Is fully because of bad roles or just the rules of DnD. Jarnathan is a great example of this. It’s such a DM made a name on the spot thing. And is such a clear example of a party falling in love with a normal npc.

[@pjlusk7774]

Yeah, Jarnathan is 1000% the classic "I just made up this NPC and had no actual plans for him, but my players latched on to him for no discernable reason and now they're EXTREMELY invested in him" guy

[@MidasMakeItRain]

Some of it also has this feeling of bypassing the DM's plans but the DM not letting you get away with it. Also, the why didn't they do this moments feel like when you do something at the table and then immediately realize it wasn't the right choice.

[@bluehawkgaming6055]

One of my favourite things about Themberchaud is that he's doing all the classic "stupid fat big monster" tropes but is still absolutely terrifying. Like his entrance is a classic pooh stuck in a hole bit, but it comes across as intimidating and I love it

[@JaneXemylixa]

The way they balance the tone of "this is fun and hilarious! but also srsly tho you'd crap your pants if you were actually there" was brilliant

[@redholm]

Yea. He is not only a big fat Dragon. He is one while instant killing the enemies that the party was having trouble with moments earlier.

[@Bubbly_Dragon]

Just because he's fat and lazy, doesn't mean he isn't still _a dragon_

[@danieldickson8591]

Themberchaud's sheer size made him deadly, even when he was rolling out of control. An out-of -control freight train is still going to crush you.

[@windshadetarn1679]

Themberchaud is the most perfect round boy of death. My favourite element about him is the problems with breathing fire and it turn our as mere sparkles like trying to turn on gas stove with sparkler

[@timalice-2833]

What you said about Xenc being an npc I think is spot on. He reminds me of when a dm makes their own character and has them tag along. A DMPC. In many dnd horror stories that dmpc is usually all knowing and super powerful. Like with how he took on all the assassins and Holga said “I’m glad he’s on our side” or on the beach when they said he is better than them at everything “except talking” as Edgin said. His manner of speaking is even more posh than them. DMPC’s also tend to steal the scene, exactly like Xenc did. That melting illusion had my spouse and I laughing so hard the first time we saw it that our sides hurt.

[@Technodreamer]

My preferred thought with Xenk is, he's a guest player. A friend of the group who's just in town for a week or two, and wanted to play with them.

[@timalice-2833]

@@Technodreamer that’s a good idea too

[@ebonyvoigt7257]

Fun fact! Revel’s End - the prison shown right at the beginning - was originally created as a setting meant only for the film. Honour Among Thieves was still in production when Icewind Dale (the book Revel’s End eventually became a part of) was being written, so Wizards of the Coast ended up including it as a fun surprise!

[@tulliusexmisc2191]

It must have been in production for a long time, then. The book (usually known by its subtitle Rime of the Frostmaiden) was published in 2020.

[@DavidGowers]

@@tulliusexmisc2191 yes, they were about to start location scouting when the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, so they'd have been working on it for at least a few months by then. Plenty of time for WoTC to incorporate it into that book as an easter egg of sorts. Apparently they'd actually just started working on the second draft of the script at that point.

[@lluewhyn]

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of Revel's End from that adventure and didn't include. The adventure has a backdrop of an apocalypse going on in the Icewind Dale with people resorting to human sacrifice to get by, and meanwhile the prison's doing just fine with no issues.

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@lluewhynWell yeah, it’s a prison that probably gets supplies and is supported by the place the prisoners come from

[@DracoMagnius]

One of my favorite things about the movie is that Olga and Ed remain friends through everything. It would have been so easy to go with the trope of them getting romantically involved, but they didn't. They're just really close friends who raised a daughter together.

[@benzaiten933]

them being like siblings and supporting each other was just so great!

[@foxpro3002]

They better not turn them into a couple if they fo a sequel, It would be very annoying.

[@Valamforth]

​@foxpro3002 sadly i dont think a sequel will be possible, it underperformed. Nevertheless, i really hope some good guy decide to waste his money and make a sequel, i loved the movie.

[@CouchSpud91]

Even better, they completely avoided the stupid as hell third act breaking bs that's all too common in stories. The two have some sibling-esque arguments and snide back-and-forths but they're never far from having each other's backs in one way or another.

[@jasonmiller6181]

My favorite throwaway bit is the "but wait, we approved your pardon!" It's soooo like DnD to have a plan set and ready to overcome an obstacle only to find out that there was never an obstacle in the first place.

[@agent00puffball]

This movie so perfectly embodies what a game of D&D looks like, and that is why die-hards like me absolutely love it. Everything from the character details to the monsters to the settings are just perfect. You can tell when low rolls or high rolls happened even though there aren't dice anywhere near the movie. It feels like you're watching a D&D game, and that is exactly what I want from a D&D movie.

[@stephengrigg5988]

Being able to maintain that while also having a fun adventure movie on the surface is impressive

[@Tylendal242]

Fun fact. In the character sheets that accompanied the movie, all of Edgin's spells are ones that are undetectable as they're cast, and boost various charisma based and persuasive abilities. Also his lute is reinforced for use as a weapon.

[@Giosuke_Giogashikata]

I’m sorry, what? Where can I find these?

[@syvajarvi2289]

@@Giosuke_Giogashikatathey are on DND Beyond.

[@arvin8593]

Imagine if the cinema hand out character sheets before the movie starts 🤯 that would be a cool idea.

[@staypawsitive7566]

​@@arvin8593I went on release day and got a character card that had stats on it, a non-functional d20, and a fake gold coin

[@jazzfiore9783]

19:30 another amazing thing, theyre in initiative order !! if you pay enough attention and slow it down you can see the order in which their turns go, and its 6 seconds (one round) before it restarts ! they rly paid attention to detail

[@alphabetbeer]

Also a fun "If you know you know" moment, when Simon is introduced he accidentally used Reverse Gravity which is an incredibly powerful high level spell. Cluing in the D&D nerd to just how many spell slots he's sitting on

[@SeleenShadowpaw]

Honestly though, with the way his spell dial is designed, i also really just get 'Welcome to the wheel of wild magic' vibes from that. And if i remember correctly, reverse gravity _used_ to be on one of the wild magic tables we used from somewhere when i started out.

[@NitariWindrider]

Thank you! I loved Simon's bingo wheel as an arcane focus slash component thing. Like he's definitely capable of getting the spell he wants out of there but sometimes things get weird. Wild Magic is my favorite sorcerer type and they did such a good job implementing it without feeding too much into the "wild magic is a menace" trope

[@carloscostacox]

He is not that high level that one happened as a Wild Surge, it explained why his component pouch is a roulette. The amazing thing is his use of Telekinesis and the Blur spell, which are both concentration spells, but it was probably just another use of minor illusion or prestidigitation.

[@edmorris4103]

Thank you for talking about the "I didn't want to bring back your mom, I wanted to bring back my wife" line! IMO that was the single most important line of the whole movie, and yet also one of the most overlooked.

[@YAH93]

Yeah, that is the moment the realization kicked in, and Ed noticed that he did the right things for the wrong reasons.

[@nickbrowne3286]

10:16 not only was this scene a great subversion of where I thought it was going, I thought it was gonna be a whole “beat up the ex husband” deal but it was also just an incredibly touching scene that I really needed to see when I saw it. And if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve seen exclusively great movies this year this movie would have easily been my number one.

[@bittrippn6570]

As a non-D&D person, this movie was way more fun and coherent than I could've expected. It handled bringing in people that don't know the source material perfectly. Gave just enough explanation so you could follow it, without treating the audience like idiots.

[@Hevach]

DnD as a setting is kind of a big catch all of mostly fantasy "story stuff" (I say mostly because there's also horror and robots and dinosaurs and all kinds of stuff) It's got some important locations and people and events, but it's mostly a collection of pieces rather than a coherent setting like Lord of the Rings. So if you approach it with a rule of "just go with it" everything makes sense in its way.

[@mistamemewide]

Oh yeah, if you can understand lord of the rings you can understand Faerûnian Lore.

[@hollyberry0602]

My Mum knew nothing about DnD and she followed along perfectly! It was perfectly entertaining for both DnD players and regular cinemagoers.

[@theironmanderin9308]

What I loved is that during the final fight sequence when everyone is in sync they actually start to fight in a turn based sequence

[@thatoneperson9619]

One of my favorite parts of the fights is how well the guards and etc take hits. Like, in a lot of media most enemies (even ones wearing armor) just take one or two hits to die, but with the guards she'll be going at them for a WHILE and constantly knocking the sameguys back down. It really makes the fights feel mroe balanced and high-stakes, and gives us more badass combat.

[@danh8804]

"but we approved your pardon!" might have been one of the best unguarded laugh out loud moments I can remember in any recent movie

[@Lucia-sy2hc]

I’d also like to think that while trying to break his ropes, Edgin was giving Holga Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action (5:29 “we got ‘em now”)

[@Raecheveycify]

The part that made my group laugh the hardest was the very heavy wink of "Oh look! Our stuff!" when they escape the games because you obviously can't keep your player's gear forever!

[@jadams1636]

One of my favorite Easter eggs was in the magic arm wrestling between Simon and Sofina. Sofina uses the 5th lvl spell bigby's hand against Simon's 2nd lvl Maximilian's Earthen Grasp, which is why he looks so overwhelmed and ultimately loses

[@rdbjl01]

I was wondering what spell he was using, so thank you!

[@Technodreamer]

Oh, I thought they were both using the same spell with different flavor!

[@amandac.s.9452]

I could immediately tell Simon was using Earthen Grasp, but I was puzzled by what Sofina was using. Probably cause I'm more used to seeing Bigby's as more of a spectral hand (a la Scanlan's from Critical Role). But the flavor and style of it fit her style of magic beautifully!!

[@davidci]

This movie didn't have to go as hard as it did, but once I learned that the directors also were the ones who made Game Night, everything clicked and made sense.

[@Technodreamer]

Really gotta see that one.

[@gabrysstryczek6053]

15:32 I can't believe that you didn't mentioned the fact that in the next shot directed at the party we can still see Xenk walking away in the background. That was literally the best thing in the movie!

[@turnipton9871]

One of my favourite parts of this movie is the sincerity during the scene of Holga and her ex. You keep waiting for the joke to land or Ed to throw a jab at the ridiculousness of the situation, but they maintain the idea of these being real people; a woman going through genuine heartbreak, and her musical friend trying to make her feel better. Just lends an air of credibility to the world that having the usual "stop wasting time" dismissal would completely ruin.

[@c.b.-]

I loved that it cemented their place in each others lives as close friends and not romantic interests. We don't get enough movies where romance isn't shoehorned in. It's a breath of fresh air.

[@PeregrineFalcon646]

The scene where she changes into a bunch of different animals was amazing to watch in theatres. As a casual dnd player, I really enjoyed this movie!

[@Zsinj3]

and if nothing else, rule of cool abides and we'll call her shifting so many times a house rule 😂

[@maniac7770]

@@Zsinj3 So I think there was a floating theory that Doric's Wildshape ability *may* be a slight homebrew deviation that gives her more uses of Wildshape, at the cost of not being able to cast spells, like a Druid ordinarily would.

[@ArilliusDM]

@@maniac7770 Depending on the edition, druids also got spells that let them shapeshift. She could have just had nothing but prepared.

[@CLNCJD94]

Honestly, I just went “rule of cool” because fuck it it’s a movie and she’s using it for a super fun escape sequence.

[@MsKeylas]

@@maniac7770 Actually I wouldn't even call it a houserule, since 18 th level druid can wildshape as often as they want, and considering that Sofina was using Meteor Swam which is a 9th level spell which you get at earliest 17th level, Doric changing shapes so much imho is perfectly within the rules

[@stormtroopert16]

Bro that scream at 8:40 is just straight up terrifying. I don’t care how many horror movies you can watch without flinching, that deadpan look at the rich guys to the sudden, none chilling screech while instantly pointing right at the camera is just terrifying. Edit: I honestly believe no one could have played Sofina better than Daisy Head. Perfect casting all around, but Daisy pulled off this role perfectly, truly terrifying.

[@maddinar6727]

I was so afraid of this movie being bad. When the first trailer dropped, I thought "maybe it won't be that bad?" and when I finally went to see it, I was so happy. I loved it and had tears in my eyes when credits rolled. Because no matter what happens to my DnD group, we might lose touch over time because our priorities change and we dont get to play anymore... There will be this movie that I can return to, to remember the amazing times and feels I had... Thank you, everyone who made this movie possible. ♥

[@connorjohnson8590]

This exactly. It absolutely did it's job of being a fun movie for everyone to enjoy, not just people into D&D. I can proudly say that THIS MOVIE is an adequate representation of the what the game feels like to play, and It's what I now point to when I get asked about it in my circles that might still be influenced by the satanic panic.

[@stephengrigg5988]

​@@connorjohnson8590and no one my age thinks of th satanic panic aspect, they just hear it's nerd stuff

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

It was one of the few movies I actually went to the theater to see and I do not regret it. There were a total of 7 other people in the theater so it really hit home how my area feels about it but I loved it.

[@emperormouse5487]

As someone who does not know one single thing about D&D, I thought this movie was incredible easy to get into. Only after watching this review am I realizing that so many "throw away jokes/lines" actually had deeper meaning to those who play D&D. Like you said the movie did a really good job of making the exposition dumps extremely entertaining and funny so for the non-iniated, like me, it was easy to just focus on the humor. I honestly love this movie so much. 9/10.

[@johnathanswope6419]

And a lot of what happens is straight from Lore. The Emerald Enclave, the Harpers, the Red Wizards, all the Locations, the in-jokes, and little details. It was fantastic.

[@biiill5259]

If you want to get a taste of what dnd is like I’d highly recommend getting balder’s Gaye 3. It’s pretty much an identical port of 5th edition dms. Of course there’s some changes to port it from table top to a video game. But in all the important parts it’s identical. Mainly the fact that it’s a game that won’t tell you “no”

[@emperormouse5487]

@@biiill5259 theres nothing more in the world I’d like to do than play BG3 but I don’t have any time for video games :(

[@billcox8870]

I like the fact that every class got a moment to shine in the adventure. I was thrilled to see the six from the Animated Series as well.

[@myflyingpotato0]

I'd just like to add that this movie dealt with masculinity in a very good way. Not just with Marlamin, but mainly with Edgin, the bard. (Also with Xenk). They represent dashing figures or family figures as sensitive and caring-- not fragile. They also dealt with femininity well with Holga. She's a top-tier mother, but she's also the front-most family defender and badass. c:

[@AStrangeWindmill]

It actually makes me retroactively mad about that "emasculating the male leads" comment. You didn't emasculate a damn thing, unless the only definition of "masculine" you have in your head is Dwayne Willis or whoever. Dude is a dad who loves his people. Loyal. Takes care of them. Inspires them. That's it. That's masculinity. He's not "Waymond Wang", but he's on the same list for sure.

[@animeotaku307]

Fun fact: Chris Pine once brought up that his favorite part of the role was playing a male lead in an action-y movie that wasn’t a traditional action hero, in that his character isn’t a powerhouse.

[@kainuipenaloza9395]

Exactly. They didn’t need to tear down traditional masculinity or femininity to achieve it either, which is the BIGGEST success I see in it.

[@aapur]

You forgot to mention that the traveling scene by the volcano was filmed by a real-life erupting volcano on Iceland. Geldingadalir to be specific. Absolutely deserving of a win on it's own

[@malcolmdonohoe9388]

Just getting to this as I waited to watch it at home with a couple of old mates who used to play D&D back in the 90s. Absolutely nailed it. The key thing it gets from minute 1 is that whilst, as a DM, you're always putting players in "serious" situations and trying to ramp jeopardy, it is never not an exercise in having a laugh. The tone is pitch perfect throughout and that's the thing that's missed by a mile in every other cinematic D&D outing - it's not LoTR, it's usually teenagers round a table with snacks having fun. Brilliant movie.

[@LadyMiir]

The hijinks with Jarnathan are the epitome of "the players have a plan and BY THE GODS THEY WILL USE IT." Also, the entire Speak with Dead sequence is my favorite thing. We've all been there...

[@caseyandrew5930]

When the Speak with Dead sequence was released online, that was when I knew this movie was going to be amazing. 🤣

[@ethanrose9682]

@@caseyandrew5930 Same. That was PEAK "god damn it" D&D.

[@tysondennis1016]

And I like how the zombie barbarians sound increasingly normal, like the DM wore out their undead voice.

[@YAH93]

I have yet to be in a Speak with Dead situation.

[@Red-mg4ro]

There are a lot of ways a fanservice movie can go. This one really shows that when making something to appeal to fans of something, it can help to have people on the team making it who are also fans. You can really tell that some of the writers or producers or whomever really had a past or a legit interest in D&D, and that helped it so much.

[@thenecrosanct4906]

The directors, who also wrote the screenplay, are D&D players themselves. So yeah, they knew exactly what they were doing. They found that sweet spot between putting in enough lore and mechanics while not losing sight of how to make a good movie.

[@austinmorrison6953]

“But we approved your pardon!” There’s always at least ONE moment where the campaign goes off the rails.

[@Tgilbsuk]

The ‘seems kind of arbitrary’ joke when you have the number of questions to ask the skeletons is great.

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

One thing I loved was pointed out in another comment. The voice started off as a raspy undead but gradually went to a normal voice. Like a DM would when they have several raspy undead back to back.

[@AwesomeMan14g]

This movie was all I could have asked for in a dnd movie I hope they make a second one😊

[@GhostKingDeAngelo]

In a lot of other fantasy movies whenever a character has magic or can shapeshift, its like the character forgets they can do that until the very end where it’s like a “oh right, i could have won this whole time”. In this movie, it actually makes sense. In the game a spell or transformation or stuff like that takes an action. You get limited actions and you have to remember everything your character can do, how they do it, all the numbers related to it, and weaknesses all at the same time. Characters wouldn’t want to waste an action on an unnecessary move. I actually really liked how subtly they added that in the movie.

[@Draenen]

Something i really liked about the dragon scene in the underdark is that its shown multiple times that he has trouble with his flame breath working, and establishes early on that its a thing. So when the heros are stuck, theyre not magically saved from something, but just the dragons' inefficient breath

[@AMinibot]

just one of those combats where the DM keeps rolling REALLY badly.

[@followeroftheprince]

I mean if a dragon is unlucky enough, he may only be able to throw out one fire breath the entire battle anyways. Sometimes recharge dice hate the dm, sometimes they hate the players

[@tysondennis1016]

⁠@@AMinibotUnfortunate doesn’t begin to describe my session, this game rewards blind luck and nothing else, I am beyond convinced at this point.

[@dbmag9]

I loved the story someone posted on Reddit where they accidentally watched this for the first time with audio description, and thought it was a cool stylistic choice to have the whole things narrated DM-style. Apparently the audio description track is great too.

[@JMPDev]

The thing that weirdly impressed me most with this movie was how many hand-to-hand fight scenes seemed to deliberately forego using cuts until _after_ the impacts. Eg. 5:23 and 5:42 In movie fight scenes it is very common to have a cut right as the stuntman is about to hit the crashpad that is just off screen or edited out in post. They’re used to tighten up pacing, or hide choreography ‘sins’, like when an actor has to ‘pull their punches’. On my first watch of this movie I was just as impressed with how some fight sequences seemed to deliberately avoid cutting when I would have expected them to, as I was with its refreshing use of practical effects when it could. Neither would happen by accident. It was a deliberate choice stemming from an appreciation for the craft, and I just appreciated that here 😁

[@andrewdowns3673]

The #1 thing I loved about this movie is that it had so many practical effect puppets! The movie didn't need to have any of them and instead just make everything CGI, but they went the extra mile to only use CGI for creatures that absolutely needed it and every other one was a puppet. I love it!!!

[@BaronVonToasst]

This was a great movie, I found it cool that although they didn’t directly tell you, you could get a sense of when people were succeeding and falling different checks like stealth

[@FitzFarseer96]

What I have to appreciate about the movie is that while watching it I wasn't thinking about this at all, I was just enjoying the movie. But on review it's so obvious that's what was happening and so well done. The failed checks or high rolls aren't so obvious that they hit you in the face, but they're absolutely there and a joy to notice.

[@PragmaticProsecutor]

I love to imagine that every time Simon failed to attune to the Helm of Disjunction he was having to roll a charisma save and it was only after Edgin's pep talk that he was able to add Bardic Inspiration to his roll and finally succeed

[@loganfrandrup6590]

Here is a couple more wins that I'd like to toss in as someone who is a bit more a dnd nerd: 1. Call back to the quick-sand rug from the very first dnd movie, and it looks and feels like a believable trap. 2. Honestly with how the compenent pouch is used, it honestly reminded me of a rulet wheel which is fitting for a character who is speifically a Wild Mage Sorcer(hence why his magic can go wrong and he has confidence issuse as his main arc). 3. irst appearcne and appisiations I have ever seen of Axe Beaks dnd media(the skeksis-muppet-bird thing). 4. Techincally a Druid should not even be able to turn into an Owlebear, but quite honestly it shows that they where using dnd more as insperation rather then a limitation. Otherwise we would not get some very cools shots(also, as far as being a player, Druids can be complicated becasue you need to keep track of both your spells and all the animals you have seen and which ones you can actually turn into. Can be really fun but very challanging). 5. I just wanted to agree with Holag and her ex leaving on good terms, that was genuinly nice and we don't get to see that very often in media. 6. You probably know why Beholders are powerful becasue the dnd cartoon from Marvel had one, and yes, they are nuts; each eye stock shooting off a random beam in battle that ranges from telikinisis to disintigartion and petrification, all the while the center eye can just turn off any form of magic that's infront of it, which a Beholder can just turn on and off at will. All though I do question how he manged to kill it with that sharppened gord though, that sounds about as nuts as dnd can get. 7. I don't know what that city is, could have been Drow or Duargar, but judging from the Intilect Devours(which have one of the best jokes(Inteligance is often the dum/dump stat and all)) that is a freaking Mind Flayer city possibly?! Dodged a psychic bullet there. 8. ok, that portal wand is 100% something that the DM just wanted to give as part of his homebrew, and I am all here for it! 9. want add in another win for beating and escaping a dragon with Presto(prestidigitation) a spell that deals no damage at all. That straight up is a plan that a real dnd party would come up with as part of the fun is being resourcful and creative with every trick you have up your sleves. 10. Another point for Ed's speech about failure. It's doing exactly what bards do, inspire others in order to do better. 11. Clever use of Animate Object to turn the statue of a dragon into another foe to fight off. 12. And here we have a clever use of Bigby's Hand as part of a magic fight, both flavored in the way of their respective casters.(Also, my mom is also a dnd fan and while she didn't recoginize it, she did find the flesh hand very gross so take that information however you like) 13. 19:33 Aaaand right here is where she got the lucky shot with the red wizard blade. So subtle but when you notice on a rewatch...Ouch. 14. Funny thing, I called out that Holga's ex has a type earler in the movie, only for my mom to go "She also has a type!" nearing the end of it. That was just funny and made sense x) 15. AAAAaaand it had of end of credits bit that I missed. I am turning that one dude's wish for going back to being dead by finally getting someone to ask the last question as part of a plot hook. 16. I just wanted to add another point to the practical effects, we do not get to see those in movies theses days and they where really well done. 17. One last point for giving me a much more fun of a film then what I thought:)

[@PhantomLantern2814]

The moment all 4 of them are ganging up on Sofina is probably the most accurate depiction of the speed in dnd combat I’ve ever seen.

[@brauliob]

And just before, when Sofina and Simon face off, there's a basket rolling in the wind between them like a tumbleweed just before a gun fight in old westerns.

[@itsDaedrin]

They might feel like hours at the table, but if you do the math, most fights take like 48 seconds. They are BLAZINGLY FAST and full of chaos and explosions and damage.

[@kirkkerman]

It's also a good example of how fights between a party and one big villain tend to go if they don't use minions or special abilities, she couldn't hardly do anything but take the hits..

[@artisannoteworthy]

It was amazing to see a battle 'in real time'! We're used to dealing with it through turns, which can take a while.

[@JaneXemylixa]

@@brauliob Ikr?? How was that not a win of its own?

[@abbewinter9249]

A personal win is the way this movie made my dad laugh so hard he decided he wanted to learn how to play DnD with us.

[@benzaiten933]

this sounds really amazing, I wish you a lot of fun playing together with your father!

[@jordanetherington1922]

I hope it goes well!

[@YAH93]

Maybe I should show this movie to my family as well. I tried a few times to convince them to at least try the game. hell I would create a small one shot for them. But they could not imagine sitting there for 3 hours straight.

[@katiequeen2275]

i just know that when simon’s player says “i’m just gonna rest my foot on this stone here” the dm was like “FIRST OF ALL I HATE YOU” (affectionately of course). the dm would be so proud of that puzzle, then it all just crumbles away. love it. also i imagine the dm’s cat wandered onto the game board and he’s like “alright, time to work him in as a legacy character”

[@auburnkeyblade2491]

6:10 I honestly loved the spell component wheel myself, and the one camera shot where the camera rotated with the wheel, making the wheel look stationary while everything else spun was easily one of my favorite shots in the film. Simple, but effective!

[@JohnvanCapel]

Same here. Making the component "pouch" something that fulfills the same purpose (ie, puts spell components in the user's hands for spellcasting) but flavoring it differently is just the kind of thing a DM would and should allow.

[@braydenfuller3511]

I love that xenk is basically written as an npc, or like the dm wrote them directly. It's awesome

[@Hevach]

Yeah, he's a classic DM-PC that shows up when the campaign is going too far off the rails and neither the players nor the DM know how to get back. He knows where the artifact is, he can bypass the puzzle the party didn't find the solution to when they had the chance and he trivializes the main combat encounter, but he also leaves once the party is firmly back on the railroad. Of course even with the solution Simon rolls a 1 and fails the puzzle so the DM sighs and just gives them a bypass. I can just hear him saying, "Come on guys I worked really hard on this."

[@TwoCatsInLondon]

Also I can just hear the DM pulling out his best voice acting for Xenk. It's amazing. It reminds me so much of our DM doing all kinds of accents and changing his whole vocabulary just because he's committed to the character. I love it.

[@thanatos5150]

To me, Xenk *feels like* "This was the DM's character from the last campaign", and Edgin's player is new to the group. All the other PCs are talking up how cool this guy is, complete with anecdotes, because *the players were there as different characters.* Meanwhile, Edgin is in the dark about everything because his player wasn't there. Feels very true-to-life with how long-running groups will sometimes go on tangents about previous games.

[@destructhor77]

@@thanatos5150 To that i might add, the discussion at the cemetary where they ask or not if they might be able to even contact Xenk, and all party members havec an anecdote of one of their uncle or brother that fought with Xenk previously, or the beholder thing with "a sharp gourd". It gives heaaaavy feels of DnD players remebering their old campaings/feats (the sharp gourd is way too specific). Then what Hevach said, all powerful character shows up (maybe from previous campain) gets the job done, back on the road for the DM and the party :). And what I like the most is all of these sequences could have been very easily too telegraphed, not funny, or loss in rythm in the movie, but it flows so well within the story every time. You never tell yourself "oh this is the moment where this happens because we are in this universe so they have to appeal the "original" audience", it never feels forced. As a relatively new guy into DnD im not lost by the references and the movie works for those who know the universe and those who don't, like me !

[@soggycracker5934]

It's easy to see that Ed and Holga love each other. Holga has taken the place of his big sister. Their connection is great to watch, and reminds me of my older sisters.

[@markuscorneliussen2919]

Man this movie was suprisingly good, I was really happy with how good it turned out