Dungeons & Dragons is a 2000 fantasy film directed by
Courtney Solomon and based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
Among the more notable features of the otherwise poorly received film are cameo
appearances by Richard O'Brien (in a parody of his TV program The Crystal Maze)
and Tom Baker. Parts of the film were made on location at Sedlec Ossuary.
Despite its poor box-office performance, a made-for-TV
sequel, Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God was released in 2005.
It did not directly continue on the storyline of the previous film, though
Bruce Payne's character, Damodar, makes a return. A third film, Dungeons &
Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness, was shot in 2011 and direct-to-DVD
released in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2012.
Story:
The Empire of Izmir has long been a divided land, ruled by
the Mages, an elite group of magic users, who oppress the lower Commoners. The
antagonist of the film, an evil mage named Profion (Jeremy Irons), creates a
scepter that allows him to control golden dragons. He tries it out on a
captured one, but the dragon breaks the spell of the sceptre, and Profion is
forced to kill the dragon, which bleeds into the river, causing it to catch
fire. Many of the inhabitants notice, among them the protagonists of the film,
a pair of thieves named Ridley (Justin Whalin) and Snails (Marlon Wayans).
Ridley has always hated the mages, seeing them as greedy and uncaring. He
conspires with Snails to break into the Magic School, the elite learning place
of the Mages, and steal magic items.
Later, Profion and the Council talk about the controversial
views of Empress Savina (Thora Birch); who wants to stop Profion and free the
'non-magic' commoners. Meanwhile, Ridley and Snails break into the Magic School
but are caught by a young mage named Marina (Zoe McLellan) who casts a spell on
them which ties them together with an invisible rope. She gets distracted,
though, when the library wizard is held hostage and interrogated by Profion's
henchman, Damodar (Bruce Payne), to force him to reveal a map to a magic
scepter, the Rod of Savrille, that can control red dragons. He refuses to talk
and sends the map to Marina, and is at once killed by Damodar. Marina gets the
map and travels through a magic portal to escape, dragging Ridley and Snails
with her. After crashing into a pile of garbage, they meet a dwarf named Elwood
(Lee Arenberg), who ends up escaping with them through a sewer.
Damodar puts a price on Marina, Ridley, Snails and Elwood's
heads. After learning that the protagonists got away with the map, Profion
places a tentacled monster inside Damodar's head as punishment. The
protagonists hide in a tavern and, while reading the map, Ridley and Marina get
sucked into it. Damodar and his henchmen arrive and attempt to capture Snails
and Elwood and the map, but they manage to get away. Outside the inn, Ridley
and Marina exit the map and they all agree to work together to find the Rod of
Savrille. They have to find a red ruby called the Eye of the Dragon that can
open the door to a tomb where the Rod rests. The ruby is located inside a
hazardous maze that is owned by a thief named Xilus (Richard O'Brien) who will
give them the Eye if Ridley can obtain the ruby and survive the maze. Ridley
manages to get the Eye of the Dragon, but Xilus attempts to take it by force
when Damodar shows up. Marina gets captured while Ridley, Snails and Elwood
escape, meeting an elf named Norda (Kristen Wilson). Norda works as a tracker
for the Empress and informs her about Profion's plans to get the Rod of
Saville. Meanwhile, Damodar tries interrogating Marina. When she refuses to
talk, he uses the tentacles of the monster in his head to gain the knowledge he
seeks.
Ridley and Snails break into the castle where Marina is
imprisoned to rescue her, while Norda and Elwood stay behind. They split up and
Ridley finds Marina. Snails falls into a quicksand trap in Damodar's room after
finding the map and some magical powder. Snails is then chased through the
castle by Damodar, while Ridley and Marina fight to get back out. They follow
Snails and Damodar to the roof where Snails is killed by Damodar when he throws
the map to Ridley. Ridley becomes enraged at Damodar and attacks him, but
Damodar disarms him and stabs him in the shoulder with his own sword. In the
confusion Marina grabs some of the magic dust that Snails pilfered and casts a
spell to knock down Damodar. She and Ridley then escape through a portal,
leaving the corpse of Snails behind.
Back at the council chambers, Profion and Empress Savina
battle over the future of Izmir. Meanwhile, an elf named Halvarth (Tom Baker)
heals Norda's soldiers and Ridley. Ridley has a dream of a dragon being born,
and learns that if Profion and Savina go to war, it will tip the balance of
magic in the world.
Later, Ridley accuses Marina of being an "evil
mage", because of the Mages' oppressions of the Commoners. Marina tells
Ridley that he is wrong, and that the Empress is trying to resolve all of the
things that Ridley hates. Eventually, they become love interests and Ridley
uses the 'Eye of the Dragon' to finally get the Rod of Savrille, which is held
by the skeleton of Savrille in the tomb. The skeleton comes to life and warns
Ridley that "anyone who wields the power of the rod shall suffer a
horrible fate". Meanwhile, Damodar arrives outside and captures the other
three. When Ridley comes out, Damodar requests the Rod in exchange for his
companions. Ridley gives the Rod to Damodar, who orders his execution along
with his friends and then turns to leave through a portal to complete his
mission. Norda and Elwood break free from their guards and free Marina from
hers, and they all follow Ridley through the portal to the capital city of
Sumdall.
Meanwhile, in Sumdall, Profion uses mages to fight the
Empress. Savina calls forth golden dragons and they fight the mages. Damodar
arrives with the Rod, and Profion reluctantly frees Damodar from the creature
in his head (this is addressed in Wrath of the Dragon God). Profion then climbs
to a high platform to summon red dragons to fight the golden ones. Ridley
arrives and battles Damodar, stabbing him and throwing him from the ledge,
avenging Snails. He then attacks Profion, who disarms him and shoves him back.
Ridley's companions arrive and fight Profion one at a time. Ridley picks up the
fallen Rod of Savrille, and uses it to stop the red dragons. Marina encourages
Ridley to use the Rod to bring Profion down, but Ridley realizes the Rod's
power is corrupting him and destroys it. Empress Savina arrives and condemns
Profion, who fights her with powerful magic, but she succeeds in summoning a
golden dragon to devour him. She praises all of the adventurers, hailing them
as heroes.
Ridley later visits Snails' grave (with a voiceover of
Savina telling the people of Izmer that they are now all equal), where he tells
Snails that he is now "Ridley the Savior," echoing Snails' claim at
the beginning of the film. Snails' engraved name then disappears and Norda
tells Ridley not to question his abilities. Ridley, Norda, Marina and Elwood
then touch the Eye of the Dragon and magically disappear, ending the film.