Nothing beats an intense game ofDungeons and Dragonswith your friends and a solid campaign. When the stars align, and you get the right people combined with a solid DM who knows what they are doing, you’re able to get to experience sublime interactive fantasy games whose real-life graphics outclass any video game.
Unfortunately, if you lack a serious group or even if you don’t, a good game session can feel far and few between. This leaves the next best thing, a fantasy movie that delivers the same feelings that aDungeons and Dragonsgame can give you. Check out these 10 films that feel like they were dreamed up byDungeons and Dragonsfans and allow audiences to experience that feeling for themselves.
Starting off, we have the film ’80s film,Willow. It was widely popular at the time of its release andeven spawned a TV seriesbased on some of the same characters. It received two differentAcademy Award nominations, one for sound effects and one for visual editing.
Willowtells your classic adventure tale in a fantasy setting. A young farmer, by chance, becomes involved by forces greater than his own when he encounters a special baby that is sought after by the forces of evil. He must undertake a quest with his colorful and varied companions across the countryside while battling knights, dragons, and magical forces. Along the way, he meets various leaders and entities that help him and his companions on his quest.
No doubt,Willowwas inspired by theDungeons and Dragonssetting. The TV series that came out in 2021 wears those influences even more on its sleeves by incorporating even more, giving Willow Ufgood spells that look likeDungeons and Dragonsspells. Each character in the party has their roles, abilities, and a unique personality that feel like a character sheet coming to life.
9Conan the Barbarian (1982)
IfWillowwas aDungeons and Dragons-inspired wizard fantasy,Conan the Barbariandelivers a tabletop role-playing experience for the melee fighters. The film sees a warrior named Conan, played byArnold Schwarzenegger, recruiting a dungeon and exploring party to defeat the evil forces of a mystical cult leader, played byJames Earl Jones.
In typical barbarian fashion, Conan takes a blunt approach to every situation, overcoming mystical foes and hardships. Conan is raised as a child as a slave, forced to push a giant wheel for seemingly no reason. He pushes this wheel so much that he turns from a scrawny kid into a hulking, world-class bodybuilder. After his captors are gone, he loses his purpose and decides to go off into the world doing whatever he wants. Unfortunately, he encounters people who give him a semblance of a plot to follow, but mainly he just kills everyone who makes problems for him. Turns out, James Earl Jones has killed Conan’s mother in the past, and is why he is who he is. Conan pays no mind to this twisted father relationship he now has with the villain, and stops at nothing to infiltrate the lair of his cult and subdue him.
Related:10 Major Roles Arnold Schwarzenegger Didn’t Get or Turned Down
8The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Lord of the Ringsis the rare example of a series that, instead of being influenced byDungeons and Dragons, is the other way around. J.R.R. Tolkien’s works were major inspirations for the tabletop board game, to the point that a lawsuit was filed because of the similarity of the game. Regardless of who inspired who,The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringis all the better for it.It grossed nearly $900 billion worldwide at the box officeand basically proved to Hollywood that big-budget adaptations of these fantasy works are worth the squeeze.
The film follows the novels pretty faithfully and follows part of the adventurers in their singular goal to vanquish evil by destroying an enchanted ring. The great thing about the setup of a Dungeon and Dragons-style adventure is the plethora of characters you get to meet and get to know before they sacrifice themselves. Everybody has their favorite character that they root for.
Related:Lord of the Rings: 12 of the Most Well-Cast Characters in the Franchise
7Excalibur (1981)
Next up is the 1981 filmExcalibur.As the name suggests, it retells the Arthur legends and has a distinct visual style. In the film, you have all the classic DnD archetypes like the wizard, knights, and other fantastical beings. The plot follows Arthur as he assembles his band of knights to unite the kingdom. However, dark magic seeks to drive a wedge between the land’s protectors, causing a war between the forces of good and evil. The film is ambitious and tells a number of different episodes from Arthurian legend, managing to live up to what it sets out to do.
6The Gamers (2002)
The Gamersis a parody or spoof of DnD role-playing games. It follows a group of gamers that are immersed in a tabletop game to rescue the princess. It is a meta take on the adventure and takes time to make fun of fantasy tropes and gaming stereotypes. The thief character steals someone’s pants just because they want to see if they can pass the skill check. After one character dies after a bad dice roll, the other party members squabble over his loot. It is a classic entry in the genre, and well worth the watch.
5The Beastmaster (1982)
Another great sword and sorcery adventure can be found inThe Beastmaster.While the film did not see commercial success initially, it gained exposure from its syndicated runs that allowed it to spawn multiple film sequels and a TV series. The film tells the story of Dar and is based on the novel, which shares the movie’s name. Dar is the prophesied child who was kidnapped as a child and forced to grow up through training and talking to animals. Despite his affinity for animals, he does not, in fact, roll a druid but is more like a barbarian with extra skills. Animals just seem to follow him everywhere he goes as he wages war against the forces of evil. Dar makes excellent use of crafty tricks in addition to utilizing brawn.
4Dragonslayer (1981)
Dragonslayeris a dark fantasy entry onto this list. It follows the classic adventuring formula, but does not pull punches with its adult themes and violence. The film follows a young wizard who assembles a party to slay an evil dragon that is causing problems for the citizens. This dragon has a bit of a girl-devouring problem, and there aren’t too many people that are up to the job of stopping it. The hero’s party has to use a fair bit of magic and trickery to stop the dragon from devouring the King’s own daughter in an epic quest.
3George and the Dragon (2004)
George and the Dragonchange up the setting on this list to the time period after the first crusades in England. The kingdom’s knights, priests, and soldiers are recovering from the horrific battles and are eager to return home. However, once they get there, the princess is kidnapped, and the hero, George, must set out in search of her rescue.
The movie is based on a famous European folklore tale of the same name and follows the same plot. A dragon is extorting sacrifices and trinkets from the local villages and is only stopped when he gets too greedy and chooses a princess as the next sacrifice. There is a twist in this version that makes the quest more challenging to solve than it initially appears.
2King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
King Arthur: Legend of the Swordis another film inspired by Arthurian legend that follows a standard tabletop party but with a more realistic take instead of a fantasy one. It still carries a DnD feel as the main characters must accept a problematic mission with only a few party members in a desperate situation. The film culminates with the Battle of Badon Hill and sees Arthur and his companions winning the day and uniting the land, promising to return and fight again if the Saxons attempt to invade again.
1Warcraft (2016)
Another fantasy tale, but based on a video game this time, isWarcraft.The film’s setting features several different fantasy races and classic archetypes reminiscent of a DnD game. The movie follows the struggles of the world of Azeroth as fell magic is tearing apart the fabric of reality. A small group of scouts is sent to investigate the magic but have to contend with the orcs, eventually becoming engulfed in a much larger struggle with the demons of Azeroth. It is a highly entertaining film with great special effects and does the video game series justice. It is an epic fantasy that doesn’t quite compare to some of its peers in the genre, but it is a pretty fun adventure for fans of DnD and the fantasy genre overall.
