Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon God
Encyclopedia
Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God is a 2005 fantasy film
directed by Gerry Lively
. It is a made-for-TV
sequel
of sorts to the 2000 film Dungeons & Dragons
, which in turn was based on the popular role-playing game
Dungeons & Dragons
(or D&D). The only returning actor is Bruce Payne
reprising his role as the evil Damodar. The film was released in theaters in Europe and some parts of North America, and released on DVD
on February 7, 2006.
) has survived his defeat by Ridley Freeborn, having been cursed by his former master, Profion, to walk the earth as an undead entity. Driven insane by the pain of the curse, he seeks revenge against the kingdom of Izmir, and the descendants of those who defeated him.
After years of searching, he locates the Orb of Faluzure, an ancient artifact linked to the power of Faluzure
, a dragon god imprisoned under Izmir's mountains. With the Orb's power, he heals himself of the curse, and prepares to awaken the dragon to destroy Izmir.
Lord Berek (Mark Dymond
), a fighter
and former captain of the king's guard, now a bored and unsatisfied lord of the King, and Melora (Clemency Burton-Hill
), his wife, a "gifted" young mage
, investigate reports of poison gas emanating from Izmir's caves and find the still-slumbering dragon. Researching the threat in Izmir's library, Melora excitedly reports to Oberon (Roy Marsden
), the head of the Mages' Council, that Faluzure was imprisoned three thousand years ago by a powerful ancient civilization called the Turanians, who also created the Orb. While trying to locate the Orb through magic, Melora is inadvertently cursed by the much-more powerful Damodar, and begins dying slowly.
She hides her illness from Berek, who is appointed by the King to assemble a party of adventurers; small enough to infiltrate Damodar's lair undetected, but strong enough to face their enemies: Lux (Ellie Chidzey
), a female barbarian
, Dorian (Steven Elder
), a male Cleric
of Obad-Hai
, Ormaline (Lucy Gaskell
), a female elven wizard
, and Nim (Tim Stern) a master thief
.
The party sets out to locate Damodar's lair, while Oberon and the other mages try to decipher the tomes of Turanian magic in their library, to find a way to defeat the dragon.
While traveling through a haunted forest, Berek's party catches the attention of the powerful lich
Klaxx the Maligned, who offers his services to Damodar. Damodar does not trust him, but is confident that the Orb makes him more powerful than Klaxx.
After making through several obstacles and riddles, losing Dorian in the process, Berek's party finds its way to Damodar's castle. Confronting him, Berek manages to take advantage of his overconfidence and steal the Orb, though Ormaline and Nim are badly wounded before the wizard teleports them back to Obad-Hai. While Ormaline and Nim are treated by the clerics, Berek rides back to Izmir, Lux staying behind to delay demons summoned by Damodar.
Using his shape-changing abilities, Klaxx infiltrates Izmir's castle, kills Oberon in his bath, and assumes his shape. When Berek returns with the Orb, Melora uses it to unlock a vault discovered beneath the castle, where the Turanians hid the secrets of their magic. However, at that moment, Klaxx reveals himself, stealing the Orb back and killing the King, the new captain of the guard, and many of the castle's inhabitants, before returning the Orb to Damodar. The dragon awakens and destroys the Orb, regaining its full power.
While Berek rides in pursuit, Melora, who is near death, manages to decipher the Turanians' secret and rally the remaining mages in a magical attack that defeats the dragon, and also frees her from the curse.
Berek and Lux meet up and confront Damodar, who no longer has the Orb's power at his disposal; Klaxx, who has no interest in helping Damodar any further, disappears with a laugh.
In the aftermath, Izmir is rebuilt, with Berek immersed in his ministerial duties, and Melora appointed as the new head of the Council of Mages. Lux, Ormaline and Nim are shown to have fully recovered from their wounds.
Damodar is last seen being imprisoned in a dark dungeon beneath Izmir, but smiling to himself as if he is fully prepared to wait another hundred years to have his revenge.
as Damodar). Also unlike the first movie, many details from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game have been included. The professions of the five adventurers are accurately depicted and they work together, each utilizing their individual strengths. The equipment of the adventurers are items which avid gamers will probably recognize (e.g. gem of true seeing, flask of purple worm acid, vorpal sword, ring of the ram, staff of lightning, mace of thunder, etc...). The spells cast by wizards are accurate renditions of the ones from the roleplaying game, namely that spells are not cast at will, but must first be prepared and in limited amounts.
The villains have also been designed closely to the D&D canon. As part of the bestiary, one can find an aggressive white dragon
, darkmantle
s, spectres
, magmin
s, lizardfolk
(one can be seen restoring Damodar's arm), and a lich
. Special mention must be given to Klaxx the Maligned (the lich), who is behaving how a lich should according to common D&D behavior—staying close to the action for a potential piece of power or knowledge to grab, but not exactly taking any risk. There were also dead drow hanging from the ceiling and whose blood was used for Damodar's "dinner". Juiblex
was also mentioned, but the demon lord did not actually appear in the film.
There are also a number of references to classic D&D modules (The Ghost Tower of Inverness, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
, etc.) in the film.
Of special note is the commentary track which is composed of "Lidda," "Krusk," and "Jozan" (iconic characters
from the third edition D&D ruleset) quipping upon the action on the screen.
From quick glimpses in the DVD's Interview with Gary Gygax
, the heroes are shown to have the following stats in the D&D game:
scored it 3 out of 10, stating that only hardcore D&D fans should check it out, though mostly due to references to the game itself. Monsters and Critics
awarded it 2 out of 5, stating, "If Lord of the Rings showed us how the fantasy genre can be done right, Dungeons and Dragons - Wrath of the Dragon God shows us how it can be done horribly wrong." One reviewer stated that Bruce Payne's 'performance is still the highlight of this one'. Another reviewer stated that Bruce Payne 'steals the show.'
was announced in 2011 and is set for release in late 2011.
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
directed by Gerry Lively
Gerry Lively
Gerry Lively is a cinematographer and film director, known for directing Darkness Falls , Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon God and Body Armour .-External links:...
. It is a made-for-TV
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
of sorts to the 2000 film Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons (film)
Dungeons & Dragons is a 2000 American fantasy film directed by Courtney Solomon and ostensibly based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, which in turn was based on the popular role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(or D&D). The only returning actor is Bruce Payne
Bruce Payne
Bruce Martyn Payne is an award winning English character actor and producer and was a member of the 1980's Brit Pack. Although he is best known for his villainous roles, Bruce Payne has played characters across the spectrum...
reprising his role as the evil Damodar. The film was released in theaters in Europe and some parts of North America, and released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on February 7, 2006.
Story
Approximately one hundred years after the events of the first film, Damodar (Bruce PayneBruce Payne
Bruce Martyn Payne is an award winning English character actor and producer and was a member of the 1980's Brit Pack. Although he is best known for his villainous roles, Bruce Payne has played characters across the spectrum...
) has survived his defeat by Ridley Freeborn, having been cursed by his former master, Profion, to walk the earth as an undead entity. Driven insane by the pain of the curse, he seeks revenge against the kingdom of Izmir, and the descendants of those who defeated him.
After years of searching, he locates the Orb of Faluzure, an ancient artifact linked to the power of Faluzure
Faluzure
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Faluzure is the dragon deity of Energy Draining, Undeath, Decay, and Exhaustion. "Faluzure" is also sometimes spelled "Falazure". His symbol is a draconic skull....
, a dragon god imprisoned under Izmir's mountains. With the Orb's power, he heals himself of the curse, and prepares to awaken the dragon to destroy Izmir.
Lord Berek (Mark Dymond
Mark Dymond
Mark Dymond is an English actor of Irish descent. In addition to appearances in films, he is known as Dr. Lorcan O'Brien, a major character in the 2007–2009 seasons of the TV drama series The Clinic, among other TV shows...
), a fighter
Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)
The fighter is one of the standard playable character classes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A fighter is a versatile, weapons-oriented warrior who fights using skill, strategy and tactics....
and former captain of the king's guard, now a bored and unsatisfied lord of the King, and Melora (Clemency Burton-Hill
Clemency Burton-Hill
Clemency Margaret Greatrex Burton is a British actress, novelist, journalist and violinist.-Private life:The daughter of the TV presenter and writer Humphrey Burton and Gillian Hawser, an agent , she attended St Paul's Girls' School and Westminster School and went on to read English at Magdalene...
), his wife, a "gifted" young mage
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
, investigate reports of poison gas emanating from Izmir's caves and find the still-slumbering dragon. Researching the threat in Izmir's library, Melora excitedly reports to Oberon (Roy Marsden
Roy Marsden
Roy Marsden is an English actor, who is probably best known for his portrayal of Adam Dalgliesh in the Anglia Television dramatisations of P. D. James's detective novels.- Education :...
), the head of the Mages' Council, that Faluzure was imprisoned three thousand years ago by a powerful ancient civilization called the Turanians, who also created the Orb. While trying to locate the Orb through magic, Melora is inadvertently cursed by the much-more powerful Damodar, and begins dying slowly.
She hides her illness from Berek, who is appointed by the King to assemble a party of adventurers; small enough to infiltrate Damodar's lair undetected, but strong enough to face their enemies: Lux (Ellie Chidzey
Ellie Chidzey
Ellie Chidzey is an English film and musical actress.Ellie was born on February 4, 1982 in Guildford, Surrey, England. She received her theatrical training in Mountview Theatre School of London during 3 years, after that she played in several plays and musicals like the Rocky Horror Picture Show,...
), a female barbarian
Barbarian (Dungeons & Dragons)
The barbarian is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Creative origins:The barbarian is based on Robert E...
, Dorian (Steven Elder
Steven Elder
Steven Elder is an English actor working in film, television and theatre.-Biography:Steven Elder's birth name is Steven William Thomas Lawrence. He was born in the front room of 63 Elder Drive in the coal-mining community of Sunnyside, Rotherham, England. His grandfather, father and five uncles...
), a male Cleric
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
of Obad-Hai
Obad-Hai
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon of deities for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Obad-Hai is the god of Nature, Woodlands, Hunting, and Beasts, one of the most ancient known. He is often called the Shalm....
, Ormaline (Lucy Gaskell
Lucy Gaskell
Lucy Gaskell is an English actress. She studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1998.Gaskell is known for the roles of Ruby Ferris in the BBC1 drama series Cutting It and Kirsty Clements in Casualty...
), a female elven wizard
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
, and Nim (Tim Stern) a master thief
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
.
The party sets out to locate Damodar's lair, while Oberon and the other mages try to decipher the tomes of Turanian magic in their library, to find a way to defeat the dragon.
While traveling through a haunted forest, Berek's party catches the attention of the powerful lich
Lich
In modern fantasy fiction, a lich is a type of undead creature. Often such a creature is the result of a transformation, as a powerful magician or king striving for eternal life uses spells or rituals to bind his intellect to his animated corpse and thereby achieve a form of immortality...
Klaxx the Maligned, who offers his services to Damodar. Damodar does not trust him, but is confident that the Orb makes him more powerful than Klaxx.
After making through several obstacles and riddles, losing Dorian in the process, Berek's party finds its way to Damodar's castle. Confronting him, Berek manages to take advantage of his overconfidence and steal the Orb, though Ormaline and Nim are badly wounded before the wizard teleports them back to Obad-Hai. While Ormaline and Nim are treated by the clerics, Berek rides back to Izmir, Lux staying behind to delay demons summoned by Damodar.
Using his shape-changing abilities, Klaxx infiltrates Izmir's castle, kills Oberon in his bath, and assumes his shape. When Berek returns with the Orb, Melora uses it to unlock a vault discovered beneath the castle, where the Turanians hid the secrets of their magic. However, at that moment, Klaxx reveals himself, stealing the Orb back and killing the King, the new captain of the guard, and many of the castle's inhabitants, before returning the Orb to Damodar. The dragon awakens and destroys the Orb, regaining its full power.
While Berek rides in pursuit, Melora, who is near death, manages to decipher the Turanians' secret and rally the remaining mages in a magical attack that defeats the dragon, and also frees her from the curse.
Berek and Lux meet up and confront Damodar, who no longer has the Orb's power at his disposal; Klaxx, who has no interest in helping Damodar any further, disappears with a laugh.
In the aftermath, Izmir is rebuilt, with Berek immersed in his ministerial duties, and Melora appointed as the new head of the Council of Mages. Lux, Ormaline and Nim are shown to have fully recovered from their wounds.
Damodar is last seen being imprisoned in a dark dungeon beneath Izmir, but smiling to himself as if he is fully prepared to wait another hundred years to have his revenge.
D&D Canon
Unlike the first movie, which could be considered medium-budget, this is a low-budget production with a cast of relative newcomers (with the exception of Bruce PayneBruce Payne
Bruce Martyn Payne is an award winning English character actor and producer and was a member of the 1980's Brit Pack. Although he is best known for his villainous roles, Bruce Payne has played characters across the spectrum...
as Damodar). Also unlike the first movie, many details from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game have been included. The professions of the five adventurers are accurately depicted and they work together, each utilizing their individual strengths. The equipment of the adventurers are items which avid gamers will probably recognize (e.g. gem of true seeing, flask of purple worm acid, vorpal sword, ring of the ram, staff of lightning, mace of thunder, etc...). The spells cast by wizards are accurate renditions of the ones from the roleplaying game, namely that spells are not cast at will, but must first be prepared and in limited amounts.
The villains have also been designed closely to the D&D canon. As part of the bestiary, one can find an aggressive white dragon
Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
, darkmantle
Darkmantle
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, a darkmantle is a strange magical beast which lives in caves.-Publication history:The darkmantle first appeared in the third edition Monster Manual , and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual...
s, spectres
Spectre (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the spectre is an undead creature.-Dungeons & Dragons :The spectre was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set...
, magmin
Magmin
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the magmin, or "magman", is a mischievous, nasty little goblin-like elemental creature from the Elemental Plane of fire. A magmin resembles a goblin made out of molten magma and burning cinders. Parts of it are on fire...
s, lizardfolk
Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk are a fictional humanoid species in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
(one can be seen restoring Damodar's arm), and a lich
Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
. Special mention must be given to Klaxx the Maligned (the lich), who is behaving how a lich should according to common D&D behavior—staying close to the action for a potential piece of power or knowledge to grab, but not exactly taking any risk. There were also dead drow hanging from the ceiling and whose blood was used for Damodar's "dinner". Juiblex
Juiblex
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Juiblex, also called The Faceless Lord, is the demon lord of Slimes and Oozes. Juiblex's lair is on the 222nd layer of the Abyss, which he shares with Zuggtmoy, the Demoness Lady of Fungi. In Gary Gygax's Gord novels, Juiblex is alternately called Szhublox...
was also mentioned, but the demon lord did not actually appear in the film.
There are also a number of references to classic D&D modules (The Ghost Tower of Inverness, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is a 1980 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game written by Gary Gygax. While Dungeons & Dragons is typically a fantasy game, the adventure includes elements of science fiction, and thus belongs to the science fantasy genre...
, etc.) in the film.
Of special note is the commentary track which is composed of "Lidda," "Krusk," and "Jozan" (iconic characters
Dungeons & Dragons iconic characters
The iconic characters in Dungeons & Dragons are a series of characters developed for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game to be used as recurring characters in illustrations and text explanations to illustrate archetypal D&D race and class combinations...
from the third edition D&D ruleset) quipping upon the action on the screen.
From quick glimpses in the DVD's Interview with Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
, the heroes are shown to have the following stats in the D&D game:
| Berek | Lawful Good male human fighter 7 |
| Lux | Chaotic Good female human barbarian 7 |
| Nim | Chaotic Good male human rogue 7 |
| Dorian | Neutral male human cleric 7 of Obad-Hai |
| Ormaline | Neutral female elf wizard 9 |
| Melora | Neutral Good female human cleric 1 of Obad-Hai/wizard 4 |
Reception
As of September 2009, Wrath of the Dragon God has an IMDB score of 4.9 out of 10, considerably higher than that of the original film. Professional reviews, however, have called the film disappointing. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
scored it 3 out of 10, stating that only hardcore D&D fans should check it out, though mostly due to references to the game itself. Monsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics is a web-only entertainment/celebrity news and review publication with movie, DVD, video game, and music reviews, along with political commentary as well as coverage of world news, technology, sports, and science.- Background :...
awarded it 2 out of 5, stating, "If Lord of the Rings showed us how the fantasy genre can be done right, Dungeons and Dragons - Wrath of the Dragon God shows us how it can be done horribly wrong." One reviewer stated that Bruce Payne's 'performance is still the highlight of this one'. Another reviewer stated that Bruce Payne 'steals the show.'
Sequel
Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile DarknessDungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness
Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness is the third film in the series based on the role-playing game series, Dungeons & Dragons. Like the previous films, it is being directed by Gerry Lively...
was announced in 2011 and is set for release in late 2011.