While Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most popular role-playing games put to paper, there is a sad truth in their film adaptations. To date, there have been five official movies released by Dungeons & Dragons, with a new one on the way helmed by Spider-Man: Homecoming writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.
Since there are only the five official Dungeons & Dragons movies, this list looks at movies that are focused around D&D, or are directly related to the game. Ranked from worst to best, these are the best D&D movies.
Dungeons & Dragons (3.6)
The lowest scoring Dungeons & Dragons movie, this 2000’s released film follows Ridley (Justin Whalin) and Snails (Marlon Wayans), a pair of thieves, as they are sent on a quest to retrieve the Rod of Savrille. The movie also features Thora Birch, during the height of her career, as the Empress and Jeremy Irons as the big bad Profion.
The basic plot, one-dimensional characters, and eccentric choices from the cast ensured this movie would flop, with Irons even noting he only did the film to pay for his newly purchased castle.
Mazes and Monsters (4.1)
It was a tough choice between this and the 2014 short film Dark Dungeons, but since they are essentially the same story, Mazes and Monsters wins due to its star credentials and run-time. In 1982, for his second film ever, Tom Hanks took on the leading role in this movie about the demonic dangers of a D&D clone.
Both this film and Dark Dungeons focus on the anti-D&D campaign to shed disinformation about the impact of the game. While both of these films turned into accidental comedies, only Mazes and Monsters included a scene where Hanks gives a wild performance atop the Twin Towers.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness (4.5)
Released in 2012, this final entry into the official Dungeons and Dragons trilogy was shot in Bulgaria and released directly to DVD. The titular book of vile darkness is the MacGuffin of this movie, being an ancient tome containing the spirit of a sorcerer and made from his skin and bones.
The movie features several major aspects from D&D lore, including having the party, consisting of two humans, a Shadar-kai sorceress, and a Goliath barbarian, travel to Shadowfell. It plays on these D&D aspects in a fun way.
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (4.7)
This 2005 sequel takes only one character from the first film and makes him the central antagonist against a new group of adventurers. 100 years after the events of the first movie, Damodar, Profion’s right-hand man, walks the earth cursed as an undead and plans to awaken the dragon, Faluzure.
The chosen party, Berek, a fighter, Lux, a female barbarian, Dorian, a cleric, Ormaline, an elven wizard, and Nim, a thief, are sent to stop him. Throughout the journey, they fight against a lich, Damodar, and the dragon Falazure himself.
Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (4.9)
Based on the campaign setting and novel of the same name, Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight is an animated movie released in 2008. This movie has an all-star voice cast which included Kiefer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, Michael Rosenbaum, Phil LaMarr, and Michelle Trachtenberg.
Since the movie was based on the novel, there was a lot cut for time, as they condensed the entire book into one 90 minute film. The adventurers of this movie tackle several quests and follow the D&D formula closely, though the animation is lacking in quality for a 2008 release.
Knights of Badassdom (5.6)
Featuring a star-studded cast including Peter Dinklage, Summer Glau, Dani Pudi, Steve Zahn, and Jimmi Simpson, this movie follows a group of live-action role players, or LARPers, who summon an ancient evil using a prop that turns out to be a real magic book.
As the demon plows through dozens of LARPers, it is up to the main character Joe and his friends to stop the creature and send it back to hell, using parts of the book to help him win. The D&D aspects of the movie along with the comedic timing of the actors made the movie a hit on release.
Scourge of Worlds: A Dungeons & Dragons Adventure (6.5)
More of a game than a movie, Scourge of Worlds: A Dungeons & Dragons Adventure has the viewer play along at home by helping make choices for the animated characters on screen. This type of play-along film was recently used for Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
The movie follows Regdar the Human warrior, Lidda the Halfling rogue, and Mialee, the Elven wizard, as they participate in several quests. The decisions the player makes along the way could lead to the best possible ending where the heroes stop the big bad or the character’s deaths in certain cases.
Futurama: Bender’s Game (7.3)
The third film of the Futurama movies focuses on a parallel world where the well-known characters are dropped into a medieval fantasy experience of Bender’s creation. Based on Dungeons & Dragons, but also referencing Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Ender’s Game, the film knowingly parodies the tropes of the game while actively being one of the best D&D films ever made.
As Fry, Lela, and Bender, now known as Frydo, Leegola, and Titanius, attempt to keep a d12 shaped magical crystal safe, it’s power is too much. The party eventually returns to the real world, having foiled Mom’s plans. The movie ends with a touching tribute to Gary Gygax who died during production.
The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (7.4)
The Kickstarter backed sequel to a 2002 cult hit, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising follows a Dungeon Master frustrated that his party is not playing in a fun way. He introduces a new NPC and a new gamer, who happens to be a girl, to shake the game up.
The story has two sets of characters, the players who are in the real world and then the characters in the game of D&D. Switching between the players and the characters provides a lot of comedic moments, and scenes work perfectly alongside each other.
The Gamers (7.6)
Much like its sequel, The Gamers follows a group of players in a dorm room playing Dungeons & Dragons. As the story progresses, viewers see both sides of the game, from the player’s perspective and the characters. The characters complete their quests, eventually ending up in the real world and slaughtering their players while learning that their entire adventure was written.
The Gamers is an homage to D&D and to the people that play it. There are scenes that show the characters starting an action then stopping because their character couldn’t do that in the game. It caringly imagines how the game works and how the players play while taking the time to make an enjoyable movie.