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Roadstar1600
Starting Member
USA
30 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Feb 2008 : 07:23:09
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quote:
Originally posted by tonkatough
Yeah I couldn't agree with you more R415. and the real tragedy is that apparently a japanese animation studio actually put up their hand to animate this baby but then someone who harbours prejudice towards Jap Anime put their foot down and said "NO!"
Predjudice??? What does prejudice have to do with anything? I don't like Japanimation, either. I just don't like like the way it looks. It's too cutsie...too kiddie. If the movie had been drawn that way, I wouldn't have watched it at all. It has nothing to do with prejudice, many people just don't like that style. |
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MrStatesTheObvious
Senior Member
USA
1188 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2008 : 01:36:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Roadstar1600
Predjudice??? What does prejudice have to do with anything? I don't like Japanimation, either. I just don't like like the way it looks. It's too cutsie...too kiddie.
*twitch*
Not ALL anime is cutesy and/or kiddie, but I've hijacked enough threads by posting serious, dark and realistic Japanese animation screenshots.
Rule #10 on How 2 Rite Gud: "One should never generalize."
If it had been Japanese animation, at least Tanis' eyes would have a lot more detail in closeup.
*still hasn't watched the movie and runs away*
---
I'm not a snob. Just overeducated.
DLMS Forums: We whinge because we care.
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SniprKlr
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2008 : 01:53:43
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This movie was terrible :O Why is it that every time a fantasy film is made that it's left up to a bunch of idiots to make it? The old cartoon D&D made this movie look like a troll..A troll on a bad day at that. The makers of this movie need to take a look at some of todays greatest in animation.. Such as Heavy Metal, Akira, Blood: The last Vampire, Wizards and other great animated movies.. They should have made this movie rate "R" for one.. Get serious with the story people.. This is what happens when you try to make a movie for kids..turns out like crap.. If they had spent as much effort into making their art work/posters as they did in this movie it would have been probably regarded as one of the best movies of all time.. Lord of the Rings should be a lesson to you..Even that was a bit to kiddie for a serious movie.
If you chose to do another film.. Get the creaters of Heavy Metal or other talented animation artists/teams to do it.. I give this movie an F..its so bad the the worst B movies are better than this :/
pros: Movie concept is a great idea..(if done right)
cons:
Poor Animation
Worst story telling ever
Not serious enough
Needs an R rating
Needs serious content
Needed to be darker and more sinister
Combat was boring like watching kids pillow fight
Magic use was weak at best
Evil characters were weak..seemed to hardly play a role in the movie
Character development? Take some lessons from pixar.. Make us feel for
for these characters.. Give them more expression and emotion and more defining personal atributes
To be honest.. I felt nothing during this movie..other than WTF is this pile of crap. I didn't feel sad, happy, mad, worried or even interested in any of the characters or anything going on in the movie.
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Kontorotsui
Starting Member
Italy
26 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2008 : 06:45:58
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I've watched the movie, and I must say... I've read some reviews, mostly negative, and I was so prepared for such a bad movie, that I was mildly surprised for it to be not SO bad. It is bad... but... well... starting from such a low expectations, I found it... CUTE.
Yes, CUTE, as you would say to a 12 year old girl.... problem is that you were supposed to have a full grown woman for a date 
The movie looks too childish, too amateurish (and I bet fans could make better movies). Yet, I was able to watch most of it with a smile on my face, a smile you have when you see a child playing... I put this movie in the right place: a child movie based on DoAT. Nice, cute... until the end.
I can lower my expectations, I can watch it as a child tale like I would see a Disney movie... but I can NOT stand an ugly, devastating, horrible, stupid and insulting end like that.
I can't see any reason to completely ruin the final fight against Verminaard (and I won't speak anymore how he's drawn, he just sucks), it's Goldmoon, not Tanis, to be the symbol of Paladine finally entering the field against Takhisis, why the hell they changed that??? It is completely wrong even in THIS movie.
But what made me roar is the disgusting show of Laurana KISSING Elistant.
Margareth, if you read this... we have already talked in Lucca (Italy), about the movie, I was dressed as Raistlin... I can forgive anything from this movie, but NOT that you allowed Laurana to be a "HUMAN WHORE" like his father (in this movie, with full reason) would say
I was so disgusted, I was able to accept all the changes and cuts, the classic scenes missing or altered, the He-Man animation, the childish cut to the story, even the stupid boucing boobs, but NOT that. Laurana was supposed to be fascinated with Elistan, NOT to kiss him like that. I can't, will never, forgive that. I'm so disgusted right now I think I'll throw the DVD in the trashcan where it belongs.
I could have accepted the movie as a nice try, a cute movie for children, but with that... I now hate it.
Let me try to cool down and add more thoughts to the review.
Voice acting... I didn't find it so terrible. Maybe it's because I'm not from USA. Here in Italy voice actors are top class, all the movies are dubbed with extreme care, yet I don't think the voice acting is bad. Yes, Raistlin is not hissing, but that is hardly the voice actor fault. This CUTE movie is too "bright" and "childish" to have an hissing Raistlin.
The music IS good, really good, the best feature of the movie.
Animation... He-Man style, that's all. In the 21st century. So bad, so bad. I've seen the He-Man special (the movie introducing She-Ra) and this movie is on par. 20 years later. If I were the authors, I would be deeply ashamed.
The only good animation is on the Draconians, I like how they made them in 3D, their drawing is great. Wish they did the rest of the movie like that!
Changes and cuts... to fit a book in 90 minutes, well, you have to make cuts. Many of the cuts are reasonable, many changes are reasonable (still, I now understand my LOTR crying for changes and hissing "this was not like the book"). About the changes, I understand the author and/or director could change something, because he/she now think this is better than the original. I can understand. I understand cutting most of Xak Tsaroth, the gully dwarves, the Pax Tarkas mines (including slug, the wraith, the chain) and so on. But... come on... the companions having a party in front of the sleeping dragon?? That is so gross, so STUPID, so nonsense. This is not bad animation, childish movie... this is RIDICULOUS!
More cuts and changes I can't really accept:
- Why no "we'll go through the kitchen"? It's A LINE, damn it! Make Tanis SAY that!
- Flint using a short sword? Isn't he supposed to wield axes only? Beside a dagger.
- THe hoopak. Why the hell did they draw it wrong?
- Raistlin's eyes... no comments. But I understand it fits in the poor drawing style.
- In the boat, why make Tanis ask Raistlin for help? He's supposed to cast sleep on his own, why change that?
- Since when Raistlin and Tanis discuss Kitiara (and Laurana) like buddies?? 
- Why not say Raistlin and Caramon are twins. When Tanis introduces them to the barbarians, he could say that. Come on, it is only a word!
- I understand the need to show Goldmoon and Riverwind having more than a working relationship, but damn... Riverwind trying to kiss her when nobody watched, like a teenager.
- Draconian blood RED?? Are you STUPID?? Hel-loooh?? RED BLOOD? Are you out of your mind??
- Also, most of the draconians in the fight (when they meet them in monk disguise) are UNARMED? They try to kill a knight in full plate with FISTS and KICKS? That's so ridiculous, come on!!
- And Tasslehoff carring Sturm's sword, a two-handed sword, like a toy???
- Raistlin having VISIONS? But he's not a seer! he got brains...something that someone else is missing, it seems.
- The Speaker begging Tanis for help???
What I DID like, are the spells. I liked them, especially Verminaard's. They really look good.
Conclusion: a low quality movie, but could have been at least cute, completely ruined (from a fan point of view) in the last few minutes. I really regret it has been done. |
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SniprKlr
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2008 : 03:34:08
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As a response to the above.. It's not that it has He-man type of animation style.. Heavy Metal and Fakk2 did and those were great.. It's that the character development was crap, expressionless, not serious, kiddie "cute" (which this movie should not have been). Why are animators so afraid of making R rated animated films? This is exactly why Japanese anime is decades ahead of American animators.. Movies of this type do not play well as "CUTE"..In fact it makes them down right suck..
As for the voice acting.. HORRIBLE!.. Each character was like watching a clear eyes commercial. Hardly any real Emotional expression! And it didn't help that they failed to put any real emotional expressions on these characters faces.. They need Pixar's help in this area big time.. Best in the business in character development.. Hell who didn't cry when Scully?(little green guy) pulled out that last piece of the door.. All the characters in this movie could have died and I could have either cared less or thought finally something remotely interesting happened.
Now I hear there is a live action movie coming out and all I can think is great.. Another D&D2 flick or Never Ending story 3 or something.. It will probably be worse :/..
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SniprKlr
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2008 : 03:43:04
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If you want to look at a successful kidding movie and make one. Take "The Flight of Dragons" for example.. For how old that movie is, it is light years ahead of this.. Sad when Japanese version of D&D cartoon "Lodoss War" was better than the American version! If you want to get a movie to succeed you need to get serious about the content..Trying to make it Family Friendly for the sake of trying to get a specific rating will destroy the movie and its creativity.. If your target audience is 13 and under..make it kiddie.. if its above that man go all out!
Horrible.. Just Horrible :/ |
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SniprKlr
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2008 : 03:49:14
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| BTW X out those ramblings about a live action movie lol ;) |
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LongTimeFan
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2008 : 14:14:19
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| Absolutely, completely and utterly disgusted. How can anyone even think this movie was a good idea? 1970's era animation with low quality 3d spot scenes?? The only thing I can think of is Weiss and Hickman were somehow broke and needed money. This movie is worse than the Dungeons and Dragons ones for sheer and utter fail value. Mangled story, wretched animation, and badly placed voice acting. I bought the books when they were coming out, read them lovingly and even played the pen and paper module series. This movie is as bad as the old Lord of the Rings animated ones, if not worse for it's voice acting. I've seen better Star Wars fan films that had NO budget. I can't even imagine how this thing passed anyone's quality inspection. I honestly hope they simply kill the next projects and leave the rest of the books be. |
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Roadstar1600
Starting Member
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2008 : 14:37:30
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quote:
Originally posted by MrStatesTheObvious
Not ALL anime is cutesy and/or kiddie, but I've hijacked enough threads by posting serious, dark and realistic Japanese animation screenshots.
What you are missing here is that most people in the western world simply don't like that style of drawing. There is a niche that does, and that's fine. Enjoy it. But most people don't want to see their classic western fairy tale drawn in an eastern style that a) doesn't fit and b) they don't like looking at. No one is saying anything is wrong with the quality of that style of drawing, and no one is saying you or anyone else shouldn't enjoy it. I'm sure the movie would be a big hit in Japan that way, and a huge success with Manga fans in the west. But most Dragonlance fans don't fit into those categories.
Anyway, live actors combined with quality CGI is the way to go. |
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oldfan
New Member
80 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2008 : 17:09:36
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quote:
What you are missing here is that most people in the western world simply don't like that style of drawing. There is a niche that does, and that's fine. Enjoy it. But most people don't want to see their classic western fairy tale drawn in an eastern style that a) doesn't fit and b) they don't like looking at. No one is saying anything is wrong with the quality of that style of drawing, and no one is saying you or anyone else shouldn't enjoy it. I'm sure the movie would be a big hit in Japan that way, and a huge success with Manga fans in the west. But most Dragonlance fans don't fit into those categories.
Anyway, live actors combined with quality CGI is the way to go.
Exactly what style are you talking about anyway?
Japanese animation is not a "style", or even a genre. It's the medium of animation that encompasses a huge variety of styles from Huge goggly chibi sailormoon, to super-deformed, to full CG, to stuff akin to American graphic novels. Then there's the anime that stylistically is closer to Eastern European animation, or stuff that defies all description of a "style". Genres go from sports, mystery, romance, adventure, porn, comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, historical drama... you name it, it's been done.
There is no "eastern" vs "western" style.
Just because most American kids have only been inundated with the crap that is Naruto and looks more like "Powder Puff Girls" than Japanese animation looks like "anime", does not mean that's the sole stylistic choice in japanese animation.
A lot of commercial Japanese animation is more realistic in terms of human anatomy, animation and gore/violence/life than anything from the US.
As for a full blown CG fx version of this film.. not going to happen anytime soon. I think the story might be a bit too full of cheese for it, although if they pushed it more towards a darker drama it may have a chance. |
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SniprKlr
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2008 : 14:26:57
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This has nothing to do with drawing in Japanese anime.. It's taking lessons from it.. It's called paying attention to DETAIL! Making the characters more life like..The show of emotions and expressing them without holding back.. America is ready for such movies..You just have to do it in the American Style.. Dragon Lance could have been done to be an EPIC animation but the film makers plainly suck.. Look at the movie "Wizards" Old school animation and yet the movie is regarded one of the best animated movies..Especially about WW2 and Shitler. America Needs better animation.. We are sick of the lame censored crap made for Kids under 12. There is a Market for Adult Animated films in America.. Example:
Do a block buster movie on Terminator, Aliens VS Predator and make it hardcore with Great Animation.. Get Pixar to do it or Some Famous Animation Artist that did FAKK2 or Heavy Metal.. Seriously you must be blind..
One big Reason there isn't a large market here is because nobody has attempted to make one.. No advertisement of Japanese animation here at all.. whens the last time you have ever seen a advertisement for a film like Blood: The Last Vampire hunter... Nobody knows about it!
Akira Did well in America BTW..
So here is how they can Test the Waters... Make a big film and release it in Japan..Advertise it here in America and See if there is a market for it.. |
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Ayst
Starting Member
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2008 : 02:04:41
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This is my firt time posting on the website. I waited for some time to pas from watching the movie and reading some of the other post on the site about the move. These are my thoughts about the Dragonlance movie. To start out the movie was heart breaking for me. Like the generation before with the Lord of the Ring books, the dragonlance first series has always held a place in my heart as my all time favorite books and characters. I was so excited when I heard about a movie being made. But the next moment was disapointment when I also saw that it was going to be an animated movie. Never really heard about the movie since then. Then another disapointment when I saw it was being sent straight to DVD with no previews available to see. Then came the day of the release and my wife surpised me with buying it for me. From the first time on reading the cast of te movie, I was worried about some of the casting in the movie. So I sat down to see my dream movie made and tried to watch it with an open mind.
I understand that it is never possible to include everything in a book into a movie based upon that book. What was done with this movie was not even close to what was in the book.Going in to specific detail will just repeat was has already been said. As with the Harry Potter books and Lord of the Rings there ar scenes that you have pictured in your head so many times that you cannot wait to see how someone else would show you that scene in a movie. To not see them included in the movie just was crushing. I know this has been mentioned in previous in previous post.
Watching this movie actually put me in a very bad mood for several weeks and still does when I think about the movie. It appears to me that the major problem was the movie studio not taking this project as serious as they should have. Making a movie of this stature with the animation and length makes me feel the director and studio did not understand how much money could be made from this movie with a live action movie based upon the Dragonlance Chronicles. This movie was so bad that if the same process with be made to make a second movie, then I really do not care and will not buy it.
Make a live action version of the whole Dragonlance Chronicles like the Lord of the Rings moveies and it will make as much if not more money. Make a effort ot give us fans a quatlity product to spend our money on and we will. Please give us Draglnace fans real movie, not this animated piece of dogcrap that was made. Admit that you made a mistake and make it up to us. |
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Roadstar1600
Starting Member
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2008 : 10:53:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayst
Watching this movie actually put me in a very bad mood for several weeks and still does when I think about the movie.
I think you might be giving this movie just a hair too much authority over your life. It was a bad movie. Move on.  |
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disappointed_fan
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2008 : 15:00:14
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Hi All,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I will not expand on the reasons why this movie was terrible, because it has been mentioned in this thread numerous times.
I really wanted to like this movie, and it was so far from what I was hoping for. I read the DL books 20 years ago. The price on my DoAT book is $2.95 to give you a timeframe.
These were the first books I read over and over again. Loved all the characters, Raistin's strive for power, Caramon love for his brother, Tas's fearlessness, Tanis' leadership struggles, Goldmoon's quest of faith, Sturm's loyalty to the KOS, etc...
Unfortunately, this movie pretty much missed all the things I loved about the books. When the movie was over, all I had to say was, "Why?"
I can understand omitting some ideas for the sake of time, (sort of like PJ cutting Tom Bombadil out of the LOTR movie) but this was forgetting to add any of the cherished details that we may have. Brilliance is in the details.
I was hoping to show this movie to my wife and kids, but now there is no way I would show this to anyone, not even my worst enemy. One thing that really bothers me is that a person of Keifer Sutherland's stature was involved in this movie. This is an "A" list person in Hollywood doing voice for an amazing character in Fantasy literature.
Why??? Does he like the books? He could have bank-rolled this movie single-handedly and made a solid animated film. Instead, ha casts spells if he is having a normal conversation. Arghhhh.
I would like him to turn DL into a continous series on TV. That could do well. A good fantasy story needs time to be told properly onscreen. Take a look at 24, Heroes, Lost, and Prison Break. They can take their time to develop the story becuase they hav a full season to do so.
The Dragons and the Twins series could be enough material for 6-12 years on TV. And I am not even mentioning the slew of other excellent books that are set in DL, or the backstory, Huma, Lord Soth, etc...
Enough ranting... |
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cloudweaver
Junior Member
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2008 : 20:56:27
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Well, the only thing I can say that hasn't already been said (and probably has, I haven't read the whole thread) is that Fizban could have rambled more.
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Official Review Thread: NEGATIVE
