Customer Reviews

Fellowship of the Dice

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having participated in role-playing adventures for many years - albeit many moons ago - the film caught my eye under my recommendations list. While it did struggle to show what the gaming experience can be about, it also chose to do so in the typical Hollywood overkill fashion. Ok, we get it...they're misfits, square pegs, insecure, crutches for each other's weaknesses.

Now go back and re-write their lines, get a new bloody cast for the interesting central character - well played by Aimee Graham - who are not all entirely pathetic creatures deserving of contempt rather than compassion. They could have been interesting without being outrageous losers.

The interludes, with the actual gamers from a convention, were a nice touch, and closer to my memory of actual people, with whom I played over several years. Not borderline loonies, just people looking for fun in an alternate environment where they're not sitting in a boring algebra class or counting the minutes in their cubicle to their coffee break.

I wanted to like this movie. It started with an interesting storyline about a complete outsider to gaming getting drawn in, but it decayed into a re-re-hash of the stereotypes we've seen over and over. The ending hinted at redemption of the outsider and the validation of gaming as a form of socializing and storytelling, but the script never delivered.

I got recommended this film after purchasing another RPG based movie.

It started out a girl looking for something different than the party life and getting invited into a game of Wizards, Warriors & Wyrms. You had the usual suspects with their different quirks. The game nazi, the shy one, the one that argues everything, the one who gets a little to into it etc etc. The film quickly develops into this overdramatised story of everyones emotions during the gaming process and their likes/dislikes towards the game, each other etc (note camera pans out to the character on their own expressing their opinion like in an episode of any reality TV show). I played RPG's regularly when I was younger and still sit in on a game from time to time so have experienced the highs and lows of playing rollplay. However in Fellowship of the Dice they have really overplayed/overdramatised each characters differences. Rules/arguments that shouldn't be taken to seriously were pushed way out of proportion into almost life and death level situations.

Though it wasn't the best attempt at a story the film was interesting because it seems that it was initially created as a documentary instead of being for entertainment. Fellowship of the Dice develops by a sort of rough initiation into gaming. Begins with introduction, characters/classes, rules, culture etc with the film panning across to other roleplayers not associated with the original story (like the way documentaries use experts to explain topics).

Though not very well protrayed (dramatised to say the least) Fellowship of the Dice did give outsiders a snapshot view into the gaming culture. 3/5 stars.

Like i said, this movie identifies all the role-playing stereotypes. Like the game master taking away the all too powerful magic items he gave the group and giving them absolutely useless substitutes, to the players getting real life angry due to game life situations, etc...the addition of the hot and troubled young lady joining the group is pretty much every table tops most fervent dream and desperate nightmare.
If you never played tabletop games, you probably wont get this film. My girlfriend didn't. If you did, you will probably enjoy it even as it at times can completely annoy you. But, as often is the case, the turmoil leads to a big confrontation and resolution, and everybody's bonds are stronger for it.

Having seen the trailers I expected the production value of this movie to be between "The Gamers" and "The Gamers:Dorkness Rising" and I was right. It's not bad but the story line is not what I expected. The characters are drawn with a hand that is heavy on the ridiculous. One character literally has the mentality of a 10 year old (mentioned on the DVD case), one is a self-published author of a unknown book "The Zen of Acting", etc. The central character is actually violating house arrest to go to the game and she has never role-played before in her life.

I will say some of the things that happen I've had happen in my own game, including the GM taking someone aside to get feedback on the game, so it's not all bad just overall not what I was expecting. I love good movies about gamers and the gaming community but wish they wouldn't treat us as a joke or something similar.

I've been a pretty hard core gamer for many years so I was really interested to find a movie about gaming, whether it was a documentary or a spoof of gaming or what have you. I have to say that this DVD was really pretty disappointing. The fact that it pokes fun at gamers isn't what bothers me. This was just a collection of horrible stereotypes. It would've been something at least, if they were 'insider' jokes or stereotypes but this was one long train wreck of outsider stereotypes, poor sound quality & poor humor. Not really even about gaming so much as just a collection of terrible characterizations. I usually can find something positive to find to say about most movies. . .but not this one. I really don't like to give bad reviews because I'd like to encourage the makers because I think it would be great to see more movies about gamers and gaming and think there's a lot of material for great humor there. . .but it's just not here. Honestly I wish I didn't spend the money on it.

hysterical look at role playing gamers, like "waiting for guffman" and "best in show". Aimee Graham is great. Funny movie, check it out.

Fellowship of the Dice is by far the best "Gaming" movie out there. It doesn't fall into the pitfall of being for "Gamers only" and spares the audience the many inside jokes that only gamers can get. It is funny, smart and accessible to everyone. The main character, Elizabeth, is touching and has to deal with a very a serious situation on a not so serious backdrop of gaming silliness. Check it out whether you are an experience gamer or don't even know what gaming is, you won't be disappointed. Fellowship of the Dice shows us what is truly important about gaming, which is the friendship that you develop along the way.

I would slap the lead singer of Hootie and Blowfish to watch movie again.
I thought the flow of the movie was very intelligent. A disection of the game of Dungeons and Dragons, very well aligned with the general set up of a movie. Characters, environment, ... all of that stuff. That each chapter ... titled for the game ... actually also progressed the set up of a movie. Genuis. I thought the little "jewish guy" was hyper and I wanted to slap him. ... but slap him good. How do I buy a shirt?