Product Details

• Actors: Nathan Rice, Carol Roscoe, Brian Lewis, Scott C. Brown, Christian Doyle
• Directors: Matt Vancil
• Format: Color, Subtitled, Anamorphic, Widescreen, Special Extended Version
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
• Region: All Regions
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Paizo Publishing
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0050KEF1A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,321 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Struggling writer Lodge (Nathan Rice) isn't asking for much: he wants his gaming group to finish playtesting his table-top adventure, rather than killing, looting, and debauching his fantasy world. Desperate to save the integrity of his story from the whims of his players' crazy characters-a horny bard, wild sorceress, and cryptic monk-Lodge allows Joanna (Carol Roscoe), Cass's (Brian Lewis) ex-girlfriend, to join the game. With Joanna's help, the group's characters trek deep into the fantasy game world to retrieve the Mask of Death from the evil necromancer Mort Kemnon (Geoff Gibbs). Will their choices in the game save their friendships in real life . . . or will Mort Kemnon triumph unopposed? - Subtitles: Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Serbian, Spanish, and d20 - "The Making of Dorkness Rising" - Extended Branching Edition, with fourteen extended and deleted scenes - Commentaries by Cast, Crew, Development Team, Producers, and Game Designers Monte Cook, Sean K Reynolds, Ed Stark, and Stan! - SJ Tucker's "Playing DnD" Music Video

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gamers: Dorkness Rising "Everything is better with pirates!" September 2, 2008

By D. Eastham

Format:DVD

Unlike many of the reviews currently posted for this film, which concern themselves with the "Red Shoe Diaries," I am actually going to review the film that is actually on this page!

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising is a fantastic feature film with the best of both sides of gaming. We get to have a look at both the fantasy world these people are creating for themselves, as well as follow their lives back in the real world.

Unlike other gaming films this one actually has a real point to it... Of course they are still out to storm the castle and save the damsel in distress (figuratively speaking), but the film is also about the game master publishing his first mod.

Unlike many independent fantasy films which come across as awkward, this one was like a breath of fresh air. It's not just for the people who game, as the writer/director Matt Vancil easily makes the content accessible to anyone who might watch the film! Even my parents, neither of whom game, watched and enjoyed this film... how many people can say that about other gaming films... *cough* Dungeons & Dragons *cough*?

All in all, it's a fun ride from beginning to end with an even balance of life in the real world as well as life inside the fantasy completed with a little surprise in the middle... I wont give it away, but let me just say that "Everything is better with pirates!"

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious movie about gaming! September 3, 2008

By Cinderrific

Format:DVD

This movie is awesome! It's clearly made by people who love gaming and understand all the little quirks that make the hobby unique. If you like games, dorks, fantasy or even just laughing out loud, you'll love this movie!!!!

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Excellent September 10, 2008

By Meneldir

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This movie is both a fun send-up of gaming and the fantasy genre in general, but also a well-written, well-paced comedy with ingenious gags and wonderful performances by the actors. Despite not having a huge budget or well-know actors, this movie has a lot of heart, and a high amount of professionalism. Check it out; you won't be disappointed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stands up to multiple viewings June 21, 2011

By 21 Days

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a much better movie than I expected it to be. I laughed until I hurt at times and have watched it repeatedly because it is so very funny. There are some very nice in-jokes for gamers, but they don't detract from the movie as a whole and you don't have to know anything about gaming to enjoy it. Okay, the budget is low and it is not a slick Hollywood production. But it is all the better for that. It's one of those movies that I purchased to support the filmmakers because I want them to keep making hilarious, quirky, fun, genuine, real movies. I am thrilled that it is out in a new edition. Gamers love it because it has fun with the hobby without slamming it. Non-gamers love it because it is not just about gaming. It's about enjoying life and creating and friendship. And it is absolutely hilarious!!!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! January 13, 2010

By Adam B. Krenn

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had never heard of this film and stumbled across it on an "instant download" pay viewing site. I have been a RPGer and Wargamer for about 30 years so I thought I would give this a look. I expected a low-budget romp that captured many of the idiosyncrasies and minutia of my hobby much the same way as "Fellowship of the Dice" did. I expected to generally like it but nothing too special (as the aforementioned FotD, which I did overall enjoy). When I viewed this I found myself literally laughing my butt off at genuine comedy sequences both RPG specific and humorous in a more generic way. This film had the goods! I was floored! A better comedy than Hollywood has put out in years! Low Budget? Yes. Some hammy and/or poor acting? Yes. Did that detract from my enjoyment of this film? Not in the least. If anything, it added to the flair of realism. Despite its shortcomings most of the acting was actually serviceable or better and one guy "Brother Silence" (Played by Brian Lewis) was a stand-out! The comedy writing was tight and even razor-sharp in several instances. I may sound like I'm gushing but I gave it a second watch a few days later, just to be sure. One other thing, the people involved in the making of this film were obviously having a blast and you can tell. Their fun is felt in the viewing. I loved it! Rarely has a movie come from nowhere and made me feel this way and I am thankful to Dead Gentlemen and Matt Vancil. Now I proudly have this film in my collection. It's fun, it's entertaining and it made me feel good! What more can you ask of a film!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Actually captures the good (and silly) of gaming! June 3, 2011

By Daybreaker

Format:DVD

I can't say that it's a brilliant film or anything, but as a gamer myself, I found a lot to like and laugh at. The thing that I liked best was that a person who had little or no experience with D&D, or RPGs in general, might watch this movie and come away from it thinking that gaming was a legitimate hobby with creative and artistic validity. The gamers tend to be silly, and perhaps even sad as people, but in a more realistic and positive fashion than the characters in similar movies. After watching movies like "Gamers," which made people who play D&D look pretty lame and pathetic, this movie was a pleasant and very funny surprise.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and very funny movie. March 24, 2009

By A. Whitehead TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

Dead Gentlemen Productions started life as a bunch of friends goofing around and making zero-budget movies for their own amusement. However, after the success of their first project, Demon Hunters, in 1999 they got slightly more ambitious for their second, The Gamers, which was released in 2002. The Gamers gained a sort-of sequel, Dorkness Rising, released last year, which was a quantum leap forward in quality.

By the time the team came to make the sequel, their fortunes had increased. The success of their first two films plus another one in the interim (Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake) had led to them being able to put substantially more resources into The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. This time the movie is 90 minutes long and features much larger numbers of actors and extras, as well as considerably more impressive effects, costumes, make-up, sets and locations. Also, whilst references in the first movie to the actual game they were playing were deliberately kept generic, this movie is sponsored by several major companies, allowing real gaming products to be used.

This time around the plot is more involved. The dungeon master, Lodge, is trying to write an adventure for official publication, but his party keeps getting killed whilst running it. Power gamer Cass is determined to beat the game no matter what, and the party decides they need two more members to be strong enough to beat the game. Cass' ex, Joanna, joins the group and immediately brings about a change in gameplay, as she is more focused on developing her character then min-maxing her skills. Unable to attract other players (due to the group's 'reputation'), Lodge has an NPC paladin join the party (portrayed as being played by himself during the in-game sequences).... The other two players, Gary and Leo, emboldened by the change in group dynamics, decide to play outside their comfort zones, the former by playing a female sorceress and the latter by playing a bard (which attracts howls of derision for the perceived weakness of the bard character class).

The campaign gets underway. The party is charged with locating a magical mask that has been stolen by an evil necromancer. Progress is hampered when Lodge and Joanna's favoured tactic of investigating the situation through dialogue and roleplay is interrupted by Gary vapourising everyone in sight with magic and Leo using his high charisma score to sleep with every woman he comes across, whilst Cass attempts to 'roleplay' his monk by making up totally inane 'wise sayings' on the spot:

"He who stumbles around in darkness with a stick is blind. But he who sticks out in darkness is...flourescent."

Unlike the first movie, the game in the sequel spans several sessions and there are sections inbetween showing how the change in gaming style is spilling over into the characters' real lives. There's also a hilariously random sequence in which the structural conceit of the film (showing the real-life game and events within the game) is applied to a pirates-and-ninjas board game with interesting results. The writer/director keeps a firm lid on things getting too emo or dramatic however, with the focus remaining firmly on the comedy and the characters. The movie's highlight is probably a sequence near the end featuring a very unique kind of 'undead' creature which may rank among the funniest things I have ever seen on screen (and gives the film a single extra-half star below).

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (****˝) is a radical improvement on the original, with stronger production values, a more ambitious script and the presence of more professional actors sustaining the longer running length very well. Read more ›