Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness (2012)

★ 4.5 1h 30m IMDb

Drama Fantasy Adventure

A noble warrior must battle dragons and demons while upholding his moral code as he covertly joins a group of villains to rescue his kidnapped father from Shathrax, the Mind Flayer, who threatens to destroy the world.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness

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Cast

Charlotte Hunter as Carlotta Charlotte "Charlie" Hunter, born Charlotte Elizabeth Hunter Billson, is an English actor, producer and stunt performer..

Jack Derges as Grayson Age 39 · Plymouth, Devon, England, UK Jack Derges is a British stage, film and television actor, best known for playing character Andy Flynn on the British television show "EastEnders". He's a graduate from the Arts Educational School of...

Anthony Howell as Ranfin Age 54 · Lake District, Cumbria, England, UK Anthony Howell is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Sgt. Paul Milner in the British TV series Foyle's War..

Eleanor Gecks as Akordia

Habib Nasib Nader as Vimak

Barry Aird as Bezz Age 60 · Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK Barry Aird Birmingham born and RADA alumni who worked on stages around the world being fortunate to have worked with some of the most prolific Shakespearean performers and directors alike. He is perha...

Director Gerry Lively

Cast Charlotte Hunter, Jack Derges, Anthony Howell, Eleanor Gecks, Habib Nasib Nader, Barry Aird, Meagan Good, Kaloian Vodenicharov, Ryan H. Jackson, Lex Daniel

Wuchak 6/10 Apr 30, 2019

***The darkest and most sinister D&D flick yet***

On a world where sorcery is real, a greenhorn knight (Jack Derges) teams-up with a dubious group to find his father who was kidnapped by mysterious evil powers. The group includes a witch (Eleanor Gecks), a sorcerer Vermin lord (Barry Aird), an assassin (Lex Daniels) and a goliath warrior (Habib Nasib Nader).

"Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness" (2012), also known as “Dungeons & Dragons 3,” is the third of currently three D&D flicks, unconnected to the other two: “Dungeons & Dragons” (2000) and “Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God” (2005). Evil wizard Damodar (Bruce Payne) was the only link between the first two movies, other than the fact that they both took place in Izmir. This third film abandons all links and takes place in Karkoth.

The first movie was the only one released to theaters and therefore had a hefty budget, but it was hampered by camp and a goofy tone centered around Wayans’ humor. The second one, my favorite, was released to TV and therefore had a lower budget, but still pretty significant at $15 million. This third film is similar to the serious tone of the second, but is noticeably darker. The group the knight joins for his quest lacks the nobleness and camaraderie of the sojourners in “Wrath of the Dragon God.” They’re all either morally dubious or outright sinister.

The D&D universe is similar to the world of Conan the Barbarian, but with a more medieval flair and a little more sorcery. If you like Conan, you’ll probably like this. The locations & sets are superlative while the magical F/X are TV-budget fare, but otherwise effective. The dragon especially looks good and the dragon-slaying episode is great. There’s also a very creative (and dark) zombie girl sequence. On the negative side, this is easily the least of the three flicks in the feminine department, although Eleanor Gecks is a’right, I guess.

The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes and was shot in Bulgaria.

GRADE: B-