Kamurai@Kamurai
Decent watch, might watch again, and can recommend for dirt humor fans looking for something different.
There isn't a lot of comedy in fantasy movies, and there isn't a lot of fantasy in comedies, typically, so I'm sure they thought they were corning a rather unique market. Honestly though, it's like they had someone write a really great Dungeons and Dragon movie, and then tried to ruin it with humor page by page. There is a 9/10 star movie hidden in this, if they would do a (slightly) more serious story.
Danny McBride and James Franco basically do what they normally do, but in jerkins: I'm pretty sure they don't even really have accents compared to everyone else. Franco has a fluttery tone that Zoey Deschanel mirrors, but she is just a living macguffin with two solid jokes. There is a parody of this where they just replace her with a sex doll and pause when she's supposed to have lines.
Natalie Portman is about 10 times the actor than everyone else in this movie, and I don't know what got her to slum it in this other than it was a unique opportunity to be a bad ass D&D style woman character. I honestly would have liked to see a movie franchise based on her character. She makes a great straight man to the band of idiots, given to much more subtle humor, but she plays off of the others' dirt humor really well. And don't get me wrong, she is a legitimately funny actor.
The overall story is a bit formulaic for an RPG adventure, but it is filled with great characters and villains, and I legitimately think I'll turn this movie into a campaign adventure somehow. Lazar is actually a really well crafted villain with a decent support structure of henchmen and resources, despite having a rather basic end goal.
Ma-Tee-Tee, as over dramatic as he is, may be one of my favorite villains. He's a leader, he apparently crafted an entire society to his choosing, and either gained or created his power, and what's more he actually created a system (though unfair) that allows a chance for actual warriors to fight their way to freedom.
There is a lot to love about this movie, and then there is all the stuff they added for attention seeking comedy.