“Game Night” writer-directors John Frances Daly and Jonathan Goldstein recently adapted Dungeons & Dragons, the iconic tabletop roleplaying fantasy game that has seen a surge in mainstream popularity as of late, into a major blockbuster adaptation. The movie, which released on March 31, features an all-star cast including Chris Pine, Hugh Grant and Michelle Rodriguez.

There is typically no harsher critic of an adaptation than the fans of the source material themselves. Recent game adaptations have fallen into two camps, with the success of HBO’s “The Last of Us” and the disappointment that was “Uncharted”: they either surpass expectations or fail abysmally. WSN talked with three students, sophomore Ari Bousquet, junior Santiago Igarzabal and sophomore Eli Kan, who regularly play Dungeons & Dragons, to discuss their expectations of the film.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

WSN: What was your initial reaction to hearing about this particular Dungeons & Dragons movie being made? Have you seen the previous trilogy?

Bousquet: I have not seen those. I’ve seen the old cartoon — it’s kind of a meme within the community. My initial reaction to the movie was mixed because usually when games are adapted to movies, they’re bad. I’m not trying to go in with a lot of expectations about it, I’m just looking for a good way to spend an hour and a half. But I really like the cast for this film. My mom and I have like this giant shared crush on Chris Pine. 

Igarzabal: I’m glad that the Dungeons & Dragons game is getting more known to the public. But at the same time, I kind of thought that this felt like a cash grab. That just made me think, “OK, well, they’re just trying to expand the fan base, or at least, appeal to the fan base, and hopefully through there, they can get a larger audience.” I watched the trilogy when I was younger — I remember it being fun. They weren’t necessarily good movies, but if you needed a fun movie to watch and enjoy, they’d be pretty good.

WSN: As an avid player of the game, would you say that making a single movie, given the nature of the game, is even possible? Could a single movie encapsulate the feeling of actually playing a campaign?

Bousquet: Absolutely not. I think there’s gonna be many people who are going to be extremely disappointed with the movie. I don’t think one movie would appeal to the masses, which is why I like how this approach is, where it’s just fun.

Igarzabal: I think that the biggest part of every Dungeons & Dragons campaign is the emotional connection you feel with the characters after spending so much time with them. The idea of just getting that emotional connection with a character in a film for two hours is very difficult to do. I could see it better as a TV show where you can get more attached to characters. But it could be done within two hours — it’s just very difficult and very tricky. I hope they had the right writing team.

Kan: Absolutely! While it might not necessarily cover all aspects of the game, I certainly think you could get the gist of it in a movie. A couple friends of mine have seen the movie and had good things to say about it. They mentioned that some of the specifics might have been fudged, like the ability to cast Time Stop at the level the party was at, but that it was a fun watch nonetheless. The adaptation for the film did not seem to have adversely affected the way the game was portrayed.

WSN: If you as a player, or your whole party, were to make a film based off of D&D, what are some key elements that would be necessary to make the movie as faithful to the game as it could be? 

Bousquet: For me, an adaptation does not necessarily have to be extremely faithful to the source material. It’s important to have elements of it, but I think a good adaptation is something that is inspired by the source and knows the elements of what works. 

If I were to do a D&D thing, I think the important elements are its whimsicality, its collaborative nature, all the love, adventure, and just making it fun. D&D is mainly a high fantasy, Tolkien-inspired sort of thing, so a fantasy setting makes sense. The nature of D&D is that you can do whatever you want with it.

Igarzabal: I think if there was one key element I have to add, there has to be a moment where something that seems impossible has to be done, like rolling a D20 or something. Everything just goes wrong. So everything builds up to that and there’s a lot of tension with that moment.

Kan: The element of random chance would be the most important for me. Part of the reason D&D is so fun for me is that you never know what is going to happen, and something as simple as opening a door can go wrong, which leads to lots of humorous moments.

Another crucial element is the collaborative nature of the game. It always goes in interesting directions when players have different motivations and ideas on how to deal with problems.

Last, but not least is the world building. Part of what makes D&D so compelling is how richly fleshed out the world and its inhabitants are. I’m definitely looking forward to the set design and rendering of the movie!

WSN: The writers of the film claim that it is a “heist movie.” Would you, as a player, say that this is a good narrative format for the game?

Bousquet: Absolutely! I actually love playing heist scenarios. I think it’s a really good mix of strategy, role play and combat. I’m not super combat-heavy in game. I’ve read all the books, but I don’t like playing by the rules, necessarily. I don’t really like doing math, but I’m not very good when it comes to combat scenarios. I think it’s a good way to adapt the game, that story is so exciting and easy to understand. 

Kan: I would say that it is a great narrative format for the game! That is what a lot of D&D journeys or missions center around and it provides a good way to bridge the gap between the two mediums. The format also provides plenty of opportunities for hijinks and things to go wrong.

WSN: What advice would you have for anyone who watches the film and decides they want to begin playing Dungeons & Dragons?

Bousquet:  A lot of people are intimidated by it because of the big books and the math and the fact that you have to keep track of stuff on a sheet, and that’s real. It’s not for everybody.

Most importantly, find a group that you like. Play with your friends because you’re going to be with them for hours. Find people you mesh with, people that have a similar sense of humor and that you feel safe around. 

Igarzabal:  I would go to the local board game store shops, or even online and just say, “Hey, who wants to play Dungeons and Dragons?” You just kind of meet up with some people and you play the game. I think the most important thing about the game is that it’s a game. I think it’s so silly to think, “Well, my character is the best or my character does this.” Nothing matters if you’re having fun.

Contact Ana Marks at [email protected].