The first D&D movie was one of the worse I'd ever seen; even more so as I'm a fan of D&D. The monsters didn't act like monsters out of D&D, the villains and heroes were all morons, the spell effects whilst OK in places were a bit over the top elsewhere, the magic was either all very weak or of artifact level, there were *way* too many dragons acting very non-dragon like, the plot was full of holes, etc. etc.<br /><br />In this movie at least the monsters, although there aren't too many of them, act like they are meant to. There's much more of a variety of magic and the effects are good. There's a few puzzles, and outdoor, indoor & dungeon adventures - a good mix. The good guys as well as the bad guys get wounded - and not just lightly. The heroes are also a lot more natural and likable, although still a bit two-dimensional, and the plot is still a bit weak compared to a decently written adventure for D&D, but in comparison with the first film this one is an Oscar nominee. So, overall a decent B-grade Fantasy. If you swore you'd never watch another D&D movie after the first one, it might be worthwhile reconsidering. If only we could get Drizzt onto the big screen...