REVIEW – THE DUNGEON MASTER

THE DUNGEON MASTER
Written and Directed by: Rider Strong and Shiloh Strong
Starring: Adam Busch, Chris Wylde, Alexander Polinsky

Now, I may be considered a nerd by some of my friend, but I have a confession to make: I have never played Dungeons and Dragons. Now, this isn’t to say I’ve never wanted to and in fact, as I’ve gotten older, it feels as though I haven’t earned all of my proper nerd merit badges unless I’ve dedicated days and weeks to creating a character and gone on countless adventures. However, with the rise of World of Warcraft, D&D now feels decidedly retro, and at least within my circle of friends, the opportunity to ever roll a twenty sided die seems to be slipping through my fingers. However, when I watched Rider and Shiloh Strong’s latest short film, The Dungeon Master, I was immersed not only in a world populated with Orcs and Elves, but with people who were struggling with finding a balance between themselves as children and as adults. What’s even more impressive is that all this happens in only fifteen minutes.

Shane (Adam Busch, who you might have seen as part of the group Common Rotation at the Largo Theater, or from his role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Cooper (Chris Wylde, who you’ll recognize as one of the talking heads on VH1′s “I Love The…” series) are at a party and get to talking about the love they had for D&D as kids and how even though it might be embarrassing to admit now, that it would be great to play again. They’re both in luck – Shane knows a hardcore Dungeon Master, Max (Alexander Polinsky, who’s done voice work for Ben 10 and Batman: The Brave and The Bold) – who’s got a cape and everything – who he can organize a game for them.

Shane invites Max over, and things start well enough, although Max might be taking things a bit more seriously than everyone else – he is the only one rocking a cape and amulet, after all.

I can’t get into the specifics of why I liked this short so much without spoiling it, but let me just say that The Dungeon Master takes a turn for the sinister in the last five minutes, and it’s really where the film shines. Adam Busch is at once cruel and malicious but incredibly venerable, and Alexander Polinsky makes you reconsider every nerd you might have ever laughed at or mocked. These performances really take you to the heart of what it means to be a nerd, and what can happen what you put aside the things that defined you as a child and contrawise, what can happen when you hold on to them.

I liked this short so much that not only did I want to see more of it, I want to see a lot more of it. I can only hope that the Strong Brothers choose to stay in this universe a bit longer, especially considering how the film ends. To me, it almost felt like the first act of what could be an incredible television series. Their timing also couldn’t be better, as I’m sure that the recent success of Game of Thrones on HBO will undoubtedly spawn a host of fantasy-themed series come pilot season.

Do yourself a favor, roll the die and check out the Dungeon Master. It has +5 of awesome.

5 out of 5

The Dungeon Master is in this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, but if you’re like me and can’t afford to gas up your jet and see it in person, you can watch it online THIS WEEKEND as part of The Tribeca Film Festival’s Online Streaming Room, so make a point to check it out. You won’t regret it. Click!

You can also check out the Official Website and Dungeon Master on Facebook.