Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Mockumentaries
Likes: Comic books
Dislikes: Role playing games
Hates: Cosplayers who get too deep into their characters

The Movie
I've watched a lot of supposed mockumentaries, but most of them don't work, for one reason or another, often because they fail to stick to the conceit or because the actors haven't embraced their characters enough to feel real enough. When the genre works, normally in the hands of Christopher Guest or Michael Patrick Jann, it achieves a level of realism that lets you bask in the characters' behavior and enjoy yourself, as the twists of humor are amplified by the believable world around them.

Thus, you have the problem with "The Fellowship of the Dice": never once did it feel real. The acting is OK, but not realistic, the story has some serious holes in it, and the camera too often reveals that what we are watching is scripted, looking nothing like the documentary it tries to be. The unfortunate thing is this movie might have worked well as a straightforward character study, giving up the interviews and camera techniques and simply looking at these characters' lives. Instead, we get to sit around and watch as Elizabeth (Aimee Graham, "C.S.I."), a new role-player (and a girl to boot), settles into a tight knit group of geeky role-players, each with their own unique, quirky personalities, like Sanford, the Tourette's-suffering ex-military man, or Kevin, the man-child with more child than man in him.

Had this film taken place at a fantasy game convention, where some media attention makes sense, it could have spread out the concept, and culminated in a climatic game, while still focusing on Elizabeth's story as the core outsider. But we are trapped in a small apartment, watching this group of friends play this game of imagination, which would be a stretch as a subject for any documentary. Anyone who's ever watched someone else play a game can tell you how boring it is to be an observer instead of a participant. That doesn't change on film. After a few scenes of the game-playing, which is broken up by interviews with conventioneers talking about various topics surrounding the game that are reflected in the group's behavior, you'll probably want to find something else to do. That is, unless you are a huge fan of the games. Then maybe you'll be howling with laughter. Maybe.

I say maybe, because honestly, I don't remember much about this film, despite only just watching it. I know there was a Patton Oswalt-like gamemaster who disappointingly didn't do much, and a quiet female character who, also, didn't do much, despite the opportunity for tension with Elizabeth. The lack of any real action or plot advancement makes it easy to start zoning out and thinking about what you're going to eat for dinner, or whether you should do your laundry, or if Debbie Kaspar has a MySpace page and if she's still way hot like she was back in 11th grade. I never thought about Debbie Kaspar while watching Best in Show. I never thought about Debbie during "Drop Dead Gorgous." But after the second time the game was interrupted for a conference to discuss the adventure's progress, I couldn't help but wonder what Debbie was up to.

As I waited for the film to finish, I began to rewrite it in my head, thinking about how to take a concept that has genuine promise and make a movie people would enjoy. And I think it's actually closer than it seems. The film is told as a flashback, with a framing device that is far too serious for the tone of the movie, not to mention outside of the documentary concept and wholly unnecessary. If you drop this device, and tell the story in flashback, focusing on the characters' retelling of the story, you have a potentially more interesting film. Or perhaps if the game turned into one big orgy. That's probably more interesting too. That certainly doesn't happen here. Which is a shame.

The DVD
Can't tell you what the packaging is like on this disc, as we just received a screener disc, but the DVD features a static full-frame main menu with options to play the film, select scenes and check out the extras. There are no audio options and no subtitles, but closed captioning is included.

The Quality
This is a low-budget film, and the letterboxed widescreen transfer looks it, with dull color, excessive grain (in spots), and a generally unpolished image. There's no noticeable dirt or damage, but that's probably the best part of the video's quality.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is similar in quality to the video, reflecting it's origin. It's not great in any way, but really didn't need to be, if it wanted to be true to its concept. The dialogue could be a bit better represented, but overall, it's OK.

The Extras
The extras start with an alternate opening scene, which really should have been used, as it establishes the documentary concept better and gets right into Elizabeth's story. Beyond that, there are some outtakes, from the film's "sexy" moment, along with a short still gallery and the film's trailer. Some trailers for other Reel Indies titles round things out.

The Bottom Line
Maybe it's because I don't jive on role-playing games, but I didn't get into this movie at all, and felt that its pace was too slow and the story too thin and unbelievable to enjoy. Perhaps if hit points and dice rolling mattered to me, this film would also, but as they don't, it doesn't. So maybe it will work for the D&D lovers among us. The disc is OK, considering the film's low-budget status, but it's not going to impress anyone, and there are few extras to be found. I doubt an extra-laden special edition would have helped much anyway. So, I've learned my lesson. The next time a movie uses the words "Spinal Tap," in any way, to describe itself, I will vow to not look at it, unless it involves Christopher Guest. Or maybe Harry Shearer. But definitely not these guys. I'll wait for their next narrative film instead and hope they deliver on their promise.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.