The makers of "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" wanted their blockbuster to be a throwback to the 80s classic family films with more jokes and less reliance on computer effects, reports AFP.
In transferring the characters and scenes to the big screen, directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein said they wanted the mix of earnest fun and absurd comedy of their childhood favourites like "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "The Goonies" and "The Princess Bride".
They were also bored of overly serious fantasy fare.
"We've seen stoic, humorless portrayals of fantasy characters in almost every other film and television show, and this was our reaction against that," Daley told reporters in Paris.
The film stars Chris Pine as a reformed thief, with Hugh Grant as a slimy villain and "Bridgerton" heart-throb Rege-Jean Page in a scene-stealing turn as warrior Xenk, who is completely impervious to irony or sarcasm.
Pine has experience with cherished fantasy properties, having played Captain Kirk in the recent "Star Trek" reboots, but said he was unafraid of upsetting the "D&D" fanbase.
"One should be wary of taking anything on, especially with the internet now being so angry and loud and acerbic," he told AFP.
"But we made a really fun film and we've heard we've put enough in there for diehards, and even people who have never played are surprised how much they like it."
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
