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Friday March 29, 2024
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Movie Review

A lighthearted adaption that works

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Film adaptations are often difficult to execute, and even more so for certain source material. You can bring literature to the screen because it gives you a blueprint, and leaves the imagination of the film makers to do the rest. But with other mediums, particularly video games or tabletop games, there is already a set of expectations, not to mention a dedicated and often vocal fanbase. Multitudes of attempts have been made, from successes like The Witcher and The Last of Us, to the disappointments of Max Payne and Halo, and everything in-between. Attempts to bring the iconic and decades-old tabletop fantasy role playing game Dungeons & Dragons have also been made, but those were poor, direct-to-DVD efforts. The brand has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, especially with the rise of live streaming and the COVID lockdowns allowing people to discover new hobbies. With Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, it's all hands on deck to make this series come to life on the big screen, with big name actors and budget. And while it's fairly by-the-numbers Hollywood style adaptation, it succeeds in being an enjoyable film.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie

Honor Among Thieves stars Chris Pine (Star Trek, Wonder Woman, Horrible Bosses 2) as Edgin Darvis, a man who signed up to work as a spy, but whose greed eventually led to the death of his wife at the hands of a Red Wizard blade from which you cannot be resurrected. With no money and a toddler daughter to take care of, he was down on his luck, until he met barbarian Holga Kilgore, played by Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious, Resident Evil, Machete). The pair became fast friends and began a small heist operation, with the typical code of not harming anyone and only stealing from the rich, to make them relatable. Their outfit expanded to include amateur sorcerer Simon Aumar played by Justice Smith (Jurassic World, Pokémon Detective Pikachu), and rogue Forge Fitzwilliam starring Hugh Grant (Notting Hill, Love Actually, Bridget Jones). Even Edgin's now-teenage daughter joined them on some of the heists.

One day, a mysterious woman, Sofina, approached them about a big score – one that would not only bring many riches, but also may contain an item that allows one dead person to be resurrected – even if they were killed by Red Wizard's blade. Without telling his daughter, Kira, the truth, the group sets out on the heist with Edgin only wanting the item that could resurrect his wife; things do not go as planned. Edgin and Holga spend years in prison, and after a daring escape they return to find that their old companion Forge has managed to use all his treasure to become Lord of Neverwinter. Not only that, he has decided that he wanted to be a father figure, and has turned Edgin's daughter against him, all the while Sofina turned out to be an obvious evil presence.

Edgin and Holga manage to slip away once again, but their goal remains the same – they must break into a magically sealed vault in the city where the resurrection tablet is still stored, and of course rescue Edgin's daughter. To do so, they will travel through a few different lands, face many dangers, go on a side quest, and gain new allies such as Doric, a druid played by Sophia Lillis (It, Sharp Objects), and Xenk Yandar, a paladin played by Regé-Jean Page (Mortal Engines, The Gray Man). Everyone has their reasons for wanting Forge to fall, and it doesn't take much convincing to help the movie flow along.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie

Honor Among Thieves definitely pulls together a strong cast that have some good quality writing to work with. Although everyone is typecast, it still manages to work. Chris Pine easily pulls off the usual role of charming planner/escape artist, and Michelle Rodriguez is effortless as always with her physical role that features plenty of combat. The pair of leads have great chemistry and elevate everyone around them. Justice Smith, who was perhaps among the weaker performers in The Quarry, definitely steps it up and does well as a goofy young wizard unsure of himself but one that wants to grow. Sophia Lillis does well with a quiet but highly determined goal to help her people. Although more limited in their screen time, both Regé-Jean Page and Hugh Grant are great in almost every scene. Perhaps the weakest element is Chloe Coleman (My Spy, 65) as Edgin's daughter. There is just no chemistry between her and any other actors or Chris Pine, and her storyline is the weakest – thankfully, it's quite limited anyway. The movie also tries to throw in a late twist, but you can see it from a mile away and it feels a bit like unnecessary runtime padding.

Honor Among Thieves is predictable in what it offers to both fans and general audiences as a Hollywood adaptation – but again, that's okay as it works in this case. General audiences don't need know what Dungeons & Dragons is, to enjoy this adventure of might and magic. Fans of the tabletop series will be pleased to see and hear some familiar character and location names, but for the most part it's not trying to be anything more than an adventure within an established universe that mostly glosses over the lore and doesn't constantly hit you over the head with references. If you're expecting something serious or in-depth, you are going to be disappointed.

A strong cast doesn't guarantee success, but thankfully the movie knows exactly what it wants to be. This is very much a Hollywood production, meaning it's a mix of storytelling, action, and occasional suspense. But the good news is that it all works, and the pacing remains solid throughout the 2+ hour runtime. These days, having a predictable structure can still lead to plenty of duds (see most of Netflix's original films), so it's good to see that being formulaic shouldn't automatically mean a bad movie. The film is chock full of jokes – from constant puns to the occasional bits of physical comedy – but it all comes across so effortlessly and flows so well, that it definitely becomes a sort of a guilty pleasure. The film was written by the trio of Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, and Michael Gilio, who previously worked on films such as Vacation, Spider-Man Homecoming, and Horrible Bosses 2 – so you can certainly see why it all comes together so well.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie

Despite a lot of humor, the film manages to stay decently grounded. There have been a lot of issues in the recent decade, particularly with big Marvel superhero flicks, always forcing jokes at inopportune times. But with Honor Among Thieves firmly planting itself as a humorous adventure from the go, there are no such issues here. Another major problem that movies (and even games such as God of War) have recently succumbed to is using modern conversational dialogue and turn of phrase in settings where they do not belong. Here again, Dungeons & Dragons dodges the bullet, with no notable lines or jokes that break immersion from this fantasy world. Sure, there are some casual modern phrases, but they are workable and don't stand out. In fact, at one point a turn of phrase joke is well-executed on this very subject. And to cap off its excellent performance of dodging negative tropes, it avoids a forced romantic subplot – there is one, but it's barely a footnote.

In between all the conversations and jokes is a decent amount of action, which is well choreographed and manages to throw in bits of physical comedy. It's also directed by writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. The action is not only well-paced, but it's also quite creative. On multiple occasions, the movie surprises with its clever use of both the enemies, the set-ups, and how the heroes overcome their obstacles. Characters have straightforward magical abilities that are used when they are needed. The action shows off not only what you'd expect to see in a typical fantasy scenario, but also some situations and nods to D&D world specifically. They are quite fun to experience so we aren't going to spoil them with any examples to their context or situation. The quality of the CGI is not especially breathtaking, but it's perfectly serviceable.

Sometimes, a film just needs to be good. There used to be a time when going to the theater meant that at the very least, you will be entertained, you will feel something. It may not be particularly original or special, nor will it be up for any awards, but you will walk away satisfied, a mark of a typical experience. Over the past few years, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the world and pushed streaming to the forefront, it feels like we lost that basic guarantee. With the amount of dreck being pushed out by the competing streaming services, the quality of the typical experience has been diluted. Thankfully, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves offers renewed hope. Hope that there is still a place for quality, three-star tier films that will entertain, and stick in your memory for at least a while. It may be formulaic, but it engages and amuses, with many enjoyable moments and twists for both fans of D&D and general audiences at large.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie
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