DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES Review
"A thoroughly enjoyable romp with a few minor slip-ups in terms of storytelling and pacing"
I will freely admit that in the ‘80s, I was the perfect age and nerdiness to be playing the Role Playing Game (RPG) Dungeons & Dragons, but I only remember maybe playing it once or twice. At the time, I was more into music and comic books and working hard to pay for those things. Because of this, I feel so clueless about the game that I didn’t even realize that it had been adapted into dozens of actual video games over the past few decades. Here I thought that the new Paramount movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Vacation), was based on the RPG but maybe much of its source material came from the video games I never played. Because of that, I have no idea if Honor Among Thieves is based on a real campaign or characters from the games or not… but it does have a dungeon, and it also has at least one dragon, so I guess that’s a good place to start?
It begins with Chris Pine’s Edgin and his long-time companion Holga, played by Michelle Rodriguez, locked away in a dungeon for their thieving activities. Through the first bit of exposition, we learn that Edgin’s transition from hero to thief came about after the death of his wife, having to care for his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) on his own (actually, with Holga’s help). Edgin and Holga desperately want to get out of prison to get back to Kira, and Edgin hears about an item that can bring back the dead, which he hopes to use to resurrect his wife. Other key characters include Hugh Grant as Forge, a conman who used to work with Edgin and Holga, but who ended up betraying them for fame and fortune, helped by the clearly evil red wizard Sofina (Daisy Head). In order to get the item, Edgin and Hoga turn to Justice Smith’s Simon, a relatively novice sorcerer, and Sophia Lillis (It) as the shapeshifting Doric.
It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had any sort of theatrical fantasy film with the streamers and cable companies generally dominating that genre. In that respect, Dungeons & Dragons offers the type of RenFaire wish fulfillment that so many fantasy fans have been wanting for quite some time. There’s a lot of story, and many flashbacks to get us up to speed on the various characters, almost to a fault at times, because every time we meet someone new, we then have to hear all about what they’ve been up to with an accompanying reenactment. Sometimes, that works better than others.
There are quite a few recurring gags that do pay off, showing off Daley and Goldstein’s background and knack as comedy writers, although at times, the constant humor does feel out of place with the dangers the group faces.
What really pays off for the filmmakers is the varied cast they’ve assembled with Pine showing off the comedic muscles we haven’t seen from him in far too long, and Rodriguez also getting her fair share of laughs, as well. The other actors also get their moments, so it’s not just the Pine and Rodriguez show.
I was particularly impressed with Justice Smith’s turn as a dramatic actor in the recent Sharper, but there’s no denying he still works best as comic relief, as he did in the Jurassic World movies and Detective Pikachu. His character here is a bit one-joke in that he’s just a very good wizard, but I like his interactions with the others in the group. Lillis gets a particularly fun character to play, as we watch her transforming into all sorts of fun beasties and more common creatures, as well.
The band of thieves eventually encounter Regé-Jean Page’s paladin Xenk, a role that takes full advantageous of his rugged and debonair good looks, and he does have a great action scene, although his character only shows up for maybe 15 minutes and then is gone until the last act.
Despite the various tangents on which the group’s overall mission takes them, the movie ends with a great set piece involving a maze within a vast arena and a creature that’s a bit tough to describe.
Overall, the filmmakers have found a pretty solid team of production and creature designers, as well as a visual effects team that can help visualize the fantasy elements for this group’s adventure that match the more humorous ones.
Dungeon & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a thoroughly enjoyable romp with a few minor slip-ups in terms of storytelling and pacing, but nothing that’s really a dealbreaker in terms of a movie that’s just meant to offer two hours of fun and fantasy.
Rating: 7.5/10