So I recently saw Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and I have to say that I think it’s pretty good. A very enjoyable ride that is a lot of fun to sit through and watch. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is an American Fantasy Action/Comedy heist movie directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, from a screenplay written by Goldstein, Daley, and Michael Gilio from a story by Gilio and Chris McKay. The movie is an adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game franchise that is currently owned by Hasbro and run by Wizards of the Coast. The movie stars Chris Pine as Edgin, Michelle Rodriguez as Holga, Regé-Jean Page as Xenk, Justice Smith as Simon, Sophia Lillis as Doric, Hugh Grant as Forge, Whole Coleman as Kira, and Daisy head as Sofina.
This movie is a ton of fun. The story and plot line are relatively simple and straightforward, but to me that doesn’t take away from the movie. Its a fun fantasy adventure movie and doesn’t need some super complex plot line. The simplicity really helps to make this feeling of the movie that I think really works, in that it feels like you’re watching what goes on in people’s heads during a campaign in the actual game. Now I don’t have a lot of experience with the game, but from what I do know it really does have this feeling. There are a lot of moments that feel like they could be moments from actual campaigns that people have had. Moments where the dungeon master (basically the person in control of all aspects of the game, except for the actions of the player characters) creates this complex problem to address and the party finds a simpler way across after messing up the first way. It makes for a fun experience.
The characters are all great and fit their classes and archetypes well. Their performances are great as well. They all have great chemistry with each other and you can see the fun that was had while filming. Each character has a good arc that fits them well, that continue having that feeling of being a game. Everyone has this thought out backstory with motivations for what they’re doing. They all have fun interactions together. The villains are so-so, kind of generic in their plan. Ok so one main villain is kind of fun in their characterization, and the other main villain is fun in their abilities.
The movie does a good job of establishing the world and its characters. It uses a lot of exposition through flashbacks and things the characters talk about, which could be a downside to people. In my opinion it doesn’t take away from the movie, as a lot of the flashbacks have narrative and character reasoning to be there. The pacing and editing are pretty good. The effects all work, both digital and physical. The costuming is amazing. The music is pretty good. The action is all pretty good and well done. A good mix of melee fighting and ranged fighting. The creatures and their designs are all cool, I know they’re based on creatures from the game and the movie does a great job of adapting their designs. A favourite for me is the owl bear, just a fun idea for a creature. The comedy works for me throughout the movie. A lot of different types of humour and jokes throughout. Most land pretty well for me.
Over-all this is just a fun family movie that works well for both people who don’t know the game, and people who do know the game. It’s a bit of a throwback and a fun ride to experience in the theatre. I think this is a movie well worth checking out, especially in the theatre though that doesn’t feel as much of a requirement for this one. Two-Thumbs Up !!
Andy's Thoughts 