Review - Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

avatar
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) just opened this weekend. I have to admit that when I first heard about this film a dew months ago I was a bit, um, dubious, as to if it would be any good. However, once I saw the trailer a couple of weeks back I found that it looked pretty darn good, and would be worth seeing. Meanwhile, my daughter, Little Miss, and some of her friends at school, hatched a plan to see it on opening day. My Bonnie Bride and I decided to tag alng, discreetly, and catch the film as well. Unsurprisingly, one of Little Miss’ friends mom also tagged along with a few other friends. The kids sat up close to the front, while we sat towards the back so the kids would not feel like we’re there to keep an eye on them. They are, after all, old enough to go to a movie unsupervised.

dnd_poster.png
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves poster - IMDB

There is a lot to like about this movie, starting with the story. It opens with a prison scene where two of our heroes have been, um, confined, because they got caught doing something naughty. The prison is really an intense design. No idea who came up with the design, but man, they deserve kudos for it. It is definitely not the kind of place you want to spend time in. We get some of Edgin’s (Chris Pine) backstory here, along with some of the other characters, including Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), Forge (Hugh Grant), Simon (Justice Smith) and Edgin’s daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman).

With Edgin and Holga getting an “early release”, shall we say, from prison, they set off to reunite with Edgin’s daughter. Of course, nothing goes easy for them, and a major quest ensues, involving their friend Simon and a new friend, the Druid, Doric (Sophia Lillis), and, of course, many Desperate Failures.

The backstory we get on the major characters plays an important role in explaining their motivations for undertaking the adventure they are on, as well as driving the story. There are also several “loaded guns” featured in the story (a “loaded gun” can be anything, the point is, if you present an object, which could be a gun, a book, or a wand, you have to use it before the story ends), that help the heroes accomplish their quest, with many mistakes were made along the way.

Initially I did not like Edgin, the lead character. I have some impolite words to describe my thoughts about him. However, about midway through the film he undergoes a revelation and changes, becoming a likable character, which he maintains through the rest of the film.

The film also contains a bit of well placed humor at varying points, in some cases helping advance the story, and other times, just providing a bit of drama, after all, I have never seen a D and D party get through a quest without at least a few blunders.

With the exceptions of Chris Pine and Hugh Grant, I had no clue as to who any of the other cast members were, or what they had appeared in. That being said, they all did a darn good job in their roles, especially Daisy Head as Sofina, the Red Wizard, who was pretty darn creepy (thanks to good makeup work). The world setting is part of the D and D campaign settings that includes Neverwinter and mentions other places including Baldur’s Gate. Elminster also plays a bit of a role (I read about Elminster in the early days of D and D in The Dragon magazine). The props we get a good look at are also darn good and were a lot more realistic looking (like the axe Holga uses) than what you see in most video games.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fine homage to the game, and, yes, brings back memories of when I played Dungeons and Dragons on a regular basis (it’s been about ten years since the last time I played or ran a campaign). Also, the end credits are beautifully done, and be sure to stay through the credits as there is a bonus scene.

I think that’s a wrap for this time around, and I hope that if you plan on seeing Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, you see it on the big screen. It’s worth it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Posted using CineTV



0
0
0.000
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
2 comments
avatar

I’ve been looking for an excuse to go to the movie theater. This D&D movie had a great trailer but sometimes those can be a bit misleading nowadays. Glad to hear that it was entertaining and looked to have good production values. It’s always nice to see a fun fantasy film now and again. I never played D&D myself but maybe I’ll be tempted to check the classic game out after this movie. Great post!

avatar
(Edited)

I think you'll enjoy the movie. It really is a lot of fun. We all enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think of this film when you have a chance.