It’s been a disappointing year so far for superhero movies. After the mixed critical reception to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the box office disappointment of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, it would appear that audiences are tired of a bunch of superpowered people teaming up to save the world. But have no fear — a fantasy roleplaying game from your high school cafeteria tables has arrived to save the day. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is an absolute blast, taking the fun from the game and adapting it to the big screen in the best way possible.
In 2000, Hollywood unsuccessfully attempted to adapt the game with their terrible Dungeons & Dragons movie. Then, after years of development hell, they finally cracked the code. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, directors of the fantastic 2018 comedy Game Night, were tapped to helm a fantasy heist action-adventure ensemble comedy in the vein of Guardians of the Galaxy. Movies about a ragtag group of unlikely misfits teaming up to save the day are great when they are done right, and this movie does it right. This movie takes the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster formula and brings back the charm and heart these movies need while keeping the clichés.
The film introduces us to Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), a bard suffering from DWS (Dead Wife Syndrome). He comes from a long line of grieving male protagonists, such as John Wick, Richard Kimble, Frank Castle, and The Wolverine, plagued with POV visions of their dead lovers smiling at them. This movie somehow commits a trope made fun of on TikTok for years, but what would a male protagonist be without the girl from his past that he can’t let go of?
He has teamed up with Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian who kicks ass and takes no names, and they must work with a few others to pull off an incredible heist. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is pure fun from start to finish, opening with an extensive flashback exposition dump spiced up with a lot of silliness. Its story is structured like a game of DnD with many moments designed to cater to longtime fans. However, the movie has enough entertainment value to appeal to those unfamiliar with the game, as it is an action-packed fantasy film with inventive use of magic and thrilling sequences.
Goldstein and Daley take the bits of action from their previous films and go all out with this one, giving their fights and stunts a kinetic energy that suits the style. Of course, it helps that we have stars from some of the biggest action franchises in the world. This movie features Chris Pine (Star Trek, Wonder Woman), Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious, Avatar), and Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu). Every actor is fun to watch in their roles, and they all offer something unique to their characters.
Sophia Lillis plays a character who can shapeshift into any animal she wants, which leads to some of the most fun parts of the movie, particularly one scene where she transforms many times in one long tracking shot. Regé-Jean Page gets an excellent role as the strong action hero who you would expect to be leading this film, but we get Pine instead as a more down-to-earth everyman. Hugh Grant is a scene-stealer in this movie with his hilarious comic timing. The film should have featured more of him, as he makes the movie better every time he shows up. Although Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has no shortage of tropes and clichés within the fantasy adventure drama, it uses each character’s powers excellently, leading to an exciting, delightful ride.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
