FILM REVIEW: “Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves” is a critical hit
It’s always wise to be sceptical whenever a movie adaptation of a toy or board game (or, in this case, a tabletop roleplaying game) is announced, but let me cut right to the chase: Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (Honour Among Thieves from now) is a fun and wildly entertaining fantasy romp you won’t regret going on.
The movie oozes charm from its very first scene, thanks in part to its fully-game ensemble cast, led by the surprisingly dynamic good-cop bad-cop pairing of Chris Pine as the bard-thief Edgin (a stupid name that is so perfectly D&D) and Michelle Rodrigues as the no-nonsense barbarian brawler Holga. On a path to redemption from a heist-gone-wrong, Edgin and Holga decided to assemble a crew to steal magical McGuffin the Tablet of Reawakening from Forge (Hugh Grant, gleefully scene-chewing here), an ex-crew member who has inexplicably become the Lord of the city Neverwinter in a short period of time, and surrogate father to Edgin’s daughter, Kira. Aiding them in this quest is Simon (Justice Smith), a timid half-elf sorcerer who has yet to prove himself as a capable spellcaster, Doric (Sophia Lillis), an outcast tiefling Druid desperate to stop Neverwinter from destroying her forest home for resources, and Xenk (Regé-Jean Page), a goody-two-shoes Paladin who has sworn an oath to protect the realm.
In a post-Game of Thrones age where every fantasy screen adaptation aims to be the next Lord of The Rings-esque, continent-spanning, overly ambitious epic, Honour Among Thieves kicks down the tavern door with a tongue-in-cheek magical heist featuring a party of bumbling misfits. The plot of this movie is nothing original: A team of unlikely heroes have to band together to stop the bad guys from doing bad things - a fundamental premise for most Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) campaigns. Director duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein samples well-known tropes from different movies in their action-adventure remix, from Guardians of the Galaxy to Ocean’s 11 to The Princess Bride - but they do so with just enough ingenuity and heart that allows Honour Among Thieves to hit all the right spots for both hardcore D&D players, or audiences who are just looking to have a good time at the movies.
Yes, there are some typical fantasy cliches in this movie, but they hardly feel like lazy writing accidents in its screenplay, and more like built-in features that are included in the story to make you feel nostalgic about the genre again. And they are so competently executed that you can’t help but find yourself feeling invested in the moment, even if it is reminiscent of something you’ve seen many times before. The jokes are fun, rooted in character, and self-aware - but not to the point that it becomes grating.
Another key part of what makes Honour Among Thieves such a blast is its innovative action set-pieces. It’s not just a constant barrage of directionless CGI slop - it’s clear that every fight or magic sequence is well thought out, and executed with purpose. While the visual effects in this movie do have a familiar Marvel gloss to them, Daley and Goldstein wisely leverage the spellcasting and combat mechanics from the Dungeons and Dragons game to inform how they depict the action on screen, resulting in dynamic fantasy sequences that feel tactile and inventive, from a breathtaking wildshape chase scene, to a very fun use of magical portals.
Relentlessly charming and cleverly executed, Honour Among Thieves perfectly encapsulates the spirit of playing a Dungeons and Dragons session: It’s silly, imaginative, and a great way to spend a couple of hours with your friends.
