High Fantasy is something that I always look forward to seeing. We rarely get new fantasy movies, which is odd considering the special effects featured in movies today could really bring the worlds of elves, orcs, and dragons to life. That’s one of many reasons I was excited to see Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Before I begin, I want to thank Paramount Pictures for allowing me to see the movie early. It was a great theater experience I will remember for a while because, on top of seeing it in a really cozy private screening, the movie itself was everything I wanted in a modern fantasy blockbuster.
THIS MOVIE IS JUST PURE FUN
From beginning to end, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves focused on being a self-contained adventure that pretty much the whole family can enjoy. A large part of that is due to the direction it takes its characters and dialogue; fans of the tabletop RPG will be happy because it manages to nail that humorous chemistry between the characters with the party fumbling from one situation to another with some things succeeding and many others failing, leading to plenty laugh out loud moments that feel like a genuine campaign of the game.
The humor is also expertly handled all around. None of the jokes feel forced or repeatedly used to the point of making the viewer groan because Dungeons & Dragons, in my opinion, feels somewhat similar to the original Willow: it embraces the weirdness and silliness with plenty of great gags while maintaining enough stakes and serious plotlines to keep it from feeling like a fantasy Saturday Night Live sketch. Part of that is due to the adventure that the party embarks, featuring plenty of spectacle with its locations, set pieces, monsters, and action scenes that give something new to the viewer every five or so minutes. Though, there is one gag in the movie that I know is going to be turned into a meme and I can’t wait for that because it had my sides hurting from how funny it was.
Dungeons & Dragons is effective in branching across multiple genres: it’s an action movie, it’s a high fantasy epic, it’s a heist movie, and it’s a comedy. It provides something for all demographics to enjoy. Even those who have never played the original D&D tabletop can have a great time.
However, those who know the game and the lore will also have extra fun because Honor Among Thieves is jam-packed with references and Easter Eggs. It also shows a lot of loyalty to the world while still sticking to being a self-contained story. That is another great thing about this movie: it tells its story in one sweet thrill ride. It leaves things open for possible sequels, prequels, or spin-offs but never once does the movie feel like it’s trying to set up a sequel or some Dungeons & Dragons cinematic universe. As much as I love shared universes and the potential of sequels, sometimes it’s nice to have a good story with a beginning, middle, and strong ending.
THE PARTY MAKES THE MOVIE
Every Dungeons & Dragons character achetype is here to enjoy: Chris Pine is a charismatic Bard, Michelle Rodriguez is the Barbarian with a heart of gold, Justice Smith plays a Mage with zero confidence in himself, Regé-Jean Page absolutely steals the movie as a Paladin without a sense of humor, and Sophia Lillis as a polymorphic Tiefling is a joy. Anyone who has watched Critical Role or the show The Legend Of Vox Machina will likely enjoy these characters just as much since all of them get their chance to shine in the spotlight throughout movie from their different skills to having genuine emotional moments.
Chris Pine’s Edgin is a character you’ve seen many times before. He’s the selfish main hero who thinks he doesn’t care about anything else but his personal plight, yet Pine delivers it so well, making for a charming lead that is never not entertaining throughout.
I mentioned before that Regé-Jean Page was a show-stealer and I cannot say that enough. His Paladin named Xenk Yendar is so dead-pan and serious in a party filled with jokesters and loudmouths that he ends up bringing some of the most hilarious scenes in Dungeons & Dragons, whether it’s him or someone else commenting on him. On top of all that, Yendar has some of the best action sequences as well and it honestly makes me want to see this character have his own spin-off.
Holga Kilgore ends up being the heart and soul of Honor Among Thieves with Michelle Rodriguez being a tough yet adorable warrior on the team. Even when she’s off in the background, she is usually doing something entertaining, such as when she’s eating a potato. They could have made her the big dumb character who smashes things, and while she does provide that, she’s more like the big sister who is taking care of a bunch of younger siblings on a sugar high leading to her becoming a rather endearing character.
I have nothing but praise for the rest of the cast as well. Nobody felt squandered or annoying or useless, though I wish we did get to see more of Sophia Lillis as Doric. She’s great in every scene, but I would say that she has the least dialogue in the whole movie which is unfortunate. Justice Smith is another show-stealer as Simon who comes off as the typical comedic relief but ends up going on a character journey that I really enjoyed.
THE VILLAINS WERE A MIXED BAG
The truth is that people should come into Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for the main party of characters as well as the adventure. However, villains are important as well, and this movie has two main villains: one ends up being far more effective than the other.
Hugh Grant plays Forge and he is basically a weasel character who uses his wealth and status to get whatever he wants. However, he’s not some villain like Thanos or Emperor Palpatine who are famous for their powerful presence and confidence. Instead, Forge is essentially a conman who got rich and he’s practically useless thus resulting in a hilarious yet memorable villain, mainly due to Hugh Grant’s quirky performance.
I will not go into who the other villain is since that goes into spoiler territory and I’ll just be honest: they were just…fine. A rather typical evil character for the party to fight which, again, leans into the idea that Dungeons & Dragons plays out like a campaign from the game with the villains being the least developed characters. There was nothing particularly bad about the character; in fact, there are several great sequences with them but I would not call them a great villain.
SURPRISINGLY BEAUTIFUL
One thing I was a little concerned about was the visuals of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which is usually something that never worries me since trailers usually don’t look as good as the actual movie. With that said, something about the trailer gave me that vibe that things were going to look rather really cheap a la Thor: Love And Thunder.
Thankfully, I was immediately proven wrong because not only did Dungeons & Dragons have some really good cinematography thanks to Barry Peterson, who really surprised me since he previously worked on projects like 21 Jump Street and Game Night. Some shots in this movie look straight out of a Star Wars project with gorgeous scenery and visuals.
Unlike a lot of modern blockbusters, there is a shocking amount of practical effects work in Dungeons & Dragons, from the sets to the different races seen in the world. They could have easily used CGI for a lot of these things (which is far from a bad thing) but a lot of the film is tangible other than the obvious ones such as flying dragons, the use of magic, and the appearance of an Owlbear. The movie finds a nice balance between the two to deliver a beautiful movie that never fails in the visual department.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
If it’s not obvious enough already, I loved Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. It was such a refreshing return to the world of high fantasy that mixed in so many genres. It’s an adventure film, it’s a heist movie, it’s epic, it’s a comedy, and it has something for everyone to enjoy. The characters are downright perfect throughout the whole movie and the fantasy set pieces show that classic formulas can still work today with the right execution and directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein nailed it.
Alongside John Wick Chapter 4, I’d say Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is tied for my favorite movie of 2023 so far. That might change over time, but for now, I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you agree that fantasy movies deserve a comeback, this is the film for you that adults will love and kids will likely enjoy as well. I’m going to give Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves a strong 9.5/10 and the only reason the movie doesn’t get a 10 is because of the less than stellar villains. Other than that, I rank this up there with Willow and The Dark Crystal as a great fantasy adventure movie.
You’re all SO SWEET for making it this far and I hope you all enjoyed this article! I write about anything geek-related, especially comic book-related stuff so if you want to stay up to date with all the reviews, news breakdowns, and lists I do, make sure to follow this blog or follow me on Twitter @MelodyMacReady where I am much more active! Love you all!
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