Way way back in the long-ago time of the year 2000, Dungeons and Dragons made its way to the big screen in a film adaptation that has, to put it lightly, been soundly rejected by virtually every facet of nerd culture and casual audiences. It’s hard to imagine a film adaptation coming out before the game’s resurgence over the past decade or so. Not only has it been featured prominently in shows like “Stranger Things”, but the rise of live-streamed “actual play” games, wherein players simply film their sessions and release them online, has helped to catapult the game to new heights.
The popularity of “Critical Roll”, which now has its own animated series on Amazon Prime, “Dimension 20”, which is currently in its seventh main campaign, and “The Adventure Zone”, which has released a series of best-selling graphic novels and has an animated series in development from Peacock, means the public identity of DnD is a far cry from where it was back when the 2000s stinker was released. For many, “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” will serve as the first true adaptation of the tabletop role playing game beloved the world over, and for good reason.
“Honor Among Thieves” follows Edgin Darvis, played by Chris Pine (“Hell or High Water,” “Star Trek (2009)”), and Holga Kilgore, played by Michelle Rodriguez (“Avatar,” “F9: The Fast Saga”), as they attempt to assemble a crew, including sorcerer Simon Aumar, played by Justice Smith ( “Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), paladin Xenk Yendar, played by Regé-Jean Page (“Bridgerton,” “The Gray Man”), and druid Doric, played by Sophia Lillis (“IT (2017),” “ I Am Not Okay with This”), to rescue Edgin’s daughter Kira, played by Chloe Coleman (“Big Little Lies,” “Marry Me”), from their former crew-member Forge Fitzwilliam, played by Hugh Grant ( “Bridget Jones's Diary,” “About a Boy”).
Immediately, the film sets up a tone of fun without disrespect, of lightness without unseriousness. In a world where so many adventure films seem to take themselves so seriously it ends up being to their detriment (I’m look at you “Thor: Love & Thunder”), directors/co-writers Jonathan Goldstein (“Game Night,” “Vacation”) and John Francis Daley (“Game Night,” “Vacation”) and their co-writers Michael Gilio and Chris McKay (“The LEGO Batman Movie,” “Renfield”) have given us a world where the humor comes from the characters and the world around them. There’s no winking at the audience or bits about how silly or dumb DnD is. It all comes from a place of love and fun, and by extension it invites the audience to have fun as well.
While it's hard to do a direct adaptation of Dungeons and Dragons as the freedom of story is the main appeal, the film manages to build a world peppered with references and fun nods to various pieces of lore. It's never overbearing though, meaning general audiences don’t get left behind in the adventure. Hearing the name Neverember, recognizing Themberchaud, or seeing a displacer beast are all fun, but their existence is also justified outside of being easter eggs.
The worldbuilding is bolstered by a fantastic blending of practical and digital effects. In our modern blockbuster age, it's expected to see CGI and blue-screen at virtually every turn. So to have a physical set and practical puppeteering be enhanced by the digital effects rather than to only have digital effects feels like a rarity. And the film is all the better for it, as it helps to embellish the various lands and locations the rag-tag bunch has to travel through.
Speaking of that rag-tag group, the film’s cast is also exceedingly charming. Pine is channeling all of his goofy charisma without letting it overpower the drama needed for some moments. Rodriguez is a great and brutal as the group's resident barbarian, but not without her own moments of softness and silliness. Smith is perfectly awkward and fun, and Lillis plays fantastically off the entire group, bringing the moody, world-weary Tiefling to life. Grant and Page are great although a bit underutilized by the end, and Coleman is also an adorable bundle of charm for Pine to play off.
While it may be a bit too long and might take a bit to get underway, the biggest advantage “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” has at its disposal is its heart. This is a film that cares for its world, characters, source material, and adventure and treats them all seriously. It's reverent without tumbling into feeling exclusionary for those who don’t know the material and fun without feeling like it's mean or hates itself. If it isn’t a perfect adventure, it's absolutely a charming success. 4/5
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