As it turns out, Dungeons and Dragons provides the perfect foundation for a fantasy adventure film as Becky discovered when she went to check the film out.
I have a confession to make: despite being a Dungeons and Dragons fan for a number of years, I was somewhat dubious when it was announced that a new movie based on the tabletop RPG was in the works. I’m well aware that Dungeons and Dragons has a deep well of lore to build on, but still I wasn’t sure how that could translate into a film.
As it turns out, it translates very well. In fact the best thing about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is that prior knowledge of D&D is not required to enjoy the film, though admittedly it does help to catch the many Easter eggs that pop up in the story. And what a story! In brief, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is set in the world of Forgotten Realms and follows the bard Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) as he and his band of adventurers work to right a number of wrongs, one of which happens to have world-ending consequences.
It should be said that the story does take a minute to properly get going, and there’s more than a few cringey moments right off the bat. However, once the story gets into gear, it’s a wild ride almost the entire way through. There are a lot of laugh-out-loud funny moments peppered throughout the film, which is fitting as many know from playing D&D themselves that stories like this and outrageous humor frequently go hand in hand. Though by no means can this film be considered purely comedy. Despite the wide array of humor found throughout the film, there are some serious stakes present and the film pulls no punches when it counts.
Another detail that really brought the story to the next level is how well the many fantasy creatures are realized and brought to life. Given the wide variety of monsters that are present in the world of D&D, it would’ve been so easy for the monsters and creatures to come across as hokey or too contrived to be seen as viable threats. I assure you, every creature seen in this film feels quite real and more than a little dangerous.
Then there’s how well Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was cast. Chris Pine, I must say, makes a perfect Bard, and when he’s working together with Michelle Rodriguez’s barbarian Holga, the two are comedy gold. I’m also very fond of Justice Smith’s Simon (the group’s sorcerer), I feel like a lot of people will be able to identify with him and his struggles. I was also a big fan of Regé-Jean Page’s appearance in the film, though I do wish he’d been in the film more, though hopefully that can be rectified in a future installment.
Speaking of, it sure seems like the film was planting several sequel hooks toward the end. I hope these are followed up on, as I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would happily see more of this world on the big screen. The best part is, due to the nature of Dungeons and Dragons, it wouldn’t even need the same cast of adventurers again. The main story could continue with any number of adventurers created to take it on. Whatever happens, I hope Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is just the beginning of an epic, new story.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen nothing about Dungeons and Dragons before today: if you enjoy a good fantasy story, you will love this movie. Go see it on the biggest screen possible, you won’t be sorry.
