DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (2023) turned out to be a surprisingly good time. From the source material to comedy to action to finding an emotional core, this movie strikes an almost perfect balance, offering plenty and demanding nothing.
The plot is fairly simple. Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) was once a Harper, an order of peacekeepers, but after arresting disciples of a Red Wizard, the wizards take revenge. Destitute and raising his daughter on his own, he turns to selfishness, thieving with minor magic user Simon (Justice Smith), barbarian warrior Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), and con artist Forge (Hugh Grant). After they’re betrayed, he leaves prison on a mission to recover his daughter and set things right, only the Red Wizards have other plans.
I played some D&D back in the day but didn’t live and breathe it, so I missed a ton of Easter eggs planted throughout the movie for the fans. What really works for the adaptation is it embodies the spirit of the source material–just a good time having quests, exploring dungeons, fighting evil wizards–while making it accessible for everyone.
Otherwise, everything just works, rolling out like a fantasy version of a Marvel movie but reining in the cuteness and showing remarkable restraint and balance. The actors all do a great job with their parts, particularly Pine who brings a lot of depth to the lead, Rodriguez who really looks like she’s kicking ass in the fight scenes, and Smith who makes you root for him. In terms of storytelling, all the right notes are played, making this kind of like a live-action SHREK but with a lot more action. While nominally light fare, there’s an emotional core to the story, though it is accomplished again with a solid balance and without pandering or trying to make me feel anything.
Overall, I loved D&D. From what I hear, there are no plans to make it a franchise–though there may be a TV spinoff in the works–but I hope they do. It might just get me back into the theater. Barring that, I’d like to see more movies like it.
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