The Question
You’re tired of the countless superhero movies and the homework required to follow their plots. You’re tired of the term “cinematic universe”. You tire of the movies that feel the need to be the next MCU but can’t deliver a half-decent movie. All you want is a movie that doesn’t feel the need to be great. A movie that’s fine, knows how to be fun, and doesn’t take itself so bloody seriously. Something like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
You look at the trailer and go, “This doesn’t seem so bad. I might watch it.“
“But wait, D&D is a cultural phenomenon! Dammit, do I need to know that board game to watch the movie?“, you mutter.
“They’re adopting D&D? Oh, they better not fuck this up!!“, cry the fans. Some of them have watched the travesty that is the 2000s Dungeons & Dragons movie starring Jeremy Irons and shudder of the nightmares. (That was my first introduction to the property, not a good one)
So, the question is, does Honor Among Thieves satisfy the fans and the normies?
Plot
Edgin Darves (Chris Pine), a bard, and his team embark on a quest to retrieve an artifact that will resurrect his wife. But he gets betrayed and thrown into prison by his ally Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), who is under the spell of a Red Wizard. After finding out that his daughter is under the spell of Forge, Edgin and his BFF Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) escape from prison & form a crew consisting of a self-doubting wizard (Justice Smith), a druid that cares for her people (Sophia Lillis) and a charming paladin (Rege-Jean Page). Now they must save Edgin’s daughter and defeat Forge.
If I have to give a crude approximation of Honor Among Thieves, “Guardians of the Galaxy, but magic” sounds about right. But while those MCU movies feel neatly scripted, Dungeons & Dragons feels like it’s making up its script as it’s going along. That particular approach can feel wonky and it shows in the film.
Their quest takes multiple detours. But every time they hit a brick wall, some convenient plot mechanic lands them right where they need to be. Before you get to call bullshit on these plot conveniences, the movie jolts to the next plot point at a breakneck pace without ruminating on what transpired. It’s good for plot progression, but not so much for a satisfactory conclusion.
Technicals & Cast
The movie uses a mix of practical effects and CGI, which serve to ground this fantasy world. The practical effects work in scenes where they have to dig up graves to get answers. The CGI, on the other hand, feels a bit cheap, to be honest. The world-building feels a bit…empty, I must say? Sure, you get magical words thrown around a lot, but the world itself feels very cookie-cutter.
The movie has a humorous tone. As I said, this isn’t a fantasy movie that takes itself too seriously. It might have those aspirations, but it knows when to cut loose and have fun. The jokes…..eh, sometimes they land, sometimes they don’t. There’s an MCU-ish quality to the humor, but it works a lot better than in the last few MCU movies
This movie’s biggest strength is its cast. Chris Pine brings that roguish charm that reminds you why you loved him in those Star Trek movies. Michelle Rodriguez is always a reliable presence in a franchise like this. Smith, Lillis, and Page do a good job with their roles. Not sure when Hugh Grant embraced his inner asshole and started having fun in negative roles, but I’m all for it. The cast has such good chemistry that even when the jokes don’t land, their goofy charm makes sure the scene doesn’t fall flat.
The Answer
So, does Dungeons & Dragons satisfy both the fans and the normies?
I can’t speak for the fans. But considering that Twitter wasn’t ablaze with tweets saying that this movie has ruined their favorite board game, I’d say they’ve done a decent job of not pissing off the hardcore fans at least.
For the audience, I’d say this. Dungeons & Dragons feels like one of those old school fantasy movies that you can take your family and friends with for a fun time.
The Conclusion
I remarked earlier that Dungeons & Dragons felt like an old-school movie. It does feel like that in ways, both good and bad.
I think I’ve already made my issues known with the script. It could have used some tight writing, a bit more depth & fewer plot contrivances. While the cast has great charm and chemistry, the writing for them doesn’t evolve beyond the two-word characteristics they were assigned with. There isn’t much depth to them. The CGI isn’t that great. For a franchise that prides itself on world-building, the world shown here is extremely basic and barebones.
But for all of that, Dungeons & Dragons felt like an old-school movie in a good way. It felt like watching Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy movies. They’re standalone (Oh, this will probably birth another cinematic universe of some kind, but one can dream) fantasy movies that have a charming cast, decent stakes, and a tone that doesn’t take itself too bloody seriously 24*7.
Sure, you wouldn’t consider these movies as great and you can find a thousand things to complain about. But at the end of the day, they’re unpretentious and plain fun. In the age where every franchise movie has to be a serious epic, make a billion dollars and set up a universe, I wouldn’t mind these kinds of fluffy films.