Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review: Success or Failure? Let’s Find Out Together!
Cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Chloe Coleman, Jason Wong, Daisy Head
Director: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Where to Watch: In theaters (from 31 March 2023)
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The question we can ask ourselves in approaching an entertainment product such as the Dungeons & Dragons film would be precise concerning the feasibility of transposing such a variegated and colorful role-playing game, capable of deflagrating into centuries-old ramifications with its narrative, into a cinematographic work of just over two hours. Well, it seems that this time the intention of reinventing this transposition and exploiting the universe to build something irreverent and goliardic has worked, because Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has convinced us a lot and are making sure that the critics are lining up in his favor, precisely because of the way it was decided to go to review D&D.
In the past, there have been several attempts to bring the intellectual property of the world’s most popular tabletop RPG: Dungeons & Dragons to the big screen. The new success (if we exclude the last period with the OGL 1.1 debacle) of the game created by Gary Gygax has led to the acquisition of Wizards of the Coast by Hasbro, a company that has decided to push on the brand and therefore to make a new movie: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review: The Story Plot
On the one hand, a bard named Elgin (Chris Pine), on the other Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian with a turbulent past endowed with great strength and great intellect. Both are imprisoned and are waiting for the right moment to be able to escape from a very high tower in which they have spent the last two years: they are framed by their fellow thief, Forge (Hugh Grant), who now lives as the new lord and new stepfather of Kira Elgin’s daughter. The bard and the barbarian are thus called on an impossible mission to save the girl, together with Simon (Justice Smith) a very insecure wizard with no self-esteem whatsoever and Doric (Sophia Lillis), a Wild Shape druid, plus the friendly input of Xenk (Regé-Jean Page), an unblemished paladin ready to sacrifice himself for anyone else.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor for Thieves is based on a narrative plot that looks extremely like a D&D campaign, from which it also draws inspiration for the light-hearted ways and above all for the often exuberant constructions: all elements that work all ‘inside a narrative construction of undoubted value and power, above all because the comedy is never coarse, it is never excessive, and that way of making comedy is sought which is working a lot in products like Guardians of the Galaxy. Elgin can be compared to a fantasy, medieval Star-Lord, equipped with a lute and a passion for his past, for what he really loves. In characterizing the party, in creating an amalgam between the characters who always interact in a very profound way with each other, the D&D film tells us a light-hearted adventure of four heroes ready to do anything to achieve their goal.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review and Analysis
We came from an unwelcome and digested cinematographic transposition for the Dungeons & Dragons universe, which is 2002 with “Let the game begin” had especially disappointed fans of the brand, as well as cinephiles. However, to celebrate 50 years of the role-playing game invented by Gary Gygax and David Arneson in the best possible way, a much more fascinating, much more convincing film was needed, which could go to scratch that rocky wall that lately seems to have somehow covered the heart of us nerds, sometimes perched in dogmas that leave no room for stylistic reinterpretations. Still, John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein scoffed at it, because Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is such a light-hearted parody of the D&D universe, which is laid bare and stripped of all its D20 and all its arithmetic seriousness to enhance the most goliardic and comical moments of a campaign with friends.
The film, to be released on March 31st at cinemas, highlights the microcosm that is built around a table during games, allowing Elgin and Holga to enhance their fraternal relationship, to weave an almost paternal gesture between the bard and Simon, up to the magician’s not at all latent love for Doric; even the dichotomy between the light-hearted hero and that of the spotless paladin which is Xenk manages to be appreciated in every joke. Perhaps the least pleasant aspect of the whole screenplay is to be found in the excessive rigidity that some of the protagonists often have in dealing with more serious issues: it often happens to Holga, the most unshakeable of all and to those moments in which there is no need to make jokes, there is no need to wink but to try to raise the bar of a canvas that does not aspire to that. It does not aim at any psychological construct, but at offering us something very balanced between fun and seriousness.
Another aspect of great value is that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves does not claim that the viewer is an avid connoisseur of the subject matter: there is no doubt that the fantasy tradition is respected and treated adequately, but there is no desire to make the film a niche product, intended only for those who think they know Gygax and Arneson’s entire creation by heart. Anyone can enjoy it, provided they want to watch a fantasy film and indulge in sincere, dispassionate and amused laughter. Also enriched, among other things, by the excellent world-building, which follows the trappings of fantasy folklore and enjoys dwelling on the details of the creatures and the environment reconstructed in such a way as to be able to immerse everything in a deep, three-dimensional universe, credible. The direction itself lets us understand that there is a desire to leave room for a single world, starting from a sequence shot featuring Doric and his transformations: one of the moments in which the camera is most exalted, in the dance from the castle to the village outside, focusing on aerial acrobatics ready to make us exalt both for the content than for the final staging.
Wanting to track down a single mole in the whole production, I would have expected that from a musical point of view everything would have been much more unforgettable and ready to stand out in the firmament of immortality. The Witcher, who marches chest out and chin proud on fantasy, with Ranuncolo had been able to make “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher” enter our hearts, now reinterpreted and re-proposed in numerous versions, so much has it become rooted in our imagination Fantasy. The D&D movie fails to do the same, despite starring a bard, who is more skilled with his tongue than his uvula, unfortunately: the only song that is proposed to us cannot enter our hearts and we won’t be able to hum it once the film is over, precisely because of the little space given to this moment. The lute itself, which could have become much more epic and narrative key, is reduced to a mere accompaniment, an accessory of little value to which to remain attached, but nothing more. A missed opportunity, in my opinion.
All the cast enjoy and enjoy their test, especially Chris Pine (Star Trek, Wonder Woman) who manages, often improvising, to make the audience laugh with his jokes. The great rogue of Forge is played by Hugh Grant, the English actor is often able to steal the audience’s attention from other people on stage thanks to his great experience and his talent. The interpretation that struck us the most was that of Regé-Jean Page, the British actor, with Zimbabwean citizenship, who plays the great paladin Xenk. The character is so different from the others as to be completely out of the box no-nonsense and humorless, he is a perfect foil for all the other protagonists.
When magic is present in a fantasy film, as in this case, the special effects must be able to convey a lot to the audience. Visually everything is spectacular, with excellent characterization of the different spells and some digitally recreated environments. If the viewing is always spectacular, the same cannot be said of the film’s music which often fails to create the magic necessary to emphasize the different moments. The multiple action scenes that are present in the film are fun and well-choreographed but lose some of their impacts due to some directorial choices that do not allow the choreography to be fully appreciated. The unnatural opponents are, of course, recreated through special effects and are immediately believable as threats to our heroes.
The film is full of Dungeons & Dragons easter eggs as could be expected, but to recognize them all you need to have played a lot of RPG. We will cover this series of easter eggs and rules later, once the film is released in theaters to avoid spoilers. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a good film, its plot is solid while the characters have their own identities, even if this can be questioned by useless comparisons. A success compared to the failed previous attempts, but with ample room for improvement.
What’s amazing about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is how well it works despite being a very, very conventional movie. Not only that: he doesn’t have an original idea that is one, neither visually nor narratively. The list of great fantasy (but not only) old and new hits on which it draws is very long: above all, there are The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but there are also obvious borrowings from the Avengers (including the iconic roundup that revolves around the heroes positioned back-to-back) and Guardians of the Galaxy, even going from Indiana Jones and The Witcher. However, everything works wonders, because the screenplay balances the humor and comic timing of its characters incredibly well. As explained in the John Wick 4 review, it’s not so much the playing time that counts, but what you can do in the time available.
The two hours of Dungeons & Dragons – Honor Among Thieves give the impression of having taken an adventurous journey in a fantastic land, where the element of danger and adventure is always well balanced by the sense of wonder and irony. It’s escapism, entertainment in the hall, of course, but in this sense, it works very well. We laugh, have fun and sometimes even get emotional. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor for Thieves never takes itself too seriously, but neither does it demean itself, working hard to captivate its audience of fans and newbies alike. Its cast is also well-chosen and amalgamated. Hugh Grant as a cruel vein idiot is simply irresistible, but Regé-Jean Page as a knight with no sense of irony also blows the screen.
The only regret is that the film is so lacking in terms of history. The whole explanation of who the villains in question are and what they want is pretty confusing and it’s a shame because it’s the only thing this popcorn movie is missing to make the leap in quality and become a phenomenon. Surely, however, there is something to creating a franchise starting from this film and these characters. The advice is to go and see it in theaters, because it is certainly one of the best films to be released in March 2023 and could be one of the blockbuster surprises of the year. It copies a bit from all the great fantasy titles of recent years but offers two really successful and entertaining hours in the hall: Dungeons & Dragons – Honor among thieves is truly a blockbuster that fascinates and marvels. Advised!
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review: The Last Words
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fantasy that was needed. Managing not to take oneself seriously and making everything very light-hearted is a choice that works, which at times reminds us of the world that Alan Menken had designed in Galavant, perhaps the last entertainment product capable of making fun of the medieval world in a goliardic way and on the heroes themselves. The intention was to bring the D&D brand back to the cinema strongly and convincingly, offering entertainment that could replicate the light-hearted campaigns among friends and the goal was fully achieved. Those who expect a serious film with great psychological themes will not find what they are looking for, but all the others will be well satisfied.
