Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Movie Review

I went into this movie with high expectations. The trailers promised a fun ride full of colorful characters, action, jokes, and references to Dungeons & Dragons, the Sword Coast, and plenty of other famous locations from Faerûn. How did the movie fare? If you don't want to read long-winded essays, I'll cut to the chase right away – I got exactly what the trailers promised. Honor Among Thieves might not be a revolutionary film that changes world cinema, but it still offers a few hours of great entertainment. Especially if you're a fan of tabletop RPGs and the Forgotten Realms. The movie doesn't shy away from its source material; on the contrary, it references it every chance it gets.

Characters

The entire story is guided by a party of mismatched heroes brought together by a common interest. While each character gets their own slice of screen time, we learn the most about the backstory of Edgin the bard and his daughter Kira. Holga the barbarian gives us a glimpse into her past, but we only get snippets of Simon and Doric's stories.

The way the party comes together strongly resembles a classic D&D campaign. The characters have a goal, a few of them share a past, others join in so they don't miss out, and voilà – it's time to head off on an adventure. Nobody wants to waste time with long-winded persuasion, explanations, or beating around the bush. And once our heroes assemble, the real ride can begin.

The characters work great – Edgin's story drives the plot, which gives him the most space, so it's no wonder he's the most visible and audible. Holga backs him up capably; she's not just a mindless brute, but manages to show emotion and occasionally contributes a biting remark to the conversation. Simon the sorcerer struggles with self-doubt and acts as a counterweight to the confident Edgin. Doric the druid gets the least space, at least in her human form. The moment she uses Wildshape, her character dominates the screen.

Together, this group has fantastic chemistry. The characters cooperate, but they aren't afraid to point out each other's flaws, clash over their rough edges, and trade witty banter. Once paladin Xenk and the old acquaintance Forge join the cocktail, another round of fun begins. Unfortunately, the sorceress Sofina remains a bit on the sidelines.

Actors

If the chemistry between the characters works, it's primarily due to the perfect casting of actors who truly threw themselves into their roles. Chris Pine shows his acting experience, effortlessly portraying sadness and emotion when the story requires it, and flashing a charming smile whenever he needs to provide the others with a bit of bardic inspiration.

Michelle Rodriguez received the role of a barbarian that could easily have turned into a walking cliché, grunting and a boring pile of muscle. Holga doesn't have the most lines in the script, but every one counts. She knows her way around weapons, magic is completely beyond her understanding, but she'll do anything for her family. And in her performance, it all looks credible on the big screen.

Justice Smith handled his character's conflict excellently, and you easily believe Simon's low opinion of his own abilities. Sophia Lillis unfortunately suffers a bit from the excellent performances of the other actors and the limited space her character received, getting the least chance to shine out of the whole party.

I was worried about Xenk the paladin after the trailers, but Regé-Jean Page managed to grasp the walking cliché of a goody-two-shoes with ease and played the role convincingly without turning the character into a parody of itself. Hugh Grant clearly enjoys his role as an aging con man, and every scene with him is entertaining from start to finish.

Plot

The plot contains one of the film's main advantages and simultaneously one of its biggest weaknesses. It functions primarily as a vehicle to show the viewer what a party's story and adventure look like. The meeting of the characters and the formation of the party is fast, but much like in Dungeons & Dragons, not entirely believable.

Right at the beginning, we clearly learn who is the good guy and who is the bad guy, so we know roughly where the story is headed. At the same time, the film doles out character motivations bit by bit so it's clear why they are chasing their goal. They gradually show off their abilities so they can use them in the finale to achieve their objective.

We learn that the film is about thieves from the title alone, and the trailer only confirms it, so the betrayals, sneaking, and thefts that culminate in the final action sequence can't surprise us at all. All the characters contribute their part, everyone has a moment to shine, and the film culminates exactly as you'd expect the whole time. Even if that means the main villain is a bit flat and doesn't have much room to maneuver.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves knows very well what kind of movie it wants to be, and the plot reflects that, as it fits in exactly what is needed. On the other hand, this makes the plot very predictable, and if you think about it during the first five minutes, you can probably guess how the whole movie will end. But you probably won't have time for such reflection, because you'll be having a great time enjoying the ride.

Atmosphere

The film's visuals won't let you catch your breath for a second. Colorful locations alternate one after another so quickly that you won't have time to get enough of them. Whether it's a tavern in the city, a cave in the Underdark, an ancient burial ground, or an arena in Neverwinter, the scenes are full of details that you have no chance of absorbing in a single viewing.

Even here, the film plays with the unrealistic traveling that players know all too well from RPGs. Sometimes we get cuts of the journey, but in places, the plot moves from one scene to another without us dealing with how the characters actually got there and how long it took them. Is it realistic? Not even a little bit. Entertaining? Very!

Treats for fans

If the film truly excels at anything, it's the references to tabletop RPGs, especially Dungeons & Dragons and the Forgotten Realms, which appear in the film again and again. The plot, the environment, the characters, their abilities, and the jokes – everything is subordinated to the main goal, which is to provide entertainment for players.

And for someone who has been playing RPGs as long as I have, there were so many references in the film that I can't even recall them all. I had to smile every time a famous location or name was mentioned, and there were plenty – Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter, Underdark, Sword Coast, Elminster, Themberchaud, and many others.

Favorite spells also made it to the big screen for the first time, and players could enjoy Time Stop, Meteor Swarm, Bigby’s Hand, or take a look at a somewhat looser interpretation of the aforementioned druidic Wildshape.

Connoisseurs will find references to the animated Dungeons & Dragons series from the nineties, or perhaps a subtle nod to the creators of Critical Role in the form of the character name Fresh Cut Grass. And I'm not arrogant enough to think I discovered all the surprises the creators managed to pack into the film on the first viewing.

Rating

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is no revolutionary film trying to bring deep thoughts, but it doesn't pretend to be anything of the sort. It's fast-paced action and a colorful spectacle that pays tribute to tabletop RPGs and brings to the big screen what players have wanted to see for years.

You'll definitely enjoy this movie if you want to laugh and enjoy action-fantasy comedies that won't let you catch your breath for a second. But if you've ever played Dungeons & Dragons, the computer game Baldur’s Gate, or know the Forgotten Realms, an extra portion of fun awaits you. For me, a very nice 75% and I'll definitely watch it again.

author Michal Dlouhý