Riot’s Reviews: Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
In the ever-expanding world of nerd culture, Dungeons and Dragons the game is arguably the OG of the OGs. It’s a world that essentially has no limits other than the imagination of those that play it and has been a staple of fantasy since its creation in 1974. The complexities of gameplay can be extraordinarily simple or significantly complex based solely on the talents and creativity of each game’s dungeon master. “Nerds” everywhere have been playing and expanding on the game for generations, so it’s certainly no shock that its legend could expand its way to Hollywood. Unfortunately for its fans, New Line Cinema took a shot at this back in the year 2000 and was absolutely panned by critics and audiences alike. The D+D world has few boundaries, which could be a detriment or benefit depending on the storyteller. Wizards of the Coast (the gaming company responsible for D+D) has been dealing with some controversy as of late, so with a previous movie failure and its image on the line, would Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves be able to deliver some much needed, positive PR?
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opens up on a winter-laden prison, where we meet up with the two main protagonists, Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), who are in the midst of trying to get their sentences reduced. Through a series of hilariously narrated flashbacks, the audience learns about Edgin’s tragic backstory; of a husband that lost his wife to assassins, a father that wants to get back to his child Kira (Chloe Coleman), and a group heist gone wrong. After Edgin and Holga are able to escape prison through a half-hatched plan, they are confronted with the reality of a betrayal by two former members of their thieving troupe, Forge (Hugh Grant) and Sofina (Daisy Head). Not only has Forge taken over the city, but he has turned Edgin’s daughter against him. Edgin and Holga, desperate to get Kira and their old lives as thieves back, enlist a fledgling sorcerer Simon (Justice Smith) and a shape-shifting druid named Doric (Sophia Lillis) for the heist of a lifetime.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is one of those films that seemingly had no real business being as good as it was. Going into the viewing with little to no expectations ended up being a huge benefit, because each and every element of the tale thrilled me more than the next. I was particularly pleased with the performances of the cast and the well-written humor that each dutifully delivered. Chris Pine was in top form, drawing from and mimicking the cocky, sarcastic demeanor that helped make his role as Captain Kirk so endearing. Hugh Grant is incredibly convincing as the sleazy, bureaucrat antagonist and Michelle Rodriguez puts on possibly one of her best performances I’ve ever seen as the no-nonsense berserker (or maybe barbarian?). Going against the grain of modern storytelling, it was extremely refreshing to have a villain that wasn’t given some sob-story background and was merely an unredeemable a-hole. Quite literally, the only nit-picky criticism I could come up with was a slight distaste for Justice Smith’s British accent. It wasn’t necessarily the worst I’ve ever heard, but considering none of his counterparts were affecting accents, you’re left wondering why he was given (or maybe even chose) one. Shaky accent aside, Smith delivered some of the best comedic and inspirational moments of the film.
Early negative reviews of the film have slammed the “overuse” of CGI and I’m legitimately baffled as to why, especially considering the subject matter. There are a number of sequences that are incredible specifically because of its CGI, including a thrilling chase scene involving the Druid, a harrowing escape from a comically overweight dragon, and every moment having to do with the Hither Thither Staff (essentially the medieval Portal Gun). As far as I’m concerned, if there were any “overblown” special effects scenes, there was plenty of well-crafted costumes and hand to hand combat sequences to balance out the practicality of the film. The grand finale, while predictable, was a high intensity battle capped with an ending that kept the audience emotionally involved in the heroes’ lives. During its finale, I was exceptionally tickled by a nod to one of the last times I still enjoyed The Hulk. Honor Among Thieves did itself every favor by not taking itself seriously and in turn, seriously delivered a literally fantastic movie going experience.
Riot’s Rating: 9.6/10: Definitely go see this film. It is a legitimate “fun for the whole family” type of adventure that certainly shouldn’t stay under the radar.
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