Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film poster and movie review

Movie Reviews

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Reviewed by:
Luke Bonanno on March 31, 2023

Theatrical Release:
March 31, 2023

The admirable instincts of writing-directing duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein turn an aspiring spring tentpole that from all appearances looks like another misguided IP franchise nonstarter into a genuinely enjoyable crowd-pleaser.

Running Time134 min

RatingPG-13

Running Time 134 min

RatingPG-13

Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley

Michael Gilio (story & screenplay); Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley (screenplay); Chris McKay (story)

Chris Pine (Edgin Darvis), Michelle Rodriguez (Holga Kilgore), Regé-Jean Page (Xenk Yandar), Justice Smith (Simon Aumar), Sophia Lillis (Doric), Hugh Grant (Forge Fitzwilliam/Lord of Neverwinter), Chloe Coleman (Kira Davis), Daisy Head (Sofina), Jason Wong (Dralas), Bradley Cooper (), Georgia Landers (Zia)


Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

by Luke Bonanno

As my fruitless quest to find a plus-one to the advance screening of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves demonstrated, the world is divided between people who play D&D and those who do not. The tabletop role-playing game celebrates its fiftieth anniversary next year, but even as comic book and video game nerd culture evolved to the top of the entertainment industry, there remains a stigma to venturing into the fantastical universe of dice, maps, and miniatures.

Fortunately, the makers of Honor Among Thieves have not limited themselves to winning over merely the game’s passionate fanbase. Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Game Night), who also wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio, have crafted a highly entertaining and totally accessible comic fantasy adventure.

Without having actually seen the ridiculed 2000 movie Dungeons & Dragons, the first attempt to translate the game’s popularity into live-action cinema, I suspect Daley, Goldstein, and Gilio at most used that box office bomb as a template for what not to do here. Honor seems to draw its inspiration from The Princess Bride, with a narrative that recalls the still-entrancing classic musical The Wizard of Oz and a tone that is comparable to the still-dominant Marvel Cinematic Universe, for which the directors contributed to the winning screenplay of 2017 reboot Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The film opens with imprisoned cellmates Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez) pleading their case for an early release in front of two-thirds of a parole board. Doing all the talking, Edgin explains how circumstances drove him from troubadourism to thievery and how he is now reformed and ready to reunite with his beloved daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman). The stoic board is actually swayed by Edgin’s roundabout backstory, but before their judgment is issued, Edgin and Holga have already made a daring and spontaneous escape.

Michelle Rodriguez scowls and Chris Pine channels Bill Murray in "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."

The convicts have barely reconnected with their old colleague, the newly lorded Forge (Hugh Grant), who has been caring for Kira in her father’s absence, when they recognize the dastardly airs we’ve already spotted in the longtime British actor who has recently rebranded himself from charming cad to cocky antagonist. With their happy ending at least another two hours away, Forge’s nasty true nature puts them further on the run and turns Kira against her father with a carefully constructed deception.

Edgin and Holga team up with Simon (Justice Smith), a sorcerer of modest skill who’s barely surviving by swindling jewels from unimpressed audiences. He leads the party to Doric (It‘s Sophia Lillis), a Druid with a knack for quick-witted shape-shifting. Our four leads have to outwit not just Forge but Sofia (Daisy Head), a Red Wizard who has infiltrated Forge’s ranks with secret motives of her own.

Straightforward synopsis does not do justice to the film, which is funnier and more fun than you have any reason to suspect. Daley, an alumnus of “Freaks and Geeks” and “Bones”, and Goldstein have been building a substantial behind-the-camera résumé for over a decade now, beginning with Horrible Bosses. Not all of their work has won over the public; for example, their directorial debut, 2015’s Vacation reboot, was much better than anyone seemed to give it credit for, while their sophomore screenplay, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, was not. The duo’s instincts here, however, are admirable and turn an aspiring spring tentpole that from all appearances looks like another misguided IP franchise nonstarter into a genuinely enjoyable crowd-pleaser.

As someone whose most serious exposure to D&D prior to this was watching Tom Hanks’ atrocious cautionary 1982 made-for-TV movie Mazes and Monsters, I knew that some of the details and allure could easily be lost on me, like they were when seeing the Harry Potter movies without ever reading J.K. Rowling’s books. Alas, it’s not hard to spot minor nods to the game and they never diminish the entertainment value or make non-players feel excluded.

It wouldn't be Dungeons & Dragons without a dragon or two.

This movie makes it look all so easy to adapt an IP in a way that makes sense. It’s a big leap from tabletop RPG to $150 million movie, but Honor pulls it off, almost as well as The Lego Movie adapted interlocking plastic figures. The action and effects, altogether new domains for the directors, are creative and polished. Despite the substantial 134-minute runtime, the movie never gets bogged down in unnecessary set pieces or narrative detours. The improvements that could be made are minor. They include the performance of Rodriguez, whose two straight hours of scowling grows tired fast. If we can complain about that bit of casting, we must also acknowledge the humor provided by Regé-Jean Page (“Bridgerton”) by playing things completely straight as the paladin Xenk Yendar. Some additional amusement comes in an unexpected appearance by Bradley Cooper as Holga’s diminutive ex.

Perhaps some viewers will wish Honor took its subject matter more seriously, but that was most likely one of the 2000 movie’s numerous fatal flaws. Personally, I found it refreshing for a big-budget movie to embrace levity in a manner less calculated and formulaic than the newest Marvel movies. There are too few movies being made today like The Princess Bride, The Wizard of Oz, and Galaxy Quest that can deliver thrills but keep you smiling throughout, that are well-made and competently structured, but don’t numb you with idiotic plot points and half-hearted morals. Those movies, almost always extensions of some past-its-prime brand, may put up the box office numbers the shareholders like but they don’t stay with you or make you feel anything. Even if Honor fails to reach the commercial heights that Paramount hopes and its performance falls short of the studio greenlighting a sequel, it stands as a genuinely fun time you will not at all regret carving out a few hours for.

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