Film Review: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (2023): Hasbro’s Game Becomes a Fun-Filled Movie but the Stakes Aren’t High Enough

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, written by Michael Gilio, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head, Spencer Wilding, Will Irvine, Nicholas Blane, Bryan Larkin, Sarah Amankwah, Colin Carnegie and Clayton Grover.

Though it feels like it’s past its prime, the film which is based on Hasbro’s role-playing games, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, is lively and very energetic. Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein make the most of the talent which they have assembled for the new movie and there are several good performances which help keep the film moving at a fast clip. If one can get past the easy-going nature of the movie and the goofy jokes that are present in the new picture then it will be worth seeing. Do note, however, that the movie has a lot of cheesy dialogue and that there are plenty of sequences which feel fluffy and good-natured for fluff’s sake. There’s a much more adventurous and darker picture to be made from this material and this film is the light-hearted version, for sure.

Chris Pine stars in the movie as the rebellious, yet heroic, Edgin Darvis who is in a jail cell with his female best friend, Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), as the film opens. A third cellmate comes in who looks like a monster and acts like a brute, trying to force himself upon Holga, but she doesn’t take any nonsense from him and puts him right in his place. Edgin and Holga must try to present their case to some judges so they can be released from jail. Chancellor Jarnathan (Clayton Grover), a winged creature of sorts is Edgin’s plan to get them back to freedom. Edgin and Holga are honest thieves who want a second chance at life. Though they are going to be pardoned by the judges on the panel, our heroes, Edgin and Holga, make a grand escape in a truly fun cinematic style.

Edgin has suffered the loss of a wife (Georgia Landers) and has a young daughter named Kira (Chloe Coleman) who the evil and conniving Forge (Hugh Grant) wants to keep away from Edgin. In the film’s central premise, Edgin yearns to get the Tablet of Reawakening which would bring his family unit back to life thus making him happy. Of course, Forge is a bad sport and will further complicate an already complicated matter.

This movie is chock full of characters. Justice Smith serves as Simon, an insecure sorcerer who carries a torch for the talented beauty, Doric (Sophia Lillis). Those two characters are entertaining to watch but it is Rege-Jean Page who all but steals the movie as Xenk, an awkward yet heroic guy whose seriousness keeps things in check for the main characters. There are also skeletons of dead people who arrive on screen to answer questions for our heroes and these scenes are quite funny. The main villain comes in the form of Sofina (Daisy Head), an evil wizard out to fulfill her own wicked schemes.

Chris Pine is the quintessential leading man. He revels in his charismatic role here and gets some of the best scenes all to himself. Michelle Rodriguez as the tough-as-nails Holga is her usual self-confident character here. Hugh Grant is always entertaining as he chews scenery left and right throughout the duration of the movie.

There are surprising plot developments such as when a key heroic character gets stabbed towards the end but we know there will be a happy ending because that’s the tone the movie sets up. By playing almost every other scene for laughs, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves doesn’t set the stakes very high. There is a lot of predictability in the story line and the film’s creatures, though designed well, don’t make for very memorable characters.

That being said, Chloe Coleman shines in the supporting cast as Edgin’s daughter and this is the actress’s second recent quality performance following 65. Kira’s appreciation for her dad is more focused in the later scenes in the movie and Coleman’s performance is rather touching as a result.

Making a movie based on a role-playing game is not an easy task. It’s to the filmmakers’ credit that the movie is as easy to enjoy on the surface as it is. When the game came out, it felt ultra serious and it’s nice to see the people behind the movie have lightened things up considerably making the movie easily accessible for mainstream audiences. It still would be intriguing to see a darker side to the material presented here.

It’s hard to know why it took so long for a good Dungeons & Dragons movie to be made. This is a worthwhile film despite any minor criticisms. The interaction between cast members is memorable and there’s a lot of fun to be had for people who like their movies full of action and the plot has a few wild cards up its sleeve despite its overall predictability.

Rating: 7/10

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