Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Directors: John Francis Daley. Jonathan Goldstein

Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.

As someone who has never played the game, I must say this movie version of ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ indeed looked like a video game. There were so much going on all the time all at once that I felt I was in an arcade. Each scene looked like a different stage of a video game. And that’s a good thing in a way, because there certainly never is a dull moment in ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’!

The thieves in question are Edgin (Chris Pine), his friend Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), and their good friend Simon (Justice Smith). When Edgin’s wife was murdered, Holga took pity on his baby, and they became like brother and sister. Having been killed by a Red Wizard’s blade, Edgin’s wife could not be revived. When Edgin and Holga were in prison, Edgin’s daugther Kira were looked after by Forge (Hugh Grant), who happens to be the film’s antagonist. When Forge plans on killing Edgin and Holga and keeping Kira as his own, Edgin and Holga decide to put a team together to take down Forge’s castle.

When Edgin finds out there is a way those killed by a Red Wizard’s blade can be revived, the thieves set out of a dangerous journey to find the ancient relic. Along for the journey is a shapeshifter named Doric. They meet many interesting characters along the way, and danger awaits them around every corner.

The film features some amazing visuals, and there are a number of jaw-dropping moments. In typical Hollywood style (for a film of this genre), there’s too much unnecessary silly humour. (Yes, I know; Americans like to laugh when they watch a movie). There’s a deeply emotional undertone of a man longing to see his wife again, but all that evaporates in the abundance of slapstick humour. Pity.

Films like ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Transformers’ are high fantasy, but in a way still believable with relatable characters, but ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ doesn’t have an inch of realism – nope, not even the characters. Although this is an entertaining action adventure movie, it was ultimately just a bit too silly for my liking. It is definitely still worth the watch if you’re into high fantasy adventures, and this is a very well made film. No doubt there will be sequels…

Would I watch it again? Not sure.