I know just enough about the world of Dungeons and Dragons to understand most of the references in Honor Among Thieves. That feeling left me quite proud of myself and at the same time a little concerned. For do thy need to be a fan of Dungeons and Dragons to enjoy one’s movie-going experience?
No, you don’t need to be because quite frankly this is just a frolicking blockbuster for all to enjoy. Our quest follows Chris Pine’s Edgin who is imprisoned along with Michelle Rodriguez’s Holga after their gang’s grand heist goes wrong. Edgin’s imprisonment means that he is away from his daughter for many years whilst she is being taken care of by their scam artist Forge, played by Hugh Grant. Whilst away Forge has worked his way up in society and Edgin must bring together a new band to pull off their biggest and most important heist yet.
Honour Among Thieves is a blockbuster film, it is almost as if I can see it on the shelf ready to buy on Bluray. Sitting there next to hundreds of pop vinyls and other merchandise. To some, that could be bad but the director’s John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have captured a great mix of role-playing fun and blockbuster spectacle to capture the audience’s attention.
The best thing that Dungeons does well is that its exposition only pertains to the story itself. No massive world-building, no explanation as to why there are is a random eagle person in the room just the important details. What this does is let your imagination run wild and also add to the comedic and fun elements of the film. Think of Guardians of the Galaxy and you’re never told to your face what each and every weird alien creature is, just random fun.
Random fun, just like if you were playing a role-playing game yourself. You might choose to jump out of a window instead of the easy answer in front of you. All of this random fun is helped by some top-notch VFX and cinematography. Nothing looks out of place nor is it distracting to the eye. Extra points go to the cast as well, mostly everyone is fantastic in the film. Chris Pine is charming and funny yet foolish, Michelle Rodriguez fits perfectly as Holga and the rest of the cast fits the world perfectly.
I’m quite pleasantly surprised if I’m honest. Does the film run a little long? Yes, some time could be shaved off and the film is a little too obvious in major plot points. However, what the trailers have shown the film to be, feels very inaccurate. The trailers represented a typical blockbuster that your friends might force you to see rather than what Dungeons actually is. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is adventurous fun! It is role-playing represented in the film the way it should be, fun, random, and in the end about having a great time and defeating evil.
Score: 4/5 Dice rolls.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves’ is out on March 30th