Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

By: Mike Ward on Sunday, April 16

PG-13 Running Time: 134 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

One of 2023’s cinematic surprises, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a comic fantasy with great characters, an engaging story, and the beginning of what is likely a new franchise.
Hugh Grant, in his grumpy villain era, is a treasure.
A charming film that veers between moments of The Princess Bride, “Monty Python”-style humor and slapstick comedy, while also mixing in lots of nods and winks to the iconic tabletop game which the film is based upon.

NO

If medieval fantasy and adventure is not your jam, funny or otherwise, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is probably going to fall flat with you.
On a surface level, or as a standalone feature, the film is easy to follow. If you ask someone who is a D&D enthusiast, the film gets very complicated very quickly.
Perhaps the constant attempt at humor will not appeal with those who prefer their fantasy films more like Lord of the Rings or another epic quest.

OUR REVIEW

As someone who had only a passing familiarity with the iconic tabletop role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons” growing up, I may not be the best person to discuss all the easter eggs, nods, and references to D&D lore in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. However, what I can say is that this fantasy/comedy/adventure film is one of the first delightful surprises of 2023. It boasts a witty, clever fable with a fantastic cast and an engaging storyline.

Writer/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night and Spider-Man: Homecoming) have created a standalone film that is not connected to the previous films from earlier in the 2000s. Rather, they introduce us to a medieval lark full of shapeshifters, villains, widows, sorcerers, and barbarians. We embed with a motley crew of folks who work to try and gain possession of the “Tablet of Reawakening,” which our protagonist Edgin (Chris Pine) hopes to use to resurrect his deceased wife.

The film begins with Edgin and his best friend and companion Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) in prison. Edgin's daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) is in the custody of Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), a confidante of Edgin’s who, in Edgin’s time away, has seen his fortunes rise. This is due, in part, to an alliance made with a mysterious woman named Sofina (Daisy Head). After a witty escape during a parole review, Edgin sets out to restore his family and bring Kira home, who has been in Fitzwilliam’s custody. However, as loyalties shift, the task becomes far more complicated than Edgin anticipated.

While not every joke lands, Goldstein and Daley keep the snappy dialogue and visual sight gags coming frequently. Pine, like pretty much everyone in the film, is having a ball, settling in as the leader of a group of misfits who grow in importance as the movie progresses. Joining the journey is Simon, a half-elf/human hybrid (Justice Smith), Doric, a shapeshifting druid Simon has feelings for (Sophia Lillis), and a heroic knight (Regé-Jean Page), who takes pretty much everything said to him literally. Battles ensue, adventure amplifies, and Honor Among Thieves seldom proves boring, even as it straddles the line between pleasing D&D enthusiasts and providing a fun comedic adventure film for the lay person.

Largely, the visual effects are impressive, and an extended sequence in a labyrinth offers some fun jump scares and surprises. It becomes easy to get swept up in events with an enigmatic score by Lorne Balfe and some nice costuming and set design. The film immerses us well into this form of the world of D&D, and although it is clear that this movie is laying the foundation for a potential new cinematic franchise, the movie's go-for-broke mentality makes it humorous, quotable, and entertaining.

Although the film could benefit from shedding about 20 minutes, and it is apparent where this is all headed once a main character's motivations become evident, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is ultimately a big-hearted crowd-pleaser . At times, the film may be more enamored with itself than the audience is, but its goofy, freewheeling vibe makes it easy to forgive those occasional misfires.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head, Sarah Amankwah, Clayton Grover, Bradley Cooper

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Written by: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio (screenplay); Chris McKay, Michael Gilio (story)
Adapted from the tabletop role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons,” created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
Release Date: March 31, 2023
Paramount Pictures

One of 2023’s cinematic surprises, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a comic fantasy with great characters, an engaging story, and the beginning of what is likely a new franchise.

Hugh Grant, in his grumpy villain era, is a treasure.

A charming film that veers between moments of The Princess Bride, “Monty Python”-style humor and slapstick comedy, while also mixing in lots of nods and winks to the iconic tabletop game which the film is based upon.

If medieval fantasy and adventure is not your jam, funny or otherwise, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is probably going to fall flat with you.

On a surface level, or as a standalone feature, the film is easy to follow. If you ask someone who is a D&D enthusiast, the film gets very complicated very quickly.

Perhaps the constant attempt at humor will not appeal with those who prefer their fantasy films more like Lord of the Rings or another epic quest.