Rent Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (aka Dungeons & Dragons / Chainmail / Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

While the lore of the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons might seem imposing for some, Honor Among Thieves serves up a fantasy adventure that any audience can enjoy. Whether you catch the references to Baldur’s Gate or not, there’s enough charisma, excitement, and dazzling sights present to make this unbelievable picture a pleasure from beginning to end.

The film centers around a band of misfits who take a life of thievery. Egwin (Chris Pine) is the bard who can string his lute and steal from the most highly-guarded people and vaults. His cohorts include the powerful barbarian Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) and the pensive paladin Xenk (Regé-Jean Page). They find themselves on a mission to revive Egwin’s wife, who was tragically murdered but may also prevent a red wizard invasion. Their common enemy is Forge (Hugh Grant), a former thief who has taken to a life of politics and corruption. Their heist soon turns into something much bigger.

Although the film draws from a lot of lore within D&D, it plays with it more than expecting the audience to catch every reference. You don’t need to know what a tiefling druid is to appreciate Doric, a magical being that despises humans and can transform into an owl-bear beast. She has a dead-pan charisma, a notable backstory, and an off/on romance with Xenk, depending on the level of his self-esteem. She bonds nicely with the other characters in their quest for good. The other characters receive similar moments of unique development, albeit in uneven bursts. There are even a few surprises like Bradley Cooper playing a halfling ex-lover to Holga.

Ensuring a film with sublime special effects is crucial for a movie bursting with magic, and Honor Among Thieves does not disappoint. There’s plenty of wondrous magic on display, from Xenk’s gravity-shifting of a room to the evil Sofina (Daisy Head) casting spells on the undead. In addition to the VFX looking great, they’re also used magnificently. To get closer to their score, the band of thieves raises fallen soldiers in a comical series of limited questions amid resurrection. This makes for a very lived-in world, considering how the characters move more quickly to occupy a landscape of griffins, dragons, spells, zombies, and so much more.

Although the overall story about sacrifice and family arrives at its predictable conclusion, the energy coursing throughout the picture makes the 2.5 hours speed by. The zippy script is loaded with brilliant lines, and the direction by John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein helps bring out the best in this cast. Of course, Pine is no stranger to playing the bold hero, but he’s given plenty of room to flex the charm and his character’s heart for the pathos he endures. Rodriguez performs incredibly in her many action scenes and has a way of delivering the bluntest lines beautifully. Hugh Grant devours his scenes with a spoon, and it’s hard not to fall for the grace and frankness of the powerful wild mage Simon Aumar (Justice Smith).

Honor Among Thieves has plenty of fun coursing through its fantastical veins that any fan of fantasy can hop right in and enjoy the ride. It’s not every film where you see a fat dragon chase down heroes through a dungeon while they swipe a magical helmet and avoid zombie warriors. The fact that a movie such as this can have so many dazzling set pieces and still have a robust sense of character amid its quirky ensemble is a feat that shouldn’t be undermined. It’s not often that fantasy has this much fun and becomes a blast of a blockbuster experience.