Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Having almost no experience with the popular board game from which this film is based on, and to that, figuring that I just might not fully grasp the material, I went into 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' (directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein) with some trepidation. I tried to grasp the board game for my pal, Kevin, to play along in a long standing game, but it just wasn't for me. For this movie, I can report that while I'm still mostly in the dark, this is a fun, entertaining & engaging romp from both a fantasy & an action/adventure stand point. Sure, diehard fans will know ALL of the ins & outs of the characters, locales, paraphernalia, Easter eggs, & rules. But the filmmakers make it very accessible for those other viewers, too.
A majority of the movie's 1st half is devoted to meeting & assembling the players in this medieval fantasy world. The main characters here are a bard named Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) & a barbarian named Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez). These platonic friends have been through thick & thin through the long years, including a botched theft that put them in prison. After the tragic death of his wife at the hands of evil wizardry, Edgin's desire in life is to be re-united with his daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), who lives under the guardianship of Edgin's friend-turned-enemy, Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant). Forge rose from a small-time rogue to the almighty Lord of Neverwinter with the help of enigmatic red wizard, Sofina (Daisy Head).
Edgin learns that to loosen Forge's hold on the palatial capital of Neverwinter ... he must dispossess him of his wealth & redistribute it to the city folk, there. To this, he & Holga put together a ragtag group of magical thieves; Edgin's main goal is to steal a resurrection tablet so as to restore to life his dead wife & bring his family together again. This group includes amateur sorcerer Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), Doric the druid (Sophia Lillis), & powerful paladin, Xenk Yandar (Rege-Jean Page, of Bridgerton fame). Needing to prove to his daughter that he didn't abandon her after her mother's untimely death, Edgin & his team set out on their quest that includes dodging dragons, dispatching Forge's minions & attaining a magical helmet to win the day.
What does 'D&D:HAT' do right? Well, it should please its core viewership by remaining faithful to its lionized source material. And conversely, it offers a broad enough fantasy story for us non-gamers to thoroughly enjoy. On the whole, the filmmakers use the Pirates of the Caribbean template as a jumping off point to nab all audiences. And there is more than enough cheeky humor & inventive action to keep all of us engaged. Along with Pirates of the Caribbean, I was also lovingly reminded - not irked - of Star Wars {with its introductory feel & light-hearted adventure}, Fellowship of the Ring {with its dungeon dragon sequence resembling the Mines of Moria/Balrog scene} & The Avengers {with its own Hulk Smash-type climactic death}.
Chris Pine & Michelle Rodriguez make a great pairing; their platonic chemistry leaps off the screen and, her Holga being smarter & tougher than Edgin makes for some nice yin & yang comedic moments. Rege-Jean Page brings je ne sais quoi charm & dignity to his paladin role. Daisy Head's Sofina is an intimidating villain. Hugh Grant brings a sinister edge to Forge, while still being a loveable ham in the process. And the younger actors acquit themselves well, too. Visually, I was mighty impressed by the world building {wondrous sets, exotic locales, dazzling creatures}, the make-up {stupendous, particularly on the ghost & villain characters} & the visual effects {some are astoundingly good, while others are more intentionally goofy}.
While the requisite action sequences & special effect extravaganzas are present here, as they always are in movies of this ilk ... what makes 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' work so well is its character chemistry, overall silly tone, light humor and, most of all, its simplicity. Though I'd say that the proceedings go on a good 15-20 minutes too long, there is a clear beginning, middle & end that isn't needlessly serious or complex -- what a breath of fresh air! Even the way the baddies are dispatched - by a giant owl, no less - is unpretentious & straightforward. From start to finish, I was amused, beguiled & even emotionally touched.
A majority of the movie's 1st half is devoted to meeting & assembling the players in this medieval fantasy world. The main characters here are a bard named Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) & a barbarian named Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez). These platonic friends have been through thick & thin through the long years, including a botched theft that put them in prison. After the tragic death of his wife at the hands of evil wizardry, Edgin's desire in life is to be re-united with his daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), who lives under the guardianship of Edgin's friend-turned-enemy, Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant). Forge rose from a small-time rogue to the almighty Lord of Neverwinter with the help of enigmatic red wizard, Sofina (Daisy Head).
Edgin learns that to loosen Forge's hold on the palatial capital of Neverwinter ... he must dispossess him of his wealth & redistribute it to the city folk, there. To this, he & Holga put together a ragtag group of magical thieves; Edgin's main goal is to steal a resurrection tablet so as to restore to life his dead wife & bring his family together again. This group includes amateur sorcerer Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), Doric the druid (Sophia Lillis), & powerful paladin, Xenk Yandar (Rege-Jean Page, of Bridgerton fame). Needing to prove to his daughter that he didn't abandon her after her mother's untimely death, Edgin & his team set out on their quest that includes dodging dragons, dispatching Forge's minions & attaining a magical helmet to win the day.
What does 'D&D:HAT' do right? Well, it should please its core viewership by remaining faithful to its lionized source material. And conversely, it offers a broad enough fantasy story for us non-gamers to thoroughly enjoy. On the whole, the filmmakers use the Pirates of the Caribbean template as a jumping off point to nab all audiences. And there is more than enough cheeky humor & inventive action to keep all of us engaged. Along with Pirates of the Caribbean, I was also lovingly reminded - not irked - of Star Wars {with its introductory feel & light-hearted adventure}, Fellowship of the Ring {with its dungeon dragon sequence resembling the Mines of Moria/Balrog scene} & The Avengers {with its own Hulk Smash-type climactic death}.
Chris Pine & Michelle Rodriguez make a great pairing; their platonic chemistry leaps off the screen and, her Holga being smarter & tougher than Edgin makes for some nice yin & yang comedic moments. Rege-Jean Page brings je ne sais quoi charm & dignity to his paladin role. Daisy Head's Sofina is an intimidating villain. Hugh Grant brings a sinister edge to Forge, while still being a loveable ham in the process. And the younger actors acquit themselves well, too. Visually, I was mighty impressed by the world building {wondrous sets, exotic locales, dazzling creatures}, the make-up {stupendous, particularly on the ghost & villain characters} & the visual effects {some are astoundingly good, while others are more intentionally goofy}.
While the requisite action sequences & special effect extravaganzas are present here, as they always are in movies of this ilk ... what makes 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' work so well is its character chemistry, overall silly tone, light humor and, most of all, its simplicity. Though I'd say that the proceedings go on a good 15-20 minutes too long, there is a clear beginning, middle & end that isn't needlessly serious or complex -- what a breath of fresh air! Even the way the baddies are dispatched - by a giant owl, no less - is unpretentious & straightforward. From start to finish, I was amused, beguiled & even emotionally touched.