[Review] Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)

[Review] Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) | A Smart Fantasy Film

Dungeons Dragons Honor Among Thieves 2023 Film Poster

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) is a fantasy action adventure film directed by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, who co-wrote the film with Michael Gilio (story & screensplay) & Chris McKay (story). Produced by Jeremy Latcham, Brian Goldner & Nick Meyer, with cinematography by Barry Peterson, editing by Dan Lebental & music by Lorne Balfe, the film is a reboot of the Dungeon & Dragons film franchise that adapts the immensely popular table top roleplaying game of the same name.

Set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the film stars Chris Pine as Edgin “Ed” Darvis, Michelle Rodriguez as Holga Kilgore, Justice Smith as Simon Aumar, Sophia Lillis as Doric, Hugh Grant as Forge Fitzwilliam, Regé-Jean Page as Xenk Yendar, Chloe Coleman as Kira Darvis, Daisy Head as Sofina, Jason Wong as Dralas, Bradley Cooper as Marlamin, Ian Hanmore as Szass Tam, & Georgia Landers as Zia Darvis.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) Synopsis:

No experience necessary.

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

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) Review:

I remember watching Dungeons & Dragons on Fox Kids. The world didn’t make a lot of sense to me. But it was pretty cool to have all these different characters, creatures, and magics playing together. Much later, I discovered that DnD is a role–playing game that’s immensely popular. I’ve never played DnD, but I have engaged in imaginative roleplaying games back in school.

When I saw this film on my feed, I did think it’d be just another Marvel-esque theme-park ride cash-grab kind of film that makes Scorsese grumpy. I was wrong. The first time I heard someone praise this film was Rohan Joshi on Binge-o-Clock. Then I read quite a bit of praise on Reddit. So, this year I finally decided to give it a shot. And honestly, what an absolutely fun ride it was! Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was much better than I ever expected in my wildest dreams. This is what you get when filmmakers take source material seriously.

Regé-Jean Page as Xenk Yendar, Michelle Rodriguez as Holga Kilgore, Chris Pine as Edgin “Ed” Darvis, Sophia Lillis as Doric, & Justice Smith as Simon Aumar

Smart & Entertaining

From the imaginative visual depiction of the many absurd magics, to the make-it-up-as-you-go-along way that most roleplaying games tend to transpire, this one does a lot of things right. While it does adhere to a certain kind of formula, with the CGI being questionable in many parts and the film’s treatment having a generic post-Marvel glint to it, the film delivers on the most basic promises of cinema: entertainment and heart.

All the characters are easy to root for. While they do feel a tad two-dimensional at times, their motivations and personalities remain clear and distinguishable. Each one brings something to the table, and that thing—skill or magic—contributes to their pushing the plot forward. And as much as the plot feels haphazard at times, it’s the characters that are controlling the plot with their skills and lack thereof. I believe this is what Rohan Joshi was saying when he praised the film’s loyalty towards the creative haphazardness of DnD campaigns. To achieve that in a film whilst keeping the experience entertaining and captivating is quite the achievement.

And lastly, I genuinely think this film is smarter than it gets credit for. The use of small objects and motifs to further realise this dense world, the use of colours and framing to highlight mood and tone, Honor Among Thieves does a fantastic job of it all. While it might feel a tad generic at times, the film does come with its own personality and voice that makes it a fun and entertaining watch, with enough layers of thought and attention put into its making for it to leave in a ton of non-essential easter eggs for fans.

The John Carter of the Fantasy Genre

Hugh Grant as Forge Fitzwilliam & Chloe Coleman as Kira Darvis

I remember someone mentioning how John Carter was instrumental in shaping the space opera genre. DnD is most certainly the same for the fantasy genre, no? And echoes of that are felt throughout Honor Among Thieves. Because this film comes in a post-Endgame age, a time where mindless reboots and nostalgia cash-grabs have become the norm, the film does not feel unique or original in any way. The humour is reminiscent of Marvel, the colours and treatment too. It’s all loud and gaudy and everything you’d expect from a template film. And yet, it holds enough originality and personality to stand on its own.

For a film set in this IP to exist in a time where better IPs inspired by this one have already made their mark is already a losing battle. And that, I believe, is one of the key reasons why Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves didn’t make the kind of waves that an Avengers or a Justice League makes. There’s too much saturation in the market, and so something that doesn’t feel unique is bound to get lost in the noise.

Whether or not they will make sequels, I don’t know. I think there’s a TV spin-off in the works. Either way, if the makers retain the same personality and respect towards the source material, there is a possibility that this franchise will kick off to something pretty amazing.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

The group manage to infiltrate the vault, only for Sofina to catch them and throw them into the stadium for the games. The group manages to make the best use of their skills to outsmart all the games and escape. Doric—learning that Forge has loaded all the treasure onto a boat—confronts him. Ed trades all the treasure so he can get Kira back from Forge, but the group outsmarts him and steals the boat regardless. However, as they’re leaving, they notice Sofina turning the gathered crowd into an army of undead for the Red Wizards.

The group decides to go stop Sofina, returning with the boat. They use the teleportation staff to spread the riches across the city (fulfilling Ed’s promise to Xenk) and reach the stadium. There, they fight and outsmart Sofina. Simon negates her time-spell with the help of Heml’s power. Kira uses her invisibility pendant to put the anti-magic bracelets on Sofina. Holga is fatally injured in the fight, and Ed decides to use the Tablet of Reawakening to save her instead of resurrecting his wife.

Doric agrees to give her relationship with Simon another shot. The group restores the former lord of Neverwinter to power, who then declares them heroes. Xenk sends Forge to Revel’s End. During a hearing, Forge is denied a pardon. He attempts the same escape tactic that Ed & Holga used, but the window has been walled up, and he fails.

Is Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) worth watching?

Daisy Head as Sofina

Yes. Of course, if you’re not into SFF or DnD, you’re not going to really care for this one. However, if you’re looking for a relaxing weekend with an entertaining watch, you can’t go wrong with Honor Among Thieves.

In Conclusion:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) is a fantastically entertaining film that’s smarter than it gets credit for.

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