Any fan of Dungeons & Dragons would have every right to regard the recurrent foray of adapting the world for film with some apprehension. After all, there have been not just one or two failed live action adaptations, but three–a rather impressive feat all things considered. And with this current iteration’s intermittent production, that apprehension is all the more justified.
So it’s a really good thing that Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is pretty much as perfect as a Dungeons & Dragons movie can get.
Fantasy-adventure films have had a hard time finding the right formula. Even with the first D&D movie having been released a year before everyone’s expectations of the genre elevating (thank you, The Lord of the Rings), navigating the ins and outs of telling a story so intrinsically intertwined with world-building posed an unprecedented challenge.
Honour Among Thieves very deftly manages this challenge by leaning into its greatest strength in this day and age: its significant presence in the collective pop culture consciousness of the audience.
Understanding that the reputation preceding the movie, or even the actual game, presented the Dungeons & Dragons brand as a pop culture phenomenon more than anything else, Honour Among Thieves leans into this perception to deliver an action-adventure movie above all else.
Relegating the all-important world-building which often plagues fantasy movies which take themselves too seriously, Honour Among Thieves works around the tedious task by allowing such details to be sprinkled throughout conversations and Easter eggs.
Admittedly, as titilating as they may be for fans of the games (or internet memes), the minutiae of world-building can often lose new or casual audiences.
Thankfully, Honour Among Thieves manages this easily with very engaging characters and dialogue, offering explanations where needed and not doing more than name-dropping otherwise.
Not that the noble people behind the world haven’t already done their darned best to educate all newcomers on the basics of some of the things you can expect to encounter:
A large part of the efficiency in building the narrative without losing or confusing audiences is thanks to the movie’s perfect casting.
While the likes of Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Hugh Grant fulfil their roles with ease, allowing their natural charisma and on-screen experience to ground the narratives and larger-than-life situations, the remaining–and relatively younger–cast do an amazing job as well.
Both Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis easily match up to their veteran castmates, each adding a mix of levity and depth to their characters.
And, while it would’ve been nice to see more of certain actors/characters, there is no misstep in how each of them are portrayed if even for a little bit, and it leaves you wanting more.
The true stars, however, are writing-directing duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. Probably best known for reviving Spider-Man for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, their writing is incredibly well suited to the Dungeons & Dragons world.
Coupled with their fast-paced directing, they perfectly capture action and adventure against a fantasy backdrop, while retaining the kind of humour genre movies have come to feature without it becoming too much.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is out now! Be sure to stick around for the questionable mid-credits scene.