REVIEW: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a Must See for Everyone

In 1974, Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. released the fantasy tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons. Designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, the game was an immediate hit with households across the world and is still, to this day, a hit with people all over the world. Paramount Pictures is capitalizing on that success and love with the release of its new movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Starring s Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant, the fantasy movie is set in the Forgotten Realms. It is here where we find a thief by the name of Edgin Darvis (Pine) rallying together a group of unlikely heroes to steal a mythical relic and save his daughter, Kiara (Chloe Coleman) from a selfish foe and his formidable advisor.

The first thing to note about this movie is that you don’t have to understand the board game to understand the movie. Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley do a wonderful job building a story knowing that the general audiences will not include all players of the role-playing game. Sure, there are tie ins to the game, and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout, that people are going to love, but as someone who has never played the game, I didn’t feel left out or lost at no point while watching the movie. The movie felt like nothing more than a fantasy heist movie with witty dialogue and a fantastic cast. And it is because Goldstein, Daley, and screenwriter Michael Gilio utilized the game as inspiration for the movie rather than utilizing it as the major driving force.

Pine leads the movie as the charming thief Edgin and is simply perfection in this movie. From his one-liners to his facial features, you will find yourself laughing out loud for a large part of this movie. Add in Rodriguez as the hardened barbarian, Holga Kilgore, Smith as the self-conscious sorcerer, Simon Aumar, and Lillis as the shapeshifting Tiefling Druid, Doric, there won’t be a dry eye in the house. This group of actors do a phenomenal job playing off each other while also bringing out the best performances with one another. At no point do you feel like the acting is too over the top or performances were phoned in. Viewers will be able to tell that the cast had a blast making this movie.

The group is joined in the movie by Grant, who plays con artist Forge Fitzwilliam, Page as paladin, Xenk Yendar, and Head as the deliciously evil, Sofina. Page is the scene stealer of this trio. His appearance does not come until a tab bit further into the movie, but it is his scenes that you will really remember when the credits’ role. His whole demeanor and line delivers as Yendar is oh so perfect and will leave a lasting effect once the credits begin to roll.

I highly recommend checking this movie out in theaters. I know we are only 3 months into the year, but it has been my favorite movie so far. And, for diehard fans of the game, go in with an open mind. It is not going to be exactly what you want, but, just like the real game where you get to craft your own journey, Goldstein and Daley crafted theirs. Hopefully, they’re talks for another movie in the works because I would love to see what happens next with this unlikely group of heroes.

Grade: A