I’ll put my 20-sided die on the table: I’ve never played Dungeons and Dragons in my life. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. This film doesn’t take itself too seriously and you don’t need to be a D&D devotee to appreciate the fantasy costuming and the camaraderie of the ensemble cast. The film is a reboot of the D&D trilogy that rolled into theaters and television 23 years ago, updated and given a massive budget and plenty of CGI. As with a number of big-budget films, its release was delayed during the Pandemic.
The storyline is straightforward – rescue, revenge, stop evil from taking over, and add in a bit of larceny to keep things interesting. Chris Pine plays Edgin the Bard, a charming former “Harper” – a sort of secret society that fights against tyranny – who has become disillusioned. When evil Red Wizards kill his wife, he sets out with his best friend Holga Kilgore, an axe-wielding Barbarian, to find a magical talisman that will bring her back to life. He entrusts his young daughter with his supposed friend Forge, who immediately betrays him and tries to turn his daughter against him. Forge is played with the right amount of smarm and sleaze by Hugh Grant. Add to that mix Simon, a young wizard with low self-esteem; Doric, a shape-shifting Druid and Xenk, a chivalrous Paladin. What you get is a Guardians of the Galaxy-type vibe that’s fun to watch and almost makes up for the thinness of the plot. There’s good chemistry in the ensemble, especially between Edgin (Pine) and Holga. Holga is played by Michelle Rodriguez, and in my opinion, is the best of the bunch.
The music by Lorne Balfe adds artistic heft to the soundtrack that’s filled with pop tunes. Balfe even wrote some bardic tunes for the character of Edgin, and his score leaps effortlessly from comedic fun to imperiled heroes and yes, to a dragon in a dungeon.
If you’re a fan of D&D, you’ll probably love the film. But even if you’re not, it’s a fun couple of hours of escapist fantasy with generous doses of comedy.