Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Rating: 8.1

TL;DR - What an absolute surprise Dungeons & Dragons was! I never expected that it would be this enjoyable, this charming and this much fun! It has such a loveable cast, genuinely funny moments, and (as far as I know) uses lore from the game really well! Fantasy adventure-comedies are back, it’s a great film for the whole family whether you have played the game or not!

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Film Info:

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

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Paramount

Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein

Screenplay by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein & Michael Gilio

Story by Michael Gilio & Chris McKay

Cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head

Runtime: 2hr 14min

Rating: PG

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

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IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

RT Audience Score: 93%

RT Critic Average: 7.4/10

RT Audience Average: 4.5/5

Metacritic Score: 71

CinemaScore: A-

Letterboxd: 3.7/5

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Fun Fact: Wizards of the Coast (which owns Dungeons and Dragons) made stat blocks for the main characters showing their abilities and attributes.

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Review:

written by Tyler Park

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was such a surprise! I had absolutely no expectations going into this movie, the trailers did not look good at all, and with my limited knowledge of D&D, the only real thing compelling me to see this was the directors. I am a huge fan of Jonathan Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s last film, the 2018 comedy Game Night. To me, it is one of the best comedies of the last few years, so I felt I had to give this movie at least a chance. And to cut to the chase… I’m really glad I did see it! The movie is a shockingly good time, it’s such an enjoyable movie! It’s really fun and really charming! The movie is the total package; a perfect movie to take the whole family to on the weekend! It’s a fun fantasy-adventure-comedy that works exactly as it needs to!

I’ve never played D&D. I know basic things about it, but that’s about the extent of it. While I can’t speak for fans of D&D, this movie does such a good job of appealing to a wide audience. You don’t need to know anything about the game to be able to enjoy it! Basic knowledge may help, and from my perspective, the movie should be great for full fans of the game. The movie integrated game elements and lore so well, from different creatures to game mechanics and tools/weapons/items. Not only that, but the banter between characters seemed to be written to sound like friends talking around a table while playing D&D. I thought these elements really made it stand out from being just another generic fantasy movie.

The action in this movie is shockingly good, there’s a scene in here that is the best lightsaber fight I’ve seen in a long time (you’ll know what I mean when you see it). The CGI is surprisingly good and even quite creative at times, and it balances nicely with the use of practical sets and locations! The characters are all so loveable and distinct, I loved them as a rag-tag team but also loved each of them for their own merits. Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, and Regé-Jean Page are all fantastic in the movie, but I have to say I loved Chris Pine the most. He just has this natural way of being so funny in his performance. Plus, he sings! Any movie where Chris Pine sings is worth seeing! But honestly, the whole cast plays off each other so well. I just loved spending time in this world with these characters.

The movie feels like a swashbuckling action film from the early 2000s, close to the tone of Pirates of the Caribbean mixed with the scope of Game of Thrones, the characters from Oceans 11, and the comedy of Ghostbusters. I quite liked this movie, it’s a very solid 8/10 film. It boasts some wide appeal and I can’t see anyone coming out of it not having a good time! It’s a blast, so much fun and so charming! A great film for the whole family, or to watch with a group of friends whether you have played the game or not!

The only thing that could’ve made it better is if it was revealed that the movie was a D&D campaign being played by the characters from Game Night!

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Trailer: