Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Review Thread

Lotta fun, great set pieces fun characters, I'm sure a ton of in jokes I missed that hardcore's would love, solid lil cameos.

Is it as good as game night? No.

But it's a lot of fun and has a breezy energy that is never dull.

The cgi and some of the action scenes leave a little to be desired, but I thought that this was perhaps a design choice making fun of the more larp style aspects of dnd (like the lightning bolt meme of early YouTube) but I will say it was rather jarring on that final set piece in particular, some boba Fett spin level choices seemingly.

I'd give it a 7/10 and would prob watch again. Eventually.

It's too bad more people didn't see it. I would have been down for a sequel.

One of the general commonalities with this new Dungeons & Dragons movie seems to be, "I've never played D&D before, yet really enjoyed this movie," and...yep, that's the case for me as well.

And that's because this movie recognizes that the key to its success lies not in making an "inside baseball" sort of movie, but starting with a solid story and good characters first, and then building your adaptation on those foundations. It's very much in the vein of a swashbuckling adventure film like the first Pirates of the Caribbean in that regard, with some Guardians of the Galaxy irreverence thrown in for good measure, and it's a concoction that works. Never does it feel like it's leaving behind the noobs in the dust. Instead, it feels like it utilizes certain hallmarks of the game in ways that are not only inventive, clever and accessible, but also serve the narrative and characters well. All of the uses of magic, incorporation of creatures and mythology and what-have-you are bolstered by the fact that you really are endeared to these characters and enjoy spending time with them and want to see them succeed. Speaking of the magic, too, I liked that this movie actually takes the time to explain the limitations on it, and not just have it be a cure-all. And even though the movie is consistently funny, it never feels like it's mocking or trolling the fan base, either. All of the humor comes about naturally from the characters and situations and feels organic to everything. One of the movie's best sequences is undoubtedly the Raise the Dead sequence, not only because it's cleverly handled and outright hilarious, but also because the humor comes about naturally from the whole setup of it.

On top of all that, the movie is also surprisingly well-directed. Not to the degree that it's some sort of revelation, but co-directors John Francis-Daley and Jonathan Goldstein DO deserve credit for approaching certain sequences with a fair share of creative flair. There's quite a bit of use of tracking and perspective shots that go a long way in giving some of the action a fresher feel as opposed to just a bunch of typical static shots, or rather, expected ones. Their mixing-in of practical effects with CGI goes a long way, too. Basically, these directors aren't merely treating this as a paycheck or anything of the sort. It feels like they genuinely want to create something special here.

I will say, though, that I think the movie could have done a better job of developing/defining the villains, one of them in particular. Because as they stand, the threat that at least one of them poses doesn't feel as urgent, nor the stakes involved palpable because the movie vaguely defines them. And in the case of Hugh Grant, he has the smarmy quality down, to be sure, but I feel like the film maybe could've done more with him. Also, the movie open with a pretty big backstory recap/exposition dump that, while at least delivered well, still prevents the movie from really getting going until about 15 to 20 minutes in.

I enjoyed this one a lot. Great characters, fun story, and Hugh Grant was great in this.

I was dragged to this by a friend (who is hosting my first Dungeons and Dragons campaign ever) despite thinking the trailer was cosmically embarrassing. Well, joke's on me, because Honor Among Thieves is a cute little movie. The story itself is quite basic and the central villain is incredibly dull, but our fellowship of heroes are indeed a charming bunch brought to life by a very solid cast. It's very clear that Guardians of the Galaxy was the model for both team dynamic and the overall irreverent tone but the film does mostly pull it off. The action scenes are also pretty good, if nothing else they're executed with a lot of clarity. What I liked most though is the sheer bulk of practical effects. There's some fun creature animatronics and suits which I found very charming.

Charming might in fact be the key word to describe Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. It is decidedly not great, but there is a lightness to it which does make for a fun little time.

B-

It has been a good year for board games and toys. While IanTheCool develops his Crossfire movie, I hope you and SnoBorderZero get to make Stretch Armstrong.