Escapist fun
Summary
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was better than expected with some surprisingly impressive action scenes and a few laughs but the villains are a little bland and Michelle Rodriguez is the same in everything; despite the flaws it’s still diverting entertainment with some decent visual effects and the fat dragon is a highlight.
Plot: 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.
Review: I didn’t bother seeing Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in the cinema as the trailers looked painfully unfunny and when the filmmakers said they had fun emasculating the male characters it was an even bigger incentive to avoid it.
I finally decided to give it a shot in the comfort of my own home and it was better than expected but still not especially memorable and it has so much MCU-style humour that there are never really any stakes. Admittedly some of the jokes were funny and the scene with the fat dragon chasing the team was a highlight for me. There are some surprisingly awesome action scenes too with a fight scene between Xenk (Regé-Jean Page) and some bad guys very nicely choreographed and was maybe my favourite moment of the film.
I also enjoyed the finale in the maze as (mild spoiler alert) it showed the cast from the cartoon in live action form. For me that was my Dungeons & Dragons growing up so it was a shame we never got to see Dungeon Master or Venger in this film. Hugh Grant provides some laughs as the traitorous Forge but the evil witch Sofina was very bland and forgettable making little impact. I was also hoping to see Tiamat which they were probably leaving for a sequel but as this died at the box office then that isn’t likely.
The cast are likeable enough with Chris Pine not afraid to make a fool of himself but his story did have a little more heart that I thought it would as he tries to bring back his dead wife using a magic tablet. Michelle Rodriguez is the same as she is in everything but Regé-Jean Page was arguably my favourite character providing some laughs but also having the best action scene in the film with the previously mentioned fight.
The music score was one of the better ones I’ve heard this year and it has some epic choirs at times and even sounds like TRON: Legacy at one point.
At 2 hours and 15 minutes it is a little long but it’s never boring and I think the second half is better with more action and just better pacing.
Overall, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has a few laughs and some impressive action scenes with the cast clearly enjoying themselves. There are some nice references to the cartoon but I wish it had better villains and not all of the humour lands but it’s harmless escapism and an easy watch.
