Director: Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
Writers: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, and Michael Gilio
Stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page
Synopsis: A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a long-lost relic, but their charming adventure goes dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
Big-budget fantasy films are out in force in this modern age of cinema, and yet the majority of the films that plague this genre feel emotionless and largely boring at this point. So, how refreshing is it when one particular film comes along and smashes down all the usual barriers and delivers an enthralling adventure filled with great comedy and even better characters? The arrival of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves couldn’t have come at a better time, when the world has become tired of rinse and repeat comic book adaptations and huge budget CGI films have become a passionless common trend – this is how you make a fantasy film people, a masterpiece of the fantasy genre.
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s joint effort is based on the gaming phenomenon known as Dungeons and Dragons (you might have heard of that at some point in your life) and is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. It’s actually a reboot of the critically panned original trilogy that began with Dungeons and Dragons (2000) starring Jeremy Irons, which was then followed by a TV film and a direct-to-video finale, so thank God it’s not a continuation of that hugely questionable series. This directing duo clearly have a fabulous creative connection with each other – the pair co-wrote Horrible Bosses (2011) and co-directed the black comedy Game Night (2018) – but they needed to crank things up a few notches for this latest venture, and that they did as well.
Honor Among Thieves introduces us to a magical land, one that has become a staple in so many gamers’ lives over the years. It follows Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) a charming thief and bard who, along with his loyal partner, the fearsome barbarian Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez) must attempt to rescue Edgin’s daughter from the clutches of evil. Like any death-defying quest, they will need a team of trusty friends and allies (but a group of reprobates will do) to help them conduct the heist of all heists. Their path leads them to recruit an old gang member; the terrible wizard Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), as well as Doric the druid (Sophia Lillis) – with all angles now covered, the group set out to dethrone the Lord of Neverwinter and get back what is theirs.
With this being an action-adventure film, it is exactly that which will be put under the microscope for close inspection – it’s a good thing it’s brilliant then. The action scenes are fantastically choreographed and hugely enjoyable; every single scene, whether it’s chaotic combat in the Underdark or a simple prison escape, is as entertaining as the last. The film also uses its special effects perfectly; never becoming solely reliant on them, but instead cultivating them with great efficiency. There is a small but important decision that the directors make; the use of prosthetics for some of the characters really was a masterstroke.. How often is the creation of fantastical beasts and monsters left up to CGI when talented people are gearing up and ready to manufacture a human-sized bird costume with mechanical wings? It adds a level of care and creativity that can often be lost in these films.
Chris Pine also puts in a very assured performance as the film’s lead (thankfully not being affected by a case of protagonist syndrome that has stricken so many leading characters in fantasy films over the years) and turned into a fine comedy leading man in the process. The cast in general was superb as well though, and they all added glitz to proceedings while the chemistry between them all was magnetic. Whether it was Rodriguez as the stoic sidekick or Hugh Grant as the slimy but weirdly irresistible Forge Fitzwilliam – the rejuvenation of Grant’s career as a comedy scholar is one potentially welcomed by many. And for once, we have a family fantasy film that didn’t fall into the trap of forcing its comedy, with an incessant need for cheese and glaringly obvious punchlines that can be seen from a mile away – this film really is a breath of fresh air, and it’s about time, too.
For the first film in a possible franchise (although that’s yet to be confirmed) it had everything that a full trilogy sometimes struggles to attain. It doesn’t feel like your usual warm up film in a series, it just dives head-first into the madness and it pays off massively. There was never a dull moment in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and it results in a sparkling big-screen experience – which is exactly where you should be enjoying this because it will be the most fun you’ve had at the cinema in quite some time.
Grade: A
