‘Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Review: Chris Pine Leads Group Of Unsung Heroes In Adaptation Of Famed Table-Top Game – SXSW
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I have friends who’ve played the table-top, role-playing fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), but I haven’t played ever. My friends tell me I’m missing out, but none of them will explain and teach me how to play, and all I know is that players can create their own characters and adventures. Whether Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves keeps true to the spirit of the game, I can’t say. However, as a film, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s execution pays off in a major way. Written by Daley, Goldstein and Michael Gilio, the movie that just opened SXSW has an all-star cast including Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Daisy Head.
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Things begin in a world where monsters, creatures and humans live and work together. Edgin “The Bard” (Pine), a single father who has been separated from his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) for two years, and his best friend Holga “The Barbarian” (Rodriguez) are cell mates in a medieval supermax prison due to a botched heist gone wrong. The two eventually escape, with the plan for Edgin to be reunited with his daughter and one of his old partners, Forge (Grant), who has been his child’s guardian since he’s been imprisoned.
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Once The Bard does find them, he notices something is amiss with his former friend and partner, who has mysteriously amassed great wealth in a short amount of time. With both men at odds thanks to Forge’s new money and new counsel Sofina (Head), Edgin aims to get to the bottom of what’s going on. With him and Holga now on the run, they build a group of powerful allies including Simon “The Sorcerer”(Smith), Doric “The Druid” (Lillis) and Xenk “The Paladin” (Page) with the aim of getting Kira back from Forge and stopping evil from taking over the land.
Honor Among Thieves is a welcomed improvement from the 2000 Dungeons and Dragons film that took itself too seriously and ended up bombing at the box office. The most enjoyable thing about the newest version is the relationship among its characters, particularly Edgin and Holga. He has the gift of gab and makes all the plans, and she is the muscle. They see themselves as equals and best friends with no hint of romance between them, which is so damn refreshing to see. Their young counterparts round out a diverse group of misfits on a grand adventure where everyone has something to fight for, while speaking to the themes of resilience, bouncing back from failure, and finding your chosen family.
Daley, Goldstein and Gilio’s script is a hodgepodge of genres featuring comedy, fantasy, action and horror, encompassed in a heist film, and meshes smoother than expected. The action scenes are well choreographed with no shakycam or cheap quick cuts that give the audience whiplash. While sometimes hokey, the VFX comes through, making this world seem vast and fantastical. The direction really shines when it captures the gorgeous hillside landscapes of Iceland and Northern Ireland, where the movie was shot. One issue that stands out: the pacing suffers from the need for the story to over-explain, which makes sense because narrative is trying to appease fans and the general public, but it makes the 2 hour and 14 minute runtime seem even longer.
With renewed interest in the fantasy genre, it’s good to see something outside of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones getting it right and having a good time. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is also one of the better game adaptations to hit theaters due to all of the elements coming together — a strong cast, a decent story, dynamic direction and pleasing special effects.
Title: Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Festival: SXSW, Headliners
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Screenwriters: Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley and Michael Gilio
Cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head
Running time: 2 hr 14 min
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