Even though the trailer had piqued my interest, I put off watching Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. I’m aware of the D&D game, of course, but I never played it. Other than that it’s a fantasy-based role-playing game (RPG), I don’t even really know anything about it. But did I need to in order to enjoy the movie?
Nope. Not at all.
I can certainly see how you might appreciate Honor Among Thieves more if you were an Adventurer. (a.k.a. D&D player. So maybe I know a little more about the game than I think?) But I’m sure the movie also contained game references that were lost on me. But it didn’t take away from the viewing experience.
Because as far as the movie itself, it’s solid. I can totally see why it’s gotten such high ratings from critics and audiences alike. It’s good old-fashioned movie-making fun, except with the advantage of modern-day special effects.
Heart, Humor, & Heroes
I felt the same way watching Honor Among Thieves as I did the first time I saw Guardians of the Galaxy: smitten by the clever spin of familiar tropes. In the case of Dungeons & Dragons, some of those tropes included a medieval-type world inhabited by a variety of creatures, which included the main characters. They find themselves coming together for different, yet similar, reasons and then embarking on a quest in order to attain their goals.
There’s magic, sorcery, villains, caverns, dragons and other creatures, and amidst all the excitement, a lot of laughs. But also a lot of heart.
The chemistry between Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, and Justice Smith was mesmerizing. And then they went and added Rege-Jean Page into the mix with his debonair dead-pan suave swagger. Hugh Grant as the bad guy was the cherry on top.
As for the comedy, I don’t know who had the better one-liners: Holga Kilgore (Rodriguez), Edgin Darvis (Pine), or Xenk Yendar (Page). Even Doric (Sophia Lillis) threw out a few doozies.
And as far as verbal sparring matches, my favorite exchanges took place between Holga and Ed, Doric and Ed, and Xenk and Ed. It’s maybe no surprise Ed was the common denominator in all cases, with his casual charm and clever retorts.
But what I liked most was the ending, which involved a dragonfly and letting go in order to reclaim and move forward. (Keeping it vague for spoiler-free purposes.)
Oh, and the fact that it strongly hinted at a sequel. Which, just like with Guardians of the Galaxy, I would also welcome.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Synopsis and Trailer
Here’s the synopsis from Paramount Pictures:
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.
For More Info
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is now available to buy or rent. It’s also available to watch via subscription streaming services, including Paramount+ and MGM+, and through premium subscriptions on Sling TV, The Roku Channel, and Philo.
Check-In
Have you seen Honor Among Thieves? What did you think? And did you ever play Dungeons & Dragons? (Or maybe still do?)
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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