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.
Since the Dungeons & Dragons board game was introduced in 1974, it has had legions of loyal fans from that day forward. Even in the ’80s, when I was a teenager, I was never fond of the game itself, but I played the video arcade adaptation, which was fun. Although there were three previous movie adaptations of the board game, “Dungeons & Dragons” (2000), “Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God” (2005), and “Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness” (2012), believe me, if you haven’t seen them, you’re doing yourself a favor. Instead, go and see the new iteration starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Hugh Grant; while it may veer off course from the original storyline, it is a lot more fun and wholly enjoyable.
Pine plays Edgin Darvis, a bard and former member of the Harpers, an organization that stands for fairness and equality for all. Rodriguez plays Holga Kilgore, a barbarian who was kicked out of her tribe when she fell in love with a halfling, and together, they turned to a life of theft to support themselves and Edgin’s young daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) after her mother’s untimely demise. Hugh Grant plays their close friend Forge Fitzwilliam, a rogue and con artist, who talks them into committing the ultimate heist, but things don’t go according to plan, and Edgin and Holga are captured while Forge and his mysterious new accomplice Sofina (Daisy Head) manage to escape. Before his capture, Edgin asks Forge to take care of Kira, and he agrees.
Two years later, Edgin and Holga escape Revel’s End arctic prison and, once free, discover that Forge is now the Lord of Neverwinter. They finally get to meet with him, and once at the kingdom, they learn he planned for their incarceration and that, over the years, he has poisoned Kira with lies that Edgin abandoned her, intent on stealing as many riches as possible. When Edgin reassures Kira that his sole purpose was to try and attain a Tablet of Resurrection so he could bring his wife and Kira’s mother back to life, she doesn’t believe him. They also discover that Forge’s mysterious acquaintance, Sofina, is a Red Wizard, and they are planning something nefarious. Once again, they escape and team up with an old friend, Simon (Justice Smith), a half-elf wild magic sorcerer, and Doric (Sophia Lillis), a tiefling druid, to break back into Neverwinter so Edgin can win Kira back and prove to her that he was telling the truth. Now all they need is a plan. And divine intervention!
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is the first film of 2023 that is sheer escapist fun. It never takes itself too seriously but also knows when to tone down the humor and allow some moments of gravity to give the characters real depth. Chris Pine hasn’t been this playful since his breakout role as Captain James T. Kirk in 2009’s “Star Trek,” and I just wish he would assume this persona more often, as his performances in films like “Don’t Worry Darling,” “All the Old Knives,” and even the hugely enjoyable “Wonder Woman,” are far more restrained and contemplative. Granted, he needed to take possession of those characters for the narrative to work, but Pine is at his best when unconstrained and light-hearted. The rest of the cast plays wonderfully off each other, and the movie leaves the door wide open for a sequel, one I hope they pursue. If you’re looking for a film the whole family can enjoy, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is for you.
Now available on Digital HD and Video-On-Demand,
and on 4K Ultra HD™ SteelBook™, 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD May 30th
