Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

March 23, 2023 (CA) • Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy • 134m

Overview

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.

Directors

John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

Writers

Chris McKay, Michael Gilio, Michael Gilio, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

Top Billed

Chris Pine

Keywords

video game platonic love gang of thieves friends dragon role playing game (rpg) based on video game female villain heist gone wrong wizard duringcreditsstinger illusionist father daughter relationship d&d wizardry dungeon crawling based on game

Where to watch

Free / Included

Paramount Plus Premium

Paramount+ Amazon Channel

Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Bryan Larkin

Chancellor Norixius / Dragonborn Vagrant

Claude Starling

Toke Horgath Corpse / Sven Salafin Corpse

Paul Lancaster

Stanhard Grimwulf Corpse / Ven Salafin Corpse

Crew

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

⭐ 7/10

March 31, 2023

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-dungeons-dragons-honor-among-thieves-is-a-delightful-surprise/

"DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES is one of the best fantasy films of the most recent years. Chris Pine is the MVP of an incredibly charming cast with such natural chemistry that the comedic moments become truly hilarious - the graveyard scene will be replayed over and over again. An adventure blockbuster in… read the rest.

CinemaSerf

⭐ 7/10

April 3, 2023

Now I really did enjoy this, but let's not for a moment pretend that it has much originality to it. We start with a scene borrowed from "Jurassic Park" (1993) before getting introduced to the wise-cracking "Edgin" (Chris Pine) who has been incarcerated in an impregnable prison with his pal "Holga" (Michelle Rodriguez). They're at a sort of parole board hearing awaiting the arrival of "Jarnathan" for whom they have a rather surprising use! What now follows in an exciting and quickly paced series of escapades that sees our escapees try to reconcile with his daughter "Kira" (Chloe Coleman) whom they left in the capable - they thought - hands of their pal "Forge" (Hugh Grant). It turns out that he has his own agenda, and together with the mysterious "Sofina" (Daisy Head) is working on a plan to garner untold riches. That latter creature, though, has her own agenda too - a much more malevolent and dastardly one. "Edgin" and "Holga" have to find a magical helmet in order to spring his daughter and so recruiting the rather hapless sorceror "Simon" (Justice Smith) and the shape-shifting "Doric" (Sophia Lillis) set off in search of the legendary warrior "Xenk" (Regé-Jean Page) and perilous adventures beckon. This actually works well as an entertaining, episodic, collection of short stories that pitch our heroes agains a wonderfully chubby dragon, some dead but undead soldiers and along the way treats us to bits of "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by way of "Maze Runner". "Robin Hood" and some stunningly presented magical duels worthy of Edgar Allan Poe. There is plenty of pith in the script - a bit of sarcasm never goes wrong; the cast genuinely seem to be having fun as their quest lurches from the frying pan to the fire each time and there is a suitably conniving effort from Grant to top it all off and keep us interested. I was a little disappointed in Page. He doesn't really have so much to do, and features rather sparingly - but Pine shows something of his versatility as an actor (perhaps not so much with his lute) and the whole thing delivers an amusing ensemble effort that passes 2¼ hours predictably, but nonetheless enjoyably. I could have done with more dragons and sorcery, but the visual effects are still put to good use to support a character-led, light-hearted, drama that is really only worth seeing on a big screen. This is good fun - and they even spelled "honour" properly in the title!

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Innovator

⭐ 8/10

April 19, 2023

The numerous manuals on my shelves for 1st to 5e speak volumes of my familiarity with the game, as does the novels I own, and the numerous D&D computer games I've played, so I was ecstatic seeing the places, people, and creatures I know very well. I've heard others who have played the game say they wished they had done a movie about characters like Elminster, Drizzt Do'Urden, or Alias instead. While they would have been nice to see, those charact… read the rest.

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

⭐ 8/10

April 23, 2023

Based on the legendary role-playing game, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is nothing like what I anticipated and much better than I expected. This irresistible fantasy adventure has a healthy dose of good humor, playful charm, and is easily accessible to all who love imaginary worlds filled with wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, knights, and fire-breathing dragons.

Charismatic thief Edgin (Chris Pine) and his band of unlikely adventurers (including Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) the barbarian) undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic and to liberate his daughter (Chloe Coleman) from Forge’s (Hugh Grant) castle. Things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people, but the group must work together to overcome seemingly never-ending obstacles as they continue their important quest.

While directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein stay true to the origins of the game, prior knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons isn’t necessary. The film explains everything you need to know, making this an action adventure that’s appropriate for everyone. It’s surprising just how accessible this movie is. You don’t have to know the rules of the game to get a real kick out of this one. I’m sure there are plenty of Easter eggs hidden around for the gamers, but it’s not so insider that the uninitiated can’t understand what’s going on. This is definitely one of the film’s greatest strengths.

The story (with a script by Goldstein, Daley, and Michael Gilio) is solid too, with well-developed characters and irreverent humor that keeps the movie from becoming just another based-on-a-game throwaway. There’s a ton of heart and genuine emotion, which is elevated by the terrific cast. The actors play off each other well, giving a human element to what thankfully is not just a bunch of dumb CGI. You can feel the real connection between Edgin and Holga, best friends who always have each other’s backs, and Rodriguez and Pine’s chemistry finds the perfect groove. Grant, who is having a career resurgence lately, is as delightful as ever as the rogue Forge Fitzwilliam, as is Justice Smith as amateur sorcerer Simon and Sophia Lillis as shape shifting tiefling druid Doric. Most shocking is that Pine isn’t doing yet another version of his annoying shtick here, which in itself is a massive achievement.

The pacing is brisk and the special effects are well done, even if the finale is stretched a little thin. I found it easy to become engrossed in the mythical world of D&D not only because the movie looks great visually, but the characters are appealing, too. There’s plenty to root for.

Even if you think you aren’t a fan of the fantasy genre, I suggest you give “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” a try. This playful, character-driven adventure offers a ton of magical fun at the movies.

**By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS / www.ScreenZealots.com**

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Nathan

⭐ 8/10

May 16, 2023

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a great movie that strikes a perfect balance between high fantasy and comedy.

The screenplay for the movie was pretty average in terms of the overall plot, but the individual story beats and set pieces really carried the movie forward. What makes the screenplay stand out is the creativity behind each character, giving them interesting scenes and moments to shine. The dialogue was sharp and witty, filled with great laughs throughout. However, some of the comedy was very generic, with jokes and physical comedy that have been done a dozen times over.

The performances in the film were very solid, with Chris Pine stealing the show as the lead. Pine was extremely witty and charismatic, with excellent comedic timing. Michelle Rodriguez, while playing a pretty flat character, had incredible action scenes. Rege-Jean Page was a standout in every scene he was in, with over-the-top and hilarious moments that left me in stitches. Justice Smith, who hasn't been one of my favorite actors, did well here as a great comedic character. Sophia Lillis, while not getting a ton of time to shine in terms of her acting chops, was amazing in her action set pieces, especially in the long sequence where her character shape shifts while escaping from the castle.

The direction of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was surprisingly stellar. The action was sharp and well-choreographed, with minimal cuts allowing the audience to really get a larger grasp of what was happening. The film balanced comedy and high fantasy elements really well. While the shots weren't overly creative, the movie looked fantastic with beautiful landscapes and above-average CGI.

In conclusion, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a great movie that exceeded my expectations. With a creative screenplay, solid performances, and fantastic direction, it deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Score: 82%
Verdict: Great

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Wuchak

⭐ 6/10

May 22, 2023

**_Rebooting the sword & sorcery series with Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez_**

A former member of the Harpers turned thief (Pine) amasses a group of unique individuals in order to acquire a magic relic, The Helm of Disjunction, and get his daughter back from a conman Lord (Hugh Grant) and his Red Wizard accomplice (Daisy Head). The adventurers include a barbarian (Rodriguez), an amateur sorcerer (Justice Smith), a shape-changing tiefling (… read the rest.

JPV852

⭐ 7/10

June 20, 2023

Entertaining enough fantasy/adventure that features a fun script and seems accessible to both fans of D&D and those, like myself, who know very little about it. Also enjoyed the cast with Chris Pine showing his usual charisma and worked nicely opposite Michelle Rodriguez. Did lag a bit in the middle but the finale was good. **3.5/5**

r96sk

⭐ 9/10

January 9, 2024

What a fun film!

Personally, I had a great time watching <em>'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'</em>! I know the general gist of the role-playing game that this is based upon but have never played/watched anything actually to do with it, so couldn't possibly comment on how accurate/whatever this is to that.

I can, however, say that as a movie it gave me pretty much everything I wanted. It's nice to see these sorta fantasy adventure f… read the rest.