PORTLAND, Maine — [Editor's note: This article is a critical analysis of a film and does not represent the views of NEWS CENTER Maine, but that of the author.]
Chris Pine headlines a new fantasy adventure movie set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, a popular game that's been around since 1974.
The movie is two hours and 14 minutes long, and it's packed with magic, laughs, fun, and a surprising amount of heart.
Story
"Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" isn't about a group of people playing the game as seen in the online series "Critical Role." Rather, it's the adventure of a band of unlikely heroes set in the magical world of Faerûn.
Edgin the bard (Pine) is raising his daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), after the death of his wife. Down on his luck, he's befriended by a barbarian named Holga (Michelle Rodriguez). The unlikely pair become thieves and steal to give Kira a better life.
Things take a turn for the worse when Edgin and Holga get caught and imprisoned during a burglary gone bad. Edgin charges an ally named Forge (Hugh Grant) to keep his daughter safe.
Two years later, Edgin and Holga escape prison and find Forge in charge of an entire city called Neverwinter. He's also been busy (verbally) poisoning Kira against her father, feeding her lies about why Edgin was in prison.
To rescue his daughter, Edgin builds a team of unlikely heroes. First, he calls upon an old friend, a sorcerer named Simon (Justice Smith). And the party adds a druid called Doric (Sophia Lillis) as well.
With no choice but to trust each other on this possible mission, the party quests to find magical items, rescue Edgin's daughter, and perhaps even save Neverwinter.
Analysis
Folks who've seen the trailer might be wondering if they need to play Dungeons and Dragons to really appreciate this film. The good news is, they don't. It's a blast for people who enjoy the game and folks who've never rolled a 20-sided die.
Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley struck a wonderful balance in this wacky fantasy heist film. Longtime Dungeons and Dragons players will find plenty of respect given to the source material in "Honor Among Thieves," even if they bend the rules now and again for the story's sake. And for everyone else, it's just a quirky magical tale about funny heroes in unpredictable circumstances.
The heroes have amazing chemistry, and Pine really does bring a shocking amount of heart to what is, at times, a nonsensical story. But DnD players will recognize the impossible challenges and wacky solutions employed in this film are seemingly lifted right out of the game itself. Portions of the adventure truly feel like part of a game being played among friends eating pizza on a Saturday night.
"Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is filled with a mix of practical effects (puppets, animatronics, costumes) in addition to the usual CGI audiences would expect from a magic-heavy movie. And it makes the film look better, maybe even a tad more real.
On top of all this, the actors all seem to be having a blast with the story, which usually creates the best scenario for a film to succeed in telling its story.
Grant is simply the most delightful antagonist that audiences will love to hate. He's the epitome of a hoity-toity villain that steals almost every scene he's in.
"Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" just might end up being the most fun audiences have had in a theater so far this year.
Also playing this week
Apple TV+ has a new Cold War spy thriller out Friday about ... Tetris. Yes, Tetris. The old, popular video game about trying to stack blocks in a line. The film follows a man who braves the Soviet Union in an attempt to bring Tetris to Nintendo in 1988. Watch the trailer below:
To see which movies are playing at a theater near you, click here.
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