As a big fan of the Dungeons & Dragons universe and occasional player of the globally known tabletop game, it was only natural for me to be excited when Honor Among Thieves was first announced a couple of years ago. From the start, I knew this was the type of movie I wanted to experience in the cinema. Recently, I went to the local cinema to check it out with somewhat high expectations. The movie follows a handful of adventurers portrayed by Chris Pine, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Michelle Rodriguez on their quest to defeat the movie’s villains.

Other notable actors in the movie are Hugh Grant and Regé-Jean Page. I won’t talk about their characters too much to avoid unnecessary spoilers. When I first heard that Chris Pine was cast for one of the leading roles, I couldn’t help but feel a little cautious about it. It’s not uncommon for movies to cast better-known actors to draw in those that might not usually go see a movie of this kind. After seeing him in action, I can say with confidence that Chris Pine was quite the appropriate choice for the leading bard, Edgin.

The other choices when it comes to the cast were great as well. I loved seeing Justice Smith as the goofy sorcerer Simon. He quickly became my favorite character, in part due to the personal journey Simon goes through over the course of the story. The barbarian Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) and the druid Doric were also great portrayals of their respective classes as well, with traits one would expect from them without being too overbearing. Holga played the role of comic relief in the movie, though everyone had their funny moments.

Regé-Jean Page was an amazing addition to the movie. As an actor who’s mostly flown under my radar, I was glad to see him play the paladin Xenk. He was important to the story, but not part of the main cast. Xenk was also an on-point portrayal of the paladin class I am used to from different Dungeons & Dragons media.

The plot of the movie isn’t necessarily the most well-written I’ve seen in a fantasy movie. A lot of the story beats are predictable, and most plot twists could be seen from miles away. However, this doesn’t mean that the plot didn’t turn out to be enjoyable. I just hoped for maybe some more surprising aspects, though maybe we will see that in one of the inevitable sequels.

One thing I am incredibly appreciative of when it comes to Honor Among Thieves is that the central relationship isn’t a romantic one. It’s a strong friendship that grows deeper and deeper with every scene and has a big impact on the ending too. I think this once again encapsulates the heart of Dungeons & Dragons perfectly since friendships are consistently forged while playing the game.

What was most important to me going in was the sense of adventure and companionship that comes with playing Dungeons & Dragons. This film encapsulated all of that quite well, thankfully. You can watch the characters going through thought processes a real-life party would as well, like finding creative solutions to problems both in and out of combat. There were some scenes in the movie that had me thinking about how these situations would play out in its tabletop counterpart, and I think other fans of the game will have the same idea.

Speaking of, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves did a great job of making nods and references to the game. From specific named locations like Icewind Dale or Neverwinter to magic items found in the game, there were plenty of things I recognized.

One noticeable thing though was the special effects. I expected more from a movie of this scope, but there were parts where I found myself wondering where the budget went. This was especially obvious when it came to the non-human races like aaracokra and yuan-ti, which to me more looked like costumes than CGI. For a movie released just this year, it just felt a little lacking.

When it comes to races, I want to say that I also would’ve liked to see more diversity in the characters. While the party does have a half-elf and a tiefling, an orc or maybe even a Dragonborn would’ve been great to see. Considering the previous criticism, I can understand why the makers of the movie went this route instead.

Despite the few issues, I had a great time watching Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. While it is not perfect, it’s a decent experience for fans of the universe and those who want to get involved. Even outsiders will have a good time watching the movie since no prior knowledge is required to understand it.

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Good adaptation of the source material
• Great humor
• Lots of nods to the tabletop counterpart

Cons

• Lacking SFX
• Not enough diversity in character races