10/10
All Gold
This being the
Fourth
Dungeons and Dragons
movie and also a reboot
I was not expecting much
as the other three were
abysmal to say the least,
but this movie is absolutely
frickin awesome.
The vfx are outstanding
the hole cast put in
Sensational performances
and are so likable
(on both sides).
One of my favourite
actresses
Michelle Rodriguez
is amazing as always
and keeps her
inexplicable trend
from (Lost, Resident
Evil: Retribution,
Machete,
Fast and furious 6
and now
Dungeons and Dragons
Lol,lol).
I am The MCU
Guy and for how
Awesome and fun
and exciting n thrilling
with the humour
landing in all the
appropriate places,
I definitely got
The amazing Marvel
vibes, it's probably
why this movie appealed
to me so much.
Those fight scenes
and the choreography
were superb, totally
Spectacular,
This movie completely
captured the fantasy
and the magic of
The Forgotten Realms.
Verdict:
DnD was one
of my favourite cartoons
back in the day,
(watched everyone,
actually ironically
I'm just doing a rewatch
right now of them for
the old nostalgia and
having those OG
characters show up
in this movie was a
Lovely-Welcomed
surprise and definitely
made me smile).
This movie was
never going to be
a billion dollar
Marvel blockbuster,
actually for how
Awesome and underrated
it is it actually bombed
in the box office,
but to be fair that
was mostly down
to the suits fluffing
up the release dates
in cinemas.
This movie came out
1 week after
John Wick chapter 4
and 1 week before
Super Mario Brothers.
It was just rotten
Timing/Luck
but that takes nothing
away for me on how
Great this movie is,
I had the best time
(1st and 2nd viewing)
and for 2h 16M
I could not think of
a better way to invest
my time into a movie
that is definitely
"Worthy" of it.
(it was like stepping onto
a roller-coaster at a carnival
and being transported to
a magical and fantastical land).
Saw the trailers and thought it looked like a horrible dumpster fire that I would not watch, but then I heard that "Paramount did NOT understand how to market this movie", and that "actually it's REALLY good." So I gave it a shot.
It's fair. Maybe even good. My expectations going in were out of wack for sure but overall I definitely expected more action and more humor, but it was all pretty surface level stuff. The humor was very dry and there was maybe once it escaped the dryness and I did chuckle out loud. The few action scenes I did appreciate for being pretty easy to follow but I definitely thought there would be more of them.
The plot and characters were serviceable enough I am just coming out of it with an empty headspace. It just didn't have much substance. And maybe that is on purpose to mirror the vibe of an actual DnD one-shot or something? Not sure why it isn't landing for me. Maybe my movie expectations are too high. Really don't know.
Maybe a sequel could iron it out and make it land better. It's at least good enough to warrant another go in those regards.
It was a pretty smooth affair but honestly I'm not sure I understand the difference between this any 90% of the MCU films. It's by that calculation a generic action blockbuster. I hear a lot of people saying this movie doesn't deserve to be this good with barely suppressed glee. I just don't see it. I'm a fan of science fiction and fantasy. I sporadically watched the D&D cartoon as a child. I enjoyed to an extent the previous D&D movie.
I just don't see anything in this movie worth getting overly excited over as someone who isn't steeped in D&D lore. That said this movie is like an MCU movie if it wasn't stuck with the framework of having to fit itself into a (at this point fairly rigid) context. It doesn't have to account for Captain America or give a nod to Marvel's Captain Marvel or have cameo by photograph of the Hulk or have Shield logo on some paperwork. This is an MCU movie if it wasn't beholden to the rest of the MCU. I mean there's a bloody hulk smashing scene at the end. Everyone loved that scene in The Avengers. it gets referenced every 5.8 MCU films. Here we have the fantasy version. It's still funny it's just.... well I've seen it before.
Maybe if you were into the D&D modern lore this might feel different. There were certainly nods I recognized by name only and certainly things I felt certain were nods I didn't understand. Unlike say Dune where I can understand how important a sandworm must be to this story even without reading it. I don't care about displacer beast. Looking back that was probably an audience clap moment. I was more impressed with the mimic myself.
But it's fun enough. I call it generic. I imply it's reductive but walking out of the movie I was very satisfied. Not the best thing I've ever seen. Not even the best blockbuster I've ever seen. But as a movie it was good and effective. I'd even watch it again. Even if it does have an overly-perfect-dead-wife trope.
Like a good basement campaign with a group of well-suited friends, this latest attempt to translate the dungeon master’s guide to the silver screen is an effectively loose, witty good time. Maybe it’s not a bombastic fantasy epic, nor an especially meaningful quest, but that’s not what those long, dark nights on a nearly-abandoned couch are all about, anyway. D&D thrives on the rapport among teammates and the unanticipated detours from the charted path; two factors that Honor Among Thieves boasts in large quantities. To tell the truth, I almost wish there hadn’t been a big bad to yank us back to reality.
Alas, this is Hollywood and Hollywood must hit certain landmarks in a reasonable amount of time, so the chase to right wrongs and escape a climactic action scene do take priority. And, predictably, they lack the quirky heart and soul of the more aloof, engaging team-building exercises that were so effectively mined a little while earlier. Most of the stars seem to agree, appearing every bit as disinterested as I felt. Maybe this would work better as a TV series, where the plot can sprawl and the pace can remain mellow. As a feature, it succeeds in translating the tone of Guardians of the Galaxy into the Forgotten Realms, but not the potent emotional beats. Decent popcorn fodder, with one or two really effective laughs, but not quite a franchise-starter.
When a new Dungeons & Dragons universe movie was announced a few years ago, alarm bells went off among fans of the genre. After the horror show that Courtney Solomon brought us in 2000 (and which got a couple of sequels that didn't make it to the big screen, fortunately), no one wanted to suffer another similar episode.
However, when screenwriters who truly care about the D&D universe get to work, and seek to produce a work that will grab fans' attention, films like Honor Among Thieves emerge.
Before we begin, let no one be fooled: this is not a work for everyone. If you don't even know what "D&D" stands for you'll find a fantasy adventure movie with well-known actors and full of comedy scenes that will bring more than a few smiles, but you may not fall in love with it.
But if you know what Faerun is, distinguish between a rogue and a paladin, or more to the point, if you've played a couple of role-playing adventures in your life or spent a few hours playing an Icewind Dale-inspired video game, this is the movie for you. The 134 minutes of footage are full of references to the Dungeons and Dragons universe, including a wonderful cameo that will remind us of our childhood. You won't have a single breath, which can perhaps be a bit overwhelming.
It’s nice to see that the directors behind this are clearly passionate and putting in the effort, but their voice often gets lost in the commercial machinery of it all. At the core of this, we have a very simple fetch quest with mostly flat characters. The comedy is hit or miss; sometimes it’s sharp, sometimes it tries to be a Marvel movie. Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith reinforce that they can’t act, Hugh Grant is in Paddington 2 mode again, Chris Pine is genuinely trying but ends up feeling like your typical, modern movie protagonist. The world looks fine if a little too derivative of stuff like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. The cinematography is surprisingly good, and even the CGI is well done until you get to those typical overblown, plastic action sequences that are required for these things. That’s not to say that there isn’t good action, because the actual combat stuff is very well choreographed and filmed. All in all, I’d say this is at its best when it’s being a fun heist adventure with creative set pieces, and it’s at its worst when it’s focussing on the characters or spoonfeeding pointless exposition. Unfortunately it tips too often in the direction of being unmemorable and bland, and it’s unquestionably too long and too predictable, but the directors certainly tried to make the best out of the cards they were dealt.
My brother came out of this movie insisting that it was basically a Marvel film, and upon some reflection I tend to agree. Sure it's got a fantasy coat of paint, but at the end of the day, what are D&D adventurers if not the superheroes of the realm. Even the action feels superhero-esque, as Michelle Rodriguez's Fighter (or possibly Barbarian? I haven't cracked open a Players Handbook in a while, so my knowledge of D&D classes is probably out of date) tosses enemies around with superhuman strength. Or maybe she's just got +5 gauntlets of kicking ass, who knows. I'd also call out the final fight sequence against Sofina, which definitely feels like it took inspiration from one of the Avengers fights versus Thanos. In any case, if this film modeled itself after Marvel, the question is, does it feel like a good Marvel movie, or a recent Marvel movie (looking at you Quantummania). All in all, I'd say closer to the former. I don't think it's going to win any awards and I don't know that I would feel the need to re-watch it anytime soon, but it was fun.
Surprisingly, the thing I'd praise most is the story. The writers manage to craft an adventure that somehow feels like a greatest hits of classic D&D while also avoiding being predictable (barring a couple of moments that still worked as payoffs). Specifically, there is some fun magic implementation and problem solving (the use of the portal gun, I mean, hither-thither staff in the heist plan was very clever. The comedy, which also feels quite Marvel-esque, never landed 100% for me, but it wasn't a total miss either. No real laughs, but some chuckles throughout. As far as things that disappointed, I wasn't a big fan of the fat dragon sequence. I'd also say that I wasn't particularly impressed with the performances, with perhaps exceptions for Chris Pine and Regé-Jean Page. Everyone else felt a bit flat. Luckily, this movie doesn't need Oscar winning performances to be entertaining.
For any who have pondered what it would look like in our post-Lord of the Rings, superhero blockbuster era if somebody tried making The Princess Bride, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is your answer. It's an ambitious swing that results in a solid hit, if not a classic. And while it falls short of being a viable launching pad for a new universe of IP-based media content, it is an all-around fun watch that will entertain and perhaps even delight you, so long as you don't stare too hard at some of the frayed plot edges. The cast is all aces (though Chris Pine is - surprisingly - the weakest link among them), and the script from Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, & Michael Gilio is solid. Even when they're making jokes at its expense, the filmmakers show a deep respect for the source material, though they're not always interested in being 100% faithful to it. Genre films that don't take themselves too seriously can be lots of fun. See the afore-mentioned The Princess Bride or Eric the Viking (which clearly had an influence here) for great examples. But the flip side of irreverence is a deprioritization of world-building. Case in point, there's no sense of place, as the team jumps from region to region and nothing is explored. Another issue is magic- one moment we're getting an explanation of why magic can't just solve everything, and - literally - the next we get the introduction of a new magic MacGuffin. ("See? You can magic your way in!" one character says.) Magic has rules, apparently, but they are almost never explained or followed- except when they serve to present an obstacle for the characters to overcome. There's an order of spies & supposed defenders of justice that one of the main characters was once a part of, but we never see any of them. At the center of the plot is the fact that there's a vast kingdom bordering the region of Neverwinter that's ruled by an all-powerful cadre of Red Wizards who command an army of the undead. Yet why isn't the entire society on a war footing? All of this and more is glossed over in favor of jokes and madcap adventure. To be clear, the madcap adventure is fun and the fan service is subtle enough to be accessible to novices (a really neat trick, that), but as I was watching I just kept feeling like this could be so much more.
Tolkien's work demands dedicated, detailed craftsmanship from the people who want to translate it to the big screen. Why is it that Dungeons & Dragons doesn't warrant the same kind of effort? And what would a movie (or prestige TV series) from this talented team of filmmakers look like if it did? I hope that we can find out someday.
Silly and cringe at times, but the good kind, the kind that's mixed in with some clever and genuinely funny comedy. A fun time from beginning to end, I was laughing throughout and the runtime went by quickly. The action sequences are intense and some of the best i've seen this year, my favorite was the animal transforming to get out of the city it was butt clenching and so thrilling. The characters are fun, likable and I like the interactions. Michelle Rodriguez's Holga is my favorite and damn is she good in action sequences, an instant badass.
As a casual D&D player I enjoyed what they did with it. There's this thing when you play a game of D&D where you can pretty much make your character do anything you want to beat whatever the game throws at you. However crazy the idea the player has, all that's required is 1. The game master has to approve that it's understandably logical within his game. And 2. Roll the dices and let fate choose if it's a hit or a miss. They did that a lot in the movie. Some of the things the characters do feel jarring, silly and sometimes hella convenient for what's happening but from a D&D perspective it makes total sense. You think your character conveniently has the object that solves the current problem hidden in his bag, sure just roll the dices.
I hope this gets a sequel!
Review by r96skBlockedParent2024-01-09T01:30:17Z
What a fun film!
Personally, I had a great time watching 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'! 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 flicks, I felt this one did a terrific job at bringing its world to life. The score is also (as expected from Lorne Balfe) excellent, there's a neat end credits song too. A ~134min run time could've been damaging, but is in fact the perfect length in my opinion - it flies by.
The cast are ace! I do enjoy Chris Pine as an actor, predominantly thanks to 'Unstoppable' with the great Denzel Washington, and he gives a convincing performance. I remember seeing one or two trailers for this way back and thinking that I thought the actors didn't seem all that 'into' their roles. Happy to say I was wrong!
Michelle Rodriguez is fab as well, not that that was ever in doubt from Letty Ortiz herself. Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis are noteworthy positives, as are Hugh Grant and Regé-Jean Page. Bradley Cooper even manages to stick out in my memory in a very minor role.
I genuinely came close to giving this a higher rating, that's how much I enjoyed it. Quality flick, one I hope gets a sequel.