MOVIE REVIEW: Dungeons And Dragons : Honor Among Thieves

The best film of 2023’s first quarter, this iteration of D&D is everything that high adventure should be!

The jokes hit more bullseyes than they miss, the menace is balanced out with enough charm to keep things fun, and unlike a live game of D&D, “Honor Among Thieves” has no problem spoofing itself and doesn’t take things too seriously. Yes, it is annoying that once again Chloe Coleman portrays a daughter of a miscegenation “Zaddy/Bedwench” relationship. Annoying only because she’s being typecast as the poster child for this (from Big Little Lies to 65) for Hollywood’s divestment genealogy agenda; but the casting of Rege Jean-Page and Justice Smith more than surprisingly balances this out, by putting differing degrees of masculine and capable melaninated males at the forefront on-screen. A feat which has not been seen recently in trusted franchise cinema, unless audiences are looking in the direction of whatever film Jonathan Majors is starring in this week.

Sure, Chris Pine is a far cry from the Captain Kirk he once was. But, by tapping in more to his portrayal of Steve Trevor in that one Wonder Woman flop, Pine in Honor Among Thieves is a walking joke as the male lead. But here, Francis Daley is able to make audiences laugh with Pine instead of laugh at him the way Patty Jenkins wanted moviegoers to do back when the masses were scared to go theaters. But I was there; and two years later, Pine has redeemed himself as a leading man in Hollywood, even with Jean-Page and Smith doing all the heavy lifting. Now this should be noted that as the credits roll, even though Pine is the lead on both the film and the fictional troupe, he doesn’t get top billing. Michelle Rodriguez rightfully is the first name that pops up on the cast, and it’s deserved. Rodriguez (in the vein of Maggie Q or Sigourney Weaver) is undeniable as a strong female lead and convincing as a brawler. Whoever her agent is that put her on to this film is a genius, because for those of us who refuse to see another dumbass Fast & The Furious film, Michelle Rodriguez found a way to take our money anyway.

When I first played D&D in my younger years (the ’04 Wizard edition) I can remember choosing Lidda The Halfling as my avatar. Sheila The Thief was my favorite when I was in diapers watching the animated series, and as an adult I made it a point to add Diana (who makes a cameo in Honor along with Sheila) to my figure collection of melaninated maidens. I make personal reference to this because D&D is primarily viewed as a male game, from when I was growing up to even now as an adult. But, flipping the script with Michelle Rodriguez getting top billing doing what she does best (something like Wolverine …) on the big screen is the move in today’s entertainment climate that caters towards feminism.

Rodriguez represents, as does the rest of the cast in a way that isn’t forced unlike Chloe Coleman’s noticeable typecast role. D&D is a game that is set up to be for a group of people. It can be played with one or two people (been there done that), but anyone who’s ever played D&D knows the name of the game is : “the more the merrier”, and Victoria Thomas did a tremendous job of keeping that motto in mind while selecting the inclusive cast for this round of D&D. While watching “Honor Among Thieves” it isn’t hard to feel apart of the troupe. The charm, sarcasm, wit, and danger of every player and situation makes it all too easy to invest energy and attention into the characters and the world that Barry Peterson creates for Goldstein and his cohorts script to play out in.

The closest piece of Celtic folk music that stays in my rotation is Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album, but Lorne Balfe’s score undeniably sets the tone and is appropriate for the picture.
The special effects have plenty of familiarity with many fantasy films that have came before D&D, but there are a few moments (from a melting Chris Pine to a dragon so fat he can’t even walk, let alone fly) that push the boundaries of the imagination; just like D&D itself was intended to do when it first hit the toy store shelf.

Other than the Coleman typecast, Honor Among Thieves has few drawbacks, but they are still present : the sound mixers did not do a good job, as some of the dialogue is noticeably tapered under the environment and Balfe’s score; plus the ending is corny – discounting the high stakes that surrounds a high adventure film, but these drawbacks do not hinder Honor Among Thieves in regards to it’s playback value, something that must be commended for the whole cast & crew for capturing the essence of Dungeons & Dragons which is that no matter how many times it’s played, as long as there’s a group you can get behind and feel apart of, D&D can only be nothing but fun.

Score :
4.5/5

Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein