As a film franchise Dungeons & Dragons has always be C-list at best so the latest attempt to bring it to the big screen wrestles with how to make it more mainstream and blockbuster by jettisoning taking itself seriously in anyway and leaning into the camp elements with a lot of wink wink going on. Overall it works taking what is a rather standard story with rather standard production values and focusing on the fun.
A lot of this falls on the cast. Pine plays Pine but in a fantasy comedy, being a smart aleck central character with just enough of a back story to make us care about his as he leads his rather rote cast of characters on their rather rote adventure. He is funny and charming and despite a complete lack of chemistry with the next in line for lead character, Rodriquez, he makes it work. Smith brings some charm to the table as well playing, well the exact character he's become known to play and Grant is all smarm and scenery chewing in his lovable villain role that, also feels like it was written based on every character Grant has ever played.
But in the end it doesn't matter cause Honor Among Thieves is quite fun no matter how predictable or expected it all ends up being. There are fun references to D&D lore such as a gelatinous cube and even a shout out to the 80s animated series. I just wish they had found a way to get them to roll some dice somewhere along the way. Despite it all feeling very cookie cutter I found myself invested in this silly band of misfits and hope this won't be the last we see of this group.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Daisy Head, Chloe Coleman, Hugh Grant, Bradley Cooper
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Writers: Michael Gilio, Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
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