A scene from 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'

The DnD tabletop game is going strong. There was a cartoon in the ’80s. Merchandise and books still sell strongly. The one place DnD has not had much luck is on the big screen.
The first theatrical release was in the early 2000s, and was, shall we say, fine for its time, but was definitely less than stellar. It was followed by a couple of direct-to-video releases that did nothing to advance DnD in the minds and opinions of people.
It is hard to overestimate the impact Dungeons and Dragons has had on popular culture. Many tabletop game and video game mechanics are either inspired by or directly built on the foundations that DnD put down. Even if you are not a player, for certain you have come across Dungeons and Dragons as something you hear referenced again and again.
But like any ranger or paladin worth their salt, the creators of this latest movie iteration, "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," have obviously spent some experience points because the film is obviously several levels higher than its forbearers.
Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez lead the cast as Edgin the Bard and Holga the Barbarian warrior, two friends recently out of prison and looking to pick up their lives where they left off.
Along the way, they find themselves at odds with Hugh Grant’s Forge Fitzwilliam, a con-artist extraordinaire, as well as the current lord of the realm of Neverwinter. It is a lighthearted take on fantasy, which is a welcome departure from the more gavitas-filled franchises like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. It is the spunky little brother of fantasy films, where there is about as much humor as there is action. Thankfully, the mix never ends up with one detracting from the other or making the movie unbalanced. Even if you’ve never held a 20-sided die in your life (or even know what a shape like that is even called. It's a dodecahedron, by the way.) the movie is incredibly accessible. While known for its deep, and richly detailed world-building, anyone with zero knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons lore can comfortably watch and enjoy the adventure. Now for those familiar with the world and its trappings, seeing them come to life on screen is a blast. There are little nods and references experienced players and fans will surely find and love, as well as a much-appreciated cameo you cannot miss if you’re above a certain age. There is a lot of love and respect for the vast amount of source material but at the same time, writers Michael Gilio, John Francis Daley and Chris McKay thankfully didn’t see the need to cram as much of it in the film as they could. There are amusing little elements in the narrative that feel sort of like a game, but without being too meta or self-referential. All the characters, at one point or another, relate their backstory. In Pine’s case, it is even as an actual voice-over narration, which makes one think about how players create and define their characters and live prior to the start of the campaign they are playing.
Rege-jean Page’s paladin Xenk is an unwavering, almost annoyingly perfect-in-every-way Palladin who behaves in a way reminiscent of a non-playable character, one who has a mission and will not be swayed till it is over. The visuals are amazing and expansive, filling your views with sprawling hills and forests in one moment and towering walls and city-scapes in the next. There are plenty of creatures from the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manuals, all wonderfully brought to life. However, probably the best upgrade the film made would have to be the characters. There is a lot of heart hidden beneath the spectacle and laughs. Each character has a distinct personality and motivation that makes sense. None of them are there to do good, heroic deeds, but do them anyway because of their integrity. (Except perhaps Xank the Palladin, who seemingly lives to do good deeds. You’ll see what I mean). The people behind Honor Among Thieves seem to have tapped into what people love about DnD. The dungeons and the dragons are not the most fun. The most fun is the people you explore the dungeons and slay the dragons with. And the movie brings all the wonderful personalities to life in a relatable way, you’ll be grinning your way from start to finish. So let’s look at the stats of the film:
Accessibility +3 Cast +3 Humor +4 Visuals +4 Overweight, chubby dragon +5 And that is what you call a winner. "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" premieres March 29 with sneak previews all over on March 20 and 21.