Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves review: A hilarious, action-packed romp

Alright, I'm about to drop a truth bomb: I have a confession to make. Brace yourself, folks. I have never, not once, played Dungeons & Dragons. That's right, not the original game on a tabletop, not any of the video games inspired by it, and not even one measly story set in the fantastical D&D universe. I was, however, excited about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for a couple of reasons. As a newcomer to the world of D&D, I was eager to see what all the fuss was about. Then, Chris Pine happens to be my favourite Chris. Finally, while Hugh Grant is always watchable, these days he seems to really enjoy playing particularly unctuous villains.

Does the film live up to the hype and spark an interest in this vast universe of magic, monsters, and mayhem?

Our hero is sweet-talker Edgin Darvis (Pine), who becomes a thief to take care of his daughter after his wife is killed by Red Wizards, a powerful cult of sorcerers. He sets out to steal an object in one final heist that will resurrect his wife.

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His group includes barbarian Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), amateur sorcerer Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), and rogue Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant). They infiltrate a former Harper stronghold to retrieve a resurrection tablet, but things go wrong when they discover that one of their own members, Sofina (Daisy Head), is a Red Wizard and had her own dark, ulterior motives to team up with them.

Edgin and Holga are captured and a couple of years later, escape prison to form a new team and retrieve the resurrection tablet from the vault of Fitzwilliam who they learned was allied with Sofina. With the help of Simon and tiefling druid Doric (Sophia Lillis), they embark on a journey to locate the powerful artifact. They discover that the Red Wizard plans to perform an ancient ritual to turn people into zombie slaves. Can they save the day?

The first thing I thought while watching Honor Among Thieves is how funny it is. Coming from the directing duo of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (also known for Game Night, one of the best comedies of this century), though, it should not have come as a big surprise. Their signature style of combining action, adventure, and humour is evident in nearly every frame of the film. The humour does not thankfully distract from the action and Honor Among Thieves for the most part retains its earnest tone (take note, Marvel).

The characters are all lovable misfits with their unique quirks, and there are echoes of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy movies here. Edgin, for instance, has a regret over a past action that he reveals much later to the group. Holga abandoned her own tribe to be with a man she could not be with. Simon has self-esteem issues and thinks of himself less as a sorcerer and more as a conjuror. Doric has a hatred for humans for their rapacious tendencies towards natural resources and wildlife.

But all the fun interplay between characters would not have worked, if not for theperformances. Pine is smooth, employing oodles of charm and charisma to portray Edgin. Rodriguez, who is used to playing bada**es by now, fits Holga like a shoe. Smith as Simon is equal parts vulnerability and bravado, providing a refreshing take on the classic "wizard in training" archetype. Grant, of course, absolutely revels in his role as the smarmy rogue. His performance is so deliciously oily that I could practically feel my arteries clogging just watching him.

As I understand Honor Among Thieves is a small, self-contained movie in the larger D&D universe. So, the film likely did not need a lot of world-building. We are made aware that this is a fantasy universe right away. The film does a good job of immersing viewers in the fantasy world of D&D, with its magic, mythical creatures, and strange, wondrous lands. From the towering castles to the dark and foreboding forests, different settings in the film are all well-realised.

The quality of CGI varies, and is often iffy. But not bad enough to take one out of the experience.

So that's it. I enjoyed Honor Among Thieves. It is a fun, action-packed romp through the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons. It appeals to both franchise diehards and newcomers alike. It certainly has plenty of nods and Easter eggs for die-hard fans of the franchise, but it never feels exclusionary or overly reliant on prior knowledge. Instead, it uses the D&D universe as a rich tapestry on which to weave its own engaging story.

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