Review: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (2023) [SXSW]

“Personality goes a long way.” — PULP FICTION

While I’ve never been a member of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, only playing a couple of times in my nerdy life, it’s clear that chemistry is a major component. Sure there’s mathematical skills and imagination, but also the dynamics of the group playing together. With the assured hand of their Dungeonmaster leading them through their adventures—playing to their strengths and preying upon their weaknesses—it becomes the exchanges between these members that fuel a successful quest. Shorthand slang is developed, running gags established, slowly it’s understood where folks shine and what is needed to get the best out of them. Such relationships appear to truly be the engine that drives (or derails) each campaign.

This is heartily embraced in DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES with an ensemble cast that brilliantly plays against each other. Each fully fleshed main character has their own hook, each is given their moment to shine (both comedically and in action sequences), and each has a well-orchestrated arc that is satisfying to witness. But it’s that combination of these different personalities that really makes DUNGEONS & DRAGONS work as they trade jibes, heartfelt sentiments, and simply engaging dialogue that makes up for some of the film’s failings. This is not a terribly deep film, but it is a wholly entertaining one that is precisely what people should want from such a tale.

Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) are partners in crime who have found themselves in prison for those very crimes. The thieves—one a rogue and the other more of a warrior type—soon figure a way to freedom from their captors and seek out Edgin’s daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman). She is now under the care of their former associate, Forge (Hugh Grant), who not only evaded apprehension but is now flourishing as the lord of a vast city. Part of that success is due to the assistance of the sorceress Sofina (Daisy Head), a dark and powerful spellcaster who clearly has her own agenda and nefarious secrets. Edgin and Holga decide to get Kira back and give Forge his comeuppance by assembling a crew to infiltrate a vault and steal the turncoat’s riches. That crew involves an unconfident wizard (Justice Smith), a shape-changing noble druid (Sophia Lillis), and eventually draws in a dashingly magical and heroic knight (Regé-Jean Page). The group faces many challenges as they acquire various mystical artifacts and bits of information all while exploring this fantastical world.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a fun romp that is lighthearted and engaging, but feels like it misses a particularly strong emotional through line to make it land as well as it should. Thinking back to similar ragtag adventure stories like STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, WILLOW, and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY reveals an emotional underpinning that doesn’t betray the comedy or get in the way of the heroic challenges, but grants proper weight to promote more investment from the audience. This film certainly tries with the various backstories, sentimental scenes, and Kira’s retrieval as the main plot line; but it never truly achieves greater dramatic meaning that would help with greater engagement.

Another issue falls in with the main enemies of our heroes. While the crew contend with lots of obstacles and antagonists, the overarching villain is never given enough weight to be a proper threat or true adversary deserving of an explosive finale. Head does a fine job as Sofina, but the role itself never feels as commanding as it should (or thinks it is), which also diminishes any further depth with the film or a feeling of true stakes that would draw in more viewers. Also the ultimate battle encompasses a gag that was done before and better in 2012’s THE AVENGERS, which is unfortunate (and odd coming from writers of other Marvel projects).

If it sounds like DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is beset by problems…it isn’t. I just wanted to get the biggest negatives out of the way early so I can focus on all the other aspects that it gets right. As previously stated, a lot of the movie’s success comes from the interaction of the heroes who play off each other superbly and have a very natural sense of dialogue and banter between them. They don’t have the ratatat of longtime friends, but they shouldn’t; instead possessing that sort of back-and-forth of people newly trying to figure each other out. This leads to great humor but also strong character development.

Pine continues producing charming protagonists with his vulnerable swagger, that rakish cowboy leader with a heart that needs mending. He is the perfect rogue glue that holds together the gang of archetypal heroes. Rodriguez shines as the badass with a surprisingly sensitive side, Smith’s insecure magician winningly stammers through his awkwardness, and more. Page is especially hilarious and deployed with perfect precision by directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Working from a script they wrote (along with Michael Gilio), the duo not only craft excellent comedy bits but also provide some thrilling sequences of action and fantasy adventure. This is on top of crafting a world full of extraordinary people and creatures and abilities.

While I can’t speak definitively to this, it appears the filmmakers have pulled a lot of the elements of the D&D world into their movie, from owlbears to mimics to gelatinous cubes to Baldur’s Gate and beyond. I’m not sure how well the fan service lands for ardent gamers, but it appeared like it was a rich tableau of new and old. Also there are delightful references to the ‘80s cartoon that tremendously tickled me in my nerd soul, though didn’t seem to register as much with audience with whom I saw it.

There is some dodgy CG in places and not all of the action sequences deliver quite as well as they should. Plus the overarching villain problem and lack of greater emotional bandwidth also diminish some of the luster. But DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES is so insanely fun and charming that those quibbles don’t amount to any real detractions. The movie is bursting with heart, swagger, and personality that terrifically relies on excellent character work to overcome most obstacles and deliver a thoroughly entertaining fantasy adventure. Huzzah!