Dungeons & Dragons : Honour Among Thieves

Genres : Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Action 

Writer : Surya Turaga 

Date : 27th May, 2023 

A simple and fun movie, I was able to relax and watch it without thinking about it all that much. It’s not amazing, but is definitely better than the average movies of today. It mainly relies on an adventure plot and some inside jokes of the overall fantasy and D&D genre. It’s one of those rewatchable films. 

Dungeons & Dragons : Honor Among Thieves is a film adaptation of the game D&D, in which a group of people with cool skills like magic and fighting complete tough and fun quests. The movie is mainly centered around one such quest undertaken by the main characters. 

The plot is simple. Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) were part of a thieving gang, and messed up by accidentally unleashing an evil. So the gang decides to go through a lot of adventures and try to fix the problem. I loved that they chose a very D&D style plot, filled with action and fantasy. 

The highlight of this film was the comedy. If you enjoy playing D&D, you will appreciate all the tiny nuances they put in the movie, especially in the form of humor. To put a point on it, the whole movie really makes it feel like the characters are people, and half the misadventures are just because of the Dungeon Master screwing people over for fun. 

If you’re not into such things, you probably won’t pick up on these small details. Still, the movie is filled with enough humor and action to entertain even non-D&D fans to a certain extent. The movie is like a more relaxed version of any general fantasy adventure film. 

The characters were fun to watch. Again, they reminded me of an actual D&D game. The leader seems to hold the team together, the sidekick fights, the sorcerer is weak, and the random knight is a brilliant warrior and clearly overskilled. That was probably the guy who had his stats maxed out lol. 

The movie definitely didn’t deliver on emotion, though. They tried having a couple of emotional scenes, but it didn’t take at all. The acting there wasn’t up to the mark, and it really didn’t feel like the right place either. They shouldn’t have tried it at all. The movie wasn’t cut out for emotion. Still, it’s not a major annoyance, it just gets a bit dull in those parts. 

The action and visual effects were just entertaining. Nothing too intense or gory. The film reminded me of a more fantasy version of an Indiana Jones film. The characters aren’t super capable, but they got the spirit. The plot was fairly predictable, too. That’s actually one of the reasons the emotion didn’t take. 

I really felt the visuals were very pleasing in this film. Based on the inside jokes, the writers definitely played many D&D games before. The only reason this movie loses points in my books is the mess up with emotions. The fact that this movie seems less appealing to non D&D fans is also not great, but that’s not to a large extent so I don’t mind. 

Overall, this movie is a must watch for all D&D fans and enjoyers of the fantasy and adventure genres. It’s a lighthearted film that isn’t too complex, and mostly focuses on humor and some action. The movie never really felt like one that could become intense, or take on a very risky plot. It makes it pretty clear that it’s purely for some fun entertainment. Keep that in mind. 

Surya-o-meter : 93%