Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves

The theatrical release of Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves largely passed me by as I never played the game and saw this as little more than a studio trying to cash-in on something popular while diluting it for the widest audience possible. Cynical you could say but the fantasy genre hasn't exactly enjoyed a great run of late with The Witcher which I checked out of after a dismal second season, the lacklustre Rings of Power and it seems things aren't much better with The Wheel of Time at the moment. Would this be any different and appease D&D fans as well as general viewers alike?

Set in a fantastical medieval realm, a charming thief collects together a small team to steal a powerful relic but is also motivated to rescue his daughter from his former, scheming associate who now wields a lot of power over the region. The journey will take the thief on a dangerous journey to reunite what's left of his family which, sure enough, involves the odd dungeon and even a dragon.

Miraculously, the right pieces somehow came together for this D&D film which finds the right balance between entertaining fans of the source material and newcomers while proving there is still plenty of life left in the fantasy adventure genre. Directors, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, bring a fun mix of comedy and action, just as they did together in 2018's surprisingly enjoyable Game Night, but it would all be for nothing if it wasn't for a great cast of faces.

Chris Pine perfectly utilizes his comedic timing as the charismatic lead, Michelle Rodriguez brings a great physical performance as the group's muscle but also delivers when it comes to the dramatic moments and we also get a very enjoyable turn from Hugh Grant as one of the villains. Regé-Jean Page also enjoys a smaller turn as a stoic warrior but my favourite turn from the film is Justice Smith who is brilliant here. I've seen glimpses of his comedic timing in other films but he really shines here and offers one of many hearts of the film. And that sounds strange but there is a good deal of heart to be found here in the characters which helps to seal a few of the cracks over the thin story and a rather lacklustre main villain.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves isn't quite the perfect film and I would say some of my enjoyment was lessened on a second viewing making this feel rather lightweight but it is still an easy one to suggest to those with even just a general interest in the fantasy genre. It never goes too far with the fantasy elements to put off anyone who has no interest in D&D and the cast really do make this an enjoyable two hour viewing. The box office for this wasn't great unfortunately but I'd happily watch another.