Well, everyone, welcome back to yet another session of movie reviewing! First of all, as you can see, we are now five reviews away from reaching the 600th film review mark. I won’t spoil what it is. But I hope you all enjoy what it ends up being in the end. Second, these next couple reviews will be based on games of some kind, one based on a popular board game, and the other on a popular video game. In this case, it’s the former. It is the one, and only Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, based on the popular Dungeons & Dragons board game, and starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, and more.
Plot: After thieves Edgin (Chris Pine), and his friend, Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) escape prison, they now must put their hope, and trust in some new recruits, including a sorceror named Simon (Justice Smith), and a female shape shifter named Doric (Sophia Lillis). Together, they must go rescue Edgin’s daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), and find a magical artifact that will supposedly bring back Edgin’s late wife. Will our heroes succeed in both missions?
I will say this, even though there were certain aspects of this world that could have been a little bit better, this film was, for the most part, very enjoyable. First of all, let’s give a shout out to Lorne Balfe, who developed the score for this film. First of all, he seems to capture the Middle Ages period that this fantasy film is set in. Not only that, but his score could likely sound somewhat similar to Howard Shore’s score in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy from a little over twenty years ago. And who probably wouldn’t like to hear instruments like the violin played at some points in this Dungeons & Dragons film? Most of the characters are also really well fleshed out in this film. This is especially true for Edgin, Holga, and some of the friends that they make along the way. Not only that, but the creativity that is made with some of them is also excellent, especially for characters like Doric, and Simon. The villains were also well done, even though one of them could have likely been played by a different actor. But more on that later! Overall, when it comes to their characters, even if some of them don’t have as much screen time as others, what time they do have, even with those with more minor roles, ends up being memorable, and making the film more memorable as a result. This film knows which character to truly shine the most light on, and which ones to not have as much of the spotlight. There was also some comedy gold scattered throughout this film, be it funny lines in the script, or even hilarious moments period. The makers of this movie really did seem to understand when they needed to have comic relief, or when they needed to be serious. The action also was phenomenal. One action scene in particular that takes place around the middle to end of the film is given it’s due really well. Same goes for the climax of this film as well. Oh, that’s another thing! There were some really good plot twists to this film as well. This helped keep the film engaging, and/or prevent any of the audience members from losing their interest in the film. There are also good messages about teamwork, letting your weaknesses also be your greatest strengths, and thinking about others, and putting their needs above your own.
But is this film perfect? Well, not quite. First of all, we didn’t seem to get quite as much of the dragon characters as we probably could have in the end. Yes, I understand that movies can only last for so long. Still, with this film being called Dungeons & Dragons, and being based on that game, should we not have maybe had more of those present in this film? Just a thought. As for Hugh Grant playing Forge, he was okay in that role, but either he could have done better, or the directors should have maybe picked a different actor for him. Oh, and there were one, or two plot holes in this film as well.
And that’s my review for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Well, what can I say? Though not quite perfect, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is definitely well worth your time. It is fun, engaging, has great comedy, well-written characters, good messages, and some other good elements that help make for a good fantasy film. Even if it’s not quite on par with film version of Lord Of The Rings, or The Chronicles Of Narnia films for instance, this film definitely deserves to have more of the attention of the audience. Why this film hasn’t done quite as well as say recent films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, for instance, I’m not sure. Either way, I would say definitely please go see this film. It is most definitely one of those films that deserves to actually be experienced on the big screen. I even saw this film twice this past weekend. If neither that, or my points of why this film is good, are not convincing enough for people to go see this film, then I’m not sure what will be. So, again, I say go see Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. You’ll have a blast, I’m sure.
Final Grade: B+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 