“Who needs heroes when you have thieves?,” says the tagline for Paramount Pictures’s latest attempt at re-tooling the fantasy genre: “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” opening in movie theaters this week.
One could just as feasibly ask, “who needs this movie?,” especially following the failure of the 2000 film, simply titled “Dungeons & Dragons,” which lazily used the tagline, “this is no game.”
Yet, the filmmaking team behind “Honor Among Thieves” very quickly answers that very need-based question, delivering a solid, four-quadrant romp that is sure to please both the hardcore stans and casual fans of the property.
While my exposure to the famous board game is limited to appearances in “Stranger Things” at best, I found myself quickly wrapped up in the giddy charm of its fantastical, fast-moving world.
A giddy charm that is equally felt in front of and behind the lens.
Chris Pine remains one of our greatest leading men and brightest cinematic stars, serving as a sturdy set of shoulders, so-to-speak, for the sprawling narrative to rest.
He stands at the head of a colorful ensemble, from the likes of the oft-reliable Michelle Rodriguez to the devilish Hugh Grant, to a surprise cameo I will certainly not spoil. Every actor fully commits with wonderful comic performances across the board (no pun intended).
The rapid-fire comedy largely lands throughout, with many highlights coming from the clashing dynamics between the lively humor of Pine and the deadly seriousness of Regé-Jean Page’s Xenk Yendar, a Paladin knight who fails to understand the ragtag group’s consistent sarcasm.
At the film’s world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Tex., this dynamic even prompted an audience member to ask the directors a very important question.
“What was the decision to cast such gorgeous men?,” Rochelle from Detroit, Michigan said.
The directing duo, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Francis Goldstein, were happy to answer, and were equally enthusiastic to share their film with an audience; a love-letter to both the game and to swashbuckling adventure films of the past.
Daley and Goldstein synthesize their past work — the screenplay for “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and their 2018 directorial effort, “Game Night” — in a delightful, crowd-pleasing concoction, complete with some of the more inventive action sequences of recent blockbuster memory.
The film may ultimately overstay its welcome at 134 minutes, but it is hard to deny the sheer exuberance bouncing off every frame.
The cast and crew’s passion for the source material rings true in one of 2023’s most pleasant cinematic surprises so far.
“Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” opens March 31 in theaters nationwide.
