A group of thieves unwittingly steal a relic for the evil Red Wizard who uses it to create an army of the undead. Seeking redemption, the unlikely band of adventurers set out to stop the Red Wizard and save the world.
What We Thought:
Other people seem to be liking Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves way more than I did. I thought it was just the latest generic CGI-fest that I will forget even exists by the end of the year. It’s a shame I didn’t like it more because I want movies like this to succeed. I want the younger generation to get into sword & sorcery films because I grew up on action-adventure flicks and it can be an entertaining genre.
This review is going to sound like I’m 100% crushing the movie, but I don’t mean it that way. It’s at least watchable and has some laughs and again, others seemed to be more entertained than I was. I do think my expectations were a bit high even for a film that doesn’t have much buzz in the first place. I think the problem is its name. Using the Dungeons & Dragons moniker gave me the expectation of a possible franchise. I don’t play D&D, but I know enough people who do and the potential for a cool franchise is there based on decades long lore. It could have spun off into a franchise like Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy series, but to me it doesn’t separate itself from the rest of the crowd.
Chris Pine has all the potential of an action-adventure lead and there are enough side characters and future possible characters to build a franchise for years. Unfortunately I don’t think it should. I could see it being a box office dud especially in the States. If it makes money it’s probably because of the international market. Do you remember Warcraft, the World of Warcraft movie from years back? It didn’t do much in the US, but did well overseas and there was talk of sequels because of it. That movie is the perfect comparison for this, a movie based on an IP that not everyone knows, but has a good following. Both films are heavy on CGI with monsters and non-human characters. I can’t tell you what the story behind Warcraft was just like ultimately I will forget about this story.
Pine is the best part of the film. He’s charming and funny. Unfortunately every other character seems to be funny as well. Almost all characters are there for comedic relief. Justice Smith plays a nerdy, timid, low self-esteem type like he does in Jurassic World and every other movie he’s been in. Regé-Jean Page is Pine’s foil who gets laughs because of his character traits. Hugh Grant is almost a live-action Lord Farquaad from Shrek adding even more (unnecessary) comedic relief. And stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Michelle Rodriguez plays the tough female role. Shocking, I know.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves could very easily bomb at the box office and be forgotten quickly. It has some positive word of mouth going so maybe it surprises me and does well. It’s not the movie I wanted especially from the guys who gave us the criminally underrated Game Night. Warcraft is the perfect comparison to me which stinks because I wanted a new version of Willow for the younger generation.
The Nerds Templar 