Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

A world building phenomenon, Dungeons and Dragons remains as popular today as it ever was. It has taken almost all media by storm apart from film. There have been several attempts to launch it into a franchise, just never quite got there.

In this version there’s Edgin (Chris Pine) along with a merry bunch off to retrieve a lost relic that if it could bring his wife back to life, having been killed by the Red Witches or equally used for more nefarious purposes. The robbery goes wrong and they are imprisoned and find out that kindly uncle Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant) betrayed them and that he has also taken away Edgin’s daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman).

Cue an escape round up of friendly villains and rogues who for the next two hours of set up forward on quests within quests until they all find themselves in an arena – resembling that sequence in Gladiator- where they too get to unleash hell. And there is some potential to really do that as the Red Witches are nasty pieces of work led by Sofina (Daisy Head).

This all quite entertaining stuff and typical of this genre that the various members of the group have their own powers and personal issues. So there’s plenty of gaffs, showing off, and banter, lots of banter. And they are well served here with a witty script (once you get past the fantasy gobbledegook) from Michael Gilio co-written with co-directors John Frances Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Pine is very good in a solid comic turn and Grant has this gentleman dastardly villain, off pat now.

Effects wise its fine nothing to distinguish it from others of this genre, only much bigger and longer. Despite its fun good nature, it’s too long. The quest within quest may well work within the game’s original world building and article gathering objective, here it gets tiring, as the viewer is taken from what feels like one ending after another.

Nevertheless this is all good fun and the best attempt so far to get this up and running as a long term going concern.