Dungeons And Dragons Honour Among Thieves review: A great time at the movies

At first glance, everything about Dungeons And Dragons: Honour Among Thieves suggests it’s yet another soulless, hollow, capitalise-on-existing-IP Hollywood B-movie. The kind of forgettable flick we’ve seen a hundred times over. Empty movie calories designed to sell popcorn, led by actors and movie stars driven by contractual obligation rather than creative satisfaction. And yet, just as the various shape-shifting druids and evil sorcerers in this movie will tell you, appearances can be deceiving. Despite all indications to the contrary, Dungeons and Dragons is bursting with personality. (Also read: Shazam Fury of the Gods movie review: Trite but entertaining sequel that reinforces the meaning of family)

Based on the popular fantasy roleplaying game of the same name, this movie is a triumphant testament to what crackling comedy can do to uplift the sameness of a templated blockbuster. It’s near impossible not to submit to the comedic charms of the Game Night director-duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (the Jons?), who also wrote this movie alongside Michael Gilio. These are filmmakers who take their refusal to take this subject matter seriously, very seriously. Together they craft a zany heist flick set in a familiar world of monsters and magic, but one that unapologetically wears its silliness on its sleeve.

As you might expect, the proceedings are centered on a ragtag team of bantering, bickering buffoons armed with quips aplenty (I guarantee you, at one point or another, Ryan Reynolds was considered for this movie). Here we get everything from fourth wall breaks to lovably ludicrous low-hanging fruit humour and gags galore. Whether that’s in the form of the main villain’s grand plan monologue getting repeatedly interrupted because his tea’s too hot (in the hands of the inimitable Hugh Grant, trust me, it’s a lot funnier than it sounds). Or a half-bird-half-man creature named Jonathan who keeps getting chucked out of a window. Did I mention the self-serious noble knight who, in trying to guide our heroes through a life-threatening underground cavern, says “Follow me to the orifice”? Or my personal favourite – a tragically overweight dragon who’s really let himself go by living in a cave for hundreds of years (who wouldn’t?) I like to imagine the directors sitting with their VFX team, chomping on a cigar, shouting “Fatter! Make him fatter!” But dangerously diabetic dragons aside, let’s meet our crew.

An impossibly charismatic Chris Pine (who continues to prove that he is the definitive Chris for all seasons – sorry Evans and never mind about that other one) is Edgin. A do-gooder-keeper-of-the-peace, Edgin soon realises that the good guy life doesn’t exactly pay the bills, and turns to a life of theft and crime with his sister-like companion Holga (Michelle Rodriguez who’s perhaps never been this fun to watch). But, after a job goes wrong, Edgin and Holga are locked up for two years. When they return home, they find that their ex-accomplice and friend Forge (a scene-stealing Hugh Grant who continues his run of playing villains that make their movies instantly better), now runs the kingdom. Forge has not only proclaimed himself king of the land, he’s also forcibly adopted Edgin’s daughter. Thus, Edgin and Holga set out to pull off another heist to steal Forge’s riches and get Edgins’ daughter back, for which they must assemble a crew and go on a bunch of side missions to get some funky magical artefacts to help their efforts.

I love that Holga plays the muscle of the team, tearing her way through bad guys big and small. I love that Michelle Rodriguez finally seems to be getting her blockbuster due rather than being relegated to the sidelines. I also love that Chris Prine continues to be the rare movie star that’s happy to play second fiddle to female characters, first in Wonder Woman and now here. If anything, he gets his ass kicked far more than kicking much ass himself. Also on the team is the inept young sorcerer Simon (an endearing Justice Smith armed with an oddly charming bad British accent) and shape-shifting druid Doric (Sophia Lillis).

Less effective and more confounding is Paladin warrior dude Xenk, played by Bridgerton’s Jean Rege Page (Hollywood seems really committed to making him happen, despite shaky results). With Xenk, I think the movie intends to highlight just how dull righteous-do-gooder action heroes tend to be, but it doesn’t entirely commit to the idea, leaving him somewhere between spoof and sincere. It doesn’t help that Rene doesn’t seem to be entirely in on the joke.

Despite two hours of watching the group travel to new kingdoms, towns and terrains, the film’s world-building is lazy and vague, offering us no real sense of place amidst its blur of nondescript sets, castles and forests. But I guess that’s to be excused given that the makers are going for punchline-landing over world-building. Giggles over geography. Sniggers over setting. You get the point. Where Dungeons And Dragons’ imagination does come alive, however, is through its wonderfully weird monsters. Whether it’s the Owlbears (bear with the head of an owl) or Intellect Devourers – funky brain-looking creatures that are drawn to attack the most intelligent in a group. These are cool creatures and creepy crawlies created by visual effects that look like they belong to a previous decade. But that oddly works in favour of the film’s anything-for-a-laugh irreverence.

That being said, the movie doesn’t quite rise to the ranks of the fantasy and sci-fi action comedy hall of fame alongside the likes of Deadpool and Guardians Of The Galaxy, and I kept trying to unpack why that is. I think it’s because this film uses comedy more than entirely being a comedy through and through. Here, jokes are a device to make the blockbuster-ness more palatable, but they aren’t built into the DNA of the film. Comedy isn’t, for example, built into the action scenes, but rather used to separate the various set pieces and keep things moving along. Hence, more Red Notice and less Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Nonetheless, Dungeons And Dragons: Honour Among Thieves remains a great time at the movies. A light-hearted breezy blockbuster that keeps the laughs coming. At a time when Hollywood is drowning in superheroes and exhausting Marvel vs DC discourse, a fun standalone blockbuster featuring tubby dragons desperately in need of a diet might just be the need of the hour.