Hugh Grant has become a well-oiled parody in comedies. Thanks to his brilliant work in “Paddington 2,” he knows how to play bad guys without breaking a sweat.
In “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” he heads down the same path but doesn’t quite goose it the way he could. He’s predictable – and that’s OK.
Like an “Indiana Jones”-era serial, “D&D” jumps from one crisis to another in an attempt to rescue Edgin Darvis’ daughter from the clutches of a grifter (Grant) eager to swell his coffers. To help him get the girl, Darvis (Chris Pine) calls on a friend, Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), a druid (Sophia Lillis) and a second-tier sorcerer (Justice Smith). Together, the group encounters all sorts of creatures (an owlbear, anyone?) secret hideaways and, yes, a rather nasty dragon.
While Pine is basically playing his “Wonder Woman” persona in another costume, there’s great fun to be had at Smith’s expense. He’s not exactly your father’s sorcerer but he does have a few tricks up his sleeve that come in quite handy when the folks are running from potential captors. There’s a portal concept that takes a bit of explanation to understand but, then, it’s just a matter of tossing it out there and seeing how the good guys can outdo the bad.
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Rege-Jean Page turns up as a savior of sorts but it’s never quite clear what his purpose is. (Game players might be more aware). He’s not the kind of character who turns on his new-found friends but he could easily be a link to yet another portal.
Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” has a “Swiss Family Robinson” quality that keeps audiences unsettled long enough to get the heroes to another level, if you will.
Discovery is 9/10ths of this law. When dad is sufficiently within spitting distance, he discovers his daughter (Chloe Coleman) isn’t all that eager to reunite. Grant’s Forge Fitzwilliam has been able to poison her against her dad. Even better? He has plenty of gold coins and real estate. Complicating matters: A friendship with Sofina (Daisy Head), a Red Wizard who is just as eager to make the rescuers disappear.
While “D&D” has plenty of interesting locations to investigate, no one stays in one place very long. When the rescuers are sent into an arena-sized maze, there are enough odd creatures to keep special effects wizards busy for a couple of years. Nothing looks particularly state-of-the-art. The film, in fact, owes more to Ray Harryhausen than anyone. (It’s in the same league, visually, as his ‘50s and ‘60s work and doesn’t really blaze new trails.)
Still, this is Saturday afternoon serial stuff, made entertaining by a script that thrives on wordplay and a sense of swagger.
It’s great fun, considering it’s built around a game, and it has potential to spawn more rounds. In Hollywood, that’s a real win.
Movie critic Bruce Miller says the special effects in “Dungeons and Dragons” are just so-so, but the script isn’t. This is an adventure that has plenty of laughs and a sense of purpose that makes it nobler than “The Lord of the Rings.”
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