Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: Movie Review

Cast: Chris Pine, Hugh Grant, Michelle Rodriguez, Daisy Head, Justice Smith, Rege-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, Daisy Head

Director: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley

With its tongue firmly in its cheek, but also with an eye on those embroiled in the love of the fantasy genre, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves manages to provide both fun and heart in a romp that's forgettable afterwards, but enjoyable while it's onscreen.

An engagingly charismatic Pine plays Edgin, a former thief who's conned by former ally Forge (Grant, in foppish English cad mode) and imprisoned for years after a heist gone wrong. Along with Holga (Rodriguez, all brawn and brass tacks), Edgin breaks out and sets out to reclaim his daughter - but as he assembles a ragtag group to carry out another heist, dark forces amass against him.

It can be hard to master the fripperies and flippancy of a fantasy comedy but for the large part, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves manages it quite well, even if the stakes feel depressingly low key at times and the world doesn't really stand out visually.

But by upending some of the tropes of the genre (a chubby dragon chase scene, playing fast and loose with the undead, mocking the serious characters such as Paladin in the board game), Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves manages to feel fresh and enjoyable.

In large part that's due to Chris Pine's raffish charm throughout, a leader who's probably got more in keeping with Chris Pratt's Starlord than Gandalf. In every scene, his mix of both weary and winking gives the movie an irreverent boost that it needs as it deals with very familiar situations.

While most of the other characters are relatively familiar (a magician who's lacking self-belief, a brutish warrior who has heart, an overly cocksure braggadocio), the film makes great fist of their quest and gives time with them a touch of heart as it ambles from one sequence to the next. Though, in truth, it could have shaved some of its 130 minute run time with some of the more baggier elements of the story.

There are many echoes of the Marvel world here (the character interaction, the CGI-led finale) but there's also an affinity to the genre it's from and the board game so beloved by many thanks to a resurgence from Stranger Things. (It's great to see a blink-and-you'll-missit visual nod to the cartoon series so enjoyed by many youngsters during the 80s as well).

It may be that Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' continual winking means that any peril in the final act feels a little underwhelming, but with a cast whose chemistry and charm come together so well and a deft touch throughout, this film rises above some of its more generic execution to ensure a perfectly impressive, likeable action comedy and amusing night out if you're willing to roll the dice.