Deceptions and distractions and daring adventure? Oh my!
That’s just the beginning of what’s in store for audiences at Paramount’s game-to-screen adventure Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves this weekend.
Loosely based on the 80s tabletop game popularized by devoted nerds worldwide, the movie Dungeons and Dragons revolves around a group of thieves (led by charmers Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez) on their quest to expose the plot of a friend-turned-foe (Hugh Grant), steal his treasure, and rescue one of their daughters from his clutches.
But what if you’ve never played the game, or gathered a distaste after playing with its complex rules? I’m pleased to say that if, like me, you’re not an already established fan, the story is entertaining simply as a medieval adventure story that’s surprisingly fun to watch.
You’ll notice none of the above characters are named, and that’s no accident. With the exception of young Kiera (Chloe Coleman), even after watching the film for more than two hours, I’m helpless remembering any of the confusing or pointlessly tongue-twisting names of any other character, object, spell or place.
Like many fantasy properties, both the movie and game Dungeons and Dragons feature unnecessarily complicated proper nouns. The good news is (unlike the game) the visual cues, faces and design on screen makes it easy to follow what’s going on and enjoy the story.
Fellow fantasy franchise Lord of the Rings is another great example of this: it’s a world rich in detail and lore, and über-fans who are emotionally invested will follow the names and descriptions. But the uninitiated can still come in without researching a doctorate thesis first and still understand enough to have fun watching the movie.
Because the best elements don’t connect to the source material, this isn’t really a Dungeons and Dragons movie at its core. But the actors are committed to the sincerity of the fantasy world and its action/adventure concept.
The rapscallion charm of leads Pine, Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant make the group an entertaining bunch to watch, too, and their commitment to the occasional silliness and dangerous stakes are the most compelling parts.
Everyone in the large celebrity cast is equally great - especially a surprise cameo from a nine-time Oscar nominee (who I won’t spoil here) in a hilariously sweet role.
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s tight, warm script is heavier on lore than it is nuance, but for a fast and fun blockbuster that’s perfectly suitable. What feel less so is how the tone and action would be most appealing to the grade school set, yet the dialogue is filled with numerous PG-13 expletives, so it’s hard to tell who the real target audience is.
Even so, It has all the things the title promises: there are dungeons, dragons, honour and thieves. There’s also dozens of those characters, settings, species and spells that are near-impossible to recall all the names of.
This kind story isn’t for me personally, but Dungeons and Dragons is a lot better than fantasy blockbusters normally get. Look at it less as the franchise starter it’s clearly positioned to be and instead as an old-school middle ages legend.
For the swashbuckling thieves, they learn what it means to succeed in the threat of repeated failure, and how one can confront their shortcomings and learn from their mistakes. That’s a moral worthy of a great legend about the honour among thieves, indeed.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
7 out of 10
PG, 2hrs 15mins. Adventure Fantasy.
Written and Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Daisy Head, Regé-Jean Page, Chole Coleman and Hugh Grant.
Now Playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, 5 Drive-In, Cineplex Winston Churchill and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
