Now I really did enjoy this, but let's not for a moment pretend that it has much originality to it. We start with a scene borrowed from "Jurassic Park" (1993) before getting introduced to the wise-cracking "Edgin" (Chris Pine) who has been incarcerated in an impregnable prison with his pal "Holga" (Michelle Rodriguez). They're at a sort of parole board hearing awaiting the arrival of "Jarnathan" for whom they have a rather surprising use! What now follows in an exciting and quickly paced series of escapades that sees our escapees try to reconcile with his daughter "Kira" (Chloe Coleman) whom they left in the capable - they thought - hands of their pal "Forge" (Hugh Grant). It turns out that he has his own agenda, and together with the mysterious "Sofina" (Daisy Head) is working on a plan to garner untold riches. That latter creature, though, has her own agenda too - a much more malevolent and dastardly one. "Edgin" and "Holga" have to find a magical helmet in order to spring his daughter and so recruiting the rather hapless sorceror "Simon" (Justice Smith) and the shape-shifting "Doric" (Sophia Lillis) set off in search of the legendary warrior "Xenk" (Regé-Jean Page) and perilous adventures beckon. This actually works well as an entertaining, episodic, collection of short stories that pitch our heroes agains a wonderfully chubby dragon, some dead but undead soldiers and along the way treats us to bits of "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by way of "Maze Runner". "Robin Hood" and some stunningly presented magical duels worthy of Edgar Allan Poe. There is plenty of pith in the script - a bit of sarcasm never goes wrong; the cast genuinely seem to be having fun as their quest lurches from the frying pan to the fire each time and there is a suitably conniving effort from Grant to top it all off and keep us interested. I was a little disappointed in Page. He doesn't really have so much to do, and features rather sparingly - but Pine shows something of his versatility as an actor (perhaps not so much with his lute) and the whole thing delivers an amusing ensemble effort that passes 2¼ hours predictably, but nonetheless enjoyably. I could have done with more dragons and sorcery, but the visual effects are still put to good use to support a character-led, light-hearted, drama that is really only worth seeing on a big screen. This is good fun - and they even spelled "honour" properly in the title!

The numerous manuals on my shelves for 1st to 5e speak volumes of my familiarity with the game, as does the novels I own, and the numerous D&D computer games I've played, so I was ecstatic seeing the places, people, and creatures I know very well. I've heard others who have played the game say they wished they had done a movie about characters like Elminster, Drizzt Do'Urden, or Alias instead. While they would have been nice to see, those characters are from the lore not the game. What I was more hoping for was that the characters in this movie felt like the characters the players play, the adventures they go on, and the antics they get themselves into. This movie felt like that in spades, and it was an absolute joy to see. I watched this and was constantly reminded of the crazy things I did as a player or watched others do as their DM, and more importantly the fun we had playing the game we all loved. This is why I give it my highest recommendation to all others who have played the game, and especially to those who have not so they may see for themselves what Dungeons & Dragons is really about. 8/10

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a great movie that strikes a perfect balance between high fantasy and comedy. The screenplay for the movie was pretty average in terms of the overall plot, but the individual story beats and set pieces really carried the movie forward. What makes the screenplay stand out is the creativity behind each character, giving them interesting scenes and moments to shine. The dialogue was sharp and witty, filled with great laughs throughout. However, some of the comedy was very generic, with jokes and physical comedy that have been done a dozen times over. The performances in the film were very solid, with Chris Pine stealing the show as the lead. Pine was extremely witty and charismatic, with excellent comedic timing. Michelle Rodriguez, while playing a pretty flat character, had incredible action scenes. Rege-Jean Page was a standout in every scene he was in, with over-the-top and hilarious moments that left me in stitches. Justice Smith, who hasn't been one of my favorite actors, did well here as a great comedic character. Sophia Lillis, while not getting a ton of time to shine in terms of her acting chops, was amazing in her action set pieces, especially in the long sequence where her character shape shifts while escaping from the castle. The direction of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was surprisingly stellar. The action was sharp and well-choreographed, with minimal cuts allowing the audience to really get a larger grasp of what was happening. The film balanced comedy and high fantasy elements really well. While the shots weren't overly creative, the movie looked fantastic with beautiful landscapes and above-average CGI. In conclusion, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a great movie that exceeded my expectations. With a creative screenplay, solid performances, and fantastic direction, it deserves to be seen on the big screen. Score: 82% Verdict: Great

**_Rebooting the sword & sorcery series with Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez_** A former member of the Harpers turned thief (Pine) amasses a group of unique individuals in order to acquire a magic relic, The Helm of Disjunction, and get his daughter back from a conman Lord (Hugh Grant) and his Red Wizard accomplice (Daisy Head). The adventurers include a barbarian (Rodriguez), an amateur sorcerer (Justice Smith), a shape-changing tiefling (Sophia Lillis) and a noble paladin (Regé-Jean Page). "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023) reboots the trilogy that ran from 2000-2012. It’s easily the best film on a technical level but, story-wise, I prefer the previous two, “Wrath of the Dragon God” (2005) and “The Book of Vile Darkness” (2012), which are more serious. Like the first one from 2000, it telegraphs from the get-go that it's not to be taken too seriously. If you can roll with the campy air, it’s an amusing throwaway fantasy flick. Imagine the gaudiness of "Star Wars" (1977) if the story were transplanted to a Medieval-like kingdom where dragons & magic are reality and you'd have a good idea of what this movie has to offer. So, it’s a fun, entertaining adventure-fantasy with a good cast and the highlight of petite Sophia Lillis as the elf-like tiefling, but it’s overlong and needed more depth. Plus, there are too many glaring borrowings from other movies, like the frozen-land prison from “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” the bald witch-sorceress from “Conan the Barbarian” (2011), Magneto’s helmet from the “X-Men” flicks, bits from the “Thor” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, etc. The film runs 2 hours, 14 minutes, and was shot in Iceland and Northern Ireland. GRADE: B-/C+

Entertaining enough fantasy/adventure that features a fun script and seems accessible to both fans of D&D and those, like myself, who know very little about it. Also enjoyed the cast with Chris Pine showing his usual charisma and worked nicely opposite Michelle Rodriguez. Did lag a bit in the middle but the finale was good. **3.5/5**

What a fun film! Personally, I had a great time watching <em>'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'</em>! I know the general gist of the role-playing game that this is based upon but have never played/watched anything actually to do with it, so couldn't possibly comment on how accurate/whatever this is to that. I can, however, say that as a movie it gave me pretty much everything I wanted. It's nice to see these sorta fantasy adventure flicks, I felt this one did a terrific job at bringing its world to life. The score is also (as expected from Lorne Balfe) excellent, there's a neat <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSj9CwEfNIQ" rel="nofollow">end credits song</a> too. A ~134min run time could've been damaging, but is in fact the perfect length in my opinion - it flies by. The cast are ace! I do enjoy Chris Pine as an actor, predominantly thanks to <em>'<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/unstoppable-2010/" rel="nofollow">Unstoppable</a>'</em> with the great Denzel Washington, and he gives a convincing performance. I remember seeing one or two trailers for this way back and thinking that I thought the actors didn't seem all that 'into' their roles. Happy to say I was wrong! Michelle Rodriguez is fab as well, not that that was ever in doubt from <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-fast-and-the-furious-2001/" rel="nofollow">Letty Ortiz</a> herself. Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis are noteworthy positives, as are Hugh Grant and Regé-Jean Page. Bradley Cooper even manages to stick out in my memory in a very minor role. I genuinely came close to giving this a higher rating, that's how much I enjoyed it. Quality flick, one I hope gets a sequel.