Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Nonstop epic fantasy adventure game packed with action, humour and heart! One of the biggest surprises and the funniest movie of the year. There hasn't been a better fantasy film since Warcraft and LotR! I've never played D&D, but it has the feel of any other RPG and that was plenty enough for me to enjoy on the big screen. We've got a likeable bunch of main characters. Chris Pine as lead is admittedly the most redundant as he has no special abilities, but then again he takes care of the humor and he does it well. Michelle Rodriguez has probably the most interesting role here, she is the strongest of all, so she takes care of the contact fights. Justice Smith is a proper magician, but he just needs a good work out to become a full-fledged Mage. Sophia Lillis the druid has a great shapeshifter ability and a delight as well Regé-Jean Page as Paladin was the best fighter and again brought another funny element to the film, shame he didn't get more space. I also liked the villain. Hugh Grant was ordinary, but Daisy Head as the Magus was was really good. The film impresses with a very frantic pace, where it doesn't get boring for a moment, rushes forward like a Shinkansen, has great playful visuals and very good CGI. The action scenes may be smaller, but they are well shot with decent choreography. The fat dragon and the final maze were great. (A promise of a more epic battle perhaps in the eventual sequels?). I must also praise the script, which managed to surprise a few times. Some of the plans and contrivances are very intelligently thought out and playful. The humor is a great draw, where I laughed in good taste almost the entire film – the graveyard scene had me in stitches. If that wasn’t enough, the emotions work too – the whole theater had a tear at the end and I honestly can't remember a fantasy film where the comedy, drama, action and the characters work. A full Package as it should be. I want to see it again immediately and let the second part be on its way. 9/10. (04/04/2023)

It rarely happens that a movie from which I don't expect much pleasantly surprises me to the point of being thrilled. This time, the Americans nailed it and created a genuinely high-quality fantasy, which I love encountering in gaming worlds. The story was well constructed, the acting performances were not wasted, the dialogue had a nice touch of humor, and the action scenes didn't offend me with how they were handled (nor did they lack humor). Hugh Grant's role as the almost arch-villain fit him very well. I missed some blood and unanchored parts of human anatomy here because they are inseparable from the genre. This way, it was almost like a fairytale. A professionally done fairytale. Finally, I know how it would turn out if an owl had sex with a bear after a wild forest party. If you're not a fantasy fan, this may not be the movie for you, but I enjoyed it, and I feel obliged to give it five stars. / "You're getting better. You didn't fly as far." / Lesson learned: Never interfere between a warrior and her potato. (07/01/2023)

A thoroughly easy-going feel good fantasy flick that manages to entertain with its sappy humour, charm with its typical characters and surprise with its simple action. It's a bit rushed, because a world like this simply wouldn't fit into one film, it’s more appropriate for a serial format, but as a basis the film works well. To cement it more firmly in my memory so I won’t just remember it as “that good fantasy flick”, the film needs a spectacular battle of armies, and I'm also slightly bothered by the sloppiness of the script and a few sketchy details, but otherwise I had a good time and since the fantasy genre is almost dead nowadays, a quality Dungeons & Dragons definitely deserves a fourth star. (03/27/2023)

Excellent stuff! The jokes, the visual effects, the twists, everything works to perfection. The smart script and the pinpoint direction of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are supported by great performances. The perfect chemistry of the protagonists, comparable to Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, pulls the whole film forward. Chris Pine is great, he truly enjoys his role as a Harper, and in the strongly dramatic sequences he doesn’t leave a single eye dry. Michelle Rodriguez as the female version Conan the Barbarian is having an incredible career comeback. The heists, the exploration, the rescues and the fights are executed with incredible wit and inventiveness. Balfe's music is top-notch. This is something you can count with almost any time, and I am already looking forward to watching it again. (04/01/2023)

A perfect blend of fantasy and comedy, the likes of which we rarely see these days. It's packed with nods to legendary games like Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Neverwinter Nights, stirring up a huge wave of nostalgia. The creators really nailed it. The story is solid, set in a wonderfully crafted D&D world, overflowing with ideas that almost made my head spin. Missing even a second would mean missing out on another brilliant concept, as the film delivers one after another in rapid succession. This film is an absolute blast, with characters you’ll love and one of the most fantastical cinematic rides in recent years. An absolute gem! (10/23/2023)