Below is our original review for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

If you don’t like the new D&D movie, you don’t like fun.

There! I said it.

I saw the film last night, and it is a blast. More than that, it’s competent! Well crafted, well intentioned, and one of the best adventure films I’ve seen in recent years.

I’m gonna keep this review short and sweet, so let’s get the biggest question out of the way: Do you have to be a Dungeons and Dragons fan to enjoy this movie?

Absolutely not. Like most adaptations, you’ll have a greater appreciation for it if you’re familiar with the source material, but you need know nothing before entering the theatre. I should know! Am I a D&D player? Yes, but a very new one, so while some original D&D elements went over my head, it did nothing to diminish my understanding or enjoyment of the film. Because this is a film first and foremost, not a tabletop session, and it knows where its priorities lie.

When it comes to adventure films, I really only ask for two things: first, that the adventure is enjoyable. I mean duh. I know what I’m paying for, and that’s to see heads bashing and spells flying and maybe a good explosion or two. And the film delivers. The fight choreography is fantastic, and I need to give a special shoutout to the sound designers on this film, because you feel every punch and slice and blast like nothing else.

But secondly, when it comes to action films, I’m always hoping for at least a decent emotional investment, and here it’s more than decent. You wanna know what separates the good from the great with adventure movies? The same thing that separates all good and great films: a reason to care for our characters and what they’re going through.

And the movie gets us to care in the most D&D way possible: good ol’ exposition dumps. That’s a lie, this film is slightly more sophisticated than that, but while exposition is normally a red flag in film, when you remember this is a movie based on a tabletop roleplaying game, the execution of that and several other elements add a layer of mindful irony that’s entertaining instead of lazy. I’ll put it this way: at any point in the film you can imagine this is a campaign being played around the table, and everything makes sense.

And it maintains that sense of focus and awareness throughout its runtime.

This is a fantasy quest movie, and it’s character driven for once! Our adventurers don’t have a task shoved on them, they have a mission that they want to accomplish for themselves, and we as the audience want to see them succeed because they want to succeed.

One of my favorite things about this movie is the structure: so many adventure films get bogged down in layers of side questing that you forget why we’re even watching. Honor Among Thieves, however, keeps its plot and terms of victory grounded and memorable. There were several times during the show when I asked myself “why are we doing this?” and I could immediately answer myself “well, A needs to happen so we can achieve B and win.” Simple. None of the convoluted nonsense that most writers include to shoehorn in Easter eggs or unrelated content.

And the way these characters achieve their missions, how they overcome obstacles, is so creative and genuinely Dungeons and Dragons-esque in a way most adventuring parties are known to think. As a D&D fan, you hear these crazy stories of players concocting fantastic solutions to the problems they face, and that same level of cleverness is on full display throughout this film.

And the humor. My goodness is there humor. Every joke lands, and most have a double meaning if you’re in the know. Whether that’s characters being played to perfection within their archetype, or a glance from one person to another that is to silently say “Yeah dude, I don’t have that on my spell list;” and wonderfully hysterical references to earlier occurrences that you know is the in-world equivalent of players learning from session to session. If the problem solving in this film is uniquely D&D, the comedy is even more so.

The last thing I wanna mention about this film is how much it respects its audience. It’s confident in its script and editing, and doesn’t need to spoon-feed us information. It doesn’t highlight every reference it makes like “THE THING! DID YOU SEE THE THING? WE DID THE THINGI” Like no, we get it, especially if you play the game which, let’s be real, most people going to see this film have. This isn’t an anime where they need to call out every spell, but they use spells D&D players will recognize. And that’s not just with plot devices or ported mechanics, but with the emotional arcs of the characters as well. The editing really carries this film, every character’s struggle and them overcoming their flaws unfolds naturally and without the need to draw undue attention to it. There are callbacks made in match cuts and focused shots alone, and the payoff to everything setup in Act I comes full circle. No loose ends, no sequel setup, just a solid adventure film that knows what it is, what you want, and how to be absolutely brilliant.

I don’t go into films with expectations, but if you do, keep them high for this one. I really have nothing negative to say about this film: I’d watch it again tonight if I had the chance. If I had to rate it, I’d say Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is worth ten rare magic items and a Warlock familiar.

Honestly kinda want to do a full breakdown of this film because it’s so well layered, but that’ll have to be a different day. For now, thank you so much for watching. The support on the last few videos has been truly astounding, and I cannot thank you guys and gals enough. Remember to support good content and stay critical, friends.

In the meantime, I’ve been Jir0, you’ve been amazing, and I wish you only the best.

God bless you.