Since 1974 people have been rolling the dice playing the tabletop role-playing game known as Dungeons & Dragons. The fantasy game, with far-off realms to explore and made-up creatures to fight, allowed players to create their own adventure while working together as a team. The game became so successful, books were created and an animated television series was produced. While Dungeons & Dragons' popularity ebbed and flowed over the years, there have always been diehard fans waiting for the next adventure.
This March, thanks to Paramount Pictures, they were rewarded with a feature film called Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Starring Chris Pine (Star Trek Beyond) as Elgin Darvis, a Bard and former Harper whose wife was killed by a red wizard, The film was both a critical and box office success. As it ends its theatrical run, it becomes available this week for purchase on 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital.
Elgin, along with a barbarian named Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez; The Fast and The Furious Franchise), are banned together while working as thieves and raising Elgin's daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman; 65). When they team up with con artist Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant; Love Actually) to rob a castle, Elgin only agrees in order to get the Tablet of Reawakening to bring his wife back from the dead. Of course, the heist goes wrong and Elgin and Holga end up in an Arctic prison while Forge becomes Lord of Neverwinter. Once they escape the prison, they seek revenge on Forge while trying to regain the Tablet and Kira's love.
Pine and Rodriguez make an interesting pair but don't expect a romance as Elgin still loves his deceased wife and Holga still pines for her ex-husband. Grant has a knack for portraying charming yet evil villains and Forge is no exception. Even though she is only a teenager, Coleman does a great job and she is one to watch as an up-and-coming actress in Hollywood. Additionally, Sophia Lillis (It) is impressive as Doric, a shape-shifting Tiefling. Overall, directors John Francis Daley (Bones) and Jonathan Goldstein (Game Night) did an excellent job in choosing their cast.
While the Dolby Vision and 2160p resolution offer a clean and sharp picture quality, there is also a downside to such clarity. Many of the visual effects look very fake when watching the excellent quality provided by the latest technology. The colors pop and details are well-honed but the graphics are distracting and pull the viewer out of the story.
Additionally, the Dolby Atmos audio has both some upsides and some downsides. The dialogue and special effects are crisp and make use across all the speakers, However, a movie like Dungeons & Dragons has so much happening that some things get missed and the sound becomes a bit chaotic at times.
The extras give the viewer a healthy mix of features showcasing elements such as creating the creatures to fight training to some funny behind-the-scenes moments. The extras include: Dice to Dragons: Honoring the Lore, Rogues' Gallery: The Heroes of Dungeons & Dragons, Fantastic Foes, The Bestiary, Forging the Forgotten Realms, Gag Reel, Broadswords, Battle-axes & Badass Brawls, and Deleted and Extended Scenes.
Even if you weren't a D&D fan growing up, the movie has enough of a plot and sweet elements to make it good, clean, family fare that has something for every age group. As a stand-alone movie, Honor Among Thieves makes sense from start to finish. However, I know there are some "Easter eggs" thrown in for long-time D&D players to enjoy.
Paramount did a very good job bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life and I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a series of movies creating a newfound interest in everything related to Dungeons & Dragons. Better snag this title and start your own collection!
Grade: A-
