Treasure, Turmoil, Thievery: D&D Movie Review
The other day, my friends and I went to see the movie Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves. Honestly, I was surprised that the theater was so empty and the session was really less. Maybe because John Wick is also in theaters but still... Because the movie is a really good movie. I think this might be because the wizards of the coast company has been in a bad relationship with the fans lately. But that's not the point and I am someone who plays dungeons and dragons with my friends for fun. We have been playing dnd for years and I consider myself a moderate DM.
We went to the movie to have fun and we wondered if they showed what was happening in the dnd world. There were some things among our expectations, frankly, it was already clear in the trailers that there would be some classes shown. I could guess that they showed how powerful the Druid was, but I would never have guessed that the Bard would be shown extremely weak.
I can say that I liked the movie in general. I can give a score between 7/10 and 8/10 at some point. This is actually a good number because the only series I gave a 10 is the Lord of The Rings Trilogy. So the movie was entertaining and also an introduction for newcomers to the dnd. I also enjoyed the jokes. Now let's analyze it in detail.
Plot, Acting and Casting
It was really good to start with the direct motivation of our characters. It was nice to see that these thieves that fate had somehow brought together were not just randomly stealing things for money. That's what the movie is about, actually most of the characters here are trying to regain and discover a part of their own lives. And for that they have to commit a theft.
At the beginning of the movie, I was expecting their past to be a fake lie, because the character Bard, when he was telling about his past, made me think that he has a tendency to lie. But the actor Chris Pine did a great job. Not only because he's a really charismatic guy, but you can see that he's really invested in the role. I don't know how much the other actors have to do with the dnd, but I think they played their roles well. Even though we have ties with the fantasy world, even though we know that world, some actors don't know this world, so they can even misuse their facial expressions. But there was nothing like that in this movie. The cast was successful.
! Spoiler alert: The wizard,the BBEG (big bad evil guy) at the scene of the robbery has to be at least level 17 to cast Time Stop, which means epic and incredible power. I expected her to kill the party all easily, but then it wouldn't be a movie. Maybe she couldn't kill the druid?, but still... Time stop is a level 9 spell and there's no way around it. There is no such thing as a level 10 spell, at least in the 5th edition. That would be one thing I would criticize in the movie. The final fight with the wizard was okay but she fell quickly imo.
The Worldbuilding is Rich
The worldbuilding was done exceptionally and really well, and it felt like we were watching our own dungeons and dragons games come to life on the screen. The landscapes were breathtaking, not all of them but most of them, and the attention to detail in the sets and costumes was impressive. The armor pieces.. was great to be honest. This is why it is 8/10.
The movie felt like it was set in a world similar to that of Lord of the Rings, with lush forests, dark caverns, and imposing fortresses. The history of the world felt immense like I dont know nothing but at the same time they showed as a lot of pieces from different factions. Like wood elves. I was not expecting to see few minutes of them but still get the idea.
One of the things that stood out was the use of magic in the movie. First of all, I love LOW MAGIC. This was HIGH MAGIC WORLD because there was epic 9th level (highest level in the 5th edition dnd game) spell cast. The spells and magical abilities were shown in a way that felt powerful and mostly similar as written in dungeons and dragons tabletop game, and it was exciting to see how the characters utilized their abilities in battle.
Source / Fair Use
Cover art of Honor Among Thieves: The Druid's Call from here
Artist/photographer
Alice Duke
Aesthetics and Details, High Magic in the World Affected the Visual Effects
The plot of the movie may be considered a little weak by some, like me and my friends, becasuse our stories at the table are far more deep and dense, but the importance of family and group relationships shown really good. That is why it is 7/10. The plot was okay.
Obviously, everyone already knew that the druid was an extremely powerful class. It was very good that it was shown this way in the movie. I was surprised that he failed in some scenes, but of course they also showed well that the only person who can oppose him is the wizard. Sophia Lillis, who plays the druid character Doric, reflected the naivety but power in her character very well.
Although in some scenes the effects were a bit different and felt out of place due to the high magic in the world, I still enjoyed watching the movie visually. Some of the landscapes were so beautiful that I even wished they had shown more of them. The streets, the details of the cities and the lives of the people, which we wish they had turned the camera a little more to the left so that we could see a different part of them, were enjoyable to see. For example; Michelle Rodriguez playing Helga, gave a good performance for showing the characters passion for the family, trying to find a new home shown really well.
As you can see, the rotten tomato score is in the %90s. I think that's one point too many, because there are so many characters that it's hard to empathize with the characters in the movie. That's one of the biggest reasons, but nevertheless, they showed the motivation of all of them in a good way.
Sometimes in dungeons and dragons games, motivation is very difficult to find. That's what the movie accomplished and did a good job of showing motivations.
Overall it was an enjoyable movie. I can say that it is a good entry-level movie for friends who want to get to know Dungeons and Dragons. I don't think friends who have been playing dnd for a long time and enjoy very long campaigns like me will give this movie a very high score.
I recommend it if you are looking for a pleasant movie to have a good time and have fun.
Thank you very much for reading. You can find the trailer of the movie below, the movie is still in theaters right now!. See you soon!