Movie Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

I have never played Dungeons and Dragons. I think it is interesting, and I have a lot of respect for the players who make a character and play games that last years. I am not sure my ADHD would allow me to sit through the marathon sessions that most players participate in. I have a friend who is one of these people, and he was excited about the new movie, "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves." It looked fun, but I was not rushing to see the movie alone.

A thief (Chris Pine) and his group go on a quest to retrieve a magical item to help them rob the man who double-crossed them.

Let's get this out of the way now. You need not know anything about the game to enjoy the movie. This is not a movie that delves into the lore of the source material in depth so as to leave the general audience member confused.

My second favorite part of this movie was the action sequences. There is one that is essentially a heist in reverse that I love. Our heroes have to sneak something into a wagon carrying treasure, and it is one of the more creative sequences I have seen on film.

If the action was number two, what was number one? The use of practical effects. A big-budget studio movie could have gone with all computer-generated effects but chose not to. One scene, in particular, stands out. The group is searching for someone to guide them to an item they need and find him in this town. A giant fish is on a dock, and the man in question pulls a child cat person out of the fish's mouth and hands it to the mother. The fish and both cat-people were practical puppets and people wearing prosthetics. It was refreshing to see a movie that did not rely solely on computers for the special effects.

As someone who knows almost nothing about D&D, I had a ton of fun watching this. It has something for fans and non-fans alike. My friend was able to catch all the references and easter eggs, and I was able to sit back and enjoy the adventure story.

7 out of 10

Rated PG-13 for fantasy action/violence and some language.

2hrs. 14min