Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ★★★☆☆
When your D&D party is more dysfunctional than the monsters they’re fighting.
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” takes us on a classic fantasy heist that feels like someone took the chaos of a D&D campaign and turned it into a summer blockbuster. Edgin (Chris Pine), a bard with charm but not much brawn, and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian who could probably bench-press an orc, lead a ragtag group of misfits. Their mission? Steal a magical relic, save Edgin’s daughter, and stop a villainous former ally, Forge (Hugh Grant, at his smarmy best). Naturally, things go wildly off the rails, involving shapeshifting druids, insecure sorcerers, and a dragon who looks like it’s been living off a diet of entire buffets.
On its surface, the film is a romp through fantasy land with spell-slinging, sword fights, and undead minions. But it’s really about teamwork, found family, and that ever-reliable theme: redemption. Edgin’s quest isn’t just to rescue his daughter or nab treasure; it’s about finding a new sense of purpose after losing everything. The film also toys with the idea of leadership, as Edgin—a bard, not exactly known for heroics—has to lean on his friends to get through. It’s refreshingly self-aware without taking itself too seriously, offering winks to D&D fans without excluding newcomers.
Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley hit the sweet spot between epic and goofy. The film’s visual style is colorful and lively, full of practical effects where it counts—especially in fun sequences like raising corpses for quick Q&A sessions. However, the CGI sometimes falters, especially when magic is involved. It’s not the most polished fantasy world you’ll see (Forge’s city looks like a video game backdrop from 2005), but the vibrant costumes and creatures—like the scene-stealing dragon—keep things entertaining. You’ll find plenty of familiar fantasy landscapes, but don’t expect the grandeur of “The Lord of the Rings.” This one’s more like the fun cousin who shows up to family gatherings with wild stories and zero follow-through.
Chris Pine’s Edgin is the sarcastic, lovable rogue, leaning into the role with a “hey, I’m just winging it” kind of charm. Michelle Rodriguez delivers what you’d expect: fists of fury and little emotional nuance, but it works. Regé-Jean Page’s paladin, Xenk, provides some of the best laughs by playing it dead serious—his self-righteous, no-nonsense heroism is a perfect foil to the group’s chaos. Hugh Grant is, unsurprisingly, a delight as the backstabbing Forge, oozing villainy with a mischievous twinkle. Justice Smith as the bumbling sorcerer Simon and Sophia Lillis as Doric, a shapeshifting druid, round out the cast with solid performances, but Pine and Grant are the real scene-stealers.
At 139 minutes, the movie should feel bloated, but it doesn’t—at least, not most of the time. Sure, there are a few lulls when the crew is bouncing from plan A to plan B to C (and then back to A), but the constant banter, action, and heist planning keep it moving at a decent clip. However, by the end, you may start to feel a little fatigue as yet another twist or magic trick is thrown in, just because it’s a D&D movie and “hey, why not?”
Now, I didn’t come into this movie expecting my heartstrings to be tugged—this is Dungeons & Dragons, not Shakespeare—but there’s something oddly touching about the misfit crew. Edgin’s realization that he’s been trying to resurrect his dead wife for selfish reasons is surprisingly deep for a movie with a chubby dragon waddling through tunnels. It made me think of how often we chase things from the past, ignoring the present. Not exactly what I expected to take away from a movie like this, but hey, stranger things have happened.
For fans of the game, this movie is a feast of Easter eggs, in-jokes, and all the glorious absurdity you could hope for. For everyone else? It’s a fun fantasy heist that doesn’t require a D&D handbook to enjoy. The mix of action, humor, and heart will appeal to casual viewers, though hardcore fantasy fans might find the world-building a bit thin. Overall, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is a fun ride, but much like a D&D game night, how much you enjoy it might depend on your tolerance for chaos.
It’s not rolling a critical hit, but it’s far from a nat 1. Fun, flawed, and ultimately worth the watch.
