Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a 2023 fantasy comedy film written/directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Vacation, Game Night, Vacation Friends, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Horrible Bosses, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and In the Dark). It was co-written by Michael Gilio (Jolene and Kwik Stop). It’s been in development since 2013. The budget was $150 million and it grossed $208.2 million worldwide at the box office!!!!
Before imprisonment, bard Edgin Darvis (played by: Chris Pine from Star Trek franchise, Smokin’ Aces, Wonder Woman franchise, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Hell or High Water, and Don’t Worry Darling) served as a member of the Harpers, an order of peacekeepers, until disciples of a Red Wizard he had arrested killed his wife. Accompanied by barbarian Holga Kilgore (played by: Michelle Rodriguez from The Fast and Furious franchise, Machete franchise, Resident Evil franchise, and Avatar), Edgin attempted to make a new life for himself and his daughter Kira (played by: Chloe Coleman from 65, Avatar: The Way of Water, and My Spy) by turning to theft, teaming with amateur sorcerer Simon Aumar (played by: Justice Smith from Jurassic World franchise and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu), rogue conman Forge Fitzwilliam (played by: Hugh Grant from The Gentlemen, Operation Fortune, Glass Onion, Nine Months, and About a Boy), and Forge’s mysterious acquaintance Sofina (played by: Daisy Head from Wrong Turn, Underworld: Blood Wars, and Ophelia).
While raiding a Harper stronghold, Edgin attempted to steal a “Tablet of Reawakening” to resurrect his wife, but he and Holga were captured while their accomplices escaped. After two years’ imprisonment in arctic Revel’s End, the pair, unaware they have been pardoned, escape to Neverwinter and learn Forge has become Lord there after its prior lord fell mysteriously incapacitated. Forge has been taking care of Kira, convincing her that Edgin’s selfish greed led to his arrest. It is revealed that Sofina is a Red Wizard. They meet up with Simon’s former crush Doric (played by: Sophia Lillis from Gretel & Hansel, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, Asteroid City, and IT) who can shapeshift. The band of misfits are forced to work together to achieve their own separate goals. They get the help of a teleportation staff obtained from Holga’s halfling ex-husband Marlamin (played by: Bradley Cooper from A Star Is Born, The Mule, Silver Linings Playbook, Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Avengers franchise, and The Hangover trilogy), they are attacked by Thayan assassins sent by Sofina. Xenk (played by: Regé-Jean Page from The Gray Man, Mortal Engines, and Bridgerton) fights off the assassins and helps the group escape from Themberchaud. They all must trust each other enough to battle these evil forces that are trying to stop them in their journey. Can they pull it off????
Dungeons & Dragons has always been pretty popular with a certain group of people and it’s kinda expanded over the years. Honor Among Thieves tries to be completely different compared to the original D and D films. The production design, locations, costumes, fx, and score are all high quality here. The script is solid but I feel like it tries way too hard to be funny at times and I honestly kinda wish Honor Among Thieves is a little more serious at times. Dungeons and Dragons seemed to be crafted specifically for lead actor Chris Pine with sarcastic humor approach that he usually brings to his characters. He is really good here, then again like I said before this role was definitely written for him so he’s in his comfort zone when it comes to acting. It’s great to see Michelle Rodriguez in back to back big movies this year (Fast X) because she hasn’t done much lately. She’s a bad ass and her chemistry with Pine is great in this. Hugh Grant typically would be a really strange choice for the villain but since it’s so comedy heavy it actually works here. As he gets older, he’s been doing all kinds of different material which is nice to see. Yes, this is comedy so it fits but at the same time playing a bad guy is very different from his usual roles so it really shows his acting range here. Honor Among Thieves has a very solid supporting cast that includes Chloe Coleman, Justice Smith, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, Daisy Head, and Bradley Cooper. This one has a decent amount of action. It’s a very fun and entertaining movie, it’s worth checking out. It’s available on Paramount Plus right now for streaming, RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s discuss the high definition presentation from Paramount Pictures! This 2160p (2.39:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 looks fantastic in 4K. This is one of the better looking UHD discs of the year when it comes to the home video. It loaded with a variety of different audio options that includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1, and Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1 on this 4K. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the action has a killer boost to it, and the music on this is elevated. It also has various subtitles that includes English, English SDH, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, and Swedish. This is a great technical release from Paramount Pictures!!!!!
Let’s talk about the special features from Paramount Pictures! “From Dice to Dragons: Honoring the Lore” is a little over 11 minutes. It has interviews with the cast and crew. They chat about the classic game and their own personal experiences with it. They talk about adding a more of comedic take on the classic. “Rogues’ Gallery: The Heroes of Dungeons & Dragons” is a little over 11 minutes. This one dives into the main characters of Honor Among Thieves, “Fantastic Foes” is a little over 7 minutes. This one is an UHD exclusive, I wonder if more studios are going to start doing this to push this format. It really hasn’t been done much yet by others. This focuses on the villains for Dungeons and Dragons. “The Bestiary” is almost 10 minutes and it’s another UHD exclusive to this home video release. It shows some of the creatures and monsters from the production. “Forging the Forgotten Realms” is a little over 8 minutes. This is also exclusive to the 4K disc. It highlights the set pieces and locations plus the production design for Honor Among Thieves. “Broadswords, Battleaxes & Badass Brawls” is almost 9 minutes. This is an inside look into some of the action and stunts from the film. The “Gag Reel” is almost 7 minutes and it has some hilarious moments in there. Almost 11 minutes of “Deleted and Extended Scenes” which Includes: Gorg’s Arrival, Ice Breaker, Harassing Holga, Eating Ash, Harper’s Sanctuary, and Corpse 6. This release is packed with extras. Everything is pretty much covered here. It also has a slipcover and a digital copy. It’s streaming on Paramount Plus right now. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
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