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 (042023)
The current Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was the last movie that I
wanted to see because for me it automatically had two big two strikes against
it. First, it was based on the long standing RPG (Role Playing Game), and I
generally hate all films based on games and toys (such as Resident Evil, Tomb
Raider or Transformers). And secondly, the first Dungeons and Dragons film from
2000 was just terrible. However, I eventually gave in and decided to see it for
three reasons: the five-dollar day screening at Chicago Ridge Theatre fit my
schedule; it got mostly positive reviews; and most of all the trailer was eye
catching and engaging. As it turns out the whole film was unexpectedly
entertaining, and it almost combines comedy, adventure and fantasy together as
well as Lady Hawke or The Princess Bride.
The film is excellent from a technical standpoint. It has fine special effects
and nearly as much visual inventiveness as any of the Sam Raimi Evil Dead
films, I especially love the owl bear and the book with huge fangs that chases
after people. It also has effective direction and writing by two people known
primarily for their TV work: Jonathan Michael Goldsein (who wrote the Geena
Davis show and New Adventures of Old Christine) and John Francis Daley (who had
regular roles in Bones and Freaks and Geeks.)
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves concerns a very disparate book of
misfits that band together to obtain an immortal totem and overthrow an evil
tyrant: Lord Fitzwilliam, who took over the land of Neverwinter. The mission and
characters are often comparable to the reluctant heroes of Guardians of the
Galaxy films, and the film often matches those films in both wit and quality.
The tyrant Lord Fitzwilliam (played quite effectively by Hugh Grant) reminded me
of the Grandmaster character from Guardians of the Galaxy because he profits
from other people fighting in an arena. Grant is perfect for this kind of smug,
privileged and unlikable character. He was also a great obnoxious higher-class
villain in Paddington.
Chris Pine, who plays Edgin Darvis, is a character not too far removed from his
Kirk interpretation. Evans is quite good at playing an action/adventure hero and
he has some of the roguish charm of a young Errol Flynn. His portrayal of Darvis
tracks very closely with Flynn's classic Robin Hood or his lesser known Captain
Blood (one off my dad’s favorite films). In this film he does not have much
battle prowess, but he is a great strategist, and he always knows the best
action to take (he has also had incredible luck.) His character wants to
resurrect his late wife and retrieve his daughter who is staying with the
tyrant.
One of the additional reasons I wanted to see the film is because of Michelle
Rodriguez who is well known for her roles in exploitation/action films where she
is often much better than her material. She's best known for her roles in the
Fast and the Furious films, but I l found her work in Girl Fight, Machete, and
Battle Angel: Alita
more impressive. Here she is the brave, Holga Kilgore who has complete mastery
of the sword as a weapon. Because of her attitude and appearance and skills she
bears some resemblance to the Xena Warrior Princess, Marvel U’s the Valkyrie and
Belit the pirate queen from the Conan stories. In one of the film’s most
humorous scenes she reacts with shock when she finds out that her weak and
fragile ex has married a giantess.
Sophie Little is the plucky, horned Doric who is called a tiefling druid, but
her power to change into different animals makes her more reminiscent of
Changeling/Beast Boy from the Teen Ttitans than any member of an ancient UK
religious group. She has her own agenda and wants to take out the villain Lord Firzsimmons because he cut down the forests where her people lived for profit,
she is also the one who turns into an owl/bear, and she is pursued romantically
by one of the other members of the group,
The final member of the crew is Simon Auman (Justice Smith), a scrawny Loki like
half elf who has some mastery over sorcery. His main flaw is his complete lack
of confidence, and it is the main reason why the young, woman he had pursued,
Doric has rejected him. As he gets more confidence, he begins to do magic better
and Edgin Darvis always tries to elevate his spirit.
The film suffers from what I call "Chris Claremont Syndrome" because all the female
protagonists are almost unbelievably perfect and goddess like while all the male
protagonists are much more flawed, ordinary, and, in this case, (with one
exception) much poorer combatants. Don’t get me wrong I was a big fan of
Claremont's initial X-Men, however that trope of the perfect female fighter
permeated his work then and this movie now.
But overall, the film is lively, energetic, invigorating and loads of fun.
Although it was released in spring it would have been a perfect summer
blockbuster. Even people like me that don’t care much for games, will find
much to admire in it.
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