Whatever adventure films we get to watch these days, they either have lots of CGI or excessive action. The setting is either in the seas or in the near future; fantasy is no longer part of the plan. The movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, is just the film for you, which would take you to a different level with very little CGI, lots of humour and silliness, and an ample amount of fun.

Based on the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, the movie is the latest attempt to give the game a full-length feature film. Set in Forgotten Realms, it happens in a place called Neverwinter. Chris Pine, known for his role as James T Kirk in Star Trek and Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman films, stars as Edgin Darvis. A former member of the Harpers, he is accompanied by barbarian Holga Kilgore, played by Michelle Rodriguez, who helps in bringing up Edgin’s daughter, Kira.

They turn to thievery and form a successful team but after a failed attempt, are captured and jailed. Their partner, conman Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), Red Wizard Sofina, and Simon the sorcerer escape. Just before being captured, Edgin asked Forge to take care of his daughter as his own, but Forge has other ideas as he joins hands with Sofina who has crossed over to the dark side. .

With the passage of time, Kira starts to believe that her father wasn’t a good man and that’s what makes Edgin and Holga call their old team members and plan a heist. The only problem is that Edgin is only good at making plans, not at executing them; Simon Aumar the sorcerer, lacks confidence, and Doric, a member of a resistance group, distrusts humans.

Chris Pine is excellent as a charming thief, while Michelle Rodriguez as Kira’s caretaker is adorable. Holga’s action scenes are breathtaking and she is bad when disturbed while eating a hot potato. Veteran actor Hugh Grant’s role is an extension of Phoenix Buchanan from Paddington 2. With his captivating smile, he manages to fool the entire population and plans a safe exit. Our heroes had a different plan and this time, it is perfectly executed.

The 139-minute action-adventure film has been co-written and co-directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The duo had earlier co-written Spider-Man: Homecoming, still a favourite for the younger cinegoers. Dungeons and Dragons have dungeons and dragons, along with magic, a shape-shifting druid, talking corpses, and nice songs.

It is an entertaining family-friendly movie that would keep you on the edge of your seat and would remind you of Brendan Fraser-Rachel Weisz’s The Mummy franchise as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movie finally comes out as a befitting tribute to the game, which was lacking a proper film for decades.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 10th, 2023