‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Movie Rolls the 20-Sided Dice for Fun and Adventure

“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is rolling its way into homes on Paramount+ today, with DVD and BluRay releases set for May 30. The film marks a rarity in the fantasy genre, one that is founded on a solid plot rather than leaning on cloying nostalgia and vertiginous special effects to conjure movie magic.For viewers unfamiliar with the role-playing board game, it was invented by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974. Since then, D&D has conjured visions of teenage geeks bringing fantastic adventures to life with their imaginations. The film channels this sensibility. Played by Chris Pine, Elgin, alone among the motley crew he assembles, has no enchanted powers. Holga, played by Michelle Rodriguez, is stronger — and unlike most women cast in those roles by Hollywood, she looks the part. Sophia Lillis, as Doric the Druid, is a shapeshifter, an ability that comes in handy as a spy and fighter.Justice Smith’s magician, Simon, is hapless at casting spells, adding comedy and drama while inviting audiences to root for him to persevere. As leader of the group, Elgin is required to imagine a new plan when the old one fails if he is to avoid losing his daughter and forfeit the chance to resurrect his wife.President Eisenhower said as supreme allied commander in World War II, “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” In the film, as in role-playing games and life, things go wrong, and one is required to apply the Marine Corps strategy to “improvise, adapt, and overcome.”Mr. Pine reports that Elgin was originally written as serious and roguish, but the thespian chose to play him with a sunny optimism and self-deprecation. The writing team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein described this choice as “emasculating” their male leads.That comment drew condemnation, but if the filmmakers set out to neuter their leading men, it’s fortunate that they failed. With the idea of manhood now a source of cultural controversy, it is possible that they didn’t realize that crafting a flawed character is just good storytelling.“I’m willfully emasculating myself,” Mr. Pine said of his role in “Wonder Woman: 1984,” “because I just don’t give a s—. If it makes me laugh, it makes me laugh. I love looking like a fool.” It’s as the Main Ingredient sang in their 1971 classic, “Everybody plays the fool sometimes.”When my friends and I played D&D in the Reagan era, we were fools too, but with age and experience, a person becomes less so. “I want to be able to show that you can be cool and masculine,” Mr. Pine told Esquire, “without having it be a pissing contest all the time.” Elgin is a dedicated father, which is a rarity in films today. Where other fantasy or science fiction films rely on magic McGuffins, this group has real and noble goals, ones that harken back to such classic quests as “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.”Hugh Grant provides more laughs as the antagonist, Forge. He might have played the role as pure evil, but he chose to retain a glint in his eye. While there are some gory moments, he doesn’t need a huge body count to telegraph that he’s the bad guy.All of this should please D&D fans and those who have never had the pleasure of fleeing from the rage of the five-headed Tiamat. Speaking of dragons, another clever choice was casting Themberchaud — fatter even than his D&D counterpart — to provide not just menace but punchlines.“Honor Among Thieves” often misleads viewers into thinking they’re being fed lazy dialogue that includes contemporary slang, but even this is done with tongue firmly implanted in cheek, with a character calling out the term “son of a b—” as incomprehensible within the world of the movie. By that point, I was enjoying myself, so I was willing to forgive these sins, and even concocted the idea that perhaps the heroes in the film were characters brought to life by pimple-faced gamers, and so they spoke as if they had one foot in our world and one in mythical Neverwinter.“Honor Among Thieves” delivered more entertainment than the earlier D&D films that it reboots. The characters are fleshed out and appealing, and there’s even something for fans of the beloved ‘80s cartoon, but one need not be a ranger, barbarian, magician, thief, cavalier, or acrobat to enjoy the ride.

‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Movie Rolls the 20-Sided Dice for Fun and Adventure

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