DUNGEON & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES OFFICIAL
From the very first trailer for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, I suspected we might be in for a treat. When the trailer dropped last summer, I noted that it looked “surprisingly great” and then I tried hard to keep my expectations in check. I’ve been down this road before, and pretty recently. I had my hopes up for The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power and we all know how that turned out. Then there was the Willow Disney Plus series, which left me heartbroken. Far too often these days, movies and TV shows are a huge disappointment, especially when they’re adaptations or sequels. The creators of The Rings Of Power clearly didn’t understand Tolkien. The creators of Willow created a show that feels nothing whatsoever like the original movie. In fantasy especially this seems like a problem. I’m not even a big fan of The Wheel Of Time books but the show mangled that adaptation as well.
Well, I’m here to tell you that Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons film has avoided all the modern pitfalls of botched adaptations as well as the shortcomings that plagued fantasy movies of old (including the previous D&D movie which was, to put it mildly, an embarrassing mess). Instead, Honor Among Thieves succeeds for many of the same reasons The Legend Of Vox Machina works so well. At the SXSW Film Festival, those introducing "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" highlighted that "this movie is for everyone.
An obvious worry is that the film will only appeal to those who have played or are currently playing the hugely influential role-playing game. Because branding can have positive and negative effects, it's important to have both. First, it appeals to a huge audience that is already familiar with the IP. On the other side, a movie needs to be exceptional for it to appeal to people who aren't already familiar with the source material, as seen by the success of "The Last of Us" among moviegoers who have never played the game. So, how will die-hard D&D fans react to this pricey take on their favorite fantasy game? Paramount is betting on a "20" on a die they hope will come up "correct," but Hollywood's temperamental Dungeon Master could be hiding a deadly trap around the next bend.
The third trailer for the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is out
Only a few weeks remain till the debut of the film
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, thus promotional materials for the film are being released left and right. There's some lightheartedness and dragons in this trailer, unlike the last one.
We'd like to remind you that this isn't the first time a film has been adapted from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game (developed by TSR / Wizards of the Coast and used in countless board games and video games).
Dungeons & Dragons, the first film adaptation of the tabletop role-playing game, was released in 2000 with Jeremy Irons as the primary villain. Despite positive reviews, the film failed to break even. Both Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the
Dragon God and Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness was made on a significantly smaller budget, featured no A-list actors, and were released to home video without a cinematic rollout.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a relaunch of the franchise, starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant, and boasting a whopping $151 million budget compared to $45 million for the first Dungeons & Dragons (2000). Directors and co-writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Horrible Bosses, Vacation, Game Night) are responsible for the film.
MOVIE REVIEW
Pistachio carpeting and plaid clothing were both popular when Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created Dungeons & Dragons. That's how they were able to take readers into a world of fiction that felt very Medieval. Whether they are protagonists or antagonists, magical beings like wizards, sorcerers, dwarves, elves, mages, monsters, and demons play significant roles in the narrative. 1974 is the year in question. Throughout the intervening 26 years, an estimated 160 million people around the world have played Dungeons & Dragons.
D&D's possible downsides have been hotly debated since the game's inception. Nonetheless, D&D (the role-playing game) will serve primarily as a point of reference for the remainder of this analysis. Dungeons & Dragons the Movie's fortunes, either up or down, are dependent on its own qualities. The name "D&D" will henceforth refer solely to the film adaptation, and not the game itself.
In Dungeons & Dragons, the action takes place in the mythical, ancient world of Izmer, where mighty lords oppress their people and only the nobility has access to magic. The evil mage Profion and his henchman Damodar have planned to overthrow the heroic Empress Savina. It's only missing one key piece of magical gear. To swing the scales of power in their favor, they must find a scepter of magic. Magical student (and Empress loyalist) Marina and her new peasant pals Ridley and Snails hear of the nefarious plot and immediately set out to grab the wand. Everything is packed and ready to travel. Prepare to descend into a maze of dark tunnels. Fire-breathing dragons reside in this area. The risk of having possessions stolen is always present. A terrible spell has been cast.
The good always triumphs over the evil, thus there are positive aspects to consider. Empress Savina is committed to ensuring that all people in Izmer enjoy the same rights and freedoms, and she does so despite opposition from the ruling class. She thinks it's more important to look at a man's character than his background while evaluating him. Nevertheless, she is aware that she must sacrifice her realm in exchange for such freedom. Marina defends the
Empress from Damodar and Profion. Despite their initial reluctance, Snails and Ridley finally joined Marina in her fight against the aggressor.
Their suspicions of her noble bearing have not diminished. Hence, she desperately implores them to ignore the fact that she is a mage. No, not every magician is evil simply because some are. "That's not me!" she exclaims. In the
following episode, our heroic trio and a group of committed fighters put their lives on the line to restore fairness. Like Disney's Aladdin, who resisted the temptation to plunder the Cave of Wonders despite its immense riches, so too is Ridley able to rein in his own thieving instincts when confronted with such an abundance of money.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll give you some vague highlights:There’s a dragon scene that had the whole theater rolling with laughter.
- Xenk Yendar (Regé-Jean Page), a lawful good paladin, is delightfully flawless in every way. It was during his parts that I knew the filmmakers were true lovers of the game. A true fan of Dungeons & Dragons would be the only one capable of creating a paladin of lawful good so flawlessly.
- The fact that Druids are so powerful in the game and other references to Dungeons & Dragons comes to life is awe-inspiring. Elminster Aumar himself makes a cameo appearance.
- Chris Pine, who plays the 'harper' Edgin Darvis, and Michelle Rodriguez, who plays the barbarian Holga Kilgore, are both fantastic, and they have amazing chemistry as best friends. Edgin suddenly bursts into song, and just when you think the rough barbarian will be annoyed, she joins in. It really works out well.
- The rest of the cast includes Justice Smith as the inept wizard Simon, Sophia Lillis as the Tiefling Druid Doric, Hugh Grant as the scheming con man Forge, and Daisy Head as the shadowy sorceress Sofina. The cast is fantastic, and together they form an exciting adventuring group complete with tasty foes.
- In a killer appearance, Bradley Cooper himself takes the cake. In other words, I won't give anything away. It's very funny, believe me. Just appearing briefly. Little, tiny, but it smacks you in the face.
- Awesomeness, in the form of a Portal-inspired Staff of Hither and Thither, is at hand.
- If we're talking about magic, it's all really imaginative and entertaining. There are none of the pointless "two magic-beam duels" that are commonplace in modern media. The visual effects are impressive, but it's the inventiveness of the battles and spells that really keep you engaged.
- Of course, I could go on and on, but I don't want to give too much away. Don't miss out on it!
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