A High Fantasy Masterpiece! Review Of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

In his pain, Edgin renounces his oath to the Harpers and joins a group of misfits: a barbarian, Holga Kilgore (played by Michelle Rodriguez), a conman, Forge Fitzwilliam (played by Hugh Grant), a Red Wizard, Sofina (played by Daisy Head) and an unconfident wizard, Simon (played by Justice Smith) to raid a Harper stronghold. Edgin is mostly after the tablet of reawakening to bring back his wife from the dead.

When the alarm sounds, the thieves try to escape but Edgin and Holga are caught in a time-stop spell and imprisoned. Simon escapes and Forge Fitzwilliam leaves with Kira, Edgin's daughter and Sophina.

Years later, after escaping prison, Edgin sets out with Holga to find his daughter, Kira (played by Chloe Coleman). He discovers Kira is living with Forge Fitzwilliam, the new lord of Neverwinter, who lies to her that Edgin did not care. He also discovers Forge is working with Sofina. His goal is to organise a Sun Games and steal the wealth of the participants while Sofina wants to steal the souls of the people, make them undead and bend them to her will.

Will Edgin and his band of thieves succeed in overpowering the conman and a vicious and powerful Red Wizard?

Review

I love high fantasy films and this one reminds me of similar films like Lord Of The Rings and Game Of Thrones. The plot is brilliant, compelling and the acting keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The world building is well fleshed-out with likeable characters, heart-racing action and adventure, exciting fight scenes and hilarious comedy.

Yes, the comedy! That's one part that makes this film unforgettable. There are laugh-out-loud moments. The witty dialogues and perfectly timed humour are a delightful blend.

Also, the pacing of the film is spectacular. From the beginning to the end, the story unfolds in quick succession with a perfect balance of character development, gripping action and adventure, with intricate twists and turns. There is no dull moment at any point. Sometimes, I rewind some scenes to fully grasp the plot.

The performance of the cast is excellent and so is their chemistry. Each actor's performance fully embodies their unique character. Chris Pine did great doling out the charm of a thief, motivator and a good 'planner'. Michelle Rodriguez brings formidable action and fits perfectly as Edgin's partner in crime. Regé-Jean Page is spectacular as Xenk and his fight scenes are impressive. I guess there's more to him than just being the handsome Duke of Hastings.

The characters I like the most are the shapeshifting druid, Doric and of course, Forge, a character through whom Hugh Grant regaled viewers with his conman charms! I like that no character among the thieves is made better or more powerful than the other. They each bring different skill sets that the group needs to fulfil their mission. The obstacles they faced at each point in the film such as finding the Helmet of Disjunction, fighting the undead Thayans and a chubby dragon in a dungeon make the film adventurous.

The visual effects, editing and CGI are creative, almost believable, especially for a film in the fantasy genre. A surprising part is the pudgy dragon! Who would have thought of that? Most high fantasy movies featuring dragons display one that's gigantic, toned, fierce and fire-breathing. The directors take a different route and give us an overfed dragon. Hilarious!

Overall, the directors, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein did great with this outstanding film. The action sequences and comedy will keep you very entertained so I recommend the whole family can watch.

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