Donjons & Dragons : L'Honneur des voleurs

A reboot of the board game property (after the disastrous 2000 release) currently in theaters. Chris Pine, a thief, & Michele Rodriguez, a warrior, are on a quest to retrieve a magical doodad which will resurrect his wife who passed years before which put the caring of his daughter, Chloe Coleman, in the care of his once partner, Hugh Grant, now a de-facto leader of a village. Grant has a red witch, Daisy Head, at his beck & call but what he doesn't realize Head & her ilk are using his largesse to inflict a red mist which will put the populace in thrall (living zombies) to their cause. Pine soon recruits a problematic mage, Justice Smith & a shape shifting Owlbear, Sophia Lillis, to his scheme (w/added panache from Rege-Jean Page) to right his past wrongs before Head gets her way. Not taking the material seriously is a huge boon to this film's success & a lot of the acclaim should go to John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein (they made the Vacation sequel w/Ed Helms, co-wrote Spider-man: Homecoming & Game Night) who could in lesser hands make this a turgid bore but by instilling a healthy dollop of humor make this fantasy for the uninitiated a lot of fun.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves: Great fun! I'm not familiar with the game but you get great dragons both fierce human (and otherkin) eaters and down at heel alms seekers. Chris Pine is OK as an ex-Harper and present thieve, but a good hearted one. Michelle Rodriguez is much more convincing as Holga Kilgore, a barbarian warrior who would put Xena in a lesser league. My favourite member of Pine's posse is Sophia Lillis as Doric, a tiefling druid and shape-shifter who can turn into an owlbear as well as other critters. A richly imagined fantasy world with quests, battles and magic replacing science. Hugh Grant has a supporting role as a conman who always has a plan to make his schemes even more devious, ,he is hilarious; Daisy Head is Sofina, a sorceress who enables his schemes..Armies of the undead and talking corpses are actually amusing. Don't know what true blue fans will make of it but I loved this heist/quest adventure which has great effects. Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio. 8/10.

There Are No Spoilers in this review.

This film delivers what it promises. Nothing more, nothing less. It is a good fantasy, adventure story, based on the famous world of Dungeons & Dragons; however, you don't need to know anything about the table game, as they simplify it enough for everyone to enjoy. Although there are a few parts when a lot of names are suddenly thrown at you, related to the lore, and for those casual viewers who are not so much into fantasy worlds, it might be a little confusing.

Another aspect that is fantastic for those of us who play videogames is composed by some easter eggs mentioned in different dialogues, and that can only add to the experience. Along with good, well-performed action scenes, strong visuals and a captivating soundtrack, this film achieves to be as entertaining as the trailer shows. But don't expect it to be a masterpiece within the genre. The comedic relieves are usually bland, quite simple, and the plot doesn't take any risks nor unexpected twists. They played it safe to reach the biggest possible audience, and that is respectable.

I can put an end to the review saying that this movie has enough source material and potential to become a franchise, and I will be there to follow it.

I didn't expect much, as I know nothing about the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing universe. The trailer was nice, so I thought I'd give the movie a chance, and it turned out to be one of the best films of the year! Everything is well-done - the actors, the story, the action, the twists, the universe, absolutely everything! And of course, for once a good original film comes out, there's no promotion, at least not in France... I read that the film is a box office failure, and it's all the producers' fault for completely missing what could have been a very profitable franchise...

Don't hesitate, go watch this movie, you won't regret it.

Saw the sneak preview today with my wife. I'm a 43-year veteran player and DM, and she's never played. She laughed through the whole thing and was riveted by the action sequences, indicating that this is an excellent intro to the world of D&D for the inexperienced. I was enchanted by what they got right: the iconic monsters, the banter, the feeling of an organic adventuring party coming together combining their strengths.

Best of all, having lived in Neverwinter since 6/7/13 and the MMO's open beta, I got to see the Jewel of the Sword Coast North in all its glory.

I'll be bringing my 4H D&D club to see it as soon as possible, and we'll definitely be seeing it again on our own.