What have critics been saying about the new film based on a game favourite?
The Guardian: *** ” As acceptably engaging as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves might be, it’s hard to fully understand the thinking behind such a wild gambit, especially given that a splashy Paramount+ TV series is also in the works, the success of one film immediately dictating the existence of an entire extended universe.”
Empire: **** “Revelling in its own ridiculousness but finding an emotional core too, this is a wildly entertaining high-fantasy-meets-low comedy. It will leave you prancing your way out of the cinema, lute or no.”
Roger Ebert: ** “In terms of the flashes and bangs, “Honor Among Thieves” works much better when it focuses on practical effects (or at least ones that look practical—everything is CGI nowadays) and can find a tactile quality that the CGI-heavy sequences lack.”
UK Film Review: **** “But the tone it embraces feels just right, and Honor Among Thieves fulfills its quest to deliver likable characters, infectious humor, and escapist fun.”
Den of Geek: *** 1/2 “Two of the secret weapons of landing the loudest guffaws are Hugh Grant and Regé-Jean Page. Grant in particular steals the movie as Forge, a con man and scoundrel that reconfirms that the greatest rom-com star of the ‘90s and 2000s really wanted to play sniveling cads all along. While not the film’s ultimate antagonist, Forge is an overbearingly smarmy presence with a cheshire grin and constant self-promotional conviviality. It should be infuriating, and yet it is ingratiating as Grant walks away with the most giggles.”
Slant Magazine: “The overreliance on wisecracks and employing, and then mocking, clichés make it seem as if Honor Among Thieves is outright embarrassed by its source material and wants you to know it. The film tries to appease viewers who couldn’t care less about Dungeons & Dragons’s methodically conceived world and feels as if the best way at gaining these newcomers’ sympathy is to reinforce their pre-existing notions about the seemingly geek-favored franchise as something to belittle. Choices such as these may prove beneficial in attracting a wider audience at the moment, but in the process, they also turn one of the most instantly recognizable role-playing titles into anonymous, big-budget fodder intended for mass consumption.”
Hollywood Reporter: “The actors who embody these wacky heroes and villains are the heart of Dungeons & Dragons: Their performances are lively, robust and well-judged. Pine and Rodriguez make for a particularly enjoyable duo as they volley light jabs and break the tensest moments with their teasing asides. Even as they repeat blunders and missteps, these adventurers are worth rooting for.”
BBC.com: “What’s welcome about the humour is that the directors, who also co-wrote the screenplay, haven’t been smug or snarky. It would have been easy for them to pepper their script with inside jokes about 12-sided dice and weighty rule books, or else to put in lots of winking references to present-day pop culture. Instead, the humour is silly and irreverent while being more-or-less sincere, and more-or-less invested in the reality of the world they’ve created.”
NME.com: **** “t’s a little formulaic in places, but on the flip side, it pulls some really weird moments out of its sack. Like the scene with Holga’s ex-lover – a bizarre-but-brilliant A-list cameo. In the Hollywood fairground, this ride will leave you dizzy and delighted.”
The film is released in cinemas on the 31st March.