Numerous attempts by filmmakers to remake popular games into successful films have long indicated that perhaps these two genres should not mix. Because when a blockbuster filming a popular title with a first-class cast was shown in cinemas, it most often turned out that this marriage turned out to be a terrible chestnut and it’s better to save yourself the profession. Because neither a good movie nor a successful adaptation. There were big fears that the adaptation of the cult RPG about dragons and dungeons would also be a production of dubious quality. The filmmakers tried to approach the subject once in 2000 (even Jeremy Irons starred) and, to put it mildly, did not work out well. Reactions to the first teasers of the new project were rather skeptical. Meanwhile, “Dungeons & Dragons: A Thief’s Honor” provides viewers with delicious fun – regardless of whether they know the original game or not.
“Dungeons & Dragons: A Thief’s Honor” is best just watched. Honey!
The whole event begins with the fact that we find ourselves in the footsteps of two leading heroes in an arctic prison – the bard Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and the warrior Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez) were sent there two years earlier after a failed heist. They are currently applying for parole, and during the interrogation Edgin explains how it came to be that he went down the thieving path. Previously, he had fought against evil himself, had a loving wife and a charming daughter. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurred, as a result of which he fell into depression and an alcoholic streak.
With a helping hand in difficult times came the warrior Holga he met in the inn. Through a joint search for a way to improve their living conditions, they came to the conclusion that they would take up looting from the rich. At some point, they teamed up with the not-so-competent magician Simon Aumar (Justice Smith) and Forge Fitzwilliam (played by Hugh Grant, who enjoys playing the villain) who excels at various scams. After the failed heist, these two managed to escape – the mage went on tour, and Fitzwilliam took custody of Edgin’s daughter. When Holga and the bard break out of prison, they discover that they have a serious problem to solve, and over time their troubles and more adversities pile up in front of them. In order to win against a dangerous opponent, they must reassemble the team and acquire various magical artifacts. This is how they meet the shapeshifter Doric (Sophia Lillis) and embark on a dangerous journey.
Yes, it sounds like the standard formula of a road movie swashbuckler, and while these narrative tropes may seem hackneyed, the devil is in the details. Because the directors of this story, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, while writing the script of “A Thief’s Honor”, took proven elements from such classics as “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, “The Prince’s Bride”, “The Lord of the Rings” or “Indiana Jones”. from which they created the form, and mixed the rest of the ingredients in their own way. On the one hand, they gave the audience unfamiliar with the secrets of the game “Dragons and Dungeons” something that they know and know how it works, and on the other hand, they made sure that the specifics of the game, its rules and elements of the extensive game world are incorporated into the plot in an organic way.
What is all this lore?
Here, of course, I have to take the word of my colleagues who played “Dungeons & Dragons” and ensure that the creators of the spirit of the original and various flavors were perfectly rendered. Because perhaps it should be noted here that the popularity of this precursor role-playing game did not come out of thin air. The way it was conceived, described and conducted has made thousands of players from around the world addicted to subsequent games for several decades and know its lore inside out. And what is lore? – This is a special manual for a role-playing game that is played live, in the presence of a narrator. Lore tells us how the world is constructed, what its politics look like, what the stories of specific countries look like, what happened there – Paweł Sasko from CD Projekt Red explained to me on the occasion of the premiere of “Cyberpunk 2077”. And the popularity of “D&D” is evidenced by the fact that it is this game that kids play in the first scenes of the Netflix series “Stranger Things”, which itself is already a separate cultural phenomenon on a global scale.
Still from ‘Dungeons & Dragons: A Thief’s Honor’ mat. press
In this context, it is even better to see how big an advantage it is that my ignorance of the charms of the game and its lore did not prevent me from having a great time during the screening. I can imagine the joy of lovers of this position when they watch something that with egg and sense reflects the atmosphere and fun they liked so much. I also liked the words of Goldstein, who once assured that this film “is not taken with excessive seriousness, but is by no means a hoax. It honors and celebrates the world of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, but at the same time allows viewers to get involved in a cool fun.” It’s probably hard to put it better.
I also appreciate how the script beautifully makes fun of well-known film clichés and at the same time cleverly plays them for itself. The creators know what the viewers expect, so they often throw the most obvious jokes for a given scene, and yet these are written with such panache that they simply enjoy. This is somewhat reminiscent of the mechanisms used years ago in the plot of “Shrek”, only in “Thief’s Honor” these references to pop culture flavors are less literal, thanks to which the whole thing is far from a tiresome pastiche.
Gather your party before heading out
Chris Pine in this film is not just a pretty man in the foreground – he does a good job of leading the main plot. He is the central figure driving the story and glues the members of his film crew together well. In addition, he does not try to dominate anyone and leads the stages as partners, allows everyone to sound well. He doesn’t try to be funny by force – he’s obviously a bit ironic and throws sarcastic remarks, but when necessary, he can also warm up to the fight without being pompous. And this, in turn, has plenty of Regé-Jean Page, whom viewers can perfectly associate with the first season of “Bridgertons”.
He was given the role of a noble knight in shining armor. So he is very serious, upright and straightforward. He’s so stiff it’s ridiculous. I admit, it looks pretty good in this configuration. It’s like it was a role cast after conditions, because his acting skills are disputed. I was captivated when an editorial colleague, reporting her impressions of the screening of “Bridgertons”, said that whenever he spoke there, she lost all sympathy for his character. Fortunately, his task here is not only to look good visually – you can feel that he has a lot of distance to himself and he simply likes what he does on the set.
It is difficult to talk about sympathy for the character in the case of the role of Hugh Grant, who enjoys the fact that he plays a slippery schemer with childlike fun. He’s so shady here that it’s nice to look at. Negative heroes are the new king of romantic comedies, and you can see that he is delighted with this change. Another thing is whether it will not lead to exaggeration again, but so far it’s good.
I will not say, looking at the posters and trailers, I was afraid that Sophia Lillis, cast as Doric, will be a little clone of Scarlett Johansonn from “Black Widow”, but the similarities happily ended only in the hairstyle and costume. Michelle Rodriguez, on the other hand, empathized with her brave Holga so well that for some time I was not able to realize that she was the same actress who plays in the “Fast and the Furious” series. There was also a moment when a famous Hollywood actor appeared on the screen in a guest role. He was characterized in such a way that he resembled a hobbit from “The Lord of the Rings” and together with our friends watching the movie, we began to ask: “Isn’t this HE by chance?”. Yes, that was him – a very graceful cameo.
“Dungeons & Dragons: A Thief’s Honor” deservedly reigns in the worldwide box office charts. It’s just a wonderfully entertaining movie that doesn’t pretend to be anything else. At the same time, he is not carelessly stupid when necessary, there are psychologically correct issues, such as that magic cannot solve all problems. I liked it so much that I already have tickets for the next screening. The film in wide distribution from April 14.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
