How To Watch Dungeons And Dragons Movie

From the first trailer of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, I suspect we might be in for a treat. When the trailer dropped last summer, I noted that it looked "surprisingly fantastic," and since then, I've been cautiously optimistic. I've been down this road before, and fairly recently. My hope for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was high, and we all know how that turned out. Then there was the Willow Disney+ series, which left me heartbroken.

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These days, movies and TV shows are a source of great disappointment, especially when they're adaptations or sequels. The producers of The Rings of Power couldn't seem to grasp Tolkien, and the creators of Willow made a show that felt nothing like the original movie. Fantasy, in particular, seems to suffer. I'm not a huge fan of The Wheel of Time books, but the show has even managed to taint that endeavor.

Alright, I'm here to tell you that Paramount's Dungeons & Dragons movie corrects the mistakes of old fantasy movies, including the previous D&D movie (which, to put it lightly, was a disaster). Instead, Honor Among Thieves succeeds for many of the same reasons The Legend of Vox Machina does.

It's written by people who clearly love D&D. The spirit, the humor, the silliness, and the adventure that make up a good session of tabletop gaming all carry over in this movie in the best possible way. From references to classic D&D locales like Sword Coast and Baldur's Gate to magical items and monsters, the movie pays loving homage to D&D.

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What's more, though non-D&D players might not get every joke, the terrifying characters and the rollicking adventure provide entertainment for moviegoers of all ages. It's exciting, often funny, and manages its 2 hours and 20 minutes runtime perfectly. Personally, I can probably give it the highest praise: I want to see it again, something I rarely do. I went to see a show on Sunday that was just for my regular D&D group and our kids, who are all Amazon Prime members, and everyone left the movie. We weren't the happiest group, but we weren't the easiest crowd either.

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.

The lawful good paladin character, Jenk Yander (Regé-Jean Page), is impeccably funny from all angles. During his scenes, I was sure the people behind this movie were real D&D players and fans. Only a Dungeons & Dragons player could write a pitch-perfect, lawful good paladin.

There's magic from The Red Wizards of Thay to druids in the game, and all of these D&D references add a touch of magic to life. Even Elminster himself makes an appearance.

Harper Edgine Darvish's character, played by Chris Pine, and the brash Halga Kilgore's character, played by Michelle Rodriguez, are both fantastic, and the chemistry between friends is terrific. There's a moment when Edgine starts singing, and you think the brute will be annoyed, and then he joins in. It's brilliant.

We've got Justice Smith as a creepy wizard, Simon; Sophia Lillis as the tiefling druid, Doric; Hugh Grant as the charming con-man, Forj; and Daisy Head as the mysterious wizard, Sofina. It's an amazing cast and creates a fun adventuring party with some sweet counterpoints.

There's a cameo by Bradley Cooper that's once-in-a-lifetime. I won't spoil it. It's a tiny cameo. Very, very tiny—but it's big.

Direct references are taken from the Portal games, and it's fantastic.

When it comes to magic, it's all extremely creative and fun. There are no dumb "to magic-bim duels" like you see in so many movies and shows these days. The CGI is good, though it's marred by some slapdash animation and designs that truly make the action fun.

I could go on, but again, I don't want to spoil anything.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is surprisingly fantastic, exceeding all my expectations and providing one of the best fantasy movies in years. It's a tribute to the steadfast devotion of people who clearly care about Dungeons & Dragons. While the emotional depth and moments of wonder never quite materialize, it helps to deepen the adventure—and the courage—of adventurers. And the humor makes you feel like you're right there with characters who are doing the brave thing you hope to do in the future.

That said, there's plenty of room for a sequel. Or even other films set in different settings like Ravenloft or Dragonlance. If this quality continues, I'd watch them all. My only hope is that if it does well at the box office, Paramount doesn't push things and treats the property with the same clear love and care it shows in this movie. I think my fear and hope are wrapped up in the same package.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves hits theaters on March 31. Whether you play D&D or not, please don't miss it. It's truly an amazing film, and you might find the biggest blockbuster you've ever seen. I'll be back for the second round in opening weekend.

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