Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Humor but not enough heart to make this popcorn flick meaningful.
Presentation:
Chris Pine knocks it out of the park really upholding the mood and tone with plenty of humor and wit. Without him, this movie would be incomplete. It's pretty funny and light hearted tone. The movie looks colorfully pretty implementing many practical effects. Arri LF and Panavision anamorphics provide modern visuals but perhaps slightly out of place for this medieval setting. Imagery overload. Great for all ages.
Story:
The story is formulaic and light, quite predictable and unmemorable. Character arcs are a little forced and drama was unnatural only existing to serve to as a point of tension for the sake of story telling mechanics. It feels ungenuine and you dont really invest in the characters despite Pine's charisma. This is also a result of the film never really have any alarming stakes as the film's tone is very PG.
Conclusion:
It's a fun mindless film that looks good and should have plenty of easter eggs for D&D fans with enough wit to bring strangers along for the ride. But you never feel any real stakes or emotional connection with the characters. Tremendous franchise potential.
Recommendations
Off with the audience’s head.