The popularity of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ It shot up again thanks to its appearance in ‘Stranger Things’, but the truth is that it is a much-loved role-playing game with almost 50 years of history behind it. Obviously, Hollywood already tried to turn it into a movie, but the result was an absolute catastrophe that buried its chances of also becoming a reference franchise for movie lovers.
It is true that the disastrous film directed by courtney solomon It had two sequels, the first released on television and the second direct to the domestic market, but this universe deserved better and we had to wait 23 years for that to happen. Specifically, it will be this Friday, March 31, when ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor among thieves’ hits theaters, and what a surprise it has been, since it is about the best adventure movie of recent years and brimming with fun on all four sides.
With personality
One thing became clear to me when paramount started showing the film several weeks before its premiere is that the company was fully confident that they had something really good on their hands. After all, disasters you try to hide until the last moment to see if that doesn’t have any impact on its box office performance, but here the studio seems to have followed the same road plan as with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. It seems unlikely that the success will be comparable, but when it comes to being a top-notch blockbuster much better than it should be, they do coincide again.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ is very clear that the main objective of a film like this should be to make the public have the most entertaining time possible. For this reason, the duo formed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daleywho already gave us great joy a few years ago with ‘Game Night’, is committed to establishing the tone that will dominate the show from the very beginning, also taking advantage of it to make an unbeatable presentation for the characters played by Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez.
For this reason, anyone who does not enter into the game proposed by Goldstein and Daley in those first minutes can say goodbye to the fact that they are going to enjoy the film. Of course there are adventures, a great display of visual effects -there is a clear improvement compared to what we see in this dynamic start- and a successful use of comedy as a great catalyst for the storybut we live in a time where darker approaches abound, or just trying to replicate the Marvel model.
Neither of the two things happens here, because ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ proves to have a marked personality of its own from the first moment, although I got the feeling that some may end up thinking that it is just plain bullshit. They will be free to think so, because I celebrate the excellent handling that he exhibits of a more accessible humor free from all cynicism in which the mission that its protagonists face does not matter so much as their experiences along the way.
The characters as a basis for fun
There Goldstein and Daley hit the target by betting on the characters above all else. Of course, certain stereotypes are used for its construction, but the script is full of spark and the actors embrace their respective roles and have more than one opportunity to shine, although it is true that that more mischievous touch that is given so well to Pine allows you to stand out from the rest, but also watch out for how much fun it is Hugh grant.
To that we must add how fluid everything is. It is true that it takes its time in the presentation phase, but even then it is highly entertaining. Of course, everything reaches another level with the arrival of the adventure, where ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor among thieves’ is very clear that it wants to tell a story and completely leaves out the possibility of setting future deliveries. Of course we could return to this universe without problem, but if the thing stays here, nothing happens either.
There is also a few surprises along the way without falling into the error that this means a break in the adventure that is taking place on the screen. All of this adds up so that ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ becomes a practically infallible pastime, one of those movies that you remember so fondly that you won’t mind seeing it again and again to have a great time again. . In fact, I have no problem that it’s almost a miracle that a project that on paper seemed doomed to be little better than a waste of time turned out so well.
Obviously, it helps that behind her there are people who show an undeniable fondness for the world of Dungeons & Dragons, including more than one reference here and there that will be highly appreciated by fans of the original game and that in no case will be a bother for the rest. And it is that there is another of its keys, in how well it develops to offer a most entertaining show both for those closely linked to the franchise and for viewers who may not even know that there was already a rather disastrous previous adaptation.
So is it worth it or not?
I seriously doubt that any other film will surprise me so much for the better in the remainder of the year.. Before seeing it, I was curious but also very distrustful of what ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ could offer me and once seen, it is clear to me that it is one of the great blockbusters of recent cinema. Now all that remains is for the public to support it.
In Espinof | The 46 most anticipated movies and the best releases of 2023