The opening night of SxSW was the World Premiere of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS – HONOR AMONG THEIVES and both Antonio and myself were there! It was exciting to see a big new movie in a theatre with over 1100 people, with Antonio near the front and yours truly sitting in the balcony towards the top, fighting to get a seat. Our reaction is below!
ABOUT: A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.
JASON’S REACTION: What really surprised me is that this adaptation of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is just so FUNNY. Or maybe I shouldn’t be THAT surprised as the filmmakers, John Francis Daley and Patrick Goldstein, made the 2018 GAME NIGHT which I found of the funniest movies of the that decade. Their comedy is very present here while also an adventure story with a lot of adventure and energy. It is led by Chris Pine who carries a lot of his trademark humour in the lead, but mention must also be given to Regé-Jean Page who got a loud reaction at the premiere screening along with Michelle Rodriguez having a key fight sequence worth the price of admission alone, the young Sophia Lillis (from the IT movies) and the always charming Hugh Grant bringing a bit of his PADDINGTON 2 snark to the table.
With lots of references that I know fans will pick up, overall this is very accessible for not just fans but even if you have not played the game before. I played it with a few friends as a teenager but it didn’t hook me in the way it should (I played much more Nintendo in that era, I’ll happily admit) but this one really drew me back into the world but also just coexisting as a really high energy, for (mostly) all ages studio entertainment. And of course, this is a far different picture than the bewildering 2000 adaptation staring Jeremy Irons and Marlon Wayans that had little reason to exist. HONOR AMONG THIEVES is getting a release across US and Canada in a few weeks and of course benefits from a theatrical presentation.
ANTONIO’S REACTION: The New Dungeons & Dragons was quite excellent. It’s not THE LORD OF THE RINGS but a thousand times better than the early 2000s version. It gave me the same vibes as Stephen Chow’s JOURNEY TO THE WEST films and the filmmakers were wanting to make a silly fun fantasy adventure. The film gets extra points for having a great homage to the 80s Cartoon series.
In short, we both really liked it and I am sure will be a hit when it comes out in a few weeks! DUNGEONS & DRAGONS had its only screening already and will open in late March through Paramount. Our thanks to SxSW for assistance with this article.