This past weekend, I had the opportunity to screen Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among
Thieves (Daley and Goldstein, 2023). Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect—although I have an
appreciation for Dungeons and Dragons and role-playing games in general, I’m not entirely familiar with
their lore. I figured that this film was just one of the many game-centric pieces of cinema created
specifically to ride the coattails of the resurgence in popularity of the Jumanji franchise.
Suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, the cast is star-studded, and it features
Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis (you might remember
her from the first It [Muschietti, 2017] remake, playing young Beverly Marsh.) The narrative centers
around protagonist Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), a father who pledges to be a Harper, or a sort of knight who
does honorable deeds without expecting anything in return. Over the course of several years, Edgin starts
to lose his way, and engages in thievery to provide more for his family. Subsequently, he makes lots of
enemies, resulting in the death of his wife, and Edgin is forced to raise his baby daughter, Kira, alone.
Fortunately, Edgin cobbles together a band of fellow thieves to continue providing for Kira, all of which
become a makeshift family for the two of them. Eventually, betrayals occur, revenge is exacted, and the
band is broken up. Edgin and his lady-barbarian friend Holga are sent to prison, while the antagonist
spirits away with Kira. After two years, Edgin and Holga manage to escape, and in an attempt to find
Kira, get caught up in a political plot to overthrow the current governing body. Edgin and Holga must
reassemble their “family” to save both Kira and the free world.
What I noticed right off the bat was that Dungeons and Dragons boasts a relatively diverse cast,
with plenty of POC characters. What’s more, there are several female characters which collectively
express a widespread and variegated representation of femininity. Holga’s role as the muscle of the group,
for example, or the shapeshifter Doric’s cunning and independent nature, combined with her sharing the
majority of the physical burden with Holga. Edgin, even though he’s the main character, is obviously the
least-gifted and least morally righteous, which creates an interesting dynamic, especially given that he’s
the only white cishet guy in the film. In fact, although Edgin grows into his natural leadership ability, he’s
mostly used for comic relief, which is a refreshing change of pace from a representational standpoint.
Overall, this movie was a very funny, thematic and highly family oriented action film. Others that
I know have seen it and play Dungeons and Dragons have also informed me that the plot accurately
reflects gameplay to some degree, but I’m not the one to ask about that. I was pleasantly surprised by this
film, and while I wouldn’t say it’s an instant classic, it’s a lot of genuine fun. I recommend giving it a try,
especially if you’ve got a younger sibling or relative to go with you