Welcome back to another issue of Your Movie Mage, where I discuss underrated movies across genres. Last week, we discussed the underrated film, “My Blind Brother,” and this week we’ll be talking about the action-packed movie, “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.”
“Dungeons and Dragons” manages to balance all aspects of an action-comedy well. In the past few years, we have seen attempts to create a movie which successfully balances compelling characters, exciting stories, comedic elements balanced with serious moments and cool action, but many have disappointed viewers. This movie, however, does a great job, especially considering it isn’t an established movie franchise.
We are introduced to unknown characters with complex backgrounds and motivations and see them brought together, face evil and defeat it—all in two hours. This is no easy feat, especially when paired with comedic scenes and scenes of pure action.
If you’re a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, this movie is a great watch, as there are countless references to the game. It feels like there were experienced Dungeons and Dragons players on the team who were passionate about bringing the game to the big screen for others to appreciate.
The movie really felt like the game, with funny overcomplications in certain parts of the journey and seemingly simple solutions to those challenges.
The emotional moments weren’t overtaken by a cheap attempt at comedy, as we often see in action movies like this. They frequently included comedy in the action-centered scenes, rather than in more serious moments.
Bradley Cooper also makes an appearance as a heartfelt and caring man, Marlamin, which is more than enough reason to watch this movie at least twice. While Cooper’s character was introduced in a comedic way, Marlamin is used to elevate the emotional aspects of Holga. The inclusion of his character was not simply for comedic effect, which we see throughout the film.
They also don’t force romance between two of the main characters, Edgin and Holga. They managed to have two characters of opposite genders raise a daughter together as friends without any implication of something more, unlike typical movie tropes.
One strong aspect of this movie is the action. I’d argue magic isn’t the easiest thing to make look cool and realistic onscreen, but this movie makes it look realistic and makes me want to test my telekinesis abilities again. The incantations mixed with the visual effects create an awesome experience where you feel like you’re a part of the scenes. There are various effects being used to depict many different powers. Even still, the use of practical effects was great and elevated the experience of the movie greatly.
The costume design is also great, with each character having a distinct look that matches them well. I enjoyed the inclusion of objects that were not directly explained, but rather little easter eggs for players of the game. For example, Simon’s bag, which is a bag for holding, wasn’t explicitly mentioned, but we frequently see Edgin hand things to Simon to hold onto.
It isn’t easy to make a movie that balances comedy, heart and action, but “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” does just that. It also feels enjoyable for both longtime fans of the game and those who have no experience with it. I’d give this movie an underratedness score of 2/5, as it was well-received by many and is appreciated for what it is: a fun movie.