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A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a straightforward high fantasy adventure film that excels in everything it sets out to achieve. First off, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A very welcome approach that works well in this genre. Secondly, the story is told coherently and in a consistently entertaining fashion. An impressive feat despite the blistering pace of the script. With the massive box-office disappointments of Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania or Shazam: Fury of The Gods, audiences are making a statement. It remains to be seen if the long-debated “superhero fatigue” is true, but 9 out of 10 of the highest-grossing films in 2023 are not superhero related. Dungeons & Dragons looks well on its way to finding similar non-super-powered success.
Return of The “Popcorn Flick”
The current landscape from 2022 to the present day has shown that audiences are definitely yearning for a fresh palate cleanse of sorts. Billion-dollar hits rooted in nostalgia like Top Gun: Maverick or technical spectacles like Avatar: The Way of Water made it clear super powered films no longer had a chokehold on the market. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves forges a new path with its tongue-in-cheek humor and sweeping medieval action. Hollywood is still clearly banking on known IPs to drive profits. Yet, the board-game-based tale is primed for success due to a healthy mixture of good fortune. Strong word of mouth, positive critic reviews, and a charming cast is the perfect recipe for a big-budget blockbuster.
Part of the recent failures of Ant-Man and Shazam! Fury of the Gods isn’t so much the nature of superheroes as it is a dip in quality compared to other similar films from the past few years. Massive hits like The Batman or Spider-Man: No Way Home immediately come to mind. Both films are visually gorgeous, exciting, and well-written—three qualities that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has going for it. Having those qualities while also being aesthetically different makes Dungeons & Dragons immediately feel refreshing. A perfect flick to munch on popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
Dungeons & Dragons = Fun
Directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daly keep things simple and they keep it moving. From excellent character introductions to epic set pieces, we never linger long enough to bore. Led by Chris Pine in fine form, he appears to be having the time of his life. An energy that you can feel as the film rolls along. Back into a role akin to Captain Kirk from the Star Trek franchise, his natural charisma is perfect for this particular rag-tag band of adventurers. Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, & Sophia Lillis perform admirably in their respective roles but Hugh Grant admittedly steals the show. His pompous delivery and fast-talking wit match perfectly with his con-man persona of Forge.
The laughs are definitely the key to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. There are several great comedic sections and one, in particular, had me laughing for an extended period of time. It’s safe to say that I honestly haven’t laughed that hard in the cinema for some time. There’s some bone-crushing action that compliments the visually creative sorcery at hand as well. The film as a whole is quite well-rounded. Whether people like it or not, the non-comic book side of the film pendulum has fully swung the other way. Audiences are coming out for M3GAN, Scream VI, & John Wick: Chapter 4. Add Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves among that list of pleasant surprise hits.
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A life long cinephile from the Bay Area in Northern California. Aside from having written for various outlets since 2019, I've been podcasting since 2020.
(Currently Co-Hosting the Geekly Goods Roundup)
When I'm not indulged in a ridiculous amount of media consumption or losing track of days on my Nintendo Switch, I can be found at concerts or playing basketball.
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