The Dungeons & Dragons franchise is finally back on the big screen with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and it’s shaping up to be a critical hit. For longtime fans of the game holding out to see the Chris Pine comedy adventure though, a new featurette gives a taste of the hilarity that will ensue in this new campaign while paying homage to the history of the IP. It shows the party of the cult classic 80s animated series reacting to the druid Doric (Sophia Lillis) and her ability to transform into the mythical owlbear. One of the members, Eric, is more interested in upholding the rules of the game than having fun, however.
Everything kicks off with the cartoon’s Dungeon Master introducing the adventurers to the wonders of the owlbear. Everyone is mesmerized by the beast’s majesty and ability to swiftly dispatch its foes, but when Doric transforms back to her human form, it immediately sets off Eric the Cavalier. He pipes up to say that druids aren’t supposed to be able to become owlbears by the letter of the Dungeons & Dragons rules, but everyone quickly shuts him down, calling him a “hater” and a “rules lawyer.” Eric also forgets the first and most critical rule of D&D — what the Dungeon Master says, goes, and he says that Eric sucks.
For what it’s worth, filmmakers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein worked closely with Wizards of the Coast to ensure that their depictions of the classic monsters were as faithful as possible to the source material, but that didn’t stop them from having fun with their owlbear druid. That’s just one of many fantastic and frightening beings encountered throughout the new film, but unfortunately for the animated Dungeons & Dragons crew, they end up on the wrong side of those creatures. In addition to the featurette, the party cameos in a clip where they’re shown stuck in Forge’s (Hugh Grant) arena with Pine and company as they try to navigate their way through a maze and avoid the horrific beasts within.
Honor Among Thieves focuses on Pine’s Edgin as he joins a party of adventurers on a quest to steal a precious artifact, only to realize they’ve gotten involved with the wrong people. Now, the unlikely heroes are tasked with righting their wrongs in order to save the land, but not without a bit of bumbling along the way. As Pine himself describes it, the film mixes epics like Game of Thrones with comedic adventures like The Princess Bride all in the name of having a good time.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Is Proving to Be One Fun Party
Thanks to both its sense of humor and a compelling adventure with its band of Thieves on their quest to save the world, Honor Among Thieves has rolled a natural 20 with audiences. Collider’s own Carly Lane gave the film a B+ in her review, praising it for its total embrace and love for the original game and the material surrounding it, including the cartoon. It also boasts a naturally-charming cast including Pine, Grant, and Lillis alongside Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, and Justice Smith. That love of the game is something Page spoke to in a previous interview with the site, adding how many little “inside baseball” jokes are slipped in for the hardcore D&D crowd.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is in theaters now. Check out the new featurette below.
