Audacious Actions: Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Valiant intrepid deeds. Bold daring do. Plans. Elves. Magic. An epic quest. A killer maze. Hugh Grant…
Fear not! It is not yet another Lord of the Rings remake/prequel, but the charming and super fun Dungeons and Dragons — with magic, dragons and fathers and daughters. I loved the team coming together — Simon the terrible wizard (who literally is his own worst enemy) (Justice Smith), who longs for people hating shape shifter, Doric (part owl-bear, part deer?!!) (Sophia Lillis). Not to mention Michelle Rodriguez’s Holga Kilgore, who proves that women can be both maternal and heroic, even facing a hero’s sacrificial death. Also joining the crew is Hugh Grant who is fantastic in his role as Forge Fitzwilliam (reveling in being paternal, greedy, covetous, treacherous, craven and yet a good adopted uncle until the crunch moment, all at once).
But this is a Harper story — bardic Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) is trying to plea his way out of gaol by telling his very complicated life story — before hitching a cheeky lift with the judge. He tragically lost his wife and wants to recover a magical runic thing/talisman so that he can bring her back to life. Meanwhile he takes his daughter into a life of ‘honourable’ crime, until they get tangled up with Red Wizard Sofina (Daisy Head), whose fearsome stare says everything.
Forge Fitzwilliam, it turns out, will not return either daughter or magical runic thing to Edgin and team, nor is he much of a team player having become a Lord and local despot, despoiling the local Wood Elves and their habitat (the adopted family of Doric) and hoarding up gold. Having hunted down a magic helmet/Helm through comic interviews with brought back from the dead warriors, Simon has to learn to fight himself and his dead uncle to attune with the helmet’s powers, as well as maneuvering the power of the portal (through a magical ‘walking stick’). Then they have to navigate a killer maze and resolve an ethical dilemma.
Whilst somewhat overly violent at points, there are some great sword fight scenes and running away scenes, and for me, it’s the side characters — the knights and soldiers trying to stop Team Harper (who can be distracted by music or conversations about battle axes); Edgin’s wife (in flashbacks); the lute moments; Edgin’s delightful baby daughter; the attempted squashing by rolling, lolling bloated dragon, and the chatty dead who don’t always give you what you want who work the magic for me. Unusually there is forgiveness too, and reconciliation.
Equally magical was dauntless Regé-Jean Page, who rocks a bold and debonaire paladin knightly persona, rescuing kittens from devouring fish with humility and love and always walking in a straight line. Not only this but he has a wonderful name Xenk Yendar and a cool greeting ‘Gently’, but with prodigious gallantry fights an equally spectacularly evil enemy — Szass Tam, who won’t die and also does the magical evil stary thing too. Loved their trading of insults pre-combat! Xenk challenges Egdin to do the right thing, to live rightly as he knows he can, and eventually, he does!
Good-natured, not taking itself too seriously whilst enjoying the subject matter itself, this is an utterly enjoyable fantasy action-adventure story with a quest, a thoroughly excellent cast and some really magical effects. Yes there are dragons… and vaults…Spot Bradley Cooper in there somewhere too! and I love the judges and the comatose true King who returns to life. If they lost the few unnecessary swear words in it, it would be seamless movie!
