“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023) is a reboot of the franchise. The earlier trio of D&D movies, cult fave of gamers, which I have never seen, and this fantasy heist action-comedy movie are based on the fantasy tabletop role-playing game, but the stories are otherwise unconnected and an entry-level approachable franchise reboot. It could be considered the fourth D&D movie. Set in the Forgotten Realms, Edgin (Chris Pine), the Bard, a Harper turned thief, and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), a Barbarian exiled for marrying outside her tribe, escape jail. Edgin tries to reunite with his daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), but Forge (Hugh Grant), a Rogue, former member of their band of thieves and now Lord of Neverwinter, thwarts their plans with the assistance of Sofina (Daisy Head), a disguised Red Wizard. Edgin and Harper team up with another old associate, Simon (Justice Smith), an insecure Sorcerer, who introduces them to Doric (Sophia Lillis), a Druid, aka a shapeshifter and an Emerald Enclave resistance fighter, so they can devise a way to rob Forge and get Kira. They ask Xenk Yandar (Rege-Jean Page), a paladin and Thay, whom Edgin distrusts, for his aid with the plan. Xenk knows that they need to stop Forge for more important reasons than saving than Kira.

I do not play D&D, but I saw the preview for “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and jumped at the assignment with zero regrets. A lot of reviewers are referencing “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), which does not resonate with me. I wish that I could say that I was above the formulaic, commercial, predictable narrative, but I am not, and even hardcore gamers left delighted. Writer Michael Gillio and writers and directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein deserve credit for executing well-worn tropes in a lighthearted manner. They play with narrative framing in a clear way that is never confusing by keeping us in the present then when a character tells a story or answers a question, they transport viewers back to that time as if we were in the storyteller’s mind relieving the moment. The variety pushes the story’s momentum forward and adds humor as stories mimic the visual process of watching a movie, going too far back as if we were rewinding, and constantly pausing. The writers are also great at joke grenades, the first being Edgin’s inexplicable obsession with a judge named Jonathan, which is puzzling until Jonathan arrives. The writers never leave dangling threads and sow seeds for later plot points thus making viewers satisfied as they deliver on their promises. By the end of the film, I correctly guessed the post-credits scene’s contents.

The charming cast of “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” makes the plot humorous, not tiresome, and nail every emotion beat. The movie has the energy of “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). The ensemble’s chemistry makes them credible as a team, and each individual character gets the perfect amount of spotlight to be relatable and have a character arc that aids the collective’s goal. Pine as the fast-talking widow and good-natured failed father works with his 5 o’clock shadow and twinkling blue eyes. While he sounds like a scammer, his buddy dynamic with Holga, cheering her on as she takes the battles’ brunt and first glimpse as a knitter, suggests a nurturing side as team captain who is not just out for himself, will learn to rise above greed and become selfless. Also shout out to Pine’s PR team, because I was never a fan of the pretty boy, but this self-deprecating publicity tour caught my attention. He is looking better as he gets older.

Rodriguez has played tough characters since her debut in “Girlfight” (2000), but as Holga, the potato-loving Barbarian, her deft, broad white-smile permits her to show a gentler side as a caregiver and friend who is willing to sing along with her bard best friend, whose priority is cheering her up instead of having her dwell on the distance between her and the ones that she loves. She is on a healing journey and a certain famous actor has a cameo as her ex, which should bring the house down at any theater. Also in the US, it is a big deal that she has armpit hair and is sleeveless. In other countries, armpit hair is natural, and a woman not wearing sleeves may not be controversial, but here, it raises eyebrows, and I loved that her image is so countercultural in the movie and promotional poster. 

Familiar from the “Jurassic World” franchise as the resident nerd, Smith plays according to type with a trite internal fear that he cannot live up to his family’s reputation. When he overcomes his fear and has an epiphany, even though it was obvious, I was thrilled for him as he found his courage to claim his heritage. I wish that he did not have a romantic storyline, but it was probably to make him more relatable to the guys in the audience, whereas women would not be thrilled to have him on their team constantly vying for attention.

Doric probably gets the short end of the profile stick. By overcoming her distrust of lying human beings and fighting for a noble cause, a substitute for saving the environment, she plays a pivotal role as the most versatile character and gets the best fantasy action scenes, which felt reminiscent of the Hulk and Loki from “The Avengers” (2012). Lillis has great presence and continues to show that her great performances in “It” (2017) and “Gretel & Hansel” (2020) were not flukes.

I never saw “Bridgerton,” so I was unfamiliar with scene stealer Page, but he will be a crowd favorite. Xenk is a perfect character, and I read him as autistic: great with animals, a sense of justice, formal way of speaking, takes things literally, a good judge of character, great at forecasting through pattern recognition. His appearance is a knowing wink at the audience: a nod to his attractiveness with his open shirt as he strides with purpose poking fun at the familiar noble knight character. He is only in a handful of scenes, but they are memorable.

Grant and his team are brilliant for embracing his public missteps and committing to playing endearing bad guys whom we want to see punished, but not necessarily die. He mixes his current disreputable persona with his past fussiness and foppishness that makes his character feel organic instead of cartoonish. The real big bad is in the shadows, Szass Tam, and probably being reserved for sequences. Head as Tam’s disciple is a mixture of costume design, CGI and acting prowess combined perfectly. She brings horror elements with screaming and pointing reminiscent of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978). Her flower hooded dress alternated from black, deep purple to red, and I loved when she could let her hair down and just show her tattoos and wear red. It showed the tiring effort of wielding magic even for someone as powerful as her, which made Simon’s complaints seem more valid. I would have loved to know what kills the dead in this mythology—yes, zombies, but not the brain-dead kind. These baddies are happy to be dead and alive.

While “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is a light movie, I liked its references to positive political action. I already mentioned conservation of the environment, but it also critiques bread and circus games to distract the public from financial exploitation, a criticism which could be levied at this film, but I appreciate the sentiment that bringing brutal entertainment for profit is dehumanizing. There is a Robin Hood undertone to the story. Also a blink and you would miss it scene shows concerns over punishing people for criticizing leaders, i.e. infringement of freedom of speech. 

There is a Roddenberry-esque optimism throughout the film. Human being distrust Thays. Druids distrust human beings. Barbarians are pro miscegenation whereas the film is the opposite. Most of the characters are mixed or in relationships with people who are different from them. The entire team of thieves relies on this diversity to succeed whereas the Red Wizards are on a campaign of sameness and collaborate through gritted teeth.

“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” has an old-fashioned, optimistic outlook on the inherent goodness of most people, and a hunger to help and solve each other’s problems. We are tired of teams breaking up in real life and on screen. We want to see teams come together and enjoy each other’s company.