Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Here's the thing about being a former Dungeon Master: you come into a film like this with a head full of lore, a habit of poking holes in fantasy logic, and an almost instinctive need to check whether the rules are being followed. And that love of the game, weirdly enough, works against me a little here. I wanted to love Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves completely and without reservation. I didn't quite get there.

Which isn't to say it's bad. Far from it. For a property built entirely on chaos, improvisation, and rules that even dedicated players argue about for hours, this thing actually manages to strike a surprisingly clean balance between goofy adventure and storytelling that doesn't require you to know your saving throws from your spell slots. That's genuinely impressive. Anyone who's ever tried to explain what a Beholder is to a non-player knows how quickly these things can spiral into impenetrable nerdery. The film mostly sidesteps that.

Chris Pine is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, and he's more than up to it. He leads with easy charm, playing the kind of loveable rogue who's better at talking his way into trouble than out of it, and it works because the whole cast seems to be on the same wavelength. There's a real warmth and chemistry among the group that makes even the quieter moments enjoyable. Nobody's phoning it in, and that matters in an ensemble piece like this.

The film earns its biggest points from leaning into the spirit of an actual tabletop campaign. You know the feeling when your party's grand plan immediately goes sideways, someone rolls terribly at the worst possible moment, and the whole thing somehow still works out through sheer dumb luck and collective creativity? That's the energy here, and when the film captures it, it genuinely sings. There are set pieces that feel ripped straight from a memorable session, and the nods to the game for fans who know what they're looking at are well-placed without being insufferably smug about it.

But here's where I have to be honest with myself: the plot is predictable. You can see the beats coming from a fair distance, and while the humour mostly lands, it has a tendency to reach for the Marvel-style quip at moments when a little more weight might have served the story better. I've noticed this becoming almost a reflex in big fantasy-adjacent blockbusters, and it's a habit that flattens stakes. When every tense moment gets punctured by a wisecrack, it starts to feel less like genuine wit and more like a defensive tic. A film can be funny and still let its characters be in real danger. I'm not convinced this one always believes that.

There's a version of this story where the emotional beats hit harder and the stakes feel genuinely meaningful. The ingredients are there. The cast can handle it. But the film keeps pulling back from the edge, preferring to stay comfortable and light rather than risk anything darker or more surprising. As someone who spent years running campaigns where the players could die, fail, or make catastrophic choices with real consequences, that caution is noticeable. A D&D campaign where nothing really feels at risk isn't much of a campaign.

Still, I don't want to be too hard on it, because for what it is, it's a solid, entertaining fantasy romp with a lot of genuine charm. It rolls high on charisma, no question. The story and stakes don't always land a natural 20, and my DM brain kept nudging me with notes, but there's fun to be had here, and the cast makes sure of it.

Three stars.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2023  | Watched: 2025-04-07

View on Letterboxd →

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Netflix · Paramount Plus Premium · Paramount Plus Essential · Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Rent: JustWatch TV · Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More with Chris Pine: Wonder Woman (2017) · Hell or High Water (2016)
More from Canada: History of the World in Three Minutes Flat (1980) · Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) · Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) · Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
More from the 2020s: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · The Long Walk (2025) · Americana (2023)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More fantasy: Viy (1967) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)