‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Appeals to Both Avid Players and Rookies in First Reactions
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has premiered at the SXSW film festival, with positive first reactions to the fantasy action adventure coming from both avid players and non-players, alike.
Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis star in the feature from Paramount and eOne, as a band of adventurers that are on a quest to retrieve a powerful relic, a journey that runs into trouble after they come across some nefarious characters. Hugh Grant plays the group’s primary foil and the movie’s comedic relief.
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley — known for the comedy Game Night — wrote and directed the movie that is based on the beloved tabletop role-playing game.
Reviews will be following the SXSW premiere but see some of the first social media reactions below, now.
Erik Davis of Fandango: “I do not play Dungeons and Dragons and understand zero references, so I am watching it from that perspective. I imagine fans will feast on all the little details – I just loved watching a bonkers fantasy film full of imagination.”
Steve Weintraub of Collider: “#dungeonsanddragons is awesome. It’s super fun, very funny, and loaded with action set pieces that are both inventive, well staged and look great. Also Chris Pine sings and [Hugh Grant] is perfect. Huge recommend.”
Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com: “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves emulates the energy of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers with a chaotic story. Daley & Goldstein deliver on humor & fantastical, continuous shots while the cast looks to be having a good time. Michelle Rodriguez rocks.”
Critic Matt Donato: “A fun-filled fantasy adventure that leans into the spectacle and silliness of D&D campaigns while still being wholly accessible. Pine is having a blast. Could be a bit shorter? More words and thoughts to come! #SXSW”
Jacob Hall of SlashFilm: “DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES: Uh, folks? This is outstanding. A tight as a drum screenplay brought to life by a game cast. Hilarious without ever feeling embarrassed by the material. I fell in love early and it never waned.”
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com: “DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: You know how the game often gets made up as it goes along? The movie has a lot of that energy, which is a blessing and a curse. Best stuff reminded me of Raimi, worst of Boll. More in Sunday review.”
Ryan McQuade of Awards Watch: “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves takes a little while to get going but once it kicked into the second half, it’s a whole lotta fun. The whole cast is great and the humor shines the brightest.”
Dungeons & Dragons will be released on March 31.