Hugh Grant is really in his villain era, huh?
From loveable goof to Dick Dastardly, I'm quite liking the evolution of this man. I thought he'd be in this movie a little more though, he wasn't even the big bad, just the mini boss who has the possibility for redemption somewhere in a sequel down the line. He did keep slipping up into that creepy common accent used for Guy Richie films though. I'm going to assume this was intentional as it gave a nice depth to the character, especially as he was meant to be playing a greedy con artist who has found his way to being a lord and very rich through dark power. Nice mix of posh politician and slimy londoner.
While I enjoyed the performance of the star studded cast, I got a bit restless and didn't enjoy the film as much as I wanted to. The premise was really cool, but maybe it's me, maybe I'm just growing out of the fantasy genre. I really liked the fight scenes in this, and the little back stories thrown in, but some of the other bits were really long winded and in my eyes a little pointless. I know the point of this movie was to replicate the beloved game so literally anything could happen hence some randomness, but did we need an epic (fat) Dragon fight? Did we need undead assassins within the same scene? Did we need stalking Rege-Jean Page to a Harpers library? I mean I'm not mad about it as those scenes were really cool and who doesn't love a fight scene with a group of assassins, I mean I live for them. But just put added weight into an already long and full of action movie.
There was a lot of dialogue, some of it fairly pointless, but clear that the DM was Pine or Ed as he is known in the movie. This movie was fun and playful but it just didn't hit the spot for me which worries me as I used to love fantasy movies. I loved the action, I loved the banter between characters and how each of them grew to be a family. I loved the motivation behind the villains and the main villains themselves (I'm a sucker for a witch story) but the whole thing just fell flat to me. The sense of adventure was lost somewhere, I just felt like the movie was being to obviously random to tie in with the classic game than being something to take us along. Take the LOTR movies, with the Hobbits included, we all agree we felt like we were on the adventure with them. I feel like this is what all swashbuckling adventure movies should be like, inclusive. I've used that word twice now in two days and I like it. I didn't even know swashbuckling was a genre until I overheard it somewhere else. But my point is D&D didn't live up to my somewhat unfair expectations, I wasn't transported along with these characters on their campaign I was just witness to their bias story.
I felt like I didn't even have time to bond to any of the characters. Everything happened so quickly and there was so much going on that I couldnt get to know them. We are introduced to each member of the team and learn their strengths and weaknesses very quickly, but then they either disappear or take a backseat until it becomes relevant again. I mean I know this is right in terms of D&D and of course is plot relevant too, but this just felt too obvious. Usually you don't notice when a side character as taken a back burner and pops back up to drive the plot, it seems plausible, but here it's just like 'oh of course we need your character'. It was like watching a child play a video game and making somewhat questionable choices.
There were a lot of famous faces in this film, not enough to make a difference, but enough to satisfy the nerds. Bradley Cooper made a cameo as Holga's ex husband which made me laugh, and of course we have the main ensemble. Rege-Jean Page's involvement on the movie posters was clearly a clever marketing ploy to get people to watch the film however, as turns out he isn't part of the main cast at all and is merely a character they encounter to drive the plot forward. From the limited knowledge I have of D&D (not through lack of trying) it is common for a powerful character to pop up out of nowhere to help, hinder, or drive the campaign forward and clearly this was ours. But false advertisement or what. If you are trying to drag the Bridgerton thirst squad into theatres to watch you are going to have a riot on your hands after.
I've been trying to convince my best friend Sam (the dude who is practically a brother to me) to teach me the ways of D&D for years now. He used to play a lot with friends and I so wanted to join. But life got in the way for both of us, still might be on the cards in the future as I'm not going to stop pestering him.
The highlight of this movie for me has to be Holga though. I wrongly assumed she was more potato orientated then she was due to the trailers, but I liked her attitude and strength during this movie. She was actually the only character aside from Ed that I managed to warm to, and with these two it is just because we have been with them both almost equally from the very start of the film. I love Michelle Rodriguez, not enough to bother watching the Fast & Furious movies because that is way too much dedication, but enough to respect her acting and actively want to watch her other movies. Resident Evil hello my old friend. Holga is unexpectedly vulnerable in places we wouldnt think of. She's meant to be this rock of sarcasm and strength. She eats potatoes and loves her weaponry, can also punch a man's head off. But when approached with a baby she becomes the strong mother figure that was needed all along. When presented a broken man who lacks the skills to be two parents on his own she steps up and helps him become whole without him even realising. Ed even says he gained a sister. She also really loved her ex husband who she got kicked out of her tribe for, she showed us heartbreak without so many words. This performance and character really made this movie for me.
As for Chris Pine, well he is probably back up there in the running for my favourite famous Chris again. I honestly don't think I've watched him in a movie since The Princess Diaries 2, where I loved to hate his character. But I think he is a good actor and he played his role really well. He pulls of the strategic broken man really well, but there is always hope. I kind of hope there is a sequel, a better one with less stuff going on, and that the dynamic between these characters are the same.
I'm going to give Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves a 7/10. It was a good film, maybe a little bit too long, but the heart was there. I'd watch it again with no complaints. Doric and Simon were cute, I liked the fact there was a strong female character that was a different sort of strong from Holga and they teamed up. I liked the fact Simon was his own worst enemy and came to conquer that and know his own self worth. This has a winning formula, especially with the whole sorcerer thing going on, but there was just way too much happening and too much fantasy for my little brain to handle in the space of 2 hours. Maybe if this was a series I could have coped better, but I got taken out of the moment and got fidgety.
Shout out to the special effects and puppeteers guys. Serious Labyrinth vibes here, especially with the maze and I loved that. I miss the old school Henson type puppets and this movie brought that back a little. Completely bonkers and very 80s, but we all know the 80s are having a comeback.
So what do you think? Comment on my socials!
Comments
Post a Comment