Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Last night I finally had the chance to see Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and it was so much fun!  A bard named Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) becomes a thief in a crew with Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian, Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), a sorcerer, and Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), a rogue, to support his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) after his wife is murdered.  He agrees to a dangerous raid for a mysterious stranger named Sofina (Daisy Head) because he wants to steal a Tablet of Reawakening to bring his wife back to life but he and Holga are caught and put in prison while the others are able to get away.  After two years in Revel's End prison, Edgin and Holga stage a daring escape only to discover that Forge, now the Lord of Neverwinter, is in league with Sofina, who is a Red Witch, and that the two of them orchestrated their capture.  Forge has also been taking care of Kira and has poisoned her against her father.  Elgin decides that the only way to get revenge and win Kira back is to rob Forge's vault but, in order to do that, they must go on a fantastical quest that has them reunite with Simon, recruit a shapeshifting druid named Doric (Sophia Lillas) and a paladin named Xenk Yendar (Rege-Jean Page), visit an underworld, retrieve an ancient relic, fight assassins, elude dragons, escape from a maze, and eventually defeat the Red Witch.  What I loved most about this adaptation of the popular role-playing game is that there are a lot of references and Easter eggs to keep players happy but it is accessible enough that you don't need to know anything about D&D in order to enjoy it (I have never played but a lot of my friends in high school did so I understood many of the references).  I also really liked the dynamic within the group of characters because, while there is a lot of witty banter and slapstick comedy, each of them has an important arc which allows them to overcome obstacles and grow over the course of the campaign!  Pine is incredibly charismatic, Rodriguez is a bad ass, and Grant is his usual hilarious self as a smarmy villain but Page steals the show and his detailed explanations had me laughing out loud.  The action sequences are great, especially those involving Rodriguez, and I loved all of the visual effects, particularly a sequence when Doric shapeshifts into several different animals to escape from Forge's castle.  As a fantasy loving nerd I expected to enjoy this but I actually really loved it and I highly recommend it!