Movie Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) co-written and co-directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) are prisoners in an Icewind Dale prison. They turned to a life of thievery to make ends meet but for a good reason. Edgin was a Harper, a group that does good (including taking down bad guys) without reward. His wife was okay with that. They had a child named Kira (Chloe Coleman). Eventually, some bad guys came for revenge on Edgin, killing his wife. Edgin had a bad year trying to raise Kira when he ran into Holga and they started a life of petty theft. They put a team together to do bigger jobs, eventually getting caught. They break out of jail and quest to save his daughter, who has been taken by the con-man from their team, Forge (Hugh Grant). Forge has basically adopted her and told lies about Edgin to win her affection and make her hate Edgin. He's also become mayor of Neverwinter, where he has a new scheme to make himself even more wealthy. He's using the help of a Red Wizard (Daisy Head) who has her own agenda. Edgin and Holga put together a new team to save the day.

The movie is a fun action romp, with plenty of comedy and action set-pieces. Fans of D&D will enjoy seeing classic creatures like an owl-bear and a gelatinous cube, along with famous places like Neverwinter and the Underdark, along with other familiar details. The story is so straightforward that non-fans won't get lost. Pine is his usual charming self. Grant makes a good villain. There are no particularly deep or resonant themes, just a fun adventure story set in a detailed and creative world.

Recommended, highly for Dungeons & Dragons fans.

Movie Review: Game Night (2018)

Game Night (2018) directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) host a weekly game night with some friends, another couple and a guy who always brings a new date. Max's brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) shows up from out of town and upstages Max yet again (Max never beat Brooks at any game when they were kids). Brooks invites Max's group to a game night at his rented home. Brooks plans a kidnapping mystery night that goes awry when actual kidnappers show up. The couples go into investigative mode, only to discover things are more real than they seem.

The movie is a fairly broad comedy that is very entertaining. The cast is charming. The plot is a little convoluted, but only to set up a lot of jokes. Two or three comedy sequences don't work but there's at least a dozen that work quite well, so it balances out in favor of the viewers. The movie is not deep but is entertaining.
Recommended.

Parental warning: the movie has a bunch of sexual references (some quite crude) and a lot of bad language, in addition to some bloody wounds. This is really for late teens and up.