Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) * FULL LENGTH REACTION
Added 2024-05-28 15:00:06 +0000 UTCThis movie reaction is brought to you by one of our Producers!!
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Welcome to the world of Dungeons and Dragons!! This was a hoot, and this movie has made me want to play D&D again 🥰
I'm always wary of recent comedies, but for the most part, this one was very enjoyable! Holga is definitely my favourite character, Michelle Rodriguez was fantastic!!
Chris Pine is also perfect for a Bard due to his naturally high charisma stat!
It would be so great if they continued with this franchise/main characters, though it doesn't seem likely 😭 We clearly need a movie or TV series that starts with characters at level 1 and they progress through a campaign throughout the film/series. I know Vox Machina has a series for one of their campaigns, but I don't think they start at level 1 but I could be wrong.
Very much enjoyable, that's all I have to say about that! 🤩
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- Vero 🤩
Thank you so much everyone for your support, you are awesome and make this possible 🥰
Comments
Absolutely. There's been times where I have furiously white-boarded something over days or even weeks, like a mechanic or a place or a starkly different culture. Those are usually the times where either I hit a dead-end, or it gets finished, but sits on the shelf and is never used. One example I have is horse-racing mechanics. What's one of yours?
Richard Flores
2024-05-31 03:44:48 +0000 UTCYeah. Time and/or timing. lol
OrangeLion
2024-05-30 23:51:12 +0000 UTCI haven't quite finished creating my new character, but so far I'm leaning towards a variant human cleric (Arcana domain). We'll be playing the Eve of Ruin campaign that was just published for 5e. It will be an on-line campaign played using Zoom meetings, which is strange because we all live within a few miles of each other. I guess we're all too lazy to meet in person. 😁 And yes, I've played in many different campaigns, both homebrew and published, and using many different rules systems (D&D, Runequest, Star Wars (both the West End Games and Fantasy Flight versions), In Nomine, Savage Worlds, Call of Cthulhu, FUDGE, Vampire: The Masquerade, campaigns where we created our own homebrew rules system to go with the homebrew setting, etc.)
Chris Gronau
2024-05-30 16:12:01 +0000 UTCExactly!! Though sometimes it's easy to create something very elaborate then struggle to figure out what you do with it 🤣
Verowak
2024-05-30 13:10:02 +0000 UTCI've only heard of Game Night through playing framed.wtf It was one of the movies a random day in the past year, and it seemed pretty interesting
Verowak
2024-05-30 13:09:36 +0000 UTCCan I ask what your character for this new campaign will be? That's so exciting!! Is it a campaign that you've done before? (Assuming you've done a lot since you started back in 1977 :D ) I do love how some of the weirdness is due to a bad roll for a skill check 😁 In the world of DnD, I excuse that a lot more since I know how it works. In movies where real life is depicted, then it can be a bit far fetched at times. I need to encounter this dragon when I play DnD in the future!!
Verowak
2024-05-30 13:08:48 +0000 UTCYou'll have to explain what "PC wokeness" means for this film?
Verowak
2024-05-30 13:06:43 +0000 UTCThat's the problem isn't it... time 😨
Verowak
2024-05-30 13:06:11 +0000 UTCI love how different impressions can be. Ironically, I saw first trailer #2, the one that started with Michelle Rodriguez fighting. That, combined with Led Zeppelin and learning that with Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant two of my favorite actors are in it, got me hooked instantly. I thought it could be a fun and entertaining ride, but I never expected to like this movie as much as I do...🤔🙂
silverarrow06
2024-05-29 20:50:32 +0000 UTCThanks for the reminder about Game Night, I remember almost nothing about what happened, just that I enjoyed it a lot - perfect combo for a rewatch
James Hadden
2024-05-29 19:34:56 +0000 UTCDid you expect to hate it based on the trailer? That was my thoughts when I saw the trailer, then promptly removed it from my memory 🤣
Verowak
2024-05-29 19:30:23 +0000 UTCChris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez's chemistry was perfect! I would love to see them in other movies together. Hugh Grant is obviously a good villain since he has the accent for it 🤣 I'm actually looking forward to rewatching this one and picking up on things you guys have commented on, and whatever else my elf eyes will spot!! Even though the heart felt moments of the story was very generic, the delivery was so great, it felt new! The creators really do seem to love DnD, and I would love more from them.
Verowak
2024-05-29 19:29:52 +0000 UTC@James Hadden (since Patreon doesn't really make sense with who we're replying to) You're completely right about people going to the cinema less or buying physical copies. Covid and the start of streaming services really changed things. From what I've heard, revenue from streaming services aren't that great for movies, so they can really be affected by the reduction in movie goers :(
Verowak
2024-05-29 19:26:16 +0000 UTCIts awesome that you DM and its awesome that you use your own setting. I prefer to do that too. I feel like your own setting allows you to follow your gut instinct when something comes up and you get that light-bulb over your head.
Richard Flores
2024-05-29 19:20:22 +0000 UTCFun fact that 2000 DnD movie was the first film to be allowed to film in the Bone Cathedral in Chechia. Its a church that is decorated with tens of thousands of human bones.
Ashley
2024-05-29 17:46:24 +0000 UTC@silverarrow06 I’d never considered the mechanics of fire breathing dragons, so assumed mixing fire with fire wouldn’t make much of a difference, rather than a flammable breath that the dragon fills the surrounding area with before igniting. I see that as my mistake and misunderstanding, and can now see the logic of the escape. I also stand corrected regarding CGI costs, even though I can’t quite conceive it. I guess I underestimate the complexity of what goes into it even with the graphical power of modern systems. Happy to learn my errors.
James Hadden
2024-05-29 16:04:38 +0000 UTCAbout the dragon: I always thought the plan was to light the dragons breath with Simons fire finger, so the den, that was below a sea or river (see the water flooding in from above when the dragon punched holes in the ceiling), would collapse and they could swim to the surface...🤔 About the costs of CGI: That is the most expensive part of a big budget movie production nowadays, only beaten by the fee for a-list stars or sometimes the rights of a novel or a game or the use of music. Computing power is very expensive, it can actually be cheaper to build real sets, props and masks than to create them digitally. The big advantage of CGI is the unlimited possibilities to create whatever you can think of...🤔🙂
silverarrow06
2024-05-29 15:49:11 +0000 UTCI was happy with each character’s sense of humour overall, just some lines felt so obvious and unnecessary I didn’t find them funny. I also learned that for me, while a funny line delivered after a serious or heartfelt moment can be great, one beforehand renders the emotional moment impossible to connect with. The part about escaping the dragon was just the final bit in the sealed cave, I enjoyed the chase, I just didn’t really understand what happened at the end, and went with your suggestion of gas explosion. Regarding profits, I was suggesting hardly anyone goes to the cinema anymore or buy physical copies. I don’t look up budgets, so concede to your point about costs, although I was under the impression modern CGI was a fraction of the cost of producing practically.
James Hadden
2024-05-29 15:19:00 +0000 UTCHumour is so subjective, but it's interesting that there were so many hits and misses lol Was it that certain characters' humour were more to your liking? Or that characters had both hits and misses? I took the not escaping the dragon as a gag since the dragon was massive and had a hard time moving 😁 Which, in all honesty, when playing a D&D game, it's possible that everyone rolls terribly and have a hard time getting through a puzzle/trap, and in another one, they roll very well and easily breeze through. Some characters can have multiple attacks per round, yeah, so it's possible the final boss had some legendary abilities, or whatnot. Movies don't make as much of a profit since they all cost so much now (actors salary have gone up, CGI is used way more, etc).
Verowak
2024-05-29 15:00:16 +0000 UTCI'll have to watch the 2000 movie to see what it's all about 🤣
Verowak
2024-05-29 14:56:57 +0000 UTCThis is a fun movie and you can tell the writer/directors know and care about D&D. The same guys also made one of my favourite comedies in recent years, Game Night, which I think would be worth doing a reaction for.
Razor Bikini
2024-05-29 12:58:56 +0000 UTCI've played every version of D&D. I started back in 1977, when there was only one version, and still play it today (I'm starting a new campaign Sunday....). I really enjoyed this movie. It does a pretty good job of portraying the weirdness that can happen in a D&D adventure. The guards failing to notice the portal being dragged behind the wagon because they failed their perception checks, Edgin failing his roll to escape his bonds several times while Holga beats up all the guards by herself, stuff like that. And yes, Themberchaud the fat dragon really is in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. He got that way after making a deal with a city of evil dwarves. Themberchaud would use his fiery breath to keep the city's forges burning, and they would feed him. Pretty soon, fat dragon....
Chris Gronau
2024-05-29 06:50:38 +0000 UTCI had not seen this before, and now that I have Netflixed it, I am glad that I didn't spend money to see it in the theater. For me, personally, when a fantasy setting goes out of its way to take something modern (like jail/parole or hand radios) and cover it with a fantasy skin, it ruins the whole story. And when the story is dripping with PC wokeness, that is even worse. The only characters that I found sympathetic or likeable were the daughter Kira and the paladin. That said, i would love to see a good (emphasis on good) adaption of some of R. A. Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden books from the Forgotten Realms setting, especially the "Icewind Dale" and "Dark Elf" trilogies. or the original "Dragonlance" trilogy by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis.
JAKH
2024-05-29 06:25:11 +0000 UTCIf you like the intelligent fighter, I suggest reading the original "Conan" short stories and novels by Robert E. Howard. The 12-volume paperback edition edited by R. Sprague De Camp and Lin Carter are well curated and annotated, and are arranged chronologically (the short stories were originally written and published non-chronologically). Additionally, over the years his estate has hired various writers to author new Conan adventures. when some of them became well known in their own right,their Conan stories were re-published under their better known names. I particularly recommend the ones by Robert Jordan and Harry Turtledove. A lot of the classic tropes and monsters from D&D are drawn directly from Howard's original stories. You might also enjoy Harry Turtledove's Videssos series', starting with "The Misplaced Legion". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videssos_cycle
JAKH
2024-05-29 06:09:45 +0000 UTC"Big Budget Fan Movie vs Shiny Soulless Blockbuster." Exactly, I came into this movie expecting to hate it, I came out loving it to death. Because it was made by people who love this movie and love this gaming playstyle and love this culture and love this fanbase. And they made their love very clear. This has been, is, and will always be, an amazing time.
Richard Flores
2024-05-29 06:08:11 +0000 UTCI have never played D&D. Very limited knowledge of it. Not sure if it's for me or not, but I wouldn't mind doing a quick session at some point whenever I have time for it. Which...funny story about that...lol.
OrangeLion
2024-05-29 01:28:52 +0000 UTCUnfortunately I know exactly what you're talking about, I once made the mistake to watch it. 🙈 This movie on the other hand is the best way to overcome this trauma. 😊
silverarrow06
2024-05-28 21:41:21 +0000 UTCI agree in everything with you, but the part about the humor. For me it was way more hits than misses. This humor is right up my alley. 😂🙈 But the sense of humor is so individual, everybody laughs about different things. 🙂
silverarrow06
2024-05-28 21:38:09 +0000 UTCIt was so great to see this movie again and I am glad you liked it. 😊 Yes, Alnwick Castle served as background for Neverwinter and for Hogwarts in the first two HP movies and the hallway they're waiting in was used as interior throughout the whole series. One time in the exact camera angle used for the fifth or sixth HP movie. Many people who played DnD said this movie would get exactly how it feels to play a round. I liked pretty much the whole ensemble and how they fit so well together. I absolutely love Michelle Rodriguez as Holga and Chris Pine as Edgin and their wonderful chemistry. You instantly believe that they're best friends and care for each other like siblings. Oh, and Holga and her tiny ex-husband have a special place in my heart. Their closure talk was so heartfelt and wholesome. 😊 Hugh Grant always makes me laugh, he is just so happily evil all the time. 😂 I find myself constantly laughing at things that shouldn't be funny, but his delivery is so great ("Holga, Holga, Holga!"). In making-of videos you can see that he often made his co-stars laugh and break character. But of course the actual star of the movie is Themberchaud, the pudgy dragon. This must be the fattest, most funny and yet somehow adorable dragon I ever saw in a movie...😍 For me part of the charm of the movie is that it doesn't pretend to be more than it is. Also it isn't just funny, but also very warm-hearted. It has a very big heart for its characters and this combination makes it very likeable. It was pretty clear early on that they would use the tablet to bring back Holga at some point, but the great acting of Chloe Coleman, Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez in this scene and the flashback to show that Kira already had a mother in Holga made it very moving. 😊💖 I think overall you can feel that the creators behind the movie love and understand DnD and made more of a Big Budget fan movie, than a shiny but soulless blockbuster.
silverarrow06
2024-05-28 21:29:48 +0000 UTCI’ve never played D&D but that was a lot of fun. For me though, it did feel like the screenwriters took it in turns writing scenes, and ONE of them is very talented. I just cannot see the creativity of the portal scene being written by the same person who couldn’t figure out how to escape the dragon. My only other critique is about the comedy. I have never watched a movie with this level of hits and misses. I usually either like the style of humour or I don’t. This one seemed consistent in style but a large portion just didn’t land, and yet those that did gave me a proper chuckle. In the end it didn’t matter as we were quickly whisked along to the next one. I don’t know if he was my favourite but I did like Simon’s humour. The final boss battle was very nicely choreographed and entertaining. I don’t remember the other battles, but in this one you might be right Vero, once they came together it very much felt like turn based attacks, although does the boss get to take multiple turns per round? I don’t know how newer movies get judged financially, as it seems nothing is making the kind of profits they did 5-10 years ago. I believe this did achieve critical success though. Despite my criticisms, overall I definitely did enjoy the ride and characters in this. Hugh Grant is clearly using his previous successes to secure a lot of fun roles for himself in more recent years.
James Hadden
2024-05-28 20:10:34 +0000 UTCI have heard good things about this movie but I'm still traumatized by the last D&D movie they made in 2000.
Ashley
2024-05-28 18:47:50 +0000 UTCThat's amazing!! It goes to show that taking a chance on a movie we don't think will be for us can bring 😊😁
Verowak
2024-05-28 15:43:02 +0000 UTCI will say, the producers and marble winners have constantly been choosing great movies!! 😍
Verowak
2024-05-28 15:42:24 +0000 UTCI know essentially nothing about D&D, seen this come out and completely put it off thinking I won't get anything about it, so why bother.. but wow! Was I blown away by how good it was. Like literally watching it twice back to back
jim Howe
2024-05-28 15:09:20 +0000 UTCWhoever was suggesting this movie to you: Thank you so much! 😊🤩🙌🏻 This movie has become instantly one of my favorite fantasy movies and I'm so looking forward to see your reaction to it this evening! ☺️
silverarrow06
2024-05-28 15:08:42 +0000 UTC
