D&D Movie/TV The D&D Movie Reviews Are Coming In

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While Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves doesn't come out until March 31st, reviewers have seen early screenings--and so far at least—it's all almost all overwhelmingly positive.

Of course, while those who follow genre movie news will know that's not an unusual pattern among early screenings, with things starting to settle down a bit later, Rotten Tomatoes currently has the movie at 100%. We can expect that to drop.

[UPDATE -- the Rotten Tomatoes score is now starting to drop and was at 92% at the time of this edit.]
[UPDATE -- now 84%.]


Hollywood Reporter said "An adaptation that will appeal to the nostalgic side of existing fans and entertain those whose eyes glaze over at the mention of Dungeon Masters, bards or druids." Variety's verdict was "It’s at once cheesy and charming, synthetic and spectacular, cozily derivative and rambunctiously inventive, a processed piece of junk-culture joy that, by the end, may bring a tear to your eye." Den of Geek says "At last, here is a crowdpleaser that actually pleases, and not least of all because the stakes are as small as an evening with some mates going on "a quest" by way of a 20-sided die." And Total Film speaks of "A Pine-fuelled mix of humour, handsome settings and high-stakes action turns the beloved board game into a big-screen treat."

Other outlets agree. According to Polygon "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is everything a D&D fan could want" and The Wrap says "This Hilarious Epic Fantasy Is a Total Blast". Deadline also gives it a positive review, saying "With renewed interest in the fantasy genre, it’s good to see something outside of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones getting it right and having a good time. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is also one of the better game adaptations to hit theaters due to all of the elements coming together — a strong cast, a decent story, dynamic direction and pleasing special effects."

Rolling Stone is a little more tempered, however, observing that "‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Proves Chris Pine Can Save Anything" but warns that "no matter how much the creators confess their love of the game, all of those shout-outs to creatures, character types, campaign details and so on feel like annoying distractions."

RogerEbert.com feels that "The film often feels like it’s faking what the creators love about the game instead of trying to translate it from one medium to another."

But so far, so good! We'll have to wait to see if the trend holds up once the movie is out, but for those hoping we'll finally have a decent D&D movie--it looks like there is hope to be had!
 
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I went to the local showing and brought my kids' mom, who is a non-gamer who is usually into crime shows although she liked GoT and Walking Dead (for awhile at least with TWD). She actually really enjoyed it for what it was - in her words 'a Star Wars or Marvel movie'. No connection to the lore - when the first early lore easter egg mentions came up, I was afraid she might lose interest but... She enjoyed it and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure I'd go but... if you want to see these things being made, and hopefully improving each time, vote with your dollars, so I did
 

Blue

Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
We went to see it with 14 people. My opinion is it was solid. Lots of laughs, though some of them worked better if you know D&D and it's tropes. Was true to the spirit of the game, not the mechanics of any particular edition. Good action scenes. Some other geek homages. Got more done then I do in a session. ;)

One spoilery complaint: Edgin didn't seem to actually have a D&D class. I know he introduced himself as a bard, but no bardic magic at all, and bardic inspiration could be mistaken as any other pep talk.

And a final positive: CHONKY DRAGON is a fantastic anti-trope.
 


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