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Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves

5/10

Stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Daisy Head, Chloe Coleman

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

And so another fantasy franchise begins. Muscly Michelle Rodriguez now has two on the go, lucky girl, with the next 'Fast and Furious' movie due soon. This one doesn't have much to do with the Hasbro board and video games, owing more to Lord of the Rings, with dashes of Robin Hood - Pine's character strums a mandolin and robs the rich to give to the poor - Mazes and Monsters, The Hunger Games and even Star Wars thrown in.

Admittedly, though, there are a couple of dragons as well.

In a story set in what could be medieval West Wales, Edgin (Pine) has been forced into thievery to make ends meet, so when his wife is killed by the bad guys (she hides their baby daughter), he hatches a plan, together with Forge (Grant), mercenary Holga (Rodriguez) and apprentice sorcerer Simon (Smith), to steal treasures which include an ancient amulet which may bring Mrs Edgin back to life.

Alas, Edgin and Holga are captured and thrown in jail, while Simon, who vanishes, and Forge escape. Forge takes custody of Edgin's now sub-teen daughter (Coleman).

Condemned to floating dungeons, Edgin and Holga escape, only to find the treacherous Forge has become boss of the whole county, his invincibility guaranteed by his partner in crime, witch Safira (Head). Now joined by Simon and horned transformer Doric (Lillis), Edgin and Holga must overcome dangers in Forge's Roman-style arena as well as underground monsters.

Devotees of the genre will find it's not so much a question of following the plot here, as waiting for the next special effect. Pine's throwaway style occasionally rises above the material, while Grant reprises his comedy villain from Paddington 2. The twist ending, even though we can see it coming, is really quite touching, and the 'talking dead' sequence is fun. it's not enough, though, to make this any more than a run-of-the-mill, SFX-laden ride.



David Quinlan

USA 2023. UK Distributor: eOne/Paramount. Colour by Company 3 .
135 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 31 Mar 2023