The Dungeons & Dragons reboot film is being showered with positive reviews and comparisons to Game of Thrones.
Making a film adaptation of a video game is notoriously difficult - just ask fans of DnD.
The first big screen adaptation of the popular role-playing franchise landed in 2000 and was met with horrendous reviews and ended up being a box office bomb.
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The flop film starred Jeremy Irons, Justin Whalin, Marlon Wayans, Thora Birch and more. It was followed by a made-for-TV sequel, Wrath of the Dragon God, in 2005 and a third film, The Book of Vile Darkness, had a direct-to-DVD release in 2012.
With only a few weeks left until Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves drops in theaters, critics who watched the film at the South by Southwest Film Festival had lots of amazing things to say about it.
Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio, the new movie is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting and has no connection to the three previous films.
It follows a group of thieves who unwittingly steal a relic for the evil Red Wizard who uses it to conjure up an army of the undead.
The unlikely group band together to go on a quest to stop the Red Wizard and save the world.
Dungeons & Dragons has an incredible ensemble cast including Star Trek actor Chris Pine as Edgin Darvis, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant and Daisy Head.
The 2023 reboot is set to be a fun adventure which will please long-time fans as well as newcomers.
The Atom Review tweeted that the film is ‘epic & hilarious’ and dubbed it ‘one of the best fantasy films ever!’
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves sets a new bar for fantasy across film/tv. Not since Lord of the Rings & Game of Thrones has it been this emotionally epic. Congrats to entire cast & crew!”
Critic Erik Davis gushed about the characters and the film’s humor, writing: “The new Dungeons & Dragons movie is a whole lot of fun.
"Once you settle into the world, it turns into one of the most entertaining fantasy films I’ve seen in [a while]. Great characters, wild quests, crazy creature & it’s very funny. BIG recommend from me.”
Davis also revealed that he hasn’t played the original game but still thought the film was ‘very entertaining’.
He added: “Also, I do not play Dungeons & Dragons and understand zero references, so I am watching it from that perspective.
"I imagine fans will feast on all the little details - I loved watching a bonkers fantasy film full of imagination. It’s long, but it’s very entertaining.”
Similarly, Cinefied said they haven’t played the original game either but called the cast ‘brilliant’ and urged everyone to see it in theaters.
They tweeted: “Having never played a game of D&D in my life, #dungeonsanddragonsmovie Is an absurd amount of fun - filled to the brim with fantastical action, sharp comedy and a brilliant cast. A must see in the cinemas! #SXSW2023.”
While Jacob Ethington shared: "#dungeonsanddragonsmovie is a lot of fun, which is all the movie is really interested in doing. The characters are kind of thin but the cast makeup for that along with some great creatures and rock-solid action.
"Feels destined to be watched by very dedicated fans over the years."
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will be released on 31 March 2023.
Topics: Game of Thrones, Film and TV
Gregory Robinson