Why isn't it perfect? Like Warcraft, the film banks on its audience already familiar with the game's lore. The sear number of concepts and creatures exposited can confound the unfamiliar. A lot of it is exposited during the long prologue, where thieves Edgin the Bard (Chris Pine) and Holga the Barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez) tell their story to a parole board. They're serving time after their last heist went wrong. Edgin wants to get back to his daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), and the parole board is sympathetic. But they still escape with the unwilling help of a tengu board member.
Thier old crew member Forge the Rogue (Hugh Grant) is now the Lord of Neverwinter City. He's also Kira's guardian and is lying to her that Edgin never loved her. At the root of it is the MacGuffin, a one-use tablet that can bring back the dead, like Edgin's wife. She was killed by a Red Wizard, the evilest kind around, and one of them, Sofina (Daisy Head), is Forge's advisor. Edgin and Holga decide to steal back the tablet to win back Kira. They're joined by their other old crew member, Simon the Wizard (Justice Smith) and newcomer Doric the Druid (Sofia Lilis). They'll have to hurry as Forge and Sofina plot to use the upcoming Highsun Games to turn the city into an undead army.
Everybody got that?
Unlike Warcraft, its cast is anything but stiff. In fact, the main party is a likable band of misfits. Pine and Rodriguez have great chemistry as Edgin and Holga. Individually, Edgin is a fun rogue and Holga's punch-first approach is amusing. Their relationship with Kira is endearing, and the finale is almost moving. Almost, once you remember the tablet. Simon gets a good character arc as he learns to improve his magic. Doric's ingenuity is as outstanding as her shapeshifting abilities. Together, they get their best moment when they commit to stop Sofina. Forge is an entertainingly loathsome villain, while Sofina is sufficiently creepy. There's one more cast member I'll get to when I describe the tone.
Directors and writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Game Night) basically conceived this as "Guardians of the Galaxy in Middle-Earth." Basically, modern wise guys in a high fantasy setting. One scene has the party exhume, revive and interrogate several dead barbarians. They can only stay alive for five questions, which leads to hilarious difficulty. The party is joined for a bit by Xenk Yendar the Paladin (Rege-Jean Page), who amplifies their chemistry with his strait-laced demeanor. His portion features them chased by an overweight dragon, which is both funny and terrifying. You'll instantly realize what Sofina's masterplan is once Forge hints at it. How the party thwarts her involves some ingenious subterfuge.
There's an impressive technical party on this campaign. A good blend of CGI and animatronics conjures up the game's bestiary. A few highlights include Doric's shapeshifting - including her preferred Owl-Bear form - and Sofina's ghastly spell. The highlight is the trippy dimension Simon visits with the Helmet of Disjunction (another MacGuffin). The production design by Raymond Chan conjures up some neat locales. The most impressive of them is the shifting maze in the Highsun Games. I must note that one set of competitors are actually the cast of the 1983 D&D cartoon. It's an amusing gag made possible by costume designer Amanda Monk's spot-on recreations of their attire. And finally, there's another outstanding score by Lorne Balfe to accentuate the action.
Its exposition maybe dense, but Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will help you through it. It does so with its affectionate parody spin on the high fantasy genre. The main party is worth watching for their excellent chemistry alone. They're up to the challenge against formidable adversaries during the film's 134 minutes. It's worth seeing on the big screen at any price. That's it for my 800th review. It's time to prepare for next month.
No comments:
Post a Comment