I have never been one to shy away from dumb movies. Low stakes movies are honestly always super fun, even if the only reason as that sitting through them means critiquing every second of bad acting, cheap effects, or sloppy writing. But while I went into the new Dungeons & Dragons movie not expecting much, I ended up having a blast watching this new fantasy flick, and it blew away all of my expectations.

In the beginning of the movie, we meet Edgin (Chris Pine) and his BFF Holga (Michelle Rodriguez). Edgin and Holga were part of a band of thieves, but were caught after a heist that went wrong. Motivated to get back to his daughter and to try and recover some of the loot from the heist, since one of the thieves escaped unscathed, Edgin and Holga start by reuniting with this former band mate (see what I did there). But appearances are deceiving, and Edgin and Holga find themselves trying to find their former friends to steal Edgin’s daughter back—and to hopefully grab some gold in the process.

As I said, I was not expecting to be laughing through this entire movie. Fantasy is a genre that typically carries a lot of weight, and most successful series and films have been those that embrace a full lore with a straight face (think Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, even Witcher leans more serious). Bad fantasy is so often something that takes itself too seriously without delivering on a good story with strong character; something that gets so caught up in its own lore that no one can relate to the plot. But to see a fantasy movie that leans straight into farce without trying to take itself too seriously is SO REFRESHING. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ends up pulling something very akin to what Taika Waititi did with Thor: Ragnorok or even what James Gunn did with Guardians of the Galaxy. And really, that formula doesn’t work without having a lead who is willing to laugh at himself.

Honestly, Chris Pine makes this entire film. His one-liners and general manner give an upbeat doofiness to the story that makes him come off as foolhardy but not stupid, and you want to root for him and his team immediately. You can really see Michelle Rodriguez having some fun here too, playing a gruff warrior with a big heart, and with a physical comedy bit that really plays. Also shoutout to Regé-Jean Page (who famously played The Duke in Bridgerton), who plays his gallant wizard character with such deadpan seriousness that everything that happens during any of his scenes is just a riot.

—SPOILER—

Idk how much of a spoiler this really is but best to cover bases. I also want to recognize Hugh Grant in yet another role that goes against type. As one of the main villains (or pawns to the main villains), we get to see him play a con man who has no issue stealing away Edgin’s daughter and robbing an entire city blind. It’s nice to see him edge out of the blustering romantic comedy lead and into some colder stuff lately (see also how he plays a big-time English arms dealer in Operation Fortune).

—END SPOILER—

I think a lesser studio might overthink the gravity of doing a movie based on the beloved boardgame (and indeed, there are three other D&D movies that I had no idea existed until recently). But what Honor Among Thieves does is capture the random nature of how the game is played, and just rolls with it. Characters hop from situation to situation seamlessly and the story doesn’t get bogged down in itself.

Anyway, all of this to say: I went out on a Friday night to have some popcorn and chill with what I thought would be a dumb movie and ended up laughing my ass off the entire time. Favorite bits include: Resurrecting the dead to ask a certain amount of questions, Holga meeting her ex-husband, and a diversion tactic involving singing that goes horribly awry.

Go see it for a good laugh! 8 outa 10.

(Ignore the Zeppelin track, there’s no classic rock in the movie, js)