Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

For decades, Hollywood struggled to translate the freewheeling chaos of a D&D campaign to the screen. Then came directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the duo behind Game Night, who understood that the heart of the game isn't loot tables or spell slots, it's a bunch of friends making terrible decisions together. Their 2023 film finally got it right, delivering a fantasy heist comedy that feels less like a corporate IP play and more like a night around the dining table with dice and snacks.

Chris Pine leads as Edgin Darvis, a bard whose silver tongue gets his crew into, and occasionally out of, trouble. Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga Kilgore, a barbarian with a soft spot for Edgin's daughter. Justice Smith is Simon Aumar, a sorcerer haunted by his legendary lineage, and Sophia Lillis plays Doric, a tiefling druid who can turn into anything from a mouse to an owlbear. Hugh Grant, clearly having the time of his life, plays Forge Fitzwilliam, a con artist whose charm hides a streak of genuine villainy. Regé-Jean Page shows up as Xenk, a paladin so virtuous he's almost a parody of himself, but Page sells it with perfect deadpan sincerity.

Shot mostly in Northern Ireland with heavy use of practical effects, the mimic is a real animatronic puppet, the film cost $151 million and grossed $208 million worldwide. It's not a blockbuster, but it's a cult classic in the making, the rare adaptation that makes you want to roll a character sheet the moment the credits roll. [edit]

Edgin Darvis and Holga Kilgore sit in a frozen prison cell at Revel's End, pleading their case to a parole board. Through Edgin's narration, we learn he was once a Harper, one of the good guys, until Red Wizard disciples killed his wife Zia. Grief made him reckless, so he quit the Harpers and turned to thievery, raising his daughter Kira alongside Holga. They recruited a crew: Simon Aumar, a half-elf sorcerer who can barely cast a cantrip without fumbling; Forge Fitzwilliam, a charming rogue who talks his way into any vault; and Sofina, a Red Wizard who seemed helpful at the time.

The plan was to steal a Tablet of Reawakening from the Harper stronghold Korin's Keep. If they succeeded, Edgin could bring Zia back. But Sofina betrayed them mid-heist, collapsing the keep and letting Edgin and Holga take the fall while she escaped with Forge, the loot, and Kira. Two years later, Edgin and Holga break out of Revel's End and head to Neverwinter, where they discover Forge has used their stolen gold to install himself as Lord of Neverwinter. Sofina is his advisor. Worse, Forge has told Kira that Edgin abandoned her for selfish reasons, never mentioning the resurrection plan or the prison sentence.

The pair try to confront Forge but end up captured and sentenced to execution. They escape with help from Simon, now working as a failed tavern magician, and Doric, a tiefling druid from the Emerald Enclave who's been tracking Sofina's strange magical activities. The group learns that Sofina plans to use the Highsun Games, Neverwinter's annual festival, as cover for a dark ritual. A Thayan horn will unleash a spell that turns the entire population into mindless thralls, effectively enslaving the city.

To stop her, the team seeks out Xenk Yendar, an immortal paladin who knows the location of the Helmet of Disjunction, an artifact that can disrupt Sofina's magic. Xenk agrees to guide them through the Underdark, a subterranean nightmare filled with traps, monsters, and puzzles. They fight a mimic disguised as a treasure chest, negotiate with a dragon, and survive the Evermoors. Along the way, Xenk reveals that Simon is a descendant of the legendary wizard Elminster, a fact that only deepens Simon's insecurity, he can't even cast a simple levitation spell reliably. The group retrieves the helmet, but Xenk refuses to join the final fight, saying his presence would draw too much attention from forces best left undisturbed.

Back in Neverwinter, the team infiltrates the city during the Highsun Games. Simon uses his magic staff to teleport them into Forge's treasure vault. They're captured again and forced to fight as gladiators in the arena, but they escape with Forge's riches. As they flee by boat, they see the dark cloud of Sofina's ritual forming over the coliseum, where most of the city's citizens are gathered. The team has a choice: sail away rich and safe, or turn back and risk everything to save Neverwinter.[edit]