To be honest this movie deserves so much props just for the platonic male/female friendship that stays that way alone. There is never a hint that either of them harboured romantic feelings for the other. They loved each other as friends and raised a lovely kid together. I also really appreciated that Ed recognised that Holgar meant more to his daughter than the biological mother she never knew. Using the magic to bring her back also pretty firmly estabishes the film's stance that platonic relationships matter every bit as much as romantic ones.
I was thinking the same thing! The main reason I went to go see the DnD movie was because folks in the aro/ace community were saying there was a platonic male-female relationship between *main characters* that lasted the whole movie and I was sold on at least seeing it. That's how low my standards are lol.
I actually SOBBED about how much I loved that entire thing. Finally it showed two friends who I can actually relate to. Because like... I would love to raise a kid with a close friend, and to have deeply connected lives without it being anything else. It's literally been a dream of mine for most of my life lmao And then aro/bi so like... duh I like the friend part, but they don't even bang! And I love that, too, because lowkey I'm sick of the assumption that allosexuals have to always sleep with everyone of the gender/s they're attracted to and can't simply be friends.
My personal headcanon is that Xenk is the DM's cousin who was in town long enough to get them through the underdark, and brought in his character from a previous campaign in the same setting. All the stories we hear about him are stories from the previous campaign
I love all the little jokes that make more sense if you know about the game. From Edgin's bad rolls escaping the ropes to the fact that the intellect devourers didn't want the party because intelligence is often a dump stat, and right down to the fact you know Jarnathan's name was made up on the spot after a player asked
Not to mention the whole Hither Thither staff that was clearly the DM scrambling to find a solution to the fact Simon just ignored the entire spiel about the bridge puzzle.
@@snakeman830 a solution that backfired as the cast proceeded to exploit the staff exactly how you'd expect a group of D&D players to exploit a fantasy portal gun
My personal favorite Xenk theory is that he's one of the player's kids doing his first DnD character. There are so many parts of his character that could be annoying (he's the only good Thayan, he's overpowered, he gets a whole fight to himself and a tragic backstory with the main villain, he says silly things completely seriously) but if he was played by a kid then the party just find it cute, probably even egg him on or throw in his favorite monster to make sure he's having fun.
Great video! I'll admit, I didn't initially read Xenk as autistic when I first watched the movie, but after having you explain it I fully adopt it as a headcanon now.
That was one of the best movies I have seen this year, and I am so glad that you did a video on it despite it not being your usual thing. Something my mom liked about it was that Holga didn't fight like you usually see female fighters in movies do it, she fought ugly and brutally. Usually, women in these battles look a lotter prettier, fancier, and win without being hit in any way that matters. Holga on the other hand was in a no holds slug fest with both sides giving and taking massive blows.
Now I want to watch this movie even more! You are so right about the often excessive "beaty / style" of femme characters in fights. I find it alienating.
Also, she kinda breaks the stereotype of "Big brute dumb". She fought very intelligently and used what was around her to her advantage. This is just a guess, but I am pretty sure less than 50% of her K.O.s are done with actual weapons, and done with improvised weapons (the brick, the chain hanging from the ceiling, the blacksmith hammers etc).
@@Dragon151But she’s still not a genius; she leaves the planning up to Edgin and when she does have ideas it becomes clear why (her saying that Doric should turn into a deer to scout the vault’s defenses comes to mind).
The main characters of this movie have officially released stat blocks. The main party (Doric, Edgin, Holga, & Simon) are all CR 5. Forge is CR 8. Xenk is CR 10. Sofina is CR 15. I feel like this info helps with that "table narrative".
As another person who gets migraines, I extend all of my empathy and hope the attack passes soon for you! (I'm told the term for someone who gets migraines is "migraineur" which in turn sounds so much like "connoisseur" that it makes me imagine drinking fine wine and talking about the notes, which is so far removed from the experience of having migraines that I can't take the word at all seriously, lol.) On the main topic of the video; watching Honor Among Thieves is so fun if you play D&D and can imagine it as an actual party of actual people playing the characters. My D&D party and I all watched it together, and we were joking the whole time about "Oof, someone rolled a Nat 1" and "Wow the Dungeon Master is being a merciless asshole." One of my party even joked that the Hither Thither staff read as an absolute last minute plot addition by a panicked DM who did not plan for the party to demolish the bridge puzzle that was supposed to be trivial with the NPC ally's help. On the whole, I completely agree- it's not a movie that's going to be changing anybody's worldview or deeply resonating with someone's lived experience, but it's about two hours of a rollicking good time and well worth a watch.
Enjoyed the video. The only thing that was unrealistic about the movie is the amount of human (and human adjacent) characters there were in the party. I've played plenty of campaigns, and the only human to show up in the party was mine, and he didn't stay fully human for long (wereboar shenanigans, plus multiple curses).
That's right. About to DM a campaign with a Dragonborn a Tabaxi one human and one where the player hasn't told me yet. Used to DM a group with one Halfling two Elves a tiefling and a gnome. plus almost every group has an encounter with lycanthropes at one point or another and someone likely will fail the saving throw. For a human to stay that way takes luck and a good relationship with clerics.
It greatly depends. I run multiple campaigns at the moment and sometimes the same players come up with wildly different characters depending on the story they want to tell. One party is entirely human-adjacent with a human, tiefling, half-orc, and a fire genasi as the most "exotic" of the bunch. But another party has an owlin, and a satyr and has already been accompanied by a plasmoid, a yuan-ti, a deep gnome, and a tortle. My players typically choose something that feels right for the setting. And if it is going to be a wild ride, so are the characters.
TBF, there’s already a lot of money spent on the special effects. They probably didn’t want to add too much to make-up beyond Simon’s ears and Doric’s horns and tail.
I was initially disappointed that Xenk wasn't a Warlock and then only in the film for the second act. I'm still a bit disappointed that he wasn't a Warlock, but definitely enjoy that he was watching things from afar.
A lot of my D&D friends thought Edgin wasn't really a bard, but a rogue. But Edgin is shown playing music and encouraging the other party members. Xenk is my favorite character, too. It helps that Rege Jean-Page is HOT! Also, my autistic ass feels called out cuz my 1st character was a dwarf paladin.
I personally loved the movie so much. It was just fun! The characters were fun and likeable. Plus those little things that make it clear is a D&D game. Also things like the relationship between Edgin, his daughter and Holga is so wholesome. Even the scene of Holga and her ex, there was no agression, they were kind to each other and wished eachother happiness, even if their marriage didn't work. I hope we get more movies like this but with a different party. There are so many possibilities.
I 100% agree with everything you talked about in the video! Holga and Edgin's platonic parenting, the whole found family trope, Xenk being autistic, the movie feeling like an actual game of D&D... all of it. I also loved when we got a few shots from a bird's eye view where the room looked like a battle map (I believe those were (at least) in the backstory when Holga and Edgin got caught, and in the theater when they went to get Simon)! Like all movies, there are stuff one could nitpick from (such as how many humans the party has... in most of the games I've played, there is maybe one human, if one at all. Or the lack of queerness, which I've found to be very present in D&D in my personal games as well as the general community I've seen), but the most important thing is that the movie was just FUN. While made in a way that non-D&D players can also enjoy it, anyone who has played even one game can tell this movie was made by and for people who like D&D. Everyone I've asked has enjoyed the movie and had fun watching it! I went to see it in theaters twice and ended up buying it on youtube just so I can share it with more friends who haven't seen it - or who want to rewatch it with me. I've probably seen the movie at least 5 times by now, which is a lot for me personally and really says how much I enjoy this movie. :]
We watched this recently and loved it! To the point of cheering loudly when Xenk returned at the end to finish the villain. In fact, the cheering was so loud that our roommate, who works customer service from home, chose to explain it as “the boys are watching football” to the person they were on the phone with 😂
I have Cluster headaches (often mistaken for migraines) so I fully understand how awful you must have been feeling. glad you had a good time with the D&D movie
I also read Xenk as very very autistic and he was the clear highlight of the movie for me! He is so delightful and the funniest DMPC I was instantly tempted to put into my own games- as an autistic DM he is PERFECT for that. And I appreciated Holga immensely- she's a capable and intimidating fighter, platonically coparents with her best friend, and has a specific taste in men (small), has commitment issues, and all that is more character development than most Latinas in action movies get. Big fan of this one, though I did think that it would be better if we had more time with these characters, like in a TV show or more movies.
Edgin and Holga are such a breath of fresh air. At my old school it was assumed that if I had a "single" male friend that we must be dating I say "single" because 2 of them weren't! Their partners just didn't attend the same school. And someone who I thought was my friend I had to cut off because they couldn't accept that we didn't like each other in that way. There were actually 2 of my friend s who majorly "shipped" us together. Thankfully one of them stopped as soon as I mentioned being uncomfortable with it. The "friend" I cut off needed to be cut off either way as they made multiple inappropriate jokes about me and my friends.
My take on the nonexistence campaign behind the story is that it was a campaign that fizzled out due to vague real-life stuff, but then the group got a chance to start things back up again and decided to do a time skip. The first part of that has happened to me. The second part, unfortunately not yet.
What I really like about this movie is how it emphasizes the importance of the one most common trope ar D&D tables: found family Holga is literally a found mother for Kira, but even the actual party forms really interesting bonds and dynamics. And most importantly, they all seem to grow to earnestly like and respect each other as people and not just for their abilites.
I'm aroace and the Edgin Holga friendship is the biggest thing I loved about this film, and I loved a lot about this movie. Like you said, it's so fucking rare to see a friendship that makes it explict that romance is off the table for them, and I appreciated it so much.
I’m so glad you liked this movie!!! I loved it and the title of this video had me worried you hadn’t enjoyed it at first. I’m sorry about your migraines, those suck and I hope you can feel back to your usual self soon.
I watched this movie in cinemas and I wanna watch it again so much, like I was so excited for the movie to the point where my severe anxiety said “Yeah you can leave your house!” and that makes me so happy! But yes this movie is 10/10 and in all honesty I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie is based off an actual DND table (I’ve listened to multiple DND games even though I’ve never played DND, and I basically want to play DND so badly).
I watched the movie when it hit the cinemas in Germany and i liked the story. it was fun and most of the characters were intersting. But i couldn't connect with the Bard. Because a Bard has magic for gods sake, yet he didn't use it. he could have used spells and he should have. Plus he lacked the charisma that a Bard is supposed to have. I liked Simon and Xenk the best. Simon because he was a sorcerer which is my favourite class and he had this interesting arc about learning to accept himself and let go of his insecurities. And Xenk because he was so damned realtable. But i don't think that he's immortal, more like very slow aging.
I was personally okay with Edgin (bard) not using magic in the movie like we'd typically expect of one. I've only played a bard once and left it at that so I'm not sure if there is a subclass or a build you could use for him to explain it, or if it has something to do with his paladin backstory. I thought Edgin using his lute as a club more than playing music with it was funny. I understand why everyone won't agree with me on this, and that's completely fine. I will combat a bit at the supposed lack of charisma "a bard is supposed to have". Besides the minimum number a bard's charisma can be, there is no hard-lined rule that says it should be the highest number. I understand that is the best way to play it, but hey, all players play differently! A lower charisma stat could potentailly explain the lack of spells as well. I do think his type of charisma was shown in a more "realistic" way, mostly how he was able to convince others (escape from prison, having others join him and Holga, asking them to join the arena instead of being killed instantly) and I believe his speeches work well as bardic inspiration. Now that you do mention charisma, it makes me think back on how everyone seems to trust Xenk so easily, and it makes so much sense when you remember he has to have a high charisma as a paladin. But hey, this is just my opinion/take on it and I hope you won't take it personally! Your opinion on it is just as valid as mine. We can all nitpick the movie how we want, but the most important thing is that we had fun watching it. :) (Ps. mentioning this just in case, but I've never been a DM and don't think I ever will, so I'm definitely not the most knowledgeable on all the rules and class technicalities.)
the movie was very good for DnD vibes, but really bad at the actual specifics. he didnt act anything like a bard, mechanically he would have been a rogue. also the druid didnt use any actual spells during the movie either, just wildshape but I also get why they did some of these. they wanted magic to be the sorcerers thing. having another character who would cast magic just as powerful but without any difficulty would have made simons character feel really out of place. and calling edgin a rogue like he was would not give people the right impression of his character
Hey, I've got a suggestion for a series you should cover. I don't know if you've ever read Berserk before; but it's main lead, Guts, seems like a character right up your alley, since he's an amputee with a prosthetic that serves as a weapon. I'd love it if you could do a video about him.
It's literally 2 AM for me. I hope everyone is having a good morning/afternoon. I'll watch this in a few hours later since I'm tired. Goodnight. And *stay determined.* Edit: I really want to play DnD now. Haven't seen the movie, but I now want to. Nice video btw. And I didn't sleep yet. I sleep now. Goodnight again.
I have tried to watch this movie three times now. Every time I see a video like this, I pull it up and try again. Who knows, maybe I'll make it to the end this time.
I've never played dnd, I have a hard time caring about those kinds of settings and character classes, but I had a ton of fun watching this movie. I could probably get into it if were a pokemon or warrior cats version. Maybe I can bug my friends into doing it with me lol
Apparently I watched this video when it first came out? Lmao I don't remember that but I have finally watched the movie and the fact that everybody else has also claimed xenk as autistic makes me very happy, also my family joked that I'm some kind of hybrid of xenk and simon and I'm perfectly happy with that combo tbh 😂💖
If you’re interested in another show that has a neurodivergent character I’d like to recommend Leverage. One of the main characters is very clearly heavily implied to be on the spectrum (and the writers have gone on the record that they intended her to be). Parker stims she hyper fixates on security system and has trouble with understanding other’s emotions as well as her own. Two of the best examples in the OG series are probably season one episode number 11 the juror No 6 job who’s show her struggling to connect with “normal people” (plus has a very good message about that normal mentality). The other one is season 5 episode 4 the French connection job. It goes into her struggling to understand/ identify her own emotions and how the team helps her through it. It’s a very good series over all and the reboot is good too. Plenty of LGBTQ representation and the struggles we can face. (Sorry for the gushing it’s one of my hyper fixations if you can’t tell)
If it's okay to ask here, I'd like to get some DnD related advice. I'm planning to have an NPC lose an arm. However, I'm not sure how to present it. I obviously have to be ready for one of my players potentially bringing back his arm. And also when they do it would also be a factor in how I handl it. Right after he loses the arm? I'd more than likely let them do it. After he's already accustomed to it though... yeah maybe not.
Question. What do you think about the character Fizzorili from Helluva Boss? Do you have any feelings if you like or even watch the show? I know you cover a lot of disability representation so I thought you may be interested if you haven’t done a video already. Much love brother! ❤❤❤
True The movie doesn't really have a lot of LGBT themes in it...but not only are they planning on more D&D related media in the future (if not a movie sequel.) But there are SEVERAL D&D groups/campaigns here on TH-cam run by LGBT people
Not my favorite movie unfortunately there’s a lot of silly and cliche things that just aren’t my taste, but I do love the platonic friendship that the 2 main characters have
First off I want to say I really hope you get better I get migraines myself and I understand the pain of that secondly I have a recommendation for an episode of a show I would like you to review the show is My Little Pony friendship is Magic the 4th season episode 5 (flight to the Finish) one of the large plot points of the episode is a disabled character
sorry i was clicking on and off this video for a while i was using it to test my adblockers w/ the new update and that probably messed w the algorithm mb
I KNOW I'M LATE BUT CAN YOU DO RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER FOR THE NEXT CHRISTMAS! IT FITS FAR TO PERFECTLY INTO THEMES OF DISABILITY,FACIAL DIFFERENCE, PERHAPS EVEN TRANSNESS AND NEURODIVERGENCE FOR KIDS! I'M TALKING ABOUT THE ORIGINAL SPECIAL AND I HAVE NO IDEA IF YOU GET THAT IN FINLAND BUT THIS COULD NOT BE A MORE PERFECT FIT FOR YOUR CHANNEL AND CHRISTMAS! SORRY ABOUT ALL THE LOUD LETTERS I AM JUST THRILLED AT THIS!
First of all, good luck on your migraine-I got those all the time a few years back, and they can be absolute HELL. 🫂 Secondly-loved this movie, loved this video!! I fully agree that there should've been more overt queerness (if there was any it's never given any sort of attention), but that's a somewhat small nitpick in an otherwise great and enjoyable movie! They really nailed down being able to make a film that's both enjoyable by general audiences as a magical-fantasy-heist-movie, and enjoyable by D&D people being able to recognize the things from the game! I hope more D&D movies like this one are in the works! I don't know whether I'd like to get a direct sequel or a new story with new characters, but either way I'll be thrilled! One thing I noticed was that the interracial relationship between Holga and her Halfling ex-husband isn't noted as "unusual" or "funny" or anything by the characters in the film-any humor there is entirely due to the audience's reaction, while in-universe this is seen as a perfectly normal relationship between two people! Pretty sure they didn't even have Holga hit her head on the guy's ceiling (Gandalf-style) or whatever, showing how she became used to living in a home built for someone of his stature! I also noticed that none of the women of the group are treated any differently from the men, are shown as capable and confident party members in their own right, and aren't needlessly sexualized-while that is almost to be expected now (it's 2023 after all), I still see media get that wrong so it's awesome to see it done so right! Really, any of the characters could be gender-swapped and the story would make just as much sense, which is the best way to do it in my opinion! I loved Xenk's character for all the reasons you did and more-his Paladin oath isn't just a black-and-white lawful-stupid "Stealing is wrong," instead he seems to have the more nuanced ideal of "Everyone deserves everything they need to survive"! He isn't a magical cop, he's a magical socialist! He recognizes that, for example, stealing food so you won't starve is not an evil action-he doesn't have a problem with the concept of thievery in general, because his real gripe is with _greed!_ Forge, while he technically got his money fair and square, is so incredibly greedy to McDuckian levels that Xenk still thinks he doesn't deserve what he has! To Xenk, there are no inherently evil means-only evil motives and ends! Suffice to say, I absolutely ADORE this movie-it made me love D&D that much more! Also I want Holga to break me in half 😳 lol
The interracial thing with Holga and her ex is not something that I read into, but I think is interesting. I also think that when you look at gender roles and relationships that Holga is a great change of pace. Typically, men are expected to lead in a relationship and women are expected to follow. Holga doesn’t do this, and this aspect of her is never fetishized in any way. I also really like how her ex is treated in this movie. Typically, guys that seek relationships where the female leads are seen as weirdos and creeps, instead, he’s seen as a normal person, and a rather decent person at that. I also like that he’s generally allowed to me a more feminine male character without it being weird or a problem. I also am going to add that I like how Holga’s sense of sexuality is handled, especially with her checking out that other halfling at the end of the movie; to state it, Holga has a type, and that doesn’t reflect on other characters. Too often, women in movies only experience sexual attraction as a reward mechanism for a male character. I’m also going to point out how I feel like there are so many versions of this movie that would have one or two male characters effectively try to be Holga’s sub in a weird way as a joke. I’m really glad this movie did not do that because I feel like that happens too often. Even if that is based on some peoples’ real experience, I like being shown versions of this where a male character can be into stronger muscular women and isn’t a freak show for it. To circle it back to a previous point, the fact that Holga seems to have a thing to halflings that is consistent with her character helps deal with a certain problem that a certain portion of male-presenting people have. For the most part, men are taught that they have to be strong and dominant and a leader for women to find them interesting sexually and/or romantically. Sure a lot of this is complete BS from online, but seeing Secretary and Fifty Shades of Grey on my aunt’s favorite movie list does not help my confidence with this one. Point and case, I often feel like finding the kind of relationship that I want is like trying to find a unicorn, and this movie made finding said unicorn feel easier. (Please don’t think I’m talking about unicorn hunting) I really like that you mentioned Holga and her ex in this comment. Honestly I’m surprised more people didn’t.
@@crashb800 WOW-not only have you summarized a lot of my own thoughts, you've brought up stuff I didn't even notice before! Thank you, loved reading this!
![เปิด อาณาจักร หมื่นล้าน "สาระตั้ม" l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3XE0nPF4YkQ/mqdefault.jpg)
To be honest this movie deserves so much props just for the platonic male/female friendship that stays that way alone. There is never a hint that either of them harboured romantic feelings for the other. They loved each other as friends and raised a lovely kid together. I also really appreciated that Ed recognised that Holgar meant more to his daughter than the biological mother she never knew. Using the magic to bring her back also pretty firmly estabishes the film's stance that platonic relationships matter every bit as much as romantic ones.
I was thinking the same thing! The main reason I went to go see the DnD movie was because folks in the aro/ace community were saying there was a platonic male-female relationship between *main characters* that lasted the whole movie and I was sold on at least seeing it. That's how low my standards are lol.
As an aroace I appreciate this a lot as well!
(Any/all)
I actually SOBBED about how much I loved that entire thing. Finally it showed two friends who I can actually relate to. Because like... I would love to raise a kid with a close friend, and to have deeply connected lives without it being anything else. It's literally been a dream of mine for most of my life lmao
And then aro/bi so like... duh I like the friend part, but they don't even bang! And I love that, too, because lowkey I'm sick of the assumption that allosexuals have to always sleep with everyone of the gender/s they're attracted to and can't simply be friends.
My personal headcanon is that Xenk is the DM's cousin who was in town long enough to get them through the underdark, and brought in his character from a previous campaign in the same setting. All the stories we hear about him are stories from the previous campaign
I love all the little jokes that make more sense if you know about the game. From Edgin's bad rolls escaping the ropes to the fact that the intellect devourers didn't want the party because intelligence is often a dump stat, and right down to the fact you know Jarnathan's name was made up on the spot after a player asked
Not to mention the whole Hither Thither staff that was clearly the DM scrambling to find a solution to the fact Simon just ignored the entire spiel about the bridge puzzle.
@@snakeman830 a solution that backfired as the cast proceeded to exploit the staff exactly how you'd expect a group of D&D players to exploit a fantasy portal gun
My personal favorite Xenk theory is that he's one of the player's kids doing his first DnD character. There are so many parts of his character that could be annoying (he's the only good Thayan, he's overpowered, he gets a whole fight to himself and a tragic backstory with the main villain, he says silly things completely seriously) but if he was played by a kid then the party just find it cute, probably even egg him on or throw in his favorite monster to make sure he's having fun.
i also love the nonromantic relationship with the two main characters. i wish there was more of these
Great video! I'll admit, I didn't initially read Xenk as autistic when I first watched the movie, but after having you explain it I fully adopt it as a headcanon now.
That was one of the best movies I have seen this year, and I am so glad that you did a video on it despite it not being your usual thing.
Something my mom liked about it was that Holga didn't fight like you usually see female fighters in movies do it, she fought ugly and brutally. Usually, women in these battles look a lotter prettier, fancier, and win without being hit in any way that matters. Holga on the other hand was in a no holds slug fest with both sides giving and taking massive blows.
Yeah, that's absolutely worth noting even though it seemed obvious to me, as a DnD player, because Holga is the party's Barbarian.
Now I want to watch this movie even more! You are so right about the often excessive "beaty / style" of femme characters in fights. I find it alienating.
Also, she kinda breaks the stereotype of "Big brute dumb". She fought very intelligently and used what was around her to her advantage. This is just a guess, but I am pretty sure less than 50% of her K.O.s are done with actual weapons, and done with improvised weapons (the brick, the chain hanging from the ceiling, the blacksmith hammers etc).
@@Dragon151 yeah, I'm pretty sure sje jas the Tavern Brawler feat.
@@Dragon151But she’s still not a genius; she leaves the planning up to Edgin and when she does have ideas it becomes clear why (her saying that Doric should turn into a deer to scout the vault’s defenses comes to mind).
The main characters of this movie have officially released stat blocks. The main party (Doric, Edgin, Holga, & Simon) are all CR 5. Forge is CR 8. Xenk is CR 10. Sofina is CR 15. I feel like this info helps with that "table narrative".
As another person who gets migraines, I extend all of my empathy and hope the attack passes soon for you! (I'm told the term for someone who gets migraines is "migraineur" which in turn sounds so much like "connoisseur" that it makes me imagine drinking fine wine and talking about the notes, which is so far removed from the experience of having migraines that I can't take the word at all seriously, lol.)
On the main topic of the video; watching Honor Among Thieves is so fun if you play D&D and can imagine it as an actual party of actual people playing the characters. My D&D party and I all watched it together, and we were joking the whole time about "Oof, someone rolled a Nat 1" and "Wow the Dungeon Master is being a merciless asshole." One of my party even joked that the Hither Thither staff read as an absolute last minute plot addition by a panicked DM who did not plan for the party to demolish the bridge puzzle that was supposed to be trivial with the NPC ally's help. On the whole, I completely agree- it's not a movie that's going to be changing anybody's worldview or deeply resonating with someone's lived experience, but it's about two hours of a rollicking good time and well worth a watch.
Enjoyed the video.
The only thing that was unrealistic about the movie is the amount of human (and human adjacent) characters there were in the party. I've played plenty of campaigns, and the only human to show up in the party was mine, and he didn't stay fully human for long (wereboar shenanigans, plus multiple curses).
As someone who's about to start DMing a campaign where my party is a Triton, a Sea Elf, and a Firbolg... yeah, that's fair.
That's right. About to DM a campaign with a Dragonborn a Tabaxi one human and one where the player hasn't told me yet. Used to DM a group with one Halfling two Elves a tiefling and a gnome. plus almost every group has an encounter with lycanthropes at one point or another and someone likely will fail the saving throw. For a human to stay that way takes luck and a good relationship with clerics.
Considering how the Dragonborn, Tabaxi and Aarakocra in the movie looked... I am personally grateful they did not subject us to two hours of those. XD
It greatly depends. I run multiple campaigns at the moment and sometimes the same players come up with wildly different characters depending on the story they want to tell. One party is entirely human-adjacent with a human, tiefling, half-orc, and a fire genasi as the most "exotic" of the bunch. But another party has an owlin, and a satyr and has already been accompanied by a plasmoid, a yuan-ti, a deep gnome, and a tortle.
My players typically choose something that feels right for the setting. And if it is going to be a wild ride, so are the characters.
TBF, there’s already a lot of money spent on the special effects. They probably didn’t want to add too much to make-up beyond Simon’s ears and Doric’s horns and tail.
I was initially disappointed that Xenk wasn't a Warlock and then only in the film for the second act. I'm still a bit disappointed that he wasn't a Warlock, but definitely enjoy that he was watching things from afar.
A lot of my D&D friends thought Edgin wasn't really a bard, but a rogue.
But Edgin is shown playing music and encouraging the other party members.
Xenk is my favorite character, too. It helps that Rege Jean-Page is HOT!
Also, my autistic ass feels called out cuz my 1st character was a dwarf paladin.
I think he was multiclassed
I'm on the spectrum and my first character was a halfling paladin.
Edgin gave Simon Bardic Inspiration to attune to the Helm and no one can change my mind.
I personally loved the movie so much. It was just fun!
The characters were fun and likeable. Plus those little things that make it clear is a D&D game.
Also things like the relationship between Edgin, his daughter and Holga is so wholesome. Even the scene of Holga and her ex, there was no agression, they were kind to each other and wished eachother happiness, even if their marriage didn't work.
I hope we get more movies like this but with a different party. There are so many possibilities.
I saw DnD HAT in theaters and I was more surprised that there wasn't a zoom out revealing it was just kids playing DnD, you know like the Lego Movie
I 100% agree with everything you talked about in the video! Holga and Edgin's platonic parenting, the whole found family trope, Xenk being autistic, the movie feeling like an actual game of D&D... all of it. I also loved when we got a few shots from a bird's eye view where the room looked like a battle map (I believe those were (at least) in the backstory when Holga and Edgin got caught, and in the theater when they went to get Simon)!
Like all movies, there are stuff one could nitpick from (such as how many humans the party has... in most of the games I've played, there is maybe one human, if one at all. Or the lack of queerness, which I've found to be very present in D&D in my personal games as well as the general community I've seen), but the most important thing is that the movie was just FUN. While made in a way that non-D&D players can also enjoy it, anyone who has played even one game can tell this movie was made by and for people who like D&D. Everyone I've asked has enjoyed the movie and had fun watching it! I went to see it in theaters twice and ended up buying it on youtube just so I can share it with more friends who haven't seen it - or who want to rewatch it with me. I've probably seen the movie at least 5 times by now, which is a lot for me personally and really says how much I enjoy this movie. :]
We watched this recently and loved it! To the point of cheering loudly when Xenk returned at the end to finish the villain. In fact, the cheering was so loud that our roommate, who works customer service from home, chose to explain it as “the boys are watching football” to the person they were on the phone with 😂
I have Cluster headaches (often mistaken for migraines) so I fully understand how awful you must have been feeling. glad you had a good time with the D&D movie
I also read Xenk as very very autistic and he was the clear highlight of the movie for me! He is so delightful and the funniest DMPC I was instantly tempted to put into my own games- as an autistic DM he is PERFECT for that.
And I appreciated Holga immensely- she's a capable and intimidating fighter, platonically coparents with her best friend, and has a specific taste in men (small), has commitment issues, and all that is more character development than most Latinas in action movies get.
Big fan of this one, though I did think that it would be better if we had more time with these characters, like in a TV show or more movies.
Edgin and Holga are such a breath of fresh air. At my old school it was assumed that if I had a "single" male friend that we must be dating I say "single" because 2 of them weren't! Their partners just didn't attend the same school. And someone who I thought was my friend I had to cut off because they couldn't accept that we didn't like each other in that way. There were actually 2 of my friend s who majorly "shipped" us together. Thankfully one of them stopped as soon as I mentioned being uncomfortable with it. The "friend" I cut off needed to be cut off either way as they made multiple inappropriate jokes about me and my friends.
My take on the nonexistence campaign behind the story is that it was a campaign that fizzled out due to vague real-life stuff, but then the group got a chance to start things back up again and decided to do a time skip.
The first part of that has happened to me. The second part, unfortunately not yet.
What I really like about this movie is how it emphasizes the importance of the one most common trope ar D&D tables: found family
Holga is literally a found mother for Kira, but even the actual party forms really interesting bonds and dynamics. And most importantly, they all seem to grow to earnestly like and respect each other as people and not just for their abilites.
Me watching the movie: why does Xenk feel so familiar?
Me watching this video: OH!!
I'm aroace and the Edgin Holga friendship is the biggest thing I loved about this film, and I loved a lot about this movie. Like you said, it's so fucking rare to see a friendship that makes it explict that romance is off the table for them, and I appreciated it so much.
You can practically hear the dm player dialogue
I had a lot of fun with the references, specially with the spells and all the fun you can have with speak with the dead
I’m so glad you liked this movie!!! I loved it and the title of this video had me worried you hadn’t enjoyed it at first. I’m sorry about your migraines, those suck and I hope you can feel back to your usual self soon.
I watched this movie in cinemas and I wanna watch it again so much, like I was so excited for the movie to the point where my severe anxiety said “Yeah you can leave your house!” and that makes me so happy! But yes this movie is 10/10 and in all honesty I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie is based off an actual DND table (I’ve listened to multiple DND games even though I’ve never played DND, and I basically want to play DND so badly).
You can find online groups to join! So if your anxiety makes it hard to get out to try and join a table in person, try online n.n
I watched the movie when it hit the cinemas in Germany and i liked the story. it was fun and most of the characters were intersting. But i couldn't connect with the Bard. Because a Bard has magic for gods sake, yet he didn't use it. he could have used spells and he should have. Plus he lacked the charisma that a Bard is supposed to have. I liked Simon and Xenk the best. Simon because he was a sorcerer which is my favourite class and he had this interesting arc about learning to accept himself and let go of his insecurities. And Xenk because he was so damned realtable. But i don't think that he's immortal, more like very slow aging.
I was personally okay with Edgin (bard) not using magic in the movie like we'd typically expect of one. I've only played a bard once and left it at that so I'm not sure if there is a subclass or a build you could use for him to explain it, or if it has something to do with his paladin backstory. I thought Edgin using his lute as a club more than playing music with it was funny. I understand why everyone won't agree with me on this, and that's completely fine.
I will combat a bit at the supposed lack of charisma "a bard is supposed to have". Besides the minimum number a bard's charisma can be, there is no hard-lined rule that says it should be the highest number. I understand that is the best way to play it, but hey, all players play differently! A lower charisma stat could potentailly explain the lack of spells as well.
I do think his type of charisma was shown in a more "realistic" way, mostly how he was able to convince others (escape from prison, having others join him and Holga, asking them to join the arena instead of being killed instantly) and I believe his speeches work well as bardic inspiration.
Now that you do mention charisma, it makes me think back on how everyone seems to trust Xenk so easily, and it makes so much sense when you remember he has to have a high charisma as a paladin.
But hey, this is just my opinion/take on it and I hope you won't take it personally! Your opinion on it is just as valid as mine. We can all nitpick the movie how we want, but the most important thing is that we had fun watching it. :)
(Ps. mentioning this just in case, but I've never been a DM and don't think I ever will, so I'm definitely not the most knowledgeable on all the rules and class technicalities.)
the movie was very good for DnD vibes, but really bad at the actual specifics. he didnt act anything like a bard, mechanically he would have been a rogue. also the druid didnt use any actual spells during the movie either, just wildshape
but I also get why they did some of these. they wanted magic to be the sorcerers thing. having another character who would cast magic just as powerful but without any difficulty would have made simons character feel really out of place. and calling edgin a rogue like he was would not give people the right impression of his character
Hey, I've got a suggestion for a series you should cover. I don't know if you've ever read Berserk before; but it's main lead, Guts, seems like a character right up your alley, since he's an amputee with a prosthetic that serves as a weapon. I'd love it if you could do a video about him.
I remember watching the movie in the theatres, we were the only ones there and it was great. My favorite character was Xenk. 👍
I really like your analysis of how the real life campaign would look for this movie! Really fun take on the movie! Also I love Xenk too he is king
I love how different this story plays. Yes it has some clichês, but it takes its clichês in a different direction and that os so interesting and fresh
It's literally 2 AM for me. I hope everyone is having a good morning/afternoon. I'll watch this in a few hours later since I'm tired.
Goodnight. And *stay determined.*
Edit: I really want to play DnD now. Haven't seen the movie, but I now want to. Nice video btw. And I didn't sleep yet. I sleep now. Goodnight again.
I have tried to watch this movie three times now. Every time I see a video like this, I pull it up and try again. Who knows, maybe I'll make it to the end this time.
I always appreciate your commentary and perspective
💜
I've never played dnd, I have a hard time caring about those kinds of settings and character classes, but I had a ton of fun watching this movie.
I could probably get into it if were a pokemon or warrior cats version. Maybe I can bug my friends into doing it with me lol
Apparently I watched this video when it first came out? Lmao I don't remember that but I have finally watched the movie and the fact that everybody else has also claimed xenk as autistic makes me very happy, also my family joked that I'm some kind of hybrid of xenk and simon and I'm perfectly happy with that combo tbh 😂💖
If you’re interested in another show that has a neurodivergent character I’d like to recommend Leverage. One of the main characters is very clearly heavily implied to be on the spectrum (and the writers have gone on the record that they intended her to be). Parker stims she hyper fixates on security system and has trouble with understanding other’s emotions as well as her own. Two of the best examples in the OG series are probably season one episode number 11 the juror No 6 job who’s show her struggling to connect with “normal people” (plus has a very good message about that normal mentality). The other one is season 5 episode 4 the French connection job. It goes into her struggling to understand/ identify her own emotions and how the team helps her through it.
It’s a very good series over all and the reboot is good too. Plenty of LGBTQ representation and the struggles we can face. (Sorry for the gushing it’s one of my hyper fixations if you can’t tell)
If it's okay to ask here, I'd like to get some DnD related advice.
I'm planning to have an NPC lose an arm. However, I'm not sure how to present it. I obviously have to be ready for one of my players potentially bringing back his arm. And also when they do it would also be a factor in how I handl it. Right after he loses the arm? I'd more than likely let them do it. After he's already accustomed to it though... yeah maybe not.
Omg I came to tell you as soon as I finished but you have to watch blue eyed samurai and make a video of it !!!!! Please ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
0:14 stop being relatable
Question. What do you think about the character Fizzorili from Helluva Boss? Do you have any feelings if you like or even watch the show? I know you cover a lot of disability representation so I thought you may be interested if you haven’t done a video already. Much love brother! ❤❤❤
4:01 YES !!! Someone else thought that the paladin was autistic !! High five
Also I fully accept Zenke as an autistic. Kind, principled, competent (and somewhat easy on the eye). What's not to love?
True
The movie doesn't really have a lot of LGBT themes in it...but not only are they planning on more D&D related media in the future (if not a movie sequel.) But there are SEVERAL D&D groups/campaigns here on TH-cam run by LGBT people
Not my favorite movie unfortunately there’s a lot of silly and cliche things that just aren’t my taste, but I do love the platonic friendship that the 2 main characters have
Watched two ads for you
First off I want to say I really hope you get better I get migraines myself and I understand the pain of that secondly I have a recommendation for an episode of a show I would like you to review the show is My Little Pony friendship is Magic the 4th season episode 5 (flight to the Finish) one of the large plot points of the episode is a disabled character
I want a Xenk spinoff series tbqh
sorry i was clicking on and off this video for a while i was using it to test my adblockers w/ the new update and that probably messed w the algorithm mb
Naah dorik is the old dm’s character and forge’s player is dming this adventure
👍👍👍
I KNOW I'M LATE BUT CAN YOU DO RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER FOR THE NEXT CHRISTMAS!
IT FITS FAR TO PERFECTLY INTO THEMES OF DISABILITY,FACIAL DIFFERENCE, PERHAPS EVEN TRANSNESS AND NEURODIVERGENCE FOR KIDS!
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE ORIGINAL SPECIAL AND I HAVE NO IDEA IF YOU GET THAT IN FINLAND BUT THIS COULD NOT BE A MORE PERFECT FIT FOR YOUR CHANNEL AND CHRISTMAS!
SORRY ABOUT ALL THE LOUD LETTERS I AM JUST THRILLED AT THIS!
Love ❤❤❤❤😊😊😊
First of all, good luck on your migraine-I got those all the time a few years back, and they can be absolute HELL. 🫂
Secondly-loved this movie, loved this video!! I fully agree that there should've been more overt queerness (if there was any it's never given any sort of attention), but that's a somewhat small nitpick in an otherwise great and enjoyable movie! They really nailed down being able to make a film that's both enjoyable by general audiences as a magical-fantasy-heist-movie, and enjoyable by D&D people being able to recognize the things from the game! I hope more D&D movies like this one are in the works! I don't know whether I'd like to get a direct sequel or a new story with new characters, but either way I'll be thrilled!
One thing I noticed was that the interracial relationship between Holga and her Halfling ex-husband isn't noted as "unusual" or "funny" or anything by the characters in the film-any humor there is entirely due to the audience's reaction, while in-universe this is seen as a perfectly normal relationship between two people! Pretty sure they didn't even have Holga hit her head on the guy's ceiling (Gandalf-style) or whatever, showing how she became used to living in a home built for someone of his stature!
I also noticed that none of the women of the group are treated any differently from the men, are shown as capable and confident party members in their own right, and aren't needlessly sexualized-while that is almost to be expected now (it's 2023 after all), I still see media get that wrong so it's awesome to see it done so right! Really, any of the characters could be gender-swapped and the story would make just as much sense, which is the best way to do it in my opinion!
I loved Xenk's character for all the reasons you did and more-his Paladin oath isn't just a black-and-white lawful-stupid "Stealing is wrong," instead he seems to have the more nuanced ideal of "Everyone deserves everything they need to survive"! He isn't a magical cop, he's a magical socialist! He recognizes that, for example, stealing food so you won't starve is not an evil action-he doesn't have a problem with the concept of thievery in general, because his real gripe is with _greed!_ Forge, while he technically got his money fair and square, is so incredibly greedy to McDuckian levels that Xenk still thinks he doesn't deserve what he has! To Xenk, there are no inherently evil means-only evil motives and ends!
Suffice to say, I absolutely ADORE this movie-it made me love D&D that much more!
Also I want Holga to break me in half 😳 lol
The interracial thing with Holga and her ex is not something that I read into, but I think is interesting. I also think that when you look at gender roles and relationships that Holga is a great change of pace. Typically, men are expected to lead in a relationship and women are expected to follow. Holga doesn’t do this, and this aspect of her is never fetishized in any way. I also really like how her ex is treated in this movie. Typically, guys that seek relationships where the female leads are seen as weirdos and creeps, instead, he’s seen as a normal person, and a rather decent person at that. I also like that he’s generally allowed to me a more feminine male character without it being weird or a problem. I also am going to add that I like how Holga’s sense of sexuality is handled, especially with her checking out that other halfling at the end of the movie; to state it, Holga has a type, and that doesn’t reflect on other characters. Too often, women in movies only experience sexual attraction as a reward mechanism for a male character. I’m also going to point out how I feel like there are so many versions of this movie that would have one or two male characters effectively try to be Holga’s sub in a weird way as a joke. I’m really glad this movie did not do that because I feel like that happens too often. Even if that is based on some peoples’ real experience, I like being shown versions of this where a male character can be into stronger muscular women and isn’t a freak show for it. To circle it back to a previous point, the fact that Holga seems to have a thing to halflings that is consistent with her character helps deal with a certain problem that a certain portion of male-presenting people have. For the most part, men are taught that they have to be strong and dominant and a leader for women to find them interesting sexually and/or romantically. Sure a lot of this is complete BS from online, but seeing Secretary and Fifty Shades of Grey on my aunt’s favorite movie list does not help my confidence with this one. Point and case, I often feel like finding the kind of relationship that I want is like trying to find a unicorn, and this movie made finding said unicorn feel easier. (Please don’t think I’m talking about unicorn hunting) I really like that you mentioned Holga and her ex in this comment. Honestly I’m surprised more people didn’t.
@@crashb800
WOW-not only have you summarized a lot of my own thoughts, you've brought up stuff I didn't even notice before! Thank you, loved reading this!