Why DUNGEONS and DRAGONS: Honor Among Thieves Is the Perfect D&D Movie
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is the Perfect movie for D & D fans. It expertly adapts the structure of a role-playing campaign into the feature film. It's loaded with DD in-jokes and references--but like any good campaign, it always outs the characters first.
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Written by Dodson Seitz / banewruse
Hosted by Ryan Arey ( / ryanarey )
Edited by Harriet Lengel-Enright and Colton Ogburn
#DungeonsAndDragons #HonorAmongThieves #Breakdown
As one of the oldest and most popular fantasy role-playing games, It's by far the most referenced tabletop game in every form of entertainment, [clip] but you probably wouldn't know that if you had a lot of friends in high school.
[clip]
What makes the movie work is the fact is - the story.
The disjointed aspects of the adventure, heavy use of bonafide lore, and subtle meta-references [clip] allow the film to play out JUST like a typical D&D campaign, and despite the fact that we never see the larger game being played [clip] - its relatively easy for longtime players to catch on.
Some characters make distinct choices - that seem to be of their own free will, [clip] while others are simply playing a role [clip] - and even robotic at times. [clip]
The “player characters” form a pretty standard party, and they embody the stereotypes of their class. [clip]
Doug: What do you mean by “player characters? Are You trying to say “they got game”?
Kinda - Player characters in D&D are characters played by the actual people playing the game. [clip] It’s a way to differentiate them from the non-player characters or NPCs - who are controlled by the DM.
Doug: Kind of like Ryan Reynolds in Free Guy?
[clip]
Actually, that's a great comparison. High five!
Doug: But wait, what’s a DM?
DM stands for Dungeon master, and In D&D, they dictate the story. If the player characters are actors in a play, then the DM is the author, director, set designer, and literally everything else. [clip]
Most of the time, they simply tell the story like a narrator,[clip] but occasionally, they have to assume a role themselves, hence NPC’s.
These characters are typically villains and side characters, but occasionally they act as a guiding characters - like Xenk Yendar (Zen-ik Yahn - dar), our paladin friend. [clip]
Doug: So how do you know who a player character is and who’s an NPC?
Great question. While there’s nothing directly stating who is an NPC and who is a player character, It's clear characters like Xenk have all the answers in nearly every circumstance while Edgin, Holga, Simon and Doric (Door - ik) are the only ones constantly being challenged.[clip]
the “player” characters have more natural dialogue,[clip] whereas the NPCs all talk like the staff at your local ren fair. [clip]
[clip]
Plus, with the exception of a few small scenes, there isn't a single moment in the film without at least one of them in it.
This also means that there is a lot of character development for any of the NPC’s - which is probably why characters like the Red Wizard Sofina come off as generic.[clip]
Doug: Because in a D&D campaign, you wouldn't focus on the side characters
EXACTLY - you’re catching on.
The “player characters” in this film are almost cliche representations of their class.
[clip] We have the strong but dumb barbarian, [clip] a sly druid,[clip] an inspirationally charismatic bard, [clip] and a sorcerer who continues to surprise both himself and the team throughout the whole movie.
None of them follow the traditional hero narrative, and they all have elaborate backstories that are spoon feed to the audience almost immediately after we meet them.
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I also love how the movie starts with him explaining his character and back story
Yes! I noticed that too lmao
If only Jarnathan was there to listen to it 😢
@@kodainogema8145 It would have ruffled his feathers..🤣
What's better is that he wasn't just explaining it, but actively attempting to achieve a particular goal with it. Not just exposition, but plot progression.
Pretty much exactly what I've been telling people. If you approach it like D&D campaign it makes WAAAAAY more sense. Fav Nat 1 was when the bard illusion failed. The player got his foot caught in a random hole in the paved ground. If that wasn't a Nat1 for a stealth check I don't know what is.
Also the fact that spells malfunction or stop when a player “looses concentration” is a great use of rules in the game
Yes it does! I was wondering why he got his foot stuck so randomly 😊
Also such hilarity XD
Or that the only reason he was able to cast Reverse Gravity (a Level 7 spell) is because he failed a wild magic surge...damn, Simon throws a lot of Nat-1s! 😆
@@legionarybooks13sometimes the dice gods be like that
As an 80's and 90's kid, this movie gave me the same feeling I had watching "The Princess Bride". For me, that's about as big of a compliment I can give.
I had the same feeling
Lady Hawk was my D&D fan favorite.
Agreed
Same
Nice I didn’t make that connection but can totally see it now.
It’s actually so goddamn good. My DnD group were laughing our asses off at several points. The cgi was actually incredible and that last fight was gorgeous.
what i loved was thats the stone dragon stoped the moment Sofina was distracted by Doric hitting her something from her slingshot stopping her from concentrating. and the characters from the animated 80s tv show were there that was awsome.
We need a part two and a damn series. I loved it!
Fun fact that stone dragon was actually a statue version of a Brass dragon. A from the metallic true dragon family. They are " weakest "of the main 5. As with the strongest Gold they breathe fire but more like a blowtorch. Other true dragon families are Gem and Chromatic. Each have main 5 types but could easly expand by 5 more which are much less common. IF WotC could stop dragging heels about officialy include them in sources!
Loved the movie, but it was far from the perfect d&d movie, many little things could of been done better, under dark & no drow or mind flayer, no random encounters could of thrown in an orc, goblin or kobold fight, would of loved to see them barter for gear. As I said a really good fantasy film, but not the perfect d&d film, I think your overhyping it which will disappoint some.
@tra leid the problem is the perfect D&D film would be inaccessible for non D&D fans so it would make very little money I think it was a good attempt and an action fantasy movie that D&D fans could get more from due to the references.
@@traleid3755 I disagree. It might not be perfect, but I don't want to see what you said in the movie. I want to see the party story from the perspective of inside the world, not from perspective of players. Selecting and buying gears is not important from the character perspective, only important for the players perspective. I don't want to see all monsters showed up like it's a museum gallery faked as easter eggs. Keep the spotlight on the party and their story, not the setting.
Just finished watching it at the theaters. For someone who’s NEVER played DD ever and I was born in 91’, this movie was greatly enjoyable from beginning to end. One of the best movies so far for this year imo 💥
I loved that they left just enough to make another movie on one or two of the characters origins. I honestly thought it was entertaining and worth the theater drive. I can’t wait to watch it again at home.
They have novels on the origins of Doric and the history of the original party that went to claim the tablet.
The graveyard scene felt like those mandatory quest progression sections where you can't progress until you satisfy the DM's requirements before embarking. How even when they got to where they expected they should be they kept getting roped along prolonging the quest haha.
My favorite part about that was just how they left that dead guy to just sit there without his last question answered, so he just had to wait for who knows how long for someone to come ask him something till then
@@Jawesomness16 post credits scene ;)
I went to see this with my d&d group. We had almost exactly the same scene as the first corpse play out in a game once 🤣 there was some laughing
Also, I might disagree slightly, because it was Holga's idea to go to the Evermoors because she knew about the helm. As a PC, she wouldn't know about this unless she rolled a history check, which clearly she rolled well. So maybe wasn't in the DM's plan to begin with? Which is even more hilarious as that would mean the party just kept coming up with dogshit rolls until they found a corpse that would be useful to them 😂
@@connororeilly7157
That’s a perfect way to describe a situation that made the film feel like a campaign. I noticed how it seemed the sorcerer had a similar (he must have rolled well) situation when he just knew what the walking stick really was.
"The fans, especially those who've spent their retirement money on new dice"
...dude, I feel so called out right now, except most of my retirement money went to character art.
Also, I want to see all four of them on a new adventure together. The way they came together as a group felt like the best moments of my own D&D games. Truly awesome how they were able to capture that so perfectly.
Dice vs Character Art - the eternal conflict.
Well said.
One thing I noticed was that during some of the combat scenes involving magic was the use of concentration - when a character got hit while they were concentrating on a spell, that effect dropped. Without spoiling anything, but the two warriors with the magic-enhanced weapons fighting each other, their spell effects dropped after they took damage. That was just some neat details.
I believe they are using magic weapons, not enhancing the weapon with their spells. What they chanting before combat is the activation action, which actually how it supposed to work but most players often ignored it and treating magic weapons effects as "always" active. The weapon "loses" the effect because they've been dropped / unequipped, not because the wielder taking damage or lost concentration, which also how it should be.
The bad guy definitely cast flame blade and the hero cast (I would guess) magic or elemental weapon. Both don’t require concentration.
Or when Simon was casting a spell when trying to escape the theatre and the guy put his hand over Simon's mouth to prevent him from casting it.
Oh my God yes please give me a D&D cinematic universe. PLEASE give us a Drizzit trilogy! PLEASE give me IRL Raistlin Majere 😱✨
I went with my DnD group and we had a TON of fun!! All of us enjoyed it, even the guys who'd been playing since the 80s!!
Just saw this movie yesterday with a couple buddies that happen to also be in my D&D group. I can't believe I didn't pick up on the fact that 95% of the planning was done in taverns.. that just makes me love the movie even more. Highly recommended.
My group is now playing Hoard of the Dragon Queen, And I really loved the attention to detail when they mentioned the Harpers, Emerald Enclave and the Cult of the Dragon.
My group is actually dealing with an offshoot of the Cult of the Dragon as part of our larger campaign. Right now, though, we're on a side quest involving the investigation of a 'ghost ship' that's actually a gremlin-infested and malfunctioning spelljammer ship. My artificer is just itching to fix it. Just gotta do something about the damned gremlins, first...
For me it was seeing the prison in IWD. That’s literally the next area my party are heading too.
Bradley Cooper was a halfling for sure because he said he was "tending to his garden and working on his book" which was a nod to Bilbo Baggins, Frodo and probably Samwise, the most famous Hobbits(halflings) of all.
But also because Halflings are known to live a laidback life far from war and conflict
Bradley was just a mini cooper
My whole DnD group went to see this last night and we all had a blast! I kept waiting for the reveal at the end of all the players sitting around the table lol but yeah this was a perfect encapsulation of a small part of this parties early campaign. Hope we get to see more!
Two words: Drizzt Do'Urden
I know it will never happen though; it's too complicated for these producers.
I loved the movie. I've been a D&D player for over 40 years and it was a joy to watch. Forgotten Realms Forever!!! Great video Thank you.
We went to see it during the Amazon Prime early preview a couple of weeks ago and loved it. There was a fairly high gamer quotient in the theater and everyone had a fun time. The humor really felt like the kind of joking around that happens during a campaign.
Best film I have seen in a long long time, so much fun from start to finish. Smiled nearly the whole way through it, it was a joy to watch. and when the cartoon D&D characters showed up I nearly melted into childhood geekdom! Thank the maker!
It was super fun, and really entertaining. I went with someone I started dating, and she loved it. If the movie does well, it'd be amazing to have RA Salvatore's work with Drizzt and other Forgotten Realm characters.
Dude. Yes it would.
Forgotten Realms, Icewind Dale trilogy would be great. But I'd love to see the Dragonlance Saga made into a movie series as well.
I hadn’t thought of bringing in established story arcs, but I’d love to see Dragonlance in some way on the big screen.
@@davidbell7491 @The End of Infinity Good thing they are working on a TV adaptation for Dragonlance, then :)
Drizzt Do'Urden in this socially Marxist pathology though?
I mean, Drizzt was all about everybody getting along no matter what their race or where they came from.
I saw the movie today and thoroughly enjoyed the 80's Easter egg reference to the D&D cartoon party, and the blink and you'll miss it rust monsters and the broken padlock scene.
I will enjoy future movies if they put this kind of effort into them as they did this movie. There are so many prewritten adventures, books & characters already written that movie makers don't have do too much effort into thinking up anything very original.
The main characters weren't under-leveled compared to the big bad by the end. They leveled up like PCs would in a campaign. That's why Simon could Counterspell Sofina's Time Stop at the end of the movie. And it's also why he could attune to the helmet that he couldn't attune to earlier. He was too low-level at first, but they all leveled up.
Took my mom to see it for an early showing and for someone who knows nothing about D&D she loved it and was already saying she hopes there's another one.
I also loved that part where Xenk acts like a true video game npc walking away on a straight path, walking over a big rock instead of walking around it
Two young rust monsters can be seen fighting over a scrap of metal in one scene, so yes to having monsters that were not in the trailer and that you had to keep an eye out for. Fingers crossed for even more monsters in the future if this film does well.
This movie was absolutely fantastic man & I don't give a hoot about D&D lol. You can tell everyone involved took this movie seriously as the passion just oozes from the screen & every frame.
You've convinced me to take my family to see this. Looks like fun!
They knew they wouldn’t be able to play it straight and keep the magic so they instead treated it like a bunch of friends playing a round
Smart approach
Took my 9yo and his friend. We all had a blast! They talked about it for an hour afterward, which is a shining endorsement. The characters and action were great. Wonderful casting. Storyline was solid. 10/10 would recommend
It'd be really cool if you could point out all the game mechanics and "dice rolls" in the movie like you would point out Easter eggs. I especially liked how the sorcerer used his spell slots in the movie!
it's literally one of the best movies I watched in recent years, and it actually made me cry when Edgin revived Holga in the last scene, hope there's more D&D movies like this in the future!
Not only was it great for d&d fans, but it takes place in the Forgotten Realms!! Man, I was so excited when, after the opening scene, the camera zooms out & shows that they're in Icewind Dale!! Has the Harpers, boulders gate, wizards of thay, etc...! Such a fun movie.
I feel like a medieval comedy taking itself seriously describes dnd
I'm playing a campaign in Icewind Dale and was excited to see the movie start there. Just seeing the map was enough for me as a fan of the game. It felt like a one-shot campaign.
8:07 "basic catnip.." ah so that's how they defeat the displacer beast.
I watched the movie without reading reviews or knowing almost anything about the game itself and I absolutely loved it. The use of the pudgy dragon made the entire lobby laugh, I loved it.
It was amazing. The whole movie felt like a genuine campaign. You just feel that everyone put love and effort into this. Also, I wanna add that the actors all did amazing jobs, my favorite being Doric.
Really fun popcorn movie. While I'm into pen-and-paper role-playing games for 30 years now, I've never really played (A)D&D.
The movie is still entertaining, very much so!
I thought they honestly just made the story by playing a game, seeing what the characters did and then said “it’s movie worthy”. And I’m here for it
Am I the only one who heard him say “catnip” for what should have been “cantrip”? 😂
You said "catnip" instead of "cantrip"! I'm using this from here on out.
100% agree, feels like the writers/directors have played D&D and focused on how it feels around the table as their North Star for the movie. I loved it and hope they make more!
The movie also had classic game settings: prison escape, dungeon diving, labyrinths, and more. The movie itself is a complete campaign: heroes start with nothing, steal some supplies, connect w friends, receive quest, discover there are two or three pieces of information your team has that show you the set of side quests you need to do to be prepared for the actual quest. Then - after leveling up - you fight the big bad.
Also they mentioned Baldurs Gate twice. They refer to their land as Sword Coast, and I swear I heard something about Wintervale or something.
Icewind Dale, that's where the prison was. And yeah, totally right about the settings and campaign tropes :)
what suprised me the most was how many story beat they manage to put and nail to the T, without it ever feeling like useless fetch quest. Compared to pretty much anything disney done in the past few years it's giving me hope that writers can still pull off meaningful stories.
I also love how in some action scene is in a 1 shot takes which makes us feel like we are there with them. Similar to how we imagine how the story would play out while we are on the table
I enjoyed their nod to the dungeon, and dragons cartoons during the moving maze.
When Doric smashed Sofina at the end, looks as Hulk smashing Loki at the end of Avengers, I think that even the background song looks alike.
Hugh Grants Boris Johnston impersonation was spot on
Please make a deep review into this movie!!🙏
Each character had meaningful stakes, the lore, Easter eggs, the fight choreography, puppets/anamotronics, was all so amazing, and i don't even know anything about D&D.
I would love to see 3 or 4 videos from this movie!! 😊
I loved every second of the movie, and now I have a better understanding of why. I knew it felt like I was playing a game, but to have it explained in-depth… this movie was genius!
I've never played D&D the game and had almost zero knowledge about it walking into this movie. That being said, I really enjoyed this movie. It was a blast.
The best D&D movie by far....well, that isn't really saying much but it was a lot of fun! I like the review of the difference between NPC and PC in the movie - I hadn't thought about it that way before. High Five!
You have perfectly explained why I enjoyed the movie and why the things that were initially critiqued ("cookie-cutter villain" etc) didn't bother me at all. It really felt like a D&D campaign in the best possible way. I loved the creative problem solving by the characters.
Lol. The movie is SOOOOO obvious about who are the player characters and who are the NPCs. Loved it. We even ended the movie discussing the "type of player" behind each character. I loved that it worked as an "adapted campaign" but also as a stand alone movie.
I’m not a D&D player, I just saw it, and I LOVED IT!!! It’s was totally worth the watch!!
The graveyard scene is some of rhe best comedy ive seen in a while lol
I think it’s great that they lean on the meta and the mechanics when it matters, spins them to feel more natural, and leaves them behind when it doesn’t. Not everything in the movie adheres to D&D rules (combat, certain spell applications) but the ones that do feel extra well-thought out, and magic is creatively used, creatively abused, and just as creatively countered throughout the film. Knowing mechanics in DND really gives you an incredible impression of the movie!
Yes, it is highly entertaining for me. I don't know much about DnD but this movie introduced the to world and lore to me and I am in love!
I just watched this, and boy, i was pleasantly surprised. It was great!
Whilst I have not seen the movie yet would it make doug feel better to know that in dnd lore the displacer beasts have an eternal violent rivalry with the blink dogs a type of fey dog who can teleport.
This movie was so damn good. I took my kids and wife who have played through just one campaign and they immediately wanted to go home and start another. For lifelong players and for those who aren't, it was a love letter to the game and genre.
I was laughing and crying during the graveyard interviews. Comedy gold 😂
I've been an avid D&D player for 20years and loved every minute of this video.. I did see it 4DX which gave another entire different experience along with the movie.. But describing it to my brother without spoilers was a fun action pack movie like "expendables" you know the hero's win, it's how they win that make it worth it...
I'll see it at least twice in theater & probably own it on Prime when released so I can see it a 3rd time with family, but you nailed the overall story.. it's well written and the hard core fan can enjoy it , the novice fan can enjoy it, & the uneducated fan can enjoy it (just slightly less as you get away from the lore) ...
Now we need a movie about some other hero's from Icewind Dale!!!
Fantastic review! Matched entirely my experience seeing it today, and your inclusion of CR & D20 clips was icing on the cake. I hope you do an Easter egg one too
I saw it with some of my D&D buds and a few that haven’t played and we all loved it! The gamers just got more of the references but it still worked well for non gamers 🎉
7:43 hes a apparently a Hobgoblin, cuz i wasn't sure if he was an orc either when I saw the movie the first time. I checked the dnd wiki and according to the junior novelization of the film hes a hobgoblin named Gorg.
Great vid nonetheless 👍
The movie completely surprised me for the quality and care that went in. I'm a gamer DnD fan and I got almost everything.
Definitely recommend, especially if you're any DnD fan. The biggest thing I missed were name references.
Absolutely loved this movies. The easter eggs and attention to detail of D&D while making it cinematic, fun, hilarious and somewhat realistic was downright amazing. Kind of a perfect homage to D&D and also just being a good fun adventure movie. One doesn't need to have played D&D at all to love it like any well made fantasy movie.
I laughed so much during this movie but it never felt out of place either. The humor was woven perfectly into the story and performances.
I have not played D&D in decades but I will always have fond memories of the experience and this movie rekindled that experience. I'm about to crack open some D&D rule books I recently bought myself for nostalgia reasons. Maybe I will even be able to play again.
Kudos to a damn good movie.
Anyone with zero interest in D&D should still see this movie in much the same way one that never read Tolkien watched the LotR movies. Its that good and its a ton of fun.
One thing i noticed recently is that the helm is buried in lead blocking it from locate object
I am still relatively new to DnD and I still absolutely love the film. my favorite part of the movie was seeing two rust monsters fighting over some metal for a blink-and-you-miss-it moment as it brought back memories where I encountered some rust monsters and promptly disintegrated them with my centaur's bare hooves after rolling high.
IIRC, it was a padlock specifically.
Did Ryan call a cantrip "catnip?" Lol!
Loved it. The world felt full. I'd love to see more adventures
I loved this movie so much that I am absolutely okay with never getting a sequel that could potentially tarnish this one retrocatively LOL.
All respect an honor for featuring "Critical Role" and Vox Machina in your video.
I would also love love love to see Drizzt Do'Urden brought faithfully to the big screen.
Loved it!!!! and would be so excited for more movies in this world
i never played DnD but im familiar with rpg video games so i smile when similar mechanics appear in the movie...
It was a great movie!! They managed to used the right amount of fun with adventure and left plenty of easter eggs for D&D players! Simply great! Love it!
Loved the way the movie made you feel like you were in a campaign. Plus there was a lot of tropes from pop culture that non players could find relatable
yes i wish to see more chars from the D&D in future movies.. like raistlin majere.. goldmoon.. takhisis and more iconic monsters like beholder... mindflayer... basilisk etc..
I know nothing about the d&d game but I absolutely loved this movie. Might be my new favorite.
just watched this with the wife last night. we absolutely loved it.
I love to see a Drizzt Do'urden movie. But since that would require somebody doing blackface. No Studio would dare touch it. You'd have to do it animated, which I'm fine with.
You are aware black actors exist?
Dont see why that would be the case. Either make em played by a dark actor or give em purple skin like thanos lmfao
@@noobtuber10 Dark elves aren't black like black people
CGI the actor with vantablack.
@@GarrettMoffitt never said black, said dark.
Drizzt Do'Urden! that would be a chain of stories!
Ryan insightfully pointed out that all the characters would likely have intelligence as a 'dump stat'; i.e. one their profession doesn't utilize. Now that's attention to detail! There needs to be a love button.
Yeah kudos to him. I’m a old game rpg vet, and forgotten realms reader in my younger day, and this review really opened my eyes on things I didn’t realize but became so obvious after his review. Good job!
I firmly believe that Edgin is actually a thief/rogue that happens to be proficient with the lute. Besides some charisma checks he does virtually nothing that a bard would do.
Saw the movie today absolutely love it was fast paced fun ,and comedic!
I so wish they had an end scene where they said "so, same time next week?" and someone said "ahh I got a thing"
I don't even play D&D and found the movie very entertaining. Highly recommend.
I didn't get to see this with my whole dnd group, just my gf who is in our group too. But as soon as this is available on streaming next time our group is planning to meet and someone cancels, we're all gonna watch this together. I haven't been this overjoyed about a movie in a very long time and it's precisely because I can talk about it with people that i know will have loved and understood it in the exact same way. I'm also very happy with how they executed the movie and made it super super accessible to non-players. Wonderful movie. Would and will recommend to everyone.
I’ve never played a second of D&D. I love video games tho and I’ve played tons of games similar to it. I freaking loved the movie. The characters were fantastic and I loved the storyline. Good hires in the acting department as well
I saw it yesterday, and I liked it...but it did feel at times in the moment like just another fantasy movie. A more fun version of LoTR. But, seeing it through the lense in this video does give me a better appreciation for it now so thank you :-D
I saw the movie with my friend and we where just having so much fun noticing all of the easter eggs and figuring out what checks they had to roll in what scenes and I lost my mind when I saw the characters from the cartoon, and that reference went over my dad's head when he saw it even though he introduced me to the cartoon.
I'm pretty sure after watching the movie and remembering Chris Pine's previous foray in another well known sci-fi genre, that I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that Captain Kirk is definitely a Bard.
Amazing player insight into what i already perceived as a Perfect Movie. Went in with low expectations and can't wait to watch this a second and third time in theaters already. The writing is Amazing!
Never played D&D, but have fond memories of the cartoon show, as a kid. So I went to see it earlier, despite the negativity surrounding the film, and I am very glad I did 😁
Did you see the cartoon characters? They were contestants in the maze. No Uni though.
@@brianpeterson8908 not a dig at the movie, cause I liked it, but the Cartoon characters cameo was THE BEST part for me!
This movie was AWESOME. I really hope they make a sequel.
I love the use of Critical Role and Dimension 20 in the explanations.
I want many more films like this one!
They are saying it flopped but I left the movie theater wanting a sequel. Hope they do it