Post by Ryan_MYeah on Apr 3, 2023 6:37:46 GMT
Honor Among Thieves doesn’t reinvent the wheel, as the Guardians of the Galaxy is strong with this one, but that’s not a bad thing. Whether or not you have any idea how D&D works, or you only have light knowledge because you’ve watched Stranger Things, this is incredibly fun and vibrant all on its own.
The cast are having a whale of a time, with Chris Pine feeling genuinely invigorated and charming as the improvisational leader and part time Bard, while Michelle Rodriguez proves both a reliable emotional anchor and vicious close combat brawler, and Justice Smith excelling with perhaps the most relatable, oftentimes humorous arc. Sophia Lillis does feel the least compelling of the main four, especially whenever she’s offscreen due to her character’s shape-shifting, but even she still manages to thoroughly charm her way to some laughs.
Rege-Jean Page essentially acts as a guide during a second act detour, playing into his character being so annoyingly perfect, and ironically hilarious with having no sense of humor. Alas, the film does suffer from a weak main antagonist, given Daisy Head’s Sofina just isn’t all that interesting, and gets sidelined as sidekick until the third act. But a far more compelling villain, practically running away with the film, is unsurprisingly Hugh Grant, who relishes getting to play into the smarmy, cruel opportunism of his character, and his cowardice and greed driving his every choice.
Fans of Goldstein and Daley’s prior Game Night will also be relieved to hear that their sense of style, and terrific eye for direction, have carried over as well. First and foremost, the film is very funny, that even while taking its world and its characters seriously, has enough confidence that it proudly owns its light-hearted touch and character quirks. Everyone seems to be having a blast, and the energy feels infectious, eliciting several fits of laughter throughout the film.
But the direction shows some great, shocking strides, particularly in the staging of the set-pieces, and its use of continuous takes to showcase the geography of each scene. An early highlight involves Lillis’ shape shifting Druid escaping from a guarded castle, that manages to sustain its tension and excitement for several minutes. The use of continuous takes proves to be a huge blessing for the rest of the movie, especially in the wilder fantasy moments, that while having moments of chaos feel crisp and comprehensible. The visual effects are another surprising highlight, particularly the amount of practical effects intermingling with the CGI. They use honest to goodness puppetry and animatronic suits.
Even if you know nothing about D&D, this is still a good time at the movies, and a rock solid popcorn movie in its own right.
The cast are having a whale of a time, with Chris Pine feeling genuinely invigorated and charming as the improvisational leader and part time Bard, while Michelle Rodriguez proves both a reliable emotional anchor and vicious close combat brawler, and Justice Smith excelling with perhaps the most relatable, oftentimes humorous arc. Sophia Lillis does feel the least compelling of the main four, especially whenever she’s offscreen due to her character’s shape-shifting, but even she still manages to thoroughly charm her way to some laughs.
Rege-Jean Page essentially acts as a guide during a second act detour, playing into his character being so annoyingly perfect, and ironically hilarious with having no sense of humor. Alas, the film does suffer from a weak main antagonist, given Daisy Head’s Sofina just isn’t all that interesting, and gets sidelined as sidekick until the third act. But a far more compelling villain, practically running away with the film, is unsurprisingly Hugh Grant, who relishes getting to play into the smarmy, cruel opportunism of his character, and his cowardice and greed driving his every choice.
Fans of Goldstein and Daley’s prior Game Night will also be relieved to hear that their sense of style, and terrific eye for direction, have carried over as well. First and foremost, the film is very funny, that even while taking its world and its characters seriously, has enough confidence that it proudly owns its light-hearted touch and character quirks. Everyone seems to be having a blast, and the energy feels infectious, eliciting several fits of laughter throughout the film.
But the direction shows some great, shocking strides, particularly in the staging of the set-pieces, and its use of continuous takes to showcase the geography of each scene. An early highlight involves Lillis’ shape shifting Druid escaping from a guarded castle, that manages to sustain its tension and excitement for several minutes. The use of continuous takes proves to be a huge blessing for the rest of the movie, especially in the wilder fantasy moments, that while having moments of chaos feel crisp and comprehensible. The visual effects are another surprising highlight, particularly the amount of practical effects intermingling with the CGI. They use honest to goodness puppetry and animatronic suits.
Even if you know nothing about D&D, this is still a good time at the movies, and a rock solid popcorn movie in its own right.