Dungeons and Dragons: Honor of Thieves hits theaters this Wednesday, April 12, 2023. What do critics think of the film? Can we see it if we have never played the role-playing game?
[Mis à jour le 12 avril 20203 à 10h34] Adapting the vast universe of Dungeons and Dragons to the cinema is always a risky bet. But the new big screen version of the famous role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Thieves released this Wednesday, April 12, 2023 in dark rooms, seems to have succeeded in seducing critics but also the public. On Allociné, the feature film received an average press rating of 3.1/5 (18 titles) while viewers (179) gave it a rating of 3.9/5. Specialized critics hail a “blockbuster which, while respecting the codes of fantasy, coats it with a serious layer of humor and self-mockery, not to mention several impressive action scenes” (Le Parisien), “a pure entertainment” (Télé 2 weeks) and a film that also allows “newbies to immerse themselves in this dense and colorful universe with disconcerting ease” (Télé Loisirs). The less convinced press, however, deplores that the film fits too much into the codes of the current blockbuster, making connections between Dungeons and Dragons and MCU productions. A film worth watching, therefore, and much more than the hated film released in 2000.
Dungeons and Dragons is what we call a role-playing game. Released in the 1970s, it allows players, embodying characters of their own invention, to gather around a table and live heroic and often incredible adventures in a medieval-fantasy universe. Very popular, the game has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years since various creators who experienced the joys of RPG at the time refer to it in their own creations. We will think here of Stranger Things which makes no secret of its inspirations, going so far as to involve monsters from D&D mythology. The many role-playing web shows, including Critical Role in the United States and La Bonne Auberge in France, are also part of the new impetus towards role-playing games in general and Dungeons and Dragons in particular.
Already several adaptations for Dungeons and Dragons
Note that this is far from the first time that Dungeons & Dragons has attempted a filmed adaptation. In the year 2000, a film directed by Courtney Solomon and carried by Justin Whalin (Lois and Clark) and Jeremy Irons (Pretending, Batman v Superman) had already been released but had clearly not found its audience. The film, visually tacky upon its release, did not break even and gradually fell into oblivion. However, it had two sequels, intended for the small screen, in 2005 and 2013. Still on the television side, Dungeons & Dragons had also been adapted into an animated series called Le Sourire du dragon from 1983 to 1985.