4K UHD Review: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES

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May 29, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Set in the medieval-like Forgotten Realms, Edgin (Chris Pine) was once a member of the Harper’s faction, a network of spies/peacekeepers who did good for little-to-no pay. His wife Zia supported him in this noble venture, and the two lived a happy but meager life with their baby daughter Kira. However, when Zia was killed by a red wizard, Edgin gave up his oath, turning to a life of thievery to make ends meet. He met kindred spirit, barbarian Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), who had been cast out of her tribe for falling in love with an outsider. And so the two of them, along with young Kira, formed a new makeshift family.

Even though many years have passed, Edgin still misses his wife, and has come up with a plan to raid a Harper stronghold and steal the Tablet of Reawakening, which would allow him to resurrect Zia. However, the heist goes awry, and Edgin and Holga are captured and sent to prison, but not before Edgin gives his partner, con-man Forge (Hugh Grant), the tablet and his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) for safe keeping.

After two years, Edgin and Holga manage to break out of their prison, and head out to find Forge to get Kira and the tablet back. However, they soon discover that Forge has weaseled his way into becoming Lord of Neverwinter, thanks to the help of mysterious wizard Sofina (Daisy Head), and has also poisoned Kira against her father, convincing her that it was his greed that got Edgin arrested. Many of the wealthy elite have made their way to the kingdom to bet on the upcoming gladiatorial High Sun Games, and Forge and Sofina have a sinister plan in the works to relieve them of their gold (and more). Meanwhile, Edgin is planning to rob the vault for the riches and the tablet, and win back his daughter. But first he’s going to need some help and equipment. Joining Edgin and Holga on this dangerous quest are old friend, amateur sorcerer Simon (Justice Smith), shape-shifting druid Doric (Sophia Lillis), and paladin Xenk (Regé-Jean Page).

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a highly entertaining new take on the popular tabletop game source material, blending action, adventure and fantasy elements with a lot of humor. The ensemble cast of characters have such great chemistry with one another and make a really fun team of misfits. Edgin is not your typical hero. He’s not strong, he doesn’t wield a sword, and he has no magical abilities. He sing and carries a lute, and uses his wit and charm to get out of any situation. He has a way of soliciting blind faith from his crew, even when he has no idea if his plans will actually work. Holga is his best friend, and the muscle of the duo. Both were there for one another during the darkest times of their lives, forming a bond and family together. Kira is a like a daughter to her, and she would do anything to help get her back. While Holga has a softer side, she also has great strength and skills, able to take down a room full of enemies with an axe, hammer, potato, or whatever else she can get her hands on. Simon isn’t the greatest sorcerer, and his spell work doesn’t seem to have gotten any better over the two years that Edgin and Holga have been away. He’s constantly invoking the incorrect spell or accidentally getting things wrong. While he does have the skill in his blood, Simon lacks a bit of faith and confidence in himself to fully utilize his abilities. Doric’s magical abilities come from nature, and she has the ability to transform into any creature—from a tiny fly, to a massive owl bear—which helps her sneak into or blend into various locations and situations. And finally there’s paladin Xenk, who seems like the perfect package, with the looks, magic, charm and abilities—he makes Edgin feel a bit jealous.

The quest takes our group on a fun adventure, solving a string of puzzles and overcoming various challenges along the way—fighting zombies, talking to corpses, escaping from an overweight dragon, and so on. They have to combine their skills and work together in order to succeed. This all leads to a mind-bending and creative heist, and some exciting action and fight sequences. I found myself captivated and smiling throughout this film. The filmmakers have done an excellent job of transporting the viewer into this fantastical world, and making the creatures and magic come to life through a mix of practical and digital effects. While everything is kept light and fun throughout, there are still some truly emotional moments, and the action is still quite exciting and tense, with real stakes. The actors are perfectly cast, and have amazing chemistry with one another. It really feels like Edgin, Holga and Simon are longtime friends who know each other very well. Chris Pine plays this charming idea man who is able to make everyone else do the heavy lifting; Michelle Rodriguez is amazing in her fight scenes while also delivering on the more straight man humor; Justice Smith is great as the dorky sorcerer with a lack of self-confidence; Regé-Jean Page is delightful as the rogue paladin who gives Edgin a run for his money in the charm department; and Sophia Lillis is also entertaining as the more reluctant member of the team. On the villain side, Daisy Head does an excellent job of bringing the straight up evil, while Hugh Grant is so deliciously smarmy and fun to watch. Forge is always looking out for himself above everything else and there isn’t anymore he wouldn’t sell out to get what he wants. Chloe Coleman is always a delight no matter what she appears in, and it’s no different with Kira in this movie.

I first saw Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in the theater, but enjoyed it all over again the second time around on this 4K disc release. This is a film I will revisit often as it’s such a fun watch. I wish more people had seen it in the theater, but I hope that it does well enough on home video that we get more adventures with these characters. The film is presented on the 4K UHD release with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The picture transports the viewer into this magical world. The video is clean and pristine, with an excellent level of detail, especially in close-ups of faces and creatures. All of the action is captured beautifully, and the effects are seamlessly blended. The color pallete is exquisite, especially as the team heads down into the cavern and there is this green and orange glow. Even in these darker sequences, the level of detail and clarity remains strong. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes excellent use of the surround and overhead channels to provide ambiance and a fully-immersive experience that puts the viewer right in the middle of the action.

The 4K disc is packed in a standard 4K keepcase along with a cardboard slipcover and an insert with instructions on how to redeem a 4K digital copy of the movie. The disc contains a some really entertaining bonus material, including over an hour of humorous behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew, a gag reel, and some extended/deleted scenes. The only thing I wish we had gotten was a commentary from the directors and cast as they seem like a really fun bunch.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:14:08)

4K Ultra HD:

2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
HDR-10 / Dolby Vision
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Audio Description, Spanish (Spain) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish

Digital:

4K Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV or Vudu (not Movies Anywhere compatible)
Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 5/30/2025

Extras:

From Dice to Dragons: Honoring the Lore (11:15)
The cast and crew talk about their experience with the tabletop game and what they enjoy about it, how it helped in the writing, finding the right balance for both experienced D&D players and new folks, a comedic spin on the genre, the challenges of filming the portal heist, and more. Includes behind-the scenes footage, including the cast playing a game of D&D together as their characters, and interviews with writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, writer Michael Gilio, producer Jeremy Latcham, visual effects supervisor Ben Snow, and stars Chris Pine (“Edgin”), Michelle Rodriguez (“Holga”), Regé-Jean Page (“Xenk”), justice Smith (“Simon”), Sophia Lillis (“Doric”) & Hugh Grant (“Forge”).
Rogues’ Gallery: The Heroes of Dungeons & Dragons (11:24)
The cast and crew discuss each of the main characters, who despite being thieves and outlaws, are not the bad guys. They also talk about keeping the characters relatable despite them being in a different time period, what it was like working with the various actors, Simon’s hand motions, and more. Includes behind-the scenes footage, and interviews with writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, producer Jeremy Latcham, visual effects supervisor Ben Snow, and stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis & Justice Smith.
Fantastic Foes (7:03)
The cast and crew discuss the film’s underlying conflict and villains. They also discuss working with actors Daisy Head and Hugh Grant, the makeup process, the costumes, riffing and improv, and more. Includes behind-the scenes footage, and interviews with writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, and stars Chris Pine, Daisy Head (“Sofina”), Chloe Coleman (“Kira”), Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant & Regé-Jean Page.
The Bestiary (9:21)
The cast and crew discuss the film’s various creatures, blending practical and visual effects, the various techniques used to bring the creatures to life, working with the actors in costumes, and more. Includes behind-the scenes footage, and interviews with writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, producer Jeremy Latcham, Legacy Effects’ Shane Mahan, puppeteer Lon Muckey, and stars Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith & Regé-Jean Page.
Forging the Forgotten Realms (8:07)
The cast and crew discuss designing the look of the Forgotten Realms, blending practical and computer-generated effects, filming in Ireland, working in these detailed sets, and more. Includes behind-the scenes footage, and interviews with writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, production designer Ray Chan, producer Jeremy Latcham, location manager Naomi Liston, and stars Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis, Regé-Jean Page & Justice Smith.
Broadswords, Battle-axes & Badass Brawls (8:40)
The cast and crew discuss filming the action and stunt sequences, having the actors do their own stunts when possible, the weapons, and more. Includes behind-the scenes and pre-vis footage, and interviews with writers/directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, producer Jeremy Latcham, stunt coordinators Troy Milenov & Diyan Hristov, stunt choreographer Gerogi Manchev, weapons master Tommy Dunne, and stars Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, Chris Pine, Justice Smith & Regé-Jean Page.
Gag Reel (6:51)
Fun with the cast as they flub lines, miss marks, deal with misbehaving props, and crack each other up.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (10:35)
Collection of 5 extended and 1 deleted scene. Most of these just add a quick joke or two. The last one is the most extensive, where the corpse rattles off pretty much every book he’s ever read for 6 minutes. Play All, or select from:
- Gorg’s Arrival – Extended (:55)
- Ice Breaker – Extended (1:31)
- Harassing Holga – Deleted (1:09)
- Eating Ash – Extended (:14)
- Harper’s Santuary – Extended (:29)
- Corpse 6 – Extended (6:15)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a blast, mixing a lot of humor into a action/fantasy/adventure/heist tale. It features a stellar cast who have amazing comedic timing and chemistry with one another. The film is highly rewatchable, and I would certainly welcome more adventures with these characters. Paramount’s 4K UHD release looks and sounds amazing, and the disc also includes some really entertaining bonus material. This release comes highly recommended, but those on the fence can still check it out on Paramount+ first, where it’s currently streaming.