Dungeons & Dragonshas evolved from a role-playing game into a cultural phenomenon, impacting pop culture along the way. Without Dungeons & Dragons, Stranger Thingswouldn’t have its big narrative hook. Critical Role wouldn’t be a thing, which means no Legend of Vox Machinaor Mighty Nein. In 2023, Paramount decided to take the next logical step and make a D&D movie, resulting in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Honor Among Thieves is one of the rare films that were both critically acclaimed and box-office flops, which is a shame because it perfectly captures the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons.
As its title suggests, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is essentially a heist movie set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Led by the boisterous bard Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), the barbarian Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), sorcerer Simon (Justice Smith), and druid Doric (Sophia Lillis) join forces to rob the Lord of Neverwinter, Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), of his treasures. They end up embroiled in a sinister plot concocted by the Red Wizard, Sofia (Daisy Head), and wind up having to save Neverwinter. What follows is a fast, funny, and engaging adventure that will appeal to both Dungeons & Dragons super fans and newcomers to the game.
Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez in Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among ThievesImage via Paramount
Throughout Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, writer/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley manage to keep up a blend of hilarious and emotional moments that are punctuated by bouts of action. A key example is when the party, led by Paladin Xenk Yandar (Regé-Jean Page), travels into the subterranean realm known as the Underdark to retrieve a magical artifact. They wind up running afoul of Themberchaud, a dragon feared throughout the land…only to discover that Themberchaud has packed on a few pounds over the years. Emotionally, the film doesn’t hold back: Edgin is putting himself through a lot to see his daughter and potentially resurrect his wife; Simon is struggling with his magic; and Doric wishes to protect her people from Forge’s greed.
Goldstein and Daley also manage to introduce plenty of Dungeons & Dragons Easter eggs, showcasing their deep love for the game. Whether it’s creatures like Mimics, the dreaded sorcerer Szass Tam, or the cast of the beloved Dungeons & Dragons animated series, these Easter eggs are skillfully woven into the movie; longtime fans can enjoy them, while newcomers won’t feel lost. Goldstein also told Den of Geek that the heist element of Honor Among Thieves was crafted to appeal to non-D&D fans.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
“We wanted to create a film that would be entertaining and appealing to all audiences, whether you knew D&D or not. For that to work, we needed a sort of scaffolding and infrastructure for the movie that would be enjoyable and engaging. We’ve always wanted to do a heist movie.”
The response was extremely positive, as Honor Among Thieves currently holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Most reviews pointed out how it was one of the few modern blockbusters that actually managed to replicate the feeling of a Marvel Studios movie; ironically, Goldstein and Daley previously helped write the screenplay for Spider-Man: Homecoming, while producer Jeremy Latcham worked on some of Marvel’s biggest hits, including Guardians of the Galaxy. Sadly, Honor Among Thieves was released in the same month as other major blockbusters, like The Super Mario Bros. Movieand John Wick: Chapter 4; this resulted in a less-than-stellar box office haul.
Paramount Should Capitalize on Fantasy’s Resurgence with a ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Sequel
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves might not have set the box office on fire, but its story could potentially continue in a different form. Netflix is currently developing Dungeons & Dragons: The Forgotten Realms, a television series that is set in the same fictional realm as Honor Among Thieves. The timing couldn’t be more perfect; fantasy shows are making a splash on streaming services, and Honor Among Thieves was a big streaming hit for Netflix. If Forgotten Realms is a huge hit for Netflix, that could be the push Paramount needs to put another Dungeons & Dragons movie into production. In the meantime, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is still worth a watch, whether you’re a fan of the game or not.
