Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

At 134 minutes, Honor Among Thieves runs like a game night where one player keeps saying just one more encounter. Somehow you don’t mind. Chris Pine plays Edgin, a bard who’s brilliant at plans and useless in a fight, and he’s clearly having a blast. Michelle Rodriguez’s Holga does the punching, and their friendship is the warmest thing in it. Sophia Lillis turns Doric into an owlbear mid-escape, and that shape-shift chase is legit thrilling. Regé-Jean Page plays a paladin so serious he can’t recognize a joke, which becomes the joke. A graveyard bit, where the crew gets exactly five questions for the long-departed, is the funniest scene in any fantasy movie this decade. Hugh Grant is a smarmy delight. The weak spot is the villain, a red-robed wizard with a big plan and zero personality. It made $205.5 million worldwide on a reported $150M. A 7.8 because it understands what makes the game fun: the plan always falls apart. $2,293 says you text your old game group tonight, and somebody still has their character sheet.

What works: The cast has real chemistry, the humor lands without winking at the audience, and the owlbear chase is a standout action scene.

What doesn’t: It runs long for a light adventure, and the main villain is so bland that the finale has less tension than the heists before it.

Who it’s for: Tabletop players and anyone who wants a funny, warm fantasy adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously.