Paramount is supposedly going big on Dungeons & Dragons as it works to turn the franchise into a multi-platform juggernaut, but if that’s its plan, then its first stab at it, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, probably shouldn’t look like some B-grade fantasy fodder. Sadly, as the newest Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves trailer continues to show, that’s exactly what we seem to be getting.
Now, of course, there’s room for B-grade fantasy fodder in our lives, but only if that’s what the filmmakers are actually going for, and it doesn’t really appear like they are here. Directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley really seem to be taking this seriously (aside from the Marvel-style comedy) instead of playing with the fact that D&D revels in the cliches that it helped establish. The film follows a band of thieves, who go from hapless failures to a team of heroes off to save the world from Hugh Grant. You’ve got all the classic classes here like a bard (Chris Pine), a warrior (Michelle Rodriguez), and a mage (Justice Smith), along with a few other things. It all plays right into a film that looks like a tabletop game come to life but isn’t clever enough to actually play with any of the tropes that come along with that or the confidence to not spew a one-liner / sight gag every other line.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the brand is currently being dragged through the mud by fans thanks to the embarrassing missteps by the game’s owner, Wizards of the Coast (a subset of Hasbro). Paramount can’t be too happy that the entire dedicated fanbase that should be excited about this film is currently in full revolt over an Open Game License change that they had nothing to do with. Despite Wizards of the Coast’s apology, fans and creators are leaving in droves, and the issue has become so great that articles about it are bleeding into he mainstream, further impacting franchise woes. Still, Hasbro and Paramount are moving forward with a new TV show and looking to expand even further with D&D.
As the new trailer reminds us, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opens on March 31.
