Confession: I love sneak preview fan screenings of geeky movies. There is absolutely nothing like being in a room full of like minded people who all love the same thing. You can feel the energy roar through the auditorium when something happens on that screen that resonates with the fans. Like the moment that Cap said “Avengers Assemble!” Or the first time that you see a lightsaber cut through the darkness in the middle of a heated battle.
That said, I know nothing about Dungeons & Dragons. For a little perspective, when I was growing up in 80’s DnD was pretty much the same exact thing as Satan worship. I mean it may as well have been something created purely to sit in the center of Anton LaVey’s coffee table for board game night. A friend even told me last night that according to his understanding while growing up, it was even worse than a Ouija board. So suffice it to say, I knew nothing at all about the game, the lore, or the mythos. So last night when I went to an early fan screening of the new film, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant, I had no idea what to expect. In an introduction before the film, Pine promised that one didn’t need knowledge or understanding of the game in order to enjoy the movie. I figured we were going to test that theory.
If you’re looking for a fun, rollicking adventure, this is definitely a movie you will enjoy. Edgin (Chris Pine) is the witty and clever leader of the group with his partner in crime and best friend, Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) serving as his brawny counterpoint. A struggling young sorcerer (Simon, played by a Justice Wit) and a shapeshifter named Doric (Sophia Lillis) round out the small band of miscreants. Hugh Grant also has a fantastic role in the film playing Forge – a character I will leave for audiences to discover on their own.
This film had everything I ever could have wished for in a fantasy adventure. Quirky fun characters, witty dialogue, fun action, and a story that was detailed enough for the fans but not too confusing for a DnD newbie like me. Admittedly, there were many moments that the theater full of super fans were clapping or laughing and I had no idea what was so funny, but that didn’t negate my own enjoyment of the film. To my great delight, I was able to follow along with ease and just enjoy the battles and excitement unfolding on the screen.
Also, anyone who knows me is aware that I love it when I’m watching a mainstream film and there are storylines or scenes that might resonate in some way with my faith journey. (For example, here are some thoughts on Wreck it Ralph and Iron Man 3.) These observations aren’t an endorsement of a film as a faith film or a recommendation that you should go. I firmly believe that everyone needs to choose their entertainment based on their own convictions. However, I do feel that we need to meet people where they are when we are sharing our faith or the gospel message and sometimes a movie or a TV show might be a good opening tp start a discussion. I have seen this open doors for youth groups, family members, co-workers and friends.
In this film, one scene in particular hit me powerfully. A character is told that their moment of greatest strength is actually when they are at their weakest. This hit hard for me personally. I tend to be that person who tries to do *all the things* on my own and under my own strength. Proverbs calls for us to lean not on our own understanding and as we all know, Philippians reminds us that we can do all things through Christ. Even that Sunday School song we all know reminds us that when we are weak, He is strong.
There are also several places in the film where we see that our plans don’t always work, but there is a larger plan at play that perhaps we don’t understand. As Christians, we all know that there’s a bigger plan that doesn’t always match our own. There are even parts of that plan that we might not want to deal with, but we know we are called to walk through it anyway. These lessons and reminders play out in this film in a way that touched my heart. At the end of a stressful day, it ended up being a kiss on the forehead that I needed more than I care to admit.
All in all, I didn’t need to know a thing about Dungeons & Dragons in order to enjoy Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but if you have even a passing knowledge or understanding you should definitely enjoy it on the big screen while you can!
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