What’s it rated? PG-13
When? 2023
Where’s it showing? Redbox and Paramount Plus
I didn’t bother with this when it came to the theater because it looked dumb and the Dungeons & Dragons game seems like it’s for nerdy LARPer types, but I kept hearing how fun it was, so I used my $1.25-off promo code for Redbox and rented it for a whopping $1.09. I wish I could report the buzz was warranted, but meh?
Sure, Chris Pine as head thief Edgin was his charismatic self, and Michelle Rodriguez as the tough-as-nails Holga was fun to watch beat the bad guys, but this is standard-issue fantasy nonsense devoid of the whimsy of, say, a film like Willow (1988) or the dark spectacle of Labyrinth (1986). There were a few laughs, but I just didn’t connect to it. I guess I’m the outlier, because its Rotten Tomatoes score is 90 percent critics and 93 percent audience.
Visually it’s arresting, and maybe for Dungeons & Dragons players there were enough insider knowledge winks/Easter eggs to make it special, but to me, it was trying to be campy but simply wasn’t campy enough to be a spoof. Let’s put it this way: I’m glad I only spent $1.09 and a little more than two hours on it. (134 min.) Δ
This article appears in Winning Images 2023.