Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves follows Edgin (Chris Pine) and his fearsome companion, Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), as they set out to rob a former compatriot named Forge (Hugh Grant) after discovering that he’d betrayed them 2 years prior. In doing so, Edgin and Holga hope to win back the trust and affection of the former’s daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), who Grant’s Forge has slowly but surely turned against her father with his lies. To pull their plan off, though, Edgin and Holga must team up with Simon (Justice Smith), an insecure sorcerer; Doric (Sophia Lillis), a shape-shifting druid rebel; and Xenk Yendar (Regé-Jean Page), a compassionate and immortal paladin.
While the group faces more than their fair share of obstacles over the course of their journey, they eventually make it back to Forge’s castle and into the very vault where his riches are stored. Unfortunately for them, it turns out that Forge was anticipating their infiltration all along. After capturing the group, he allows his necromancy-obsessed, red wizard companion, Sofina (Daisy Head), to send them into the same arena games they were hoping to sabotage. The group, thankfully, manage to make it out of the games alive.
What is Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves about?
They subsequently ambush Forge at a nearby harbor and proceed to sail away in his ship with not only all of his treasure but also Kira. Onboard the ship, Edgin tells Kira about his plan to use a “Tablet of Reawakening” to bring back her deceased mother (and his former wife), Zia (Georgia Landers). Before they get the chance to live happily ever after, though, Edgin and co. discover Sofina’s plan to unleash a cloud of magic that turns all who are exposed to it into mindless, undying zombies. If she succeeds in doing so, Sofina will greatly further the work of her necromantic mentor and leader, Szass Tam.
Rather than continuing to sail away to safety, Edgin, Simon, Doric, Kira, and Holga all turn back around. Using Simon’s magical staff, the heroes manage to draw most of the in-danger civilians away from Sofina’s necromantic magic by using one of Forge’s egotistical balloons to redistribute all of his gold and riches. Sofina, in response, begins a battle with Edgin and his companions that very nearly doesn’t go their way. The group manages to claim victory from the jaws of defeat, however, by outsmarting Sofina.
When Sofina casts the same Time Stop spell that landed Edgin and Holga in prison in the first place, Honor Among Thieves’ heroes all freeze in place. Sofina, believing she has caught them all in an inescapable trap, briefly monologues about how all of Edgin and co.’s efforts have been for naught. Edgin’s masquerade crumbles, though, when he breaks into a fit of laughter — prompting all of his allies to also lose their composure. Sofina, it turns out, didn’t realize that Simon countered her Time Stop spell, nor does she realize until it’s too late that Kira, using her invisibility necklace, has secretly snuck up on her and put a magic-dampening bracelet on her wrist.
Doric celebrates her and her friends’ victory by turning back into an owlbear and beating Sofina to a pulp. The heroes’ celebration is cut briefly short, however, when they realize that Holga was impaled by one of Sofina’s daggers. After watching Holga die in his and Kira’s arms, Edgin makes the decision — with Kira’s blessing — to use the one-time resurrection gifted to him by his Tablet of Reawakening to bring Holga back to life. Hours later, Honor Among Thieves catches back up with Forge as he is caught in a nearby forest by Page’s Xenk, who sends him to the same prison Holga and Edgin spent 2 years in. The film’s final scene sees Forge try to escape the same way Holga and Edgin did, but to no avail.
How does Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves end?
Honor Among Thieves ends, like so many Dungeons & Dragons campaigns that have come before it, with all of its villains beaten and its heroes brought just a little closer together. By having Kira be the one to sneak up on Sofina, the film also reinforces one of the most important aspects of all tabletop roleplaying campaigns: A team is only as strong as its belief in every one of its members.
Earlier in the film, Edgin chose not to include Kira in one of his heists, and it ended horribly for both him and Holga. At the end of Honor Among Thieves, he doesn’t make the same mistake and everyone is better off because of it (except, maybe, Sofina). Edgin’s decision to resurrect Holga rather than his late wife also speaks even more to the found family bonds that typically form in D&D campaigns, which is an aspect of the TTRPG experience that Honor Among Thieves nails.
Of course, in true D&D fashion, Honor Among Thieves doesn’t end without leaving the door open for future adventures. In their final, largely happy scene together, the film’s heroes all acknowledge that Sofina’s master, Szass Tam, won’t take the news of her defeat well. Additionally, while he only appears on-screen two times, the film makes it clear that Tam is far more dangerous than Sofina or any of his followers. Therefore, should a sequel to Honor Among Thieves ever be made, it seems safe to say that it will likely pit the franchise’s central group of heroes against none other than Szass Tam himself.
Fortunately for them, if there’s one thing Honor Among Thieves proves, it’s that Edgin, Simon, Holga, Doric, and Kira are capable of defeating even the most powerful of enemies, but only if they stick together.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is now playing in theaters.
