Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves might be 2023's blockbuster dark horse, with the movie already receiving positive reviews. This was unexpected among even the franchise's very loyal fanbase, and it could finally break its curse when it comes to movie adaptations. Likewise, the movie's monetary success might even save a somewhat forgotten film genre.
Fantasy, in general, has definitely left the big screen in Hollywood for the past several years, and there are several factors behind it. Likewise, even if Honor Among Thieves succeeds, said success might send multiple competing messages to film studios. Here's how the RPG adaptation's future could be paramount for fantasy movies as a whole.
The Hollywood Fantasy Movie Has Magically Disappeared in the Past Few Years
Epic fantasy as a genre has been a part of the Hollywood machine for decades, and this can be seen in such classics as Jason and the Argonauts. The genre would reach a modern fever pitch in the early 2000s thanks to the success of the Lord of the Rings movies. Similarly, young adult fantasy fiction would see a similar rise due to the popularity of the Harry Potter film series, leading to several books of its kind being turned into movies as well. For a while, it seemed as if moviegoers couldn't escape magic, wizardry and all manner of mythological monsters. Sadly, that began to change at the beginning of the 2010s.
The Lord of the Rings had completed its trilogy, with Harry Potter soon to follow. Conversely, the young adult novels of the ensuing era were increasingly of the dystopian science fiction or even horror variety, with Harry Potter's wizards soon replaced by Twilight vampires and the young cast members of The Hunger Games and even The Maze Runner. Soon, even these would be phased out in favor of more realistic, drama-based YA fare. When fantasy finally saw a resurgence, it was mainly on the small screen instead. Pushing this returning trend was the success of Game of Thrones, which had a dark story that many times went out of the way to avoid fantasy elements. Thus, epic fantasy remained removed from the blockbuster scene that it once dominated, with the Dungeons & Dragons movie potentially changing that.
Dungeons & Dragons Can Make or Break the Epic Fantasy Movie Genre
Some have been concerned about whether Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves would become a hit. It seems that, at least critically, their fears can be assuaged, as the movie is currently scoring some surprisingly positive marks. This could turn into a watershed moment for epic fantasy, which hasn't really had a major win in cinema for years. It helps that the Dungeons & Dragons property as a whole is incredibly popular and maintains a loyal fanbase. Unfortunately, there is one major element that could keep even the movie's success from being as influential as possible.
Many have noted the humor in the trailers for Honor Among Thieves, which makes it feel far less like a grand epic adventure and more like the typical action-comedy from Marvel Studios. This type of comic relief is increasingly growing stale, with superhero movies, in particular, being criticized for it. Even if the Dungeons & Dragons movie utilizes it to a balanced degree, it might be interpreted by the studio as meaning something else entirely. Some might read it as epic fantasy only working when it embraces cheeky Marvel quips, keeping more serious fare solely on the small screen. Likewise, if the movie fails to gain an audience, the material and subject could be seen as the reason why, as opposed to the contentious and seemingly common humor.
This puts a lot of weight on the shoulders of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, as it will have to become much more than just a fun pre-summer blockbuster. It carries with it the potential fate of big-budget epic fantasy films for the next few years, releasing in a climate when fairly low-budget horror and gritty hard R action films are the main thing drawing moviegoers to the theaters. Given that so much of the lore and mythology was arguably inspired by The Lord of the Rings, it's ironic that Honor Among Thieves could now serve in a similar capacity as that series when it comes to the big screen. It thus needs to go a similar route and treat the magical material with respect, focusing on the epic fantasy without drowning in self-effacing humor. Such a treatment was what made previous fantasy movies so successful, and the magic could be replicated with DnD.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is in theaters now.