Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) MOVIE REACTION - First Time Watching

[@a6ruled]

“[I like how] even with magic, there are levels to it” is a pretty solid unintentional D&D joke ;)

[@FrankFreezy_]

😅😅😅😅

[@SilverScribe85]

@@FrankFreezy_ According to hearsay, Themberchaud was (supposedly) inspired by Gary Gygax's cat; who had a habit of jumping on the table and knocking over the game pieces of his campaigns

[@moonbrooke27]

I love just how much of the spirit of Dungeons and Dragons is in this film. For instance: The one "complaint" you had about the film, with the Hither-Thither Staff being too convenient. ...Very true for a film, but is exactly what a Dungeon Master needs to do on the fly when one of the players accidentally destroys a bridge in the middle of gameplay. Such a great film.

[@FrankFreezy_]

I like that detail

[@Xcandescet]

Another nod to quick thinking DMing - The Aaracocra's name "Jarnathon" is exactly the type of name a DM would think up because the players asked him to come up with one on the spot when he hadn't planned it out.

[@hermeticallysealed1]

@@Xcandescet That wonderful moment of brain wanting something unique , while the mouth morphs it to something mundane.

[@Xcandescet]

@ they’re always the NPCs who make recurring appearances though. :-) so much fun!

[@TheJerbol]

@@hermeticallysealed1 lol this so much. D&D exists in the space between epiphany and insanity

[@farrelfoster-lynam6683]

It's a hard line pleasing fans, and being accessible to people that have never touched a role playing game; but they nailed it with this. The writing was witty, inventive, and smart; and the actors were really well cast

[@Foksuh]

It's incredible how really it captures the feeling of a tabletop game. It's got heart, it's got serious moments, it's got plenty of goofy stuff.. the plans keep on failing but they adapt on the move just like players do.. They even got the 'high level' help in Xenk but keeping him around would ruin the story. My expectations for the movie were so low but damn did they nail it.

[@javiersmith8618]

The “Jarnathan” escape is so like a real D&D campaign where the DM is ready to let the players leave the prison but the players have their own plan.

[@carlalussini]

It always makes me ball my eyes out the fact that in the end, he actually did brought back her mother.

[@FrankFreezy_]

yes indeed, she's the one who raised her

[@emilyrln]

Ugh yes that scene makes me cry every time 😭 Edgin finally realizes that the person his daughter needs is the one who raised her, not the one who gave birth to her. As much as he still loves his wife, he lets go of his own desires and does what's best for his child. Amazing dad!

[@iPyroNigma]

I loved Simon, not only is his delivery hilarious, but the character itself makes a lot of sense. As a Sorcerer, Simon is able to perform magic because he IS. Unlike Wizards who must study magic to perform it, Simon's bloodline is magic, he has to feel it within himself. A sorcerer with low self-esteem (which would give a negative charisma modifier) would naturally struggle with magic, so when he says to Edvin that him saying he can attune doesn't make it so; Edvin's response is true-Simon needs to believe in his own magic to attune. That's why when he punches his great-great grandfather, it was essentially just fighting himself. Also, the Intellect Devourers joke was a nod to each character's stats. The group is made of a Sorcerer, a Barbarian, a Druid and a Bard (or Rogue), none of which require intelligence as a stat.

[@kateorgera5907]

It also makes sense Edgin would understand that, since Bards also need charisma to cast magic. Who better than a bard to know about believing in yourself?

[@stunningfreefall]

I also feel like on a mechanical level he might have to pass a Wis save or something to be able to use it, and he keeps failing.

[@emilyrln]

Simon's story is a beautiful metaphor for self-doubt and imposter syndrome, showing that sometimes we're the ones getting in the way of our own success. If we can punch that negativity in the teeth and stop listening to it, we can make progress 😊

[@snorpenbass4196]

The dragon is an actual canon character - he was held captured by Deep Dwarves for a long time to power their forges, and he got so fat from what they fed him that he looks like this now. In reality he came to be during a game session with the then-developers when the dungeon master's cat jumped on the table and knocked down the miniatures. Edit: Also, Mimics are originally from D&D, not FromSoft games.

[@celestinebuendia]

Ahhhh, so glad you watched this movie! It’s so underrated, I want it to get as much attention as it can. It’s probably one of the most fun and genuine action-comedy movies Hollywood’s put out recently, and I wanted so bad for it to be successful and for more movies like it to be made. It has such great franchise potential, and yes I’m biased as a D&D fan but the fun characters, great practical effects, and love for the world of D&D, made me wish for more. I was so sad when it wasn’t doing well in theaters, cause it felt like exactly what movies needed at the time.

[@FrankFreezy_]

I totally agree with you and that is what baffles me, why would a movie this good not to do well. When literally every other thing is bombing at the box office. Maybe the marketing wasn't very good?

[@selorm]

@@FrankFreezy_ I read it was because the companies that own the D&D IP tried to do some greedy stuff around the same time so the major community and most influential people in the community shunned it for months and only really started acknowledging it after it was out of the box office. So higher up executives ruining it as per usual.

[@Iejir_Isk]

Forgot how much you can almost feel the DM and players sitting around the table with drinks and chips.

[@Batz-on-paws]

You can see when the dice rolls fail and I love it

[@emilyrln]

@Batz-on-pawsEdgin trying to undo his bonds for like 10 combat rounds 😂

[@strawberrylotlizard]

For those of you unfamiliar with how a game of tabletop d&d goes, they nailed it with this movie. They use the magic and ability of each class almost exactly right, + every dungeon master has had the moment at the bridge where they fend a week planning a very intricate puzzle and the players fuck it up within seconds. Also the paladin he is obviously a dmpc which is a dungeon master player character which is their way to show how badass they are in this scene

[@yuukinoyuki9064]

When the paladin walked off in a complete straight line I lost it. He really felt like the DM threw him in to help balance out the party and then was like, "cool, now you're on your own."

[@amdo99]

It's one of my comfort movies! It hits so beautifully on a mark that most fantasy films have been missing for the past decade or so

[@besupaaa]

Oh my god Frank, you have no idea how happy it makes me to see people reacting to thus movie. It is SUCH a fun time. ❤ I just keep expecting people ro react to this movie and here you are, one of my favorite youtubers giving me this gift.

[@Godzillasushi]

This movie is so fun and captures the spirit of D&D really well... Shame it flopped and we probably will never get a second one with this, super fun, cast And yeah, I think what really helps this one is that the real heartfelt moments aren't a joke, but a reason for these characters to support each other... As you said, no dumb jokes when it gets real... So nice

[@TheJerbol]

'She found my lack of confidence unattractive' 'Not your best trait' 'Thank youuuuu....' I love everything about this

[@Timmayytoo]

I realize this isn't meaningful to someone without D&D experience, but the writer/directors are Dungeon Masters who run their own D&D campaigns, so this film is very accurate to D&D rules and the world.

[@grawxxor2820]

44:20 - Thayans and Red Wizards are (mostly) used interchangeably in the movie, as the Red Wizards are from Thay

[@FrankFreezy_]

Gotcha

[@sableghost]

@@FrankFreezy_ You can also think of it like the Red Wizards rule the country of Thay and the Thayan people. It's like the red wizards are the Nazis and Thay is like Germany.

[@dyproxus1806]

21:59 Well it’s not entirely his fault. Lack of confidence aside, he’s a sorcerer born with something called Wild Magic. When you play one of those in game, you are completely submitting yourself to RNG because random stuff often happens when using your Magic. You can imagine how tricky that would be to work with, but it’s incredibly fun to play.

[@CaptainFirefred]

34:10 - Bradley Cooper is a Halfling, the race D&D invented because they did not have the rights to use Hobbit. She is Frodo-phile.

[@vorpalkickasso]

He's a mini cooper

[@saravielreicher503]

Hey, just wanted to let you know that the audio cuts out from 1:24:04 - 1:25:23. Im not sure if that's a general thing/ editing error or just my phone but I thought I'd mention it. Loved your reaction! I'm always looking forward to seeing your videos of movies/shows I really enjoyed :)

[@AnxiousTrixie]

Probably copyright music thing

[@FrankFreezy_]

I appreciate you🙏🏾🙏🏾 and yes unfortunately it was copyrights

[@Valandar2]

Hidden pun in the casting: Bradley Cooper played the 3' tall ex-husband of Holga. This means... he was a Mini Cooper.

[@TGSpectre1]

The world of this film is realised so well. They provide a believable structure and that allows the more fantastical elements to remain grounded. This allows you to sprinkle in classic elements like the mimic, displacer beast and gelatenous cube and for it to still work. Do it wrong and you have the previous dnd film. It also gets points for the final fight not being against a horde of disposable critters. Rather than a cgi clusterfudge of chitari-like minions, the heroes battle the environmental puzzle and then finally the big bad.

[@OhThatRobin]

“The lore seems very rich so I guess this is from actual Dungeons and Dragons” Oh you know it! Actually this D&D world in particular (as there are many, this setting is called The Forgotten Realms) predates the game as the creator of the setting, Ed Greenwood, worked on this place since he was a kid writing short stories and he wanted to put his stories somewhere. When D&D was like “we need another setting what have you got” he’s like “behold😎I bring you a *bunch* also let’s add on to it.”

[@MrMcGregor206]

50:35 gus caught a stray 😂

[@johndough3809]

As a long time D&D player I love this movie, and they stayed relatively true to the world, items, and spells. And the scenes where they took liberty with rules (such as druids not being able to shape shift that many times a day) which are already very minor, play out so well. Between this, and baulder’s gate 3, D&D fans were eatin’’ pretty good in 2023.

[@KidVolcano]

Yeah, this movie was way, way better than it needed to be and I think that's probably part of the reason everybody slept on it. If you try to watch the old Dungeons & Dragons movie (2000?) you'll see that characters and writing weren't priority

[@cristianstark9411]

"I like that all their plans fails" every D&D night 😢😅

[@jellywiish1340]

I loved this movie as well! It really brings the whimsical of fantasy while having a lot of heart and grounding elements as you pointed out in the beginning. What I also absolutely adore is that the never turned Edgin and Holga into lovers (as you also pointed out you feared) and instead made it clear that their bond was strong as it was, loving and supporting while staying platonic. It is so rare seeing a friendship between a man and a woman in cinema, especially if they are main character and not in a relationship currently. I’m so happy they really managed to create that feeling of found family! It made it even more heartwarming for me personally.

[@chopps75]

I love Xenk and could watch an entire movie of him just going around doing lawful/good paladin things. Edit: I also love that in the "High Sun Games" arena scene, you can see the party from the 1980's Saturday morning Dungeons and Dragons cartoon... it was lovely little nod to fans.

[@FrankFreezy_]

he would absolutely carry his own movie for sure Love when they leave proper Easter eggs to fans. So good

[@roadtoeboyado]

I don't think Xenk would be lawful - he'd never have helped thieves and fugitives if he was. but yeah, I'd kill for a Xenk movie

[@alexanderthealright]

@@roadtoeboyado Lawful characters aren't necessarily defined by their adherence to and reverence for "the law" as an institution. Lawful good characters would hardly think twice about helping thieves and fugitives if said ne'er-do-wells' cause was just and intentions were pure. They care more about justice and serving the greater good and bringing out the best in people than petty crimes and running afoul of nobles and political figures.

[@yuukinoyuki9064]

​​@@roadtoeboyado Depends on the "law" his lawful character is following. You could play a lawful thief who follows the thief's code to the bitter end. Etc.

[@markorr7095]

@@FrankFreezy_ Xenk was actually A Non Player Character run by the Dungeon Master, and you called it correct. He was just used to help the party, he was to powerful to continue on. In my D&D game I had a Silver Dragon befriend the player's party. It got hard to keep her from solving everything for the Player's Characters so I killed her, but brought her back and she went away.

[@MetastaticMaladies]

This was the first movie that actually captured the essence of D&D and how it kind of feels to play it. It’s a great film, and it does the table top game justice, I hope we get more like this. There’s a lot of bad movies inspired by D&D so I was highly skeptical, but it definitely does it right

[@Budda523]

"Reminds me of movies from way back, like Eragon..." Eragon isn't that old, checking when Eragon came out... Oh god I'm old xD

[@OhThatRobin]

Fun fact: before this movie came out they put out a free adventure that was basically a break-in->steal something->break-out mission set in the prison at the beginning of the movie. The prison is called Revel’s End and it’s a high security prison in the far north in a land called Icewind Dale. I ran the adventure for my sister, my partner and my partner’s sister and it was a really good time, they actually got to meet Jarnathan and also the Dragonborn councilor who’s name escapes me atm but it’s in that adventure xD

[@CaptainFirefred]

Players often use popculture to create their characters, I noticed this one because I am old. "Simon The Sorcerer" was a pretty neat Point and Click adventure on PC in the early 90s, a game like Monkey Island. So this is a fine example.

[@kateorgera5907]

@44:08 all red wizards are theyans, but not all theyans are red wizards, that was my sense

[@WilliamRussell314]

Haha, I'm SO glad you enjoyed this. One of my favourite fun movies of the last decade, so under-rated. Sequel please!

[@CaptainFirefred]

35:53 - I would not call it seriousness, isn't it more sincerity about to people with a past? People can relate to that, makes one feel grown up ;).

[@TabbyQ.9563]

"I'm getting Lord of the Rings vibe" DND was based on Lord of the Rings when invented by Gary Gygax in 1974.

[@ShadowWizard]

39:14 its once per dead, so they cant use it again on the same dead, that's what they meant

[@lorettabes4553]

This movie is so good! And it really feels like Dnd, like with how often certain characters trip out of nowhere (because they failed something) or when the bird transformation fails and she takes damage on the fall, before finally turning.

[@iwillcry]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this movie!! Like you said, it has so much heart and its funny at the same time.

[@felixhenson9926]

'movies like Eragon' it's still too soon to remind me of that disaster 😭

[@FrankFreezy_]

I get that the movie is terrible in hindsight. But you couldn't tell 10-year-old me that movie was an amazing

[@saturnyman]

So glad you reacted to this movie. You are so right that this movie always knows when to play for laughs and when to pull back to allow some heart and drama into the situation. I saw this movie in theatres and went in with tempered expectations. It ended up being one of my favourite movies of that year. Such a pleasant surprise! Thanks as always for your insights!

[@bf5175]

I just noticed that the characters in the cage at 1:12:43 are the characters from the old Dungeons and Dragons Saturday morning cartoon. I don't know how I missed that the first time I watched this.😊

[@mutantanemone]

Omg, what a pleasant surprise! One of my favorite feel-good movies.

[@FrankFreezy_]

It’s great

[@nathanmerzke3590]

Glad to see someone else discover this great movie.

[@OhThatRobin]

14:53 fun little script thing I like in this scene to show just how distant these two years have been for Edgin and Kira is he’s been stuck in an arctic environment and he’s expecting to come back to Kira not that much more south (still technically but in Icewind Dale, a tie-in novel reveals their home to be in Targos, one of the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale) but when he gets out she’s living with Forge in a place *literally called* Neverwinter (partly because of elemental magical shenanigans seem to keep it ‘never winter’) so she won’t even ever need those mittens. Poor Edgin, all that effort doing the wrong thing to help Kira. Helps with that theme and moral of the story in a very subtle way, doesn’t it? xD

[@TheJerbol]

The clear natural progression from this is to Legend of Vox Machina. You will not be disappointed

@@TheJerbol Very much this!

[@Ebbagull]

I love that you loved this movie as much as I did! 😁 This really felt like watching it for the first time again! Wonderful!

[@TheJerbol]

'Fresh cut grass' is a reference to the most recent Critical Role campaign that is LITERALLY finishing in a week and a half

[@AmbassadorKat]

Oh shit is it really? I better catch up I’m like 8 episodes behind lol

[@enriquepx1698]

Omg is C3 really ending now?? I followed it for a while but real life kept me too busy for the last couple years so I fell WAAAAY behind, I might have to do a crazy long marathon when I get some free time back

[@TheJerbol]

Red wizard = Thayan. They're basically like a hell on earth, everyone who isn't an undying lich is a zombie servant. They have human servants too, and you can visit Thay if you really want to. But it's like if Hitler gained the secrets to immortality, death and mind control

[@WondrousChimpus]

First off, slight sound hiccup when it came to the use of the tablet at the end on both the film and your input. It was completely muted. Second, I thought the role of Forge would have been great with Cristoph Waltz. He might have had a lot of fun with that, and would have been a really good bridge between two other pre-established characters from the movies Inglorious Baste*dps and Django Unchained. Loved your reaction, and loved this movie. Spells in d&d are set at levels.

[@erickingsepp]

Great reaction. Unfortunately the sound cut out at 1:24:04. Comes back at 1:25:22.

[@FrankFreezy_]

Thank you🙏🏾 copyrights issues

[@Xenoprism]

this movie was so much better than I expected it to be! I hope they make another

[@FrankFreezy_]

Sameee

[@lilblackies]

40:50 - The real villain of BP 1 wasn't Killmonger, it was that damn haircut bruh!!! 😮‍💨

[@OptifiedPixels]

This move captured dnd perfectly in my opinion. I start my games by telling the players to try and get in the head space of the character they've created so if a scene is moving or scary get in that space, but also don't be afraid to laugh at bad rolls and tactics. dnd and other roll playing games like it are as silly and stupid as they are badass or gut-wrenching. I feel bad for fans of roleplaying games who thought this was too silly because they haven't had the right experience in one of the beautifully created games that so many have.

[@lollywit]

This was one of my faves from 2023, I was so disappointed it didn't get a sequel (yet?). Truly gave the feel of a D&D session. Hilariously spot on with all the classes, *rolls eyes* Paladins... if you know, you know. Loved the depiction of attunement too.

[@angelminaj617]

I would have brought my spouse back to life. Yeah, Holga was a top notch friend and I would miss her, but I would want my spouse back.

[@meyomin]

@@angelminaj617 He didn’t bring Holga back for himself. He brought her back for his daughter. He realised he was never trying to bring back her mom (she had no memory of her biological mother). He was just trying to bring back his wife. When Holga died, he understood that Holga was the only mom his daughter ever knew. Giving up on his plan to resurrect his wife was a sacrifice he made for his daughter.

[@angelminaj617]

​​​​@@meyomin Sweetie, I know that and IDGAF who he brought her back for. I said what I said. My family comes before a friend. His daughter needed her MOTHER. If you don't love your fmly sweetheart, that's on you. BTW, my comments are absolutely not up for debate.

[@enriquepx1698]

@@angelminaj617 The thing is Holga WAS her mother. Your parents aren't always who birth you. They are who raise you. And in this case, as sad as it might be, she was so small when her mother died that she wasn't really raised by her biological mother.

[@TheJerbol]

This movie deserved way more love from theater-goers

[@bigyeticane]

You should also check out Lovecraft Country , an HBO series that ran for 1 season by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams. It's pretty wild.

[@FrankFreezy_]

Love it, sad it got canceled

[@SilverScribe85]

The biggest "complaint" people had towards this movie was that it "emasculated" the male roles, making them behave less manly. But it was clear to me that those people NEVER played D&D before. If they did, they'd remember that Bards were always flip-floppy with their mannerisms; just look at Scanlan Shorthalt from Critical Role

[@lilblackies]

01:24:00 - Wait, why is there a huge chonk of the reaction muted towards the end???

[@gastongaliano4976]

Great reaction! Another tv show which is great in fantasy world is The Wheel of Time, 1st season is kinda slow, but 2nd season is so much better and 3rd season is coming this march

[@fiveswords]

Lost sound for a minute and a half starting at 1:24:04

[@Ebbagull]

Yep! Please fix? I absolutely loved the reaction otherwise! ❤

[@TheJerbol]

The best part is that this is basically what a mid-level D&D adventure looks like.

[@nadiamotyleva]

Frank you were on fire with the jokes in this reaction. lol

[@KellyCarter-xz3nn]

I’m really surprised but happy to see this movie on your channel! It’s nice to have something just light and funny. I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie when it looked like the kind of movie that would flop.

[@Makeupvine]

Wow somehow I still haven’t watched this movie. Well. I’m glad to experience it with you for the first time. As a DND player myself, I am ashamed to be this late lol

[@ariconsul]

1:32:00 - Jeff Goldblum ("the Grandmaster"), and definitely a good alternative to Hugh Grant.

[@FrankFreezy_]

yessss thank you

[@hazeyhails]

this movie was actually so funny

[@FrankFreezy_]

One of the many reasons I love it. Like actual humor too, not just forceful jokes that are not really funny

[@JulietteReacts]

Frank watching Rings of Power: 22:08

[@felixhenson9926]

Your cat 🥰

[@sollnoll9271]

Awesome reaction! I love this movie to bits!

[@KellyCarter-xz3nn]

RETIRE THE HAIRSTYLE That’s a petition I can get onboard with 😂

[@booksgurrsandpurrs]

Oh I love this movie!!!!

[@Lexapro101]

I really dig this movie and I’m glad you watched it. Suggestion: Arcane league of legends. As an artist, I would love to hear your thoughts on the animation. To me, it’s so beautiful and I think you’ll like it ❤

[@wynnyx7071]

This movie was supposed to come out at the same time as Larian's game Baldur's Gate 3. Merleman, Hulga's ex, is a gnome, I think. They are the smallest races in the Realms. The Red Wizards ARE Thayans.

[@alexanderthealright]

Definitely either a gnome or a halfling. My money's on halfling based on the cottagecore lifestyle.

[@TheJerbol]

Oh yeah all of the lore is straight from D&D, in fact pretty much every spell is lore-accurate

[@sailiealquadacil1284]

That thing about the Romans isn''t quite correct. The term is "bread and games" - they realised that people who are well-fed and entertained will not complain, or rebel. Or just leave the city, so the aristocracy can fend for themselves.

[@Victor-qx3vx]

My only regret about this movie is not watching it in theaters.

[@CaptainFirefred]

I love the reaction, so I will keep on commenting, when I find something to share - the Brainy guys react to intelligence, high intelligence and you look juicy. In D&D intelligence is a "dump stat" for many characters. So, they are all too stupid to be recognised by the "Intellect Devourer", that's how they are called.

[@ninjabluefyre3815]

I'm sorry, did you say "Eddy Guerrero" from Tekken?

[@NewAeonWarlord]

it's an amazing movie! Especially considering how bad the older D&D movies were (which have nothing to do with this one in terms of story or characters). I really hope they get to make an equally good sequel but I fear the movie didn't get enough attention for that to happen.

[@TheJerbol]

Just Google the Fresh Cut Grass joke, something to do with pies

[@KellyCarter-xz3nn]

Id just been talking about how media needs to do better at platonic relationships. Men and women can have amazing, complex journeys, and I feel like romanticizing/sexualizing every man-woman connection cheapens and over-simplifies it. And perpetuates this idea that romantic relationships are the peak of human connection.

[@onewsfalsetto9439]

lol i need you to watch vox machina.

[@FrankFreezy_]

I have😌

[@Tsotmiam]

The sad thing is there are black folks in most of those art&design rooms and the still come out with the same few hairstyles for every black character.

[@woi9836]

Flow reaction please

[@besupaaa]

Also about the hair, i think youre absolutely right, and it is the kind of thing that should be questioned. Black hair, from what ive learned, has context, culture, meaning. For a character that is so righteous and strict and a Paladin, I dont think the dreads would fit in the concept of what Xenk feels like? Don't know if I'm making any sense, but yeah they need to put more diversity behind character visuals for fure.

[@TheJerbol]

Yeah man the updo top-dreads is so overplayed nowadays, it's seen as the 'safe' hairstyle for white creators

[@DragonbIaze052]

The company that owns D&D is essentially the absolute worst company in their field both on a creative level and a moral one. Still, the thing I hate most about this movie is that I don't hate it. I hate that companies like Wizards of the Coast or Riot Games keep getting to whitewash their reputation just by releasing a single piece of well-made media.