Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Balancing the expectations of hard-core devotees with the requirements of a more mainstream action saga, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fortuitous roll of the dice.

Burdened by past cinematic failures in adapting the famed tabletop role-playing game, this version uses the characters and mythology as a launchpad for an adventure that captures the spirit of the source material while enabling outsiders to join the fun.

So while it adheres too closely to formula amid a cinematic landscape overrun by superheroes, the film manages to convey a playfully subversive affection for D&D without resorting to cheap mockery. Even if it turns into an effects-driven exercise in spectacle over substance, it finds a happy medium.

The story thrusts us into a medieval fantasy world — think “Game of Thrones,” for starters — of wizardry, conflicted kingdoms, and coexistence among humans and creatures.

Edgin (Chris Pine) is a sarcastic bard with a legacy of petty thievery alongside barbarian sidekick Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), that has landed both of them in prison. Their freedom comes with the intention of reuniting with Edgin’s young daughter (Chloe Coleman), who has been left with former partner Forge (Hugh Grant).

However, Forge has become a power-hungry rogue with no interest in a reunion, so Edgin must focus on other priorities, such as finding a magical tablet that could resurrect his dead wife.

They recruit a fledgling sorcerer (Justice Smith), a shapeshifting druid (Sophia Lillis), and a spell-casting paladin (Rege-Jean Page) to join their perilous scheme to restore peace and order.

The screenplay co-written by the directing tandem of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night) provides a solid mix of laughs and thrills while developing more emotional depth than you might expect.

The first hour bogs down in exposition and world building as the team is assembled. But at least the film doesn’t take itself too seriously while inevitably funneling toward an elaborate high-stakes final showdown.

The appealing ensemble cast extends to heroes and villains alike. Pine tosses off some amusing one-liners while Grant seems to relish embodying scenery-chewing greed.

Dungeons and Dragons might be more fun to play than to watch. However, as it aims to jump-start a big-screen franchise by luring aficionados out of their basements and garages, Honor Among Thieves is at least enough to advance to the next level.

Rated PG-13, 134 minutes.