In the before-times, I went to the movie theater like… twice a year. Once was usually for a big tent-pole popcorn flick—a Marvel movie or something of that caliber—and then maybe again for something niche like a special Fathom Event. Less than halfway through 2023, I’ve already made twice that number of trips to my local Regal.
Perhaps it’s just the simple joy of being able to go out after years of covid restrictions, or maybe it’s the fact that a lot of great features have been released in recent months. I tend to think it’s a bit of both. Something I’m sure of, though, is that my favorite movie-watching experience so far has been Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
I’ve already reviewed a pair of prequel novels, which perfectly captured the same spirit of fun and adventure as the film, but a third (and far different) book arrived in my mailbox just a few weeks back.
The Art and Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is one of those rare coffee table-style books that you actually want to read. Across its 200+ pages, you’ll encounter production sketches, prop and set breakdowns, behind-the-scenes photographs, and lots and lots of exposition concerning how directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who penned the book’s forward) managed to capture the breezy freedom and madcap problem-solving of a real D&D campaign in this big-budget comedy-action flick.
Author Eleni Roussos isn’t afraid to get into the weeds concerning Honor Among Thieves—a skillset she’s previously honed by penning a number of Marvel Studios art books—nor is she averse to geeking the hell out with the rest of us on some making-of minutiae.
This is particularly apparent in the love and detail she pores into the book’s sizable “Magic of Filmmaking” chapter and, more specifically, the gang’s big portal heist. Do you want to know about portal physics in the Forgotten Realms complete with detailed diagrams and animatics? Oh, dear friend, have I got news for you!
Exhaustive but never exhausting, The Art and Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves takes fans of the film from building the adventuring party—both with regards to casting and character conceptualization—to the true tales behind the movie’s monsters, settings, and set pieces, and even into those Easter eggs that so delighted us D&D old-timers. (Yes, the pseudo-cameo from the cast of the ’80s Dungeons & Dragons animated series gets a brief but appropriate shout-out.)
If you’re at all interested in the craft of creating a film, the respective roles of practical versus digital effects, and the logistics of setting up such a massive, world-spanning story, this book is for you.
Of course, if you’re keener on simply learning about how Edgin and Holga, Simon and Doric, and even accidental hero and hilarious plot device Chancellor Jarnathan came into being, this book is for you too!
Like any good piece of D&D-adjacent prose, there are plot twists and illustrations and maps (though, weirdly, not a stat block to be found), but, just as you don’t have to be a tabletop role-player to appreciate the film, you won’t be expected to struggle through the fantasy equivalent of “inside baseball” to get a lot out of this gorgeous making-of art book.
In fact, my only caution concerning the book is that, obviously, you should see the movie first. By the very nature of the project, The Art and Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves does get rather spoiler-y rather fast. That said, as someone who would wholeheartedly recommend you see the film anyway, this is an easily surmountable obstacle—no Dexterity check required.
So, gather your gold, roll Initiative, and head to your favorite brick-and-mortar or online bookseller to relive this cinematic Dungeons & Dragons adventure all over again with this most sacred and powerful of tomes.
Review materials provided by Penguin Random House. This post contains affiliate links. I too am a Halfling hopelessly in love with Michelle Rodriguez.
