The first trailer for the Dungeons & Dragons movie, subtitled “Honor Among Thieves”, dropped, and I have thoughts.

Firstly, I am tempering my excitement and have taken the stance of cautious optimism. All of us nerds were more or less burned by the last cinematic iteration of the brand. I don’t think any of us were particularly taken off guard that it was trash though.

Like so many videogame adaptations to the big or small screen, you couldn’t help coming away feeling like your beloved IP was strip-mined and abused. Somehow, many studios adapting these IPs have not learned from the MCU and DCEU that if you are for the most part loyal to the characters and the IP, the fans will come out in droves to enthusiastically support you. As Fry would put it, “Take my money.”

That said, I can see genuine elements in this trailer that show respect, if not all out love, for the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The black dragon spit acid. The Mimic looked spot-on. I liked the druid’s Wild Shape into the Owl Bear (and, yes, I know a druid can’t technically turn into one…but who among us hasn’t house-ruled shit for the sake of fun and deeper player engagement? C’mon. Fuck the dice. Embrace the fun.).

And tell me you haven’t attempted the Regé-Jean Page’s paladin’s leap-sword-first-for-the-monster move? Doing crazy/impossible/dumb shit is what makes playing D&D fun. So, to see it played out in the trailer was fun for me.

Am I bothered by Chris Pine’s bard doing the silly lute playing bit? No. Why? He’s in character and having fun in a fantasy world. If a bard isn’t acting a bit off-kilter, what are we doing here? It also helps that a foundational element of my gaming group’s story is a band of traveling musicians called the Trunk Monkeys who did off-the-rails, throw-out-the-rulebooks shows in every town they encountered throughout the campaign.

I know some people aren’t fond of Pine (insert your favorite “The Chrises” meme her for your own lolz) but the dude has undeniable charisma. And I can’t say I have ever actively hated him in anything. I think he will bring genuine charm to the movie

Frankly, I think the least inspired casting is Michelle Rodriguez as the barbarian. No disrespect to Rodriguez. She’s been fantastic in a lot of roles as the hard-ass, but that’s kinda my point. I’ve seen her play this role a dozen or more times. I’d love to see her play against type and give a fresh face an opportunity in the role.

Let’s talk tone. D&D is supposed to be fun and silly and it’s most fun when it’s loosely adjudicated. If you are looking for a darker take on a fantasy world, that’s what Game of Thrones is for, I guess. As long as the movie is respectful of the brand, and the intelligence of the people who deeply adore it and vigorously protect it, I’ll be happy.

So, yeah, I am cautiously optimistic. And I’ll be there with my gaming buddies, a big bucket of popcorn in my lap sans the butter grease, on opening weekend.

What about you? Would love to hear your thoughts on the trailer too and what your hopes are for the movie.

WATCH THE TRAILER: https://youtu.be/IiMinixSXII