Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), incarcerated in a prison in the icy wastes of the Forgotten Realms, have a parole hearing. Edgin spins a tale of how the pair arrived and why they should be released. However, before a decision is made, he and Holga make good their escape. The fugitives make their way to the city of Neverwinter to reconnect with Forge (Hugh Grant) and Kira, Edgin's teenaged daughter. Not only does it turn out that Forge arranged their capture in the failed heist, he has also turned Kira against her father. Edgin and Holga narrowly escape Neverwinter and must now plot how to turn the tables on Forge. This involves a series of overcomplex plans and a variety of new allies and wondrous magic items. Firstly, there is Simon (Justice Smith) the self-doubting sorcerer who, though immensely powerful, repeatedly fumbles his magic in embarrassing ways. Then there is Doric the tiefling druid (Sophia Lillis), who has joined the cause of the elves against those who seek to chop down their forests. Xenk Yendar (Rege-Jean Page) is a paladin who briefly joins the heroes on a quest through the underdark where they battle the undead, countless traps, and the most rotund dragon one can imagine.
Entertaining in its parts, it is too ambitious in its story. Rather than establishing a setting and introducing a few characters, the movie never misses an opportunity to always expand the scope. Oh, look at the pair of rust monsters fighting over a piece of metal. Look at the intellect devourers. Hey, there are some cat people. Let's not forget to include some half-dragons. Wouldn't it be funny if the barbarian woman had a halfling boyfriend? Let's do that and make him hilariously small. The 'hero' of the story, Edgin, is mostly hapless. Though often in the center of the action, he is never the one who saves the day or defeats the villain. Simon's spells, Doric's wildshape, or Holga's axe does all the work, while Edgin blathers.
The character classes are not what one expects. Clearly, Edgin is meant to be a bard. He was a member of the Harpers' Guild and carries a lute. However, he has no magic. The closest he gets to the typical bard role is when he declares his confidence that Simon can do what needs to be done. Yeah, look at that morale boosting! Doric is a druid who has only wildshape, but no spells. Her wildshape is that of a very high level druid, but she never tries an entangle spell or summon nature's ally. It's all wildshape or her ludicrous wrist-mounted slingshot. Holga has the look of a barbarian, but she never loses her temper to trigger a berserk rage.
It's a lot of fun and generally a good movie. There was a lot of room for improvement, but it is still recommended. Good popcorn fun!
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