Warning: This post contains mild spoilers, read at your own peril.

One of the perks of living in the Greater Atlanta area is that we are slowly becoming the Hollywood of the South, but an even bigger one is that there are always free movie screenings going on. Many times you do not even need to be a note-worthy individual or member of the press to attend. I got an e-mail sometime last week letting me know that I could have two passes to attend the premiere at a theater in Chamblee, GA, and quickly accepted.

I have never played Dungeons & Dragons myself as my parents did not understand it and assumed like many conservative Christians that it was some weird devil worship thing and refused to allow it in their house. In reality, it’s a game that is very dependent on your imagination and some pretty amazing lore has been developed from D&D over the years. As a lover of stories, I have read fanfiction and even gotten into the show “Vox Machina” on Amazon Prime Video (based on the campaigns of Critical Role on YouTube). So between that, and knowing a friend who is heavily into D&D, it seemed like a no-brainer to go.

I would say that if you are even remotely into fantasy, comedy, and discovering the character traits of specific classes like barbarians and mages… you just might enjoy this film as much as I did. I was not sure of what to expect going in, I generally hope for the best and prepare for the worst by default. As such, I went in with a clear mind despite someone close to me saying that they were refusing to watch it because they feel Hollywood is pushing an “agenda” right now. When I asked for clarification, they said that the writer of the film had stated they did not want the men to be strong and had therefore emasculated them. *Insert hard eyeroll*

I won’t get too deep into how I feel about men getting in their feelings because others are getting representation after decades of seeing unrelatable people on screen. However, I will admit that some of these changes in Hollywood are great and much needed from my point of view. Women can be heroes, and they can be stronger than men, none of those things are exclusive to one gender. In turn, men are weak sometimes… they are allowed to be! Whether it’s physical or emotional weakness men should know that it is okay not to be the perfect image of masculinity that our culture has expected of them for centuries. It is okay to not handle everything on your own guys, in fact, some women find it attractive when a man has no qualms about expressing emotion or asking for help.

If you don’t want to see the movie that is perfectly fine, but please don’t let it be for a sexist reason. Let it be because it looks corny or because it’s been done before and you don’t expect it to be any better this go around. Without divulging too much information, I will say that while the movie contains some very strong ladies the men are far from weak. They discover their self-worth before the credits roll and gain more courage in the strengths they have to benefit the team and I love it.

Don’t get me started on the Paladin, I’m pretty sure his character got the most laughs out of me. Regé-Jean Page definitely had a blast playing this role and it shows. He embodies a character with minimal personality stats but plenty of fighting power… he’s literally medieval Superman, but with the brain of Ezra Miller’s Flash. Okay, maybe not that bad as he does seem to be fairly well educated, he merely has questionable delivery. He is just as easy on the eyes here as he was in “Bridgerton”, unfortunately, though (or fortunately depending on how you feel) we do not get any shots of his fit bottom in this film. What a bummer right? *ba-dum tiss*

All in all, I enjoyed the movie far more than I anticipated. It gave me some much-needed laughs after a long week. I honestly may see it again while it’s still in theaters because I’ve got more friends that are interested in watching it. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is highly recommended by this geek!