My friend wanted to watch it, and it was a good call. We get the backstory for how Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez' characters ended up in an arctic prison, disguised as Pine stalling for time until their escape plan can begin. It also neatly establishes the broad strokes of their two characters: Rodriguez doesn't talk much, but punches a lot (and likes potatoes), and Pine is a professional bullshitter.
Then it shifts into what looks as though it'll be a revenge heist movie, with Hugh Grant using that doofy charm thing of his to play a character the audience is supposed to want to see punched in the face. A heist requires a team, so they have to get a team and then their plan requires certain items, so they have to retrieve those items. The entire time it's obvious to the audience that there's more going on, and it's a question of whether our heroes will figure it out and act or just walk blindly into a big mess.
It's a funnier movie than I expected. The dragon, the difficulties the party has raising and questioning the dead, the bard distracting the guard. But the movie knows when genuine emotion is needed and to keep the humor at bay for a minute. Rodriguez stops off to see her ex-husband, and there's a bit of a gag that this buff warrior lady married a hobbit, but the film also lets us see how awkward and uncomfortable the whole thing is for her, especially seeing that he's moved on in her absence.
I appreciated the fact that while Rodriguez and Pine both care for his daughter, there's absolutely nothing romantic between him. She outright declares his lips too big for his face, and Pine never shows the slightest interest in romance beyond trying to resurrect his murdered wife. They play off each other well. Rodriguez' character is fairly stoic, so she grounds Pine's fast talk, and she's very good at looking exasperated, which felt essential here.
She contrasts nicely with Sophia Lillis' changeling character, or Justice Smith's sorcerer, especially in how each relates to Pine, who is the one ultimately driving all this. Smith tends to doubt Pine's plans, but ultimately is overwhelmed and goes along with them (and probably likes having someone who believes in him). Lillis is the one who pokes at Pine's bullshit and is the most skeptical, while Rodriguez just rolls with it because she trusts he'll get them through.
The one romantic subplot, which isn't highlighted much is between Smith and Lillis, where she broke things off some time previously. But she did so because he lacked self-confidence, and over the course of the movie, we see Smith gain some confidence. So at the end, when he asks if she's willing to give it another chance, it doesn't come off as him prodding at her in different ways like a puzzle box to unlock. More that he had a character issue that frustrated her (and him), and he's at least partially addressed it..
The CGI is fine, at least I didn't have any issues with it. The fights are entertaining, the problem-solving is fairly clever given the limitations of the characters' abilities. It doesn't drag too much for being just over two hours long, the supporting characters don't overstay their welcome and the focus remains tight on the party. It's a well-done, enjoyable movie to watch.
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