Run time: 134 mins

Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez are on fire in this hugely entertaining action-fantasy adventure.

Escaping from prison after a couple of years, hapless rogue Edgin and his fearsome sidekick Holga set out to reunite with Edgin’s daughter Kira and their cohorts: inept sorcerer Simon and flamboyant con-artist Forge. But Forge has lied to Kira about Edgin and is now ruling over a kingdom with the evil wizard Sofina. To rescue Kira from Forge, Edgin, Simon and Holga team up with shapeshifter Doric and visit the Underdark with the help of irony-free hero Xenk. However, everyone is underestimating Sofina’s sinister plan.

Filmmakers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have made an extra effort to create fantastically vivid settings and there’s a terrific blend of outright silliness, raucous action mayhem and warm-hearted interaction as the story leaps from one colourful location to the next. By never taking anything too seriously, they bring us in on the joke while channelling the spirit of the classic The Princess Bride.

It seems like ages since a big studio blockbuster was as much fun as this. Relentlessly silly, sometimes flat-out absurd, D&D has a warmly beating heart that’ll steal your affection.