Warcraft is a mostly-live action film, based on the popular computer game World of Warcraft, from Blizzard Entertainment. You are not required to know about anything about the game, but it probably helps. It is a fantasy film where various races fight each other to survive. This movie is released as a 3D film, but I opted for the traditional 2D format.
The homeworld of the Orcs, Dreanor, is done. It’s resources are rapidly disappearing. An Orc Magician, Gul’Dan (voiced by Daniel Wu), has found a way to transport the Orcs to a new world to survive. That place is the world of Azeroth, where Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and others life, in relative harmony. They are protected by the Guardian, Medivh (Ben Foster), a very powerful magician who watches over all.
The Orcs can’t all come, at once. The portal is powered by the life forces of people the Orcs capture. Gul’Dan comes to Azeroth with the goal of capturing enough people that he can bring the rest of the Orcs (aka The Horde) across. They end up raiding small villages, and starting small. Naturally, this does not sit well with King Wrynn (Dominic Cooper), as its his land they are attacking. They must be stopped.
The story itself isn’t bad, but it has to keep our interest. There’s a lot of bouncing around between the various Humans and Orcs, and it all builds to the Big Battle at the end. It does the job, and perhaps it has more meaning to the people that play the game. Others, such as myself, find it passable.
When the film opened, I found myself wondering if it would be a completely animated, as it starts with the Orcs. However, it isn’t. I was all set to review the film along the lines of the Uncanny Valley, but it was not necessary. Humans are “real”, and the Orcs and other fantasy creatures are animated, perhaps overlaid on top of humans and such performing those roles. The skill of the animators is good, and the animated action blends well with the realities of the scenes. The settings are fantastical, and most likely the movie was shot, almost entirely, against green screens, as there are incredible sights and sounds.
There is action, passion, rage, and all the sorts of things you’d expect from a fantasy film, but, sadly, it wasn’t enough. The plot is very linear, and the main characters are there to follow that story. There weren’t many surprises as the story developed, but there were a few bits and pieces that made the film reasonable.
The movie ends without a post-credits sequence, but they leave the story open-ended via an epilogue, so they can make sequels if necessary, or if they’re driven to make more money. I expect that there will be more Warcraft movies in the future.
This is a PG-13 film, and it runs 123 minutes. There are brutal combat sequences, but nothing too gory or graphic. They even cut away at the final moments of some, perhaps to retain the rating. There are some “minor” incidents of violence against animals during combat, but they are brief and not dwelt upon.
If you enjoy World of Warcraft as a game, you will likely enjoy the movie. I can’t whole-heartedly recommend the film, but I don’t hate it.