Movie Review 034 Warcraft [June 10 2016]

Warcraft [061016] 3.5/5

- 27%/ 82%, 7.6/10, 32, 8.6, wiki, official -

The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.

(Director Duncan Jones [Moon, Source Code], Budget $160 Millions = Box Office $311.7>> Millions, Duration 2hrs 3mns, Rating PG-13, Genre - Action, Adventure, Fantasy and Magic, Warcraft Universe)

"A flawed adaptation of the iconic computer game franchise with a mesmerising if somewhat confusing entry into the magical world of Warcraft with the standout orcs carrying the story in a world full of underdeveloped human characters." 

~ An adequate adaptation of an immensely popular computer game franchise whom intricately rich lore and characters were converted with mix results as the recreation of in-game characters, places and items are at the highest quality (especially the realistic green behemoths) which would definitely pleased the fans of the Warcraft series (including the occasional easter eggs) although the storyline were not laid out clearly enough (without much world-building and clearly explanation of the jargon) that the lack of hand holding of the general audiences (especially if they are just being introduced to the world) would left most of them hanging if they can't go along for the ride 

~ The insurmountable task to bring the fantastical orcs to life was achieved wonderfully by the director by applying the current mo-cap technology (of the two most recent Planet of the Apes movies fame) with the help of the solid actors behind them that brought their humane performances to life across the almost lifelike creatures (as far as the concept goes) while the tactile action sequences were really engaging even between the human army and their larger than life enemies  

~ Compared to the fully realised tribes of orcs with their own identity and tradition that kept them in line as well as apart in several occasions in the movie, the human counterpart felt underdeveloped as their personality and characteristics didn't go further than the generic outline of the character types in the fantasy genre as the casting and their applications could have been better (i.e. the young apprentice and the jarring half-orc)

+ Highlights: the fantastical world of Warcraft, the brutal and crushing combat sequences, the charismatic orc leader, Lothar & the twist and turns of the through line of the story
- Lowlights: the underdeveloped world and human characters & the lack of hand-holding for the audiences