Warcraft

Starring: Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu, Ruth Negga, Anna Galvin, Glenn Close (uncredited)
Directed by: Duncan Jones
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Acton, Adventure, Fantasy
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An Orc horde invades the planet Azeroth through a magic portal.

Review:

Tim: Generally, Warcraft looked like a pretty bad movie. I never played the game, so I didn't know anything about the story. That being said, I went into it with an open mind because it was directed by Duncan Jones. Jones hasn't managed to put a great movie together yet, but his first two films showed immense potential. So, I went into this film skeptical but trying to keep an open mind. Unfortunately, the first impression proved true- while Warcraft isn't a disaster, it's hard to feel good about it. I don't think anyone would claim this is a success and it's clearly the worst movie Jones has made yet. It's decent, but a letdown.

A big part of the issue is that this movie spends so much time world-building. We have so much to be introduced to, and if you're not familiar with the video game, it can be overwhelming. It's hard to keep everything straight- there's a dozen characters, different worlds, different groups. This movie tries to do too much and it comes across as overwhelming. It's a little hard to keep everything straight. Sure, we understand the humans vs. the orcs, but there's all these different factions with their own agendas. It's a lot to take in during a two hour movie. I wish the movie told a more focused story and kept some of these elements for sequels (which now, may not happen).

The other issue is that none of the characters are all that interesting. I couldn't name a single character in this film. None are especially memorable. There's too many characters, so we don't get to spend enough time with any one to identify with them at a deep level. There's a few moments where characters touch on past pains or hopes for the future where we start to see their humanity (even if they aren't human). Unfortunately, these are too few and too fleeting to make much of an impact. Paula Patton was recognizable in the role and did a fairly decent job. Ben Foster seemed to be slumming it here and never felt comfortable in the role. Dominic Cooper is so good at adapting to his surroundings, so I actually believed him in the role. The rest of the cast are unknowns and very few make any kind of impact.

The visuals are impressive, but only marginally add to the film. There's moments where the visual effects make you sit up and take notice, but other than looking pretty, the movie doesn't have the emotional backing to support what we see on screen.

This movie spends so much time establishing the mythology here, obviously to set the stage for future movies and turn this into a franchise. Unfortunately, once again, the studio puts the cart before the horse. This movie made $47 million domestically, against a $160 million budget. Yes, the movie did significantly better overseas, but you can't claim this is a success by any stretch. I doubt if there will be a sequel. So, all that world-building was for naught. And to make matters worse, the world that is established here didn't seem all that inspiring. I have little incentive to want to return to this world. That's a shame, as the movie sacrificed its quality for something that didn't work and was pointless anyway.

Warcraft isn't a terrible movie- it's a decent attempt from a talented director in Duncan Jones. Unfortunately, though, this is not a good movie. It's an expensive blunder.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Assassin's Creed, Dragonheart