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Warcraft review

Warcraft: The Beginning is the highly anticipated film adaptation of Blizzard Entertainment’s global phenomenon World of Warcraft. The initial reviewers weren’t favourable but I feel these were overly critical of the film. It certainly has a few problems, but ultimately, Warcraft: The Beginning is a great summer blockbuster with plenty of positives to engage its audience with.

The realm of Azeroth finds itself standing on the brink of war as its civilization faces a battle-hungry race of invaders. These Orc warriors are fleeing from their dying planet to colonize another. A portal is conjured up by one of the Orc elders to connect the two worlds, and he uses this to send in an initial fleet of their best and most savage fighters.

Warcraft
Credit: Universal Pictures/Blizzard Entertainment

The king of Azeroth (Dominic Cooper) and his most trusted soldier (and brother-in-law) Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel) lead the fight against the Orcs. From opposing sides, two heroes are set to collide and this is where Warcraft really succeeds. It gives you the conflict from both sides of the coin; focusing on two soldiers and their plights to save their families, their people and their homes.

The cast are all very watchable with Vikings star Travis Fimmel leading the line well. Paula Patton gives the film a strong female presence and does well as Garona. Her story is integral to the future of this franchise and her performance shoulders that responsibility very well. Ben Foster clearly has fun as the mysterious mage Medivh, while the always reliable Dominic Cooper does well as Llane Wrynn. Toby Kebbell, Rob Kazinsky and Daniel Wu’s motion capture work in Warcraft is also very impressive but it’s Ben Schnetzer that steals the film as the young Khadgar.

Warcraft
Credit: Universal Pictures/Blizzard Entertainment

Director Duncan Jones scored two great sci-fi hits with his first two films; Moon and Source Code. This leap onto a much bigger canvas surprised quite a few and his willingness to undertake such a massive project should be commended. It’s a tricky proposition bringing heart and soul to any effects-heavy movie and for the most part, Jones does very well in visualising this epic. He makes you fully immersed into the action and there are some breathtaking stunts on-show.

Duncan Jones and Charles Leavitt’s screenplay (based on Chris Metzen’s story and characters) is one that has plenty of highs and a few lows. The narrative is fine and the characterisation is worthy of your attention and engages the viewer, even though a lot of it feels familiar from the likes of Avatar and Lord of the Rings. There is one character who (when introduced) instantly makes you question his motives, but apart from that, there are some nice surprises to be found, especially when it comes to the fate of certain characters.

Warcraft
Credit: Universal Pictures/Blizzard Entertainment

This Warcraft story is a very big narrative to contain into just one movie and at times the enormity of the project overwhelms the flow of the film. This was clearly made with sequels firmly in-mind and if the poor initial reception translates to poor box-office I feel the full potential of this franchise won’t have been achieved on the big screen, which would be a shame.

Warcraft: The Beginning looks great and if you are happy to get swept away by this fantastical tale then there’s a lot to enjoy here. Speaking as a reviewer who has no history with the game, I found the film to be very enjoyable, with lots of great spectacle and decent characters. At times this does feel like you’re watching one giant cut-scene to a game but there’s undeniable heart and soul in this story. I’m sure die-hard Warcraft fans will love it and if the box-office allows them a second outing, I feel the sequel could be even better.

Check out our interview with Travis Fimmel and Paula Patton from Warcraft: The Beginning.

[brid video=”39448″ player=”531″ title=”Warcraft The Beginning International Trailer (Universal Pictures)”]

 

Cast: Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu, Ruth Negga, Anna Galvin, Callum Keith Rennie Director: Duncan Jones Writer: Duncan Jones, Charles Leavitt (screenplay), Chris Metzen (story and characters) Released By: Universal Certificate: 12A Duration: 123 mins Release Date: 30th May 2016

Jason Palmer
Jason Palmerhttps://8ce250469d.nxcli.io
Jason is a film contributor for Entertainment Focus (EF) bringing you the latest news and reviews from the movie world.

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