The Plot

The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invading orc warriors.

The Good

Director Duncan Jones’ third feature film is his most daring yet. The video game adaptation has never really been done quite right, and while Warcraft has some issues, it’s still a beauty to behold. Jones and co-writer Charles Leavitt’s script does a solid job of introducing newcomers to the rich world, with both sides of the opposing forces of this fantastical war getting just about equal time to be explored.

And then there’s the effects. With Robert Kazinsky as the main orc whom we follow throughout the story, we never get to see his handsome face but instead are treated with an impressive display of visual effects which look and feel as realistic as they can be.

The Bad

While the story is simple enough in the end, at times it can trail off into territories that, if you don’t pay full attention, could make you feel lost quite easily. It doesn’t help either that the character names are all so unmemorable. Whether it’s Kazinsky’s Orgrim, Dominic Cooper’s Llane Wryn or Toby Kebbell’s Durotan, if they’re being discussed while not on screen it can get confusing. It doesn’t help either that the orcs look so alike that you forget which one’s which at times.

Of course with the fantasy element there will always be the comparison with The Lord Of The Rings to which Warcraft cant quite match just yet. This being The Beginning however, it could very well become a worthy opponent to Peter Jackson’s saga. But what is clear from the beginning, is that this is a film for the fans. As someone who has never approached the game from which the film is adapted, it’s not sure whether Warcraft succeeds in pleasing the fans, but perhaps it can be argued that the attempt ultimately affects the general audience at times. It’s a tough thing to balance but oftentimes Warcraft manages to sway easily from one audience to the other.

The pacing too feels much more bloated than it’s 2 hour runtime. The disappointing thing about this is that, while it feels longer, it just feels like the story has been spread out too thin. Perhaps had Jones expanded the world and added another twenty or thirty minutes, we could have had a masterpiece.

The Ugly Truth

At it’s heart, Warcraft is a simple enough storyline but occasionally it can get confusing. The unmemorable character names don’t help when this happens. One thing’s for sure though, the visual effects are pretty faultless and whether the story or indeed the world it presents is for you or not, there’ll undoubtedly be something in here to entertain.

Review by Johnny Ellis