Warcraft (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
What a bummer. I was really looking forward to seeing 'Warcraft' (directed by Duncan Jones, Moon), an epic, big budget-actioner based on one of the most popular video games of all-time. Sure, I heard it stunk. But, as always, I give films the benefit of doubt and tend to like derided movies more than professional critics. Unnnnnfortunately, 'tis true ... 'Warcraft' is a bust. The story involves Orcs (kinda sorta similar to those in Lord of the Rings lore, but not really), whose world is dying, and are looking towards the planet Azeroth to start anew. However, one of the fiercest, yet respected and admired orc chieftans Durotan (Toby Kebbell, in motion-capture) is dubious of evil wizard Gul'Dan's (Daniel Wu) intentions with the unknowing humans (once they get to earth-like Azeroth).
As the orcs start arriving (via portal from one world to another), the humans led by King Llane Wrynn (Dominic Cooper), his faithful warrior Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel), & a young mage Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer, of the Book Thief, Pride), try to stop Gul'Dan from his nefarious plans. They summon their main protector, the wizard-like "Guardian", Medivh (Ben Foster), & they also receive some surprising aid from half-orc/half-human slave refugee Garona (Paul Patton, with green skin & silly fangs). All the while, noble orc Durotan decides to side with the humans to stop Gul'Dan from using black magic to kill the humans & attain ultimate power. Everything leads to a climactic battle in which the humans hope to vanquish the evil orcs before all is lost, while also contending with a betrayal from one of their own.
Disengaged storytelling, piss-poor dialogue, & an overuse of CGI add-up to one big forgettable big-screen version of the beloved video game -- I even wonder if devoted fans of said game will be wild about it. For those of us who know nothing about Warcraft going in, the filmmakers did next-to-nothing to make us coherently understand exactly who's who, where's where, what's going on, & why should we care. 'Warcraft' feels like a Lord of the Rings wannabe in which everything pales in comparison; no effective world-building (no "lived-in" feel), no high-stakes, blah acting, etc.. Given how vast the magical 'world' of Warcraft is, it's unfortunate how un-compelling it winds up being; this film provides only the shell of what typically makes a great fantasy adventure epic. Because everything is crammed into 120 minutes, things like character development fall prey to breakneck pacing, AWKWARD scene transitions, & oodles of pyrotechnic-fueled battle scenes.
No actor in 'Warcraft' is negligible, but no one shines, either. I liked Ben Schnetzer most as the young mage; he hits all the requisite emotions very well. Ben Foster's Medivh contains the right amount of gravitas as the all-knowing wizard ("Guardian"). Toby Kebbell's motion-capture performance of Durotan is solid; it's a well-realized character, I'm just surprised how little he's in the movie. Dominic Cooper is merely okay as the king; he's given very little to play with. Most disappointing are Travis Fimmel as our hero Anduin Lothar & Paula Patton as Garona. Fimmel looks the part (kind of a badass, scraggly Paul Rudd), but he doesn't command the screen, nor can we take him seriously (his comic relief asides do him no favors). And Patton resorts to one face the whole time: furrowed eye brow concern. These characters are pretty thinly drawn and, I'm sure I'll forget their names in no time. You'll be hard-pressed to feel any strong emotional attachment to anyone.
Duncan Jones gave us the smart Moon & Source Code a few yrs. back, but this film is quite the misfire. The movie itself has no distinct personality. Most viewers will leave their theaters disappointed. I was probably most disappointed by how many plot elements are haphazardly explained, rushed-through, dropped, ignored, or worse. I also loathe how it ended. Important characters die (and early on). And without getting too spoilery, we're meant to feel for both sides (humans & orcs), but in the end, there is a clear winner -- I felt pretty crumby witnessing one faction celebrating while the other faction wallows in their own Armageddon. Then, the door is left open for a sequel ... no thanks!! Not only does 'Warcraft' lack the grandeur, scope, & complexity of fantasy epics before it, but I also didn't like how it's theme of 'striving for peace' is dashed in the end by the promise of more war to come -- it felt like a cheat.
As the orcs start arriving (via portal from one world to another), the humans led by King Llane Wrynn (Dominic Cooper), his faithful warrior Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel), & a young mage Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer, of the Book Thief, Pride), try to stop Gul'Dan from his nefarious plans. They summon their main protector, the wizard-like "Guardian", Medivh (Ben Foster), & they also receive some surprising aid from half-orc/half-human slave refugee Garona (Paul Patton, with green skin & silly fangs). All the while, noble orc Durotan decides to side with the humans to stop Gul'Dan from using black magic to kill the humans & attain ultimate power. Everything leads to a climactic battle in which the humans hope to vanquish the evil orcs before all is lost, while also contending with a betrayal from one of their own.
Disengaged storytelling, piss-poor dialogue, & an overuse of CGI add-up to one big forgettable big-screen version of the beloved video game -- I even wonder if devoted fans of said game will be wild about it. For those of us who know nothing about Warcraft going in, the filmmakers did next-to-nothing to make us coherently understand exactly who's who, where's where, what's going on, & why should we care. 'Warcraft' feels like a Lord of the Rings wannabe in which everything pales in comparison; no effective world-building (no "lived-in" feel), no high-stakes, blah acting, etc.. Given how vast the magical 'world' of Warcraft is, it's unfortunate how un-compelling it winds up being; this film provides only the shell of what typically makes a great fantasy adventure epic. Because everything is crammed into 120 minutes, things like character development fall prey to breakneck pacing, AWKWARD scene transitions, & oodles of pyrotechnic-fueled battle scenes.
No actor in 'Warcraft' is negligible, but no one shines, either. I liked Ben Schnetzer most as the young mage; he hits all the requisite emotions very well. Ben Foster's Medivh contains the right amount of gravitas as the all-knowing wizard ("Guardian"). Toby Kebbell's motion-capture performance of Durotan is solid; it's a well-realized character, I'm just surprised how little he's in the movie. Dominic Cooper is merely okay as the king; he's given very little to play with. Most disappointing are Travis Fimmel as our hero Anduin Lothar & Paula Patton as Garona. Fimmel looks the part (kind of a badass, scraggly Paul Rudd), but he doesn't command the screen, nor can we take him seriously (his comic relief asides do him no favors). And Patton resorts to one face the whole time: furrowed eye brow concern. These characters are pretty thinly drawn and, I'm sure I'll forget their names in no time. You'll be hard-pressed to feel any strong emotional attachment to anyone.
Duncan Jones gave us the smart Moon & Source Code a few yrs. back, but this film is quite the misfire. The movie itself has no distinct personality. Most viewers will leave their theaters disappointed. I was probably most disappointed by how many plot elements are haphazardly explained, rushed-through, dropped, ignored, or worse. I also loathe how it ended. Important characters die (and early on). And without getting too spoilery, we're meant to feel for both sides (humans & orcs), but in the end, there is a clear winner -- I felt pretty crumby witnessing one faction celebrating while the other faction wallows in their own Armageddon. Then, the door is left open for a sequel ... no thanks!! Not only does 'Warcraft' lack the grandeur, scope, & complexity of fantasy epics before it, but I also didn't like how it's theme of 'striving for peace' is dashed in the end by the promise of more war to come -- it felt like a cheat.