Warcraft (2016)

“I’ve spent more time protecting my king, than my own son. Does that make me loyal, or a fool?” – Anduin Lothar

Number of Times Seen – 1 (14 Jun 2016)

Brief Synopsis – On a distant world, a race of orcs have found a say to transport themselves to a new planet and plan to colonize it after destroying the population. The inhabitants must fight for their survival against incredible odds

My Take on it – I’ve been a HUGE fan of Duncan Jones first two movies [Moon (2009) and Source Code (2011)] ever since I saw them both and have waited patiently ever since to see his next gem.

When I heard it would be based on the video game Warcraft, I was a bit disappointed because I’m not a gamer, but I still had lots of hope that Jones would try to gear it towards the uninitiated and somehow recreate what the Lord of the Rings trilogy did 15 years ago for the genre. (Has it really been so long??)

On the level of special effects, they succeeded here in creating new worlds and creatures via CGI and green screen that felt refreshing yet lived in with a history.

Unfortunately, I found the story itself lacking and many scenes felt as if they were just going through the fantasy playbook.

The character names were a bit confusing, but one eventually gets by despite not being able to differentiate between some of the characters.

I clearly assume that those already familiar with the game(s) will enjoy this more than a casual moviegoer.

That being said, I’m curious where they plan to take us in the planned future sequels so I’d be interested to follow the story at least once more to see where they are headed.

Bottom Line – I had very high hopes for this based solely on the fact that Duncan Jones directed it. Unfortunately, despite very cool special effects, the story isn’t so groundbreaking or unique. I assume that those familiar with the game would appreciate the characters and the story more due to familiarity.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Duncan Jones said that the original script was very one sided in terms of the two factions (Horde and Alliance). after signing on to direct, he made major edits to the story, as well as the script, so both factions could tell their side of the story. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy

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