Hello! It is time for another of my reviews - we are getting close to number 10 and to celebrate getting all the way to 9 (which isn't THAT much, but I like celebrating.) I decided to switch things up a little. Instead of continuing down the road of slightly ridiculous reality TV or game shows, as well as romantic comedies - I watched a movie that means a lot to me due to nostalgia.
Warcraft is that movie and in this introduction I'd like to explain something - the movie means a lot to me. While I am not a huuuuge fan of how it was made, the whole Warcraft universe has been in my life ever since I was a child. Slightly on and off and I can't say I was some sort of a "no-life gamer", I did spend a fair bit of evenings and nights raiding especially in the more recent expansions (WoD, Legion, earlier TBC) and I started the game in classic when I was still in primary school. I also played Warcraft 3 before that and read pretty much every book, short story and comic up to Legion - and I'd love to read the rest if I can get my hands on it.
All this means that this review will not necessarily be all impartial or objective (not that any is). The Warcraft universe has always been important to me and even if I put playing WoW on hold - watching Warcraft to me was like being a kid in a candy store.
Synopsis
This is a movie based on the entire universe of Warcraft - which is shown through games, books, short stories, as well as comics. It is a live action movie that tells the story from long before so-called "current events" of the universe - the time Orcs invaded Azeroth, the homeland of humankind (and many other races).
The Orcs' homeworld - Draenor - is completely destroyed and in search of new space to live, they take a portal to Azeroth. In order to have this portal powered, the powerful and evil warlock, Gul'Dan needs fuel. This fuel is obtained through sucking life power and the soul of subjects - in the case of the portal to Azeroth, that of human prisoners.
The film then follows the stories of two sides: Orcs and Humans. For the former, we can see Durotan and Garona as the main characters, aiming to collaborate with humans and stop Gul'Dan. For the latter, we follow multiple stories - these of mage Khadgar and warrior Anduin Lothar are the most prominent.
Throughout the movie, the attempt to stop Gul'Dan and his portal are at the center of the plot with multiple twists and surprising turns awaiting anyone watching.
My Opinion
I like to do things slightly backwards, so let me start by spoiling my overall opinion - I personally liked the movie. I liked the cast, the nostalgia it caused me and I obviously like the Warcraft universe. I also think it wasn't the best film out there and the main reason for that is the fact I still cannot really understand why it was made.
Let's start with the bad. I really don't know who the movie is really supposed to please. Let's take Arcane as an example, which I just started watching. If you are into League of Legends' universe, you will find many nods aimed at its players. The thing is that even if you aren't, you'll still be able to love the series - as many of my friends have. Warcraft does not give me that feeling. It introduces many stories, many characters.. It even enters the universe at a slightly awkward moment. In my opinion, a large part of the problem is that it has enough content to be a series, but it's squeezed into a 2 hours movie.
I think it is quite hard to connect with the characters if you do not already have a connection to them - that is a big deal if you aim to get people unfamiliar with the franchise to get into it. Maybe that isn't the case though, as there hasn't been much happening after: no new series, no new movie, animated or not.. I have to say it makes me sad, as the universe has the potential to be adapted into a great series, between all the fantastic stories it has produced.
Is it then really supposed to be just for Warcraft connoisseurs? If so, it's also not perfect at that, albeit much better. It shows many characters crucial to shaping of the universe, introduces the fan-favourites in Khadgar, Garona and Durotan. It's just that in my opinion, if you want to give a nod to your devout followers, there's tens - if not hundreds - of better stories to adapt. The movie is an introduction to many things, it'd be a great first episode or arc of a series, but.. It ends with nothing really concluded, except a small victory. Perhaps my opinion would be much more positive if there was Warcraft 2 or Warcraft: the Series.
After all this rambling though, I have to admit I enjoyed my time. I already mentioned some positive things and there are more. I think that many of the scenes look really pretty and the animation is quite good, at least to the eye of a dilletante. Clearly though I'm not the only one as the film apparently got nominated for some animation-related awards. As I checked these, I found out it also won some SFX award.. as well as "Worst Film of the Year" by the SLFCA. Respectfully disagree! Note that this info is out of the movie's IMDb page and I have not double-checked it anywhere else.
I think the acting is actually really good! I loved Medivh and Khadgar especially. Paula Patton is also a great choice for Garona and if there ever is another Warcraft adaptation, I sure hope she'll be Garona once more.
Frankly, while much of this review looks at downside, this was a good movie. Its problem is that for its budget, it should've been at least in the realm of "great". That said, as a die-hard Warcraft fan, WoW player and a follower of the universe, I'd love to see more - as unrealistic as that sounds. I'd love to see something about the War of the Ancients, the later War of the Satyr.. or if we move much, much closer towards current events: the return of Illidan.
To finish this off, I'd like to say one thing - there is nothing easy about choosing the right moment to capture in a movie about Warcraft. On top of that, it is almost impossible to please die-hard fans, because.. The lore is a huge mess. This movie skips and changes many, MANY parts of official lore, just to be able to contain everything within its airing time - pretty much all of the characters shown are extremely important to the universe and so I decided not to judge the movie based on that at all. Did I like how Medivh was portrayed? Eh, I know he is so much more - but for a 2 hours movie, I won't complain.
Closing Words
Alright, this was it! I tried not to ramble for too long, but some points I felt were really important to touch on. Overall, a 7 or 7,5/10 would be my final score. It is a fun watch if you don't try to overthink what is happening on the screen: if you're not a Warcraft fan already, you won't get it anyway. If you are.. You'll just get annoyed at the inaccuracies. That said, I don't think you'll consider it wasted time if you watch it!