Warcraft

I enjoyed playing "Warcraft" with my friends back in the 90's. The problem with trying to adapt a video game into a movie is that you take away the one thing that makes a video game special, which is control over the story. While it is true that the creators of video games manufacture a story for the gamer to act out, the gamer still has control over their avatar's life and success. When the video game becomes a movie, those same gamers can only sit back and watch what they love take place out of their hands. What's more, "Warcraft" started out as a real-time strategy game with no central characters. That is what I am familiar with but this gaming franchise has spawned additional games and even novels. Some audience members, like myself, may not be as familiar with "Warcraft" as die-hard gamers. The best reboots or film adaptations appeal to both old and new fans such as J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" or "The Lord of the Rings". This film version of "Warcraft" will probably appeal to long-time fans of the games/books but not to audience members who are new to the universe. It didn't appeal to me even though I have seen worse movies than this.

It can be hard trying to please everyone in the movie theater, especially when the original source material has such a strong following. You can't deviate too much from what the die-hard fans expect but those in the dark must be brought up to speed at the same time. Most adapted screenplays tend to favor the fans but many times, that can be a nail in the coffin because old-timers and newbies must unite under a new banner. In the case of "Star Trek" for example, Abrams stayed true to what was most beloved in the franchise but hit the reset button everywhere else. From where I stand, it seemed like "Warcraft" took no time to introduce this universe to those who are new to the universe. As I began to watch the film, it almost felt like I was thrown into the middle of the story. This is due to the fact that many of the characters were not introduced properly. Durotan was the character I liked the most in the film because of his introductory scene with his pregnant mate. Both he and Draka were relatable characters because they were a family. The human characters on the other hand were mostly introduced quickly and in ways that made it difficult for us to connect with them. Maybe the die-hards didn't need introductory scenes but you can't expand your franchise to new markets unless you earn new fans. During its initial development, the film was to be set in the same era as the original video game from 1994 and I think I would have liked that better. I also would have liked to see more emphasis on military strategy because that would have been quite true to the source material. Some other flaws about the plot include the fact that for me, it was hard to tell Orgrim and Blackhand apart. I also thought it was a bad choice to kill off the main Orc, Durotan, before the climax gets going. It would be like Maximus dying before the final one-on-one battle in the Roman Coliseum. If the film begins with Durotan, it should end with him (even if it ends with his death). I also hated how the Orcs speak the same language as the humans for the majority of the film. It is obvious that the two groups speak separate languages but for the audience's benefit, we hear the Orcs speak our tongue. This makes for a slightly confusing scene when Durotan meets with King Llane. We are so used to both species speaking the same language when apart that it seems pretty ridiculous at first for them to use Garona as a translator. Having Garona able to speak the same language as the humans adds to the confusion. One plot hole I noticed was during the climax. What changes King Llane's mind to attack the portal instead of containing the Orc threat? Plenty of room is left for a sequel but I have to wonder if that is possible. It will depend on how much the movie grosses because critics don't care for another film.

I can't tell if this movie utilized motion capture. Toby Kebbell, who plays Duroton, has mocap experience because he was in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes". Kebbell also seems to have a knack for picking bad movies to be in because he was Doctor Doom in the failed "Fantastic Four" reboot. He gave the best performance out of all the actors in "Warcraft" however. I recognized Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga as the King and Queen. Funny enough, they are dating in real life. I have seen both of them on Marvel TV shows. Cooper was Howard Stark on "Agent Carter" and Negga had a noteworthy role on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." I didn't recognize Glenn Close is Alodi. The special effects and 3D was pretty good in "Warcraft" but something tells me they may not age well over time. The public online seems to really like this movie but it could be that those bothering to see and vote on it are already huge fans of the gaming franchise. Critics have never been kind of video game movies. The best consensus of any single movie based on a video game has been mixed-to-negative in their collective opinions. This movie was for big fans of "Warcraft" and though I enjoyed the game a lot in my youth, I was not a big enough fan to enjoy this show. Besides that though, there are problems with the story and that always bothers me with any movie. Without a horde of new fans embracing this adaptation, this franchise may not last long.

2 Stars