Warcraft- Review

The beginning of the end?

Once again I find my opinions forming opposite to that of my peers online. In the recent weeks numerous sites have put out reviews branding the new Warcraft movie as one of the worst video game to film adaptations ever. Having now gone and seen the picture (at least twice as of this writing) I frankly have to wonder if those critics and myself actually watched the same flick.

While everyone is most certainly entitled to their respective thoughts on any matter, as a personal standard, I do feel one must at least be able to functionally justify their thoughts when trying to convince others. How do you do that? Do research on the subject, such as finding out any and all facts that could affect outcomes. Provide citation of examples/evidence outside of the anecdotal that support any claims you make. And most importantly, you need to remain as objective as possible when analyzing the data you've collected.

In the case of Warcraft I think there has been a notable disconnect to any one of these standards, as many of the critics have somewhat failed to truly justify (in my eyes) why they feel this film is so poor beyond "It's a movie based on a video game, and those all suck." There is very little evidence to support their arguments of Warcraft's actual failings as a movie, making most of the reviews available come off as exceedingly narrow minded, or outright biased.

I will agree to the notion that most film adaptations of video games leave a lot to be desired, but to be fair, there are quite a few that were honestly decent, if not good, so to see Warcraft (an admittedly flawed, but still fun experience) get lambasted seemingly all over every major publication is a bit sad to say the least. Let alone that the volley of criticisms lack any substantive body of real critique to them to begin with.

Dreanor, home world of the Orcs, is being torn apart by a mysterious magical force known as the fel. With drought, famine, and death pushing the Orc clans to total desperation, they unite under one ruler, Gul'dan, an Orc shaman claiming to have access to a portal to a new land that is ripe for the taking. On the other side of the portal is Azeroth, a peaceful realm ruled by the seven kingdoms of humans, high elves, and dwarfs. Upon entering the portal, the Orc Horde immediately lays waste to the surrounding human settlements, and ignite the sparks of war. Only through uniting the kingdoms, and the aid of the guardian wizard Medivh can the forces of Azeroth hope to survive the Horde invasion, but as the two worlds collide, leaders from each side of the conflict begin to question if war is truly the only answer.

I'll concede that some level of familiarity with the source material can help in deflecting some of the issues Warcraft possesses. Plenty of fans have spoken positively of the flick, and seeing that I am somewhat versed in Warcraft lore/characters, perhaps some of the problems don't affect me quite as much as it could someone less knowledgeable. Many can and have argued that this movie is more so meant for already established fans, than it is meant to bring in new ones, but that really doesn't seem to be the case. While continuity lock-out is certainly a thing in many stories, the Warcraft film is a decent place to start for anyone who may be looking to get into the franchise. 

To be blunt, the largest criticism I can levy at Warcraft is its pacing. Nothing is inherently wrong with the story or the characters as some out there have reported. Every bit of information one would need in order to functionally digest Warcraft is present and accounted for, on a base level. We know who the protagonists/antagonists are, what their motivations are, what is at stake, etc. etc. The big problem I think a lot of critics are missing is that a sizable chunk of the material simply isn't given enough time to truly breath or fully develop. Sub-par pacing isn't the result of a poorly written plot and characters, or simply bad ideas. What we have here is a fundamentally solid war story that's been unfortunately watered down for the sake of a smaller running time, and that's the only real flaw I see with Warcraft.

If you can't get around the pacing issues, I totally understand. Some in the crowd might not be able to fully grasp plot details, or comprehend the significance of a particular character when focus on those things is very brief. A lot of Warcraft's elements move by so quickly the audience doesn't have time to absorb what just happened, what's happening, or what's about to happen, which is definitely a serious problem. Warcraft does sadly contend with pacing from start to finish, and pacing is a very big deal when it comes to any story. If you get this one thing wrong, it could topple the whole narrative, and there are major beats in the movie that come and go so fast they're almost a "blink and you'll miss it" type of situation, which is certainly not a position you want to find yourself in with regards to storytelling.

A lone picture of Durotan that's worth a thousand words.

Opposite of that argument though, I can say there are plenty of sequences in Warcraft that utilize their time wisely, and create some great emotional gravitas to what is obviously a very epic (both in scope and scale) tale of two worlds clashing for survival. It has been made known that close to forty minutes of Warcraft was cut for the theatrical release, and quite honestly, it shows. I really do believe that there is a great movie to be found with Warcraft, it simply got edited out. Knowing this doesn't even remotely excuse the pacing issues of the final product, but it does at least let us know where the problem stems from, which is important to keep in mind.

While the film can be a bit heavy on exposition (mostly relegated to the beginning of the first act) it's fairly evident from jump-street this is a character driven narrative, which has always been the impetus behind most of Blizzard's stories. Nowhere is this more prominent than with one of the first opening shots of the Orc chieftain Durotan somberly and silently watching his pregnant mate Drakka sleep. We can see from this single expression alone that he is contemplative over all that is happening around him. He's bringing a child into a dying world, and perhaps even into a war. A small tinge of fear belays his large figure, as a potentially dangerous, and seemingly unavoidable future hurtles toward his family and clan. Does the portal to Azeroth lead to hope, or does it lead their demise? All he knows for certain at this moment is all that has ever mattered to him is sleeping right in front of him, and he must do whatever it takes to give them a fighting chance at life.

Every word I wrote there wouldn't mean a damn thing if Warcraft was rife with miscasts and bad acting, but I can joyously exclaim that isn't the case here, as Warcraft feels expertly cast, with no one actor feeling out of place with their role. Even though there isn't much in the way of notable "star-power" per se with Warcraft, I personally think it's one of the movie's strengths. Without any huge names to form certain expectations within the audience, the characters are essentially allowed to simply be who they are without any preconceived notions.

On the side of the horde we have the likes of Toby Kebbell's portrayal of Durotan, which feels appropriately weighty, and is perhaps the best performance of the whole picture. His struggles as an Orc Chieftain and an expecting father make him one of the most likeable characters on offer, and Kebbel has beautiful chemistry with the other Orc actors. It's that very chemistry that really brings the Orcs to life. While Anna Galvin's Drakka I think is a bit underutilized (seeing as she's Durtan's mate) overall she is gratifying come the film's end. Robert Kazinsky's work with Orgrim Doomhammer (who's Durtan's best friend) is compelling in his own right as a character torn between the loyalty he has to his friend, and the loyalty to his people. Kazinsky (a self-professed World of Warcraft player) is clearly enthusiastic about being a part of the Warcraft mythology in the promotional material, and it shows through in his performance. Hell, even one of my favorite character actors, Clancy Brown, takes up a role in Warcraft as the Orc War Chief Blackhand, and he (in true Clancy Brown fashion) makes him awesomely brutal. Even Daniel Wu's Gul'dan is deliciously evil, with every word he says coming off with wry sadistic glee.

The conflict between the Horde and Alliance feels nuanced and compelling.

With the Alliance, we have Travis Fimmel's Lothar, who is almost as equally endearing as Durotan. From his humorous quips to the physicality of his fight scenes, you can certainly tell that Fimmel is having a blast with his role. Paula Patton's play on Garona (in a somewhat depressingly small part) fits the character exceedingly well. Looking totally badass whenever the camera is on her, Patton gives Garona an imposing visage, while maintaining a slightly emotional vulnerability, due to her heritage as a half-human half-orc slave turned warrior. Dominic Cooper as King Llane, is probably one of the only fantasy story kings (I can recall in any recent memory) who actually is just an all around good guy. Typically kings in these types of stories are written as all encompassing douche-nozzles, but King Llane is a man I would honestly follow right into the heat of battle. Ben Foster captures the essence of the reclusive (and clearly off-kilter) guardian wizard Medivh, and he gets to show off his chops as a character actor in at least two excellent sequences, one of which made me teary eyed.

Visually Warcraft is a standard setter. Despite the copious amounts of CGI (something I'm normally not a huge fan of) Warcraft manages to have a very healthy mix of practical effects to compliment the renders. All the vistas of Azeroth and Draenor feel lived in, thanks in part to the actual sets that were constructed (such as the streets of Stormwind) making Warcraft a sight to truly behold at times.

Vast amounts of detail both big and small fill every scene of Warcraft, and fans are surely in for a treat as tons of iconic items, armors, weapons, etc. etc. from the games are brought to life. It really is the little things sometimes that can make all the difference, and getting to see the likes of Orgrim's namesake the Doomhammer, to King Llane's armor be so painstakingly accurate is refreshing to no end. Typically film studios would take tons of unnecessary liberties with the source material and make something only marginally resembling the game it's supposed to be based on, but with Warcraft, even the runes on spells are flawlessly manifested on the silver screen. Regardless of one's own opinion of the overall package Warcraft presents, it ultimately can't be denied that it's one hell of a gorgeous motion picture.

ILM's work with the Orcs of Warcraft is clearly one of the major attractions for the piece, and I'm sure is going to set a very high bar for motion capture performance for future blockbusters. Every bit of nuance the actors playing the Orcs have translates effectively to the models, and there isn't an instant where an Orc model looks poorly rendered. This is easily some of the most impressive work I've ever seen with lighting, and texturing CG models for a live-action movie. The camera work throughout Warcraft flawlessly captures the interactions of the humans and Orcs, and at no point does it feel like either one isn't occupying the same space. Making the Orcs feel tangible, alive, and integrated was absolutely essential to making them a convincing effect, which I believe ILM managed to do with flying colors. 

Shots like this really help to create the epic scale of Warcraft's story.

Never mind that the war scenes with the Orcs are surely some of the best epic scale battles put to film within the last five years of cinema. For a film called Warcraft there is a surprisingly small amount of battles, but when they happen they are an undeniable spectacle of the highest order. The camera swoops in from sky shots to down low angles, displaying all the balletic carnage of combat dutifully. In a day and age where camera work is so spastic and shaky, I find it nothing short of exhilarating to see how tightly choreographed Warcraft is.  

It's only in a few small areas where the computer generated seams begin to show, and they're mostly in the scenes involving Lothar's gryphon mount. It's isn't terrible by any means, but there are a few shots with the gryphon that leave a bit to be desired. The creature doesn't seem fully integrated, and every time Travis Fimmel "stands" next to it, or "rides" it you can tell it's not really there. I wouldn't be so bold as to say it's a deal breaker, but it is a particularly noticeable blemish on an otherwise stellar looking picture.

Perhaps the only other place where Warcraft slouches ever so slightly is in its score. Now don't get me wrong here, the music isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it does lack somewhat in the memorability and identity department. Composer Ramin Djawadi (of Game of Thrones fame) does an admirable job in giving Warcraft the big epic feeling it needs in order to be serviceable for the tale being told, but he doesn't deliver on an outright definitive/fantastic sound that I think this movie definitely needed. The themes for the Orcs is where most of the stylistic sounds reside, but beyond that, it is mostly just bass drums and guttural war chants that we've heard the likes of before in other films. When you consider how memorable his work is on the likes of Game of Thrones or even Pacific Rim, one has to wonder if he was simply trying to invoke the spirit of Lord of the Rings distinctive tracks when it came to Warcraft. Again, it is by no means a weak score, let alone an outright awful one, but its lack of an identity to help set it apart from its peers can without a doubt be felt.

Overall Warcraft is an enjoyable picture from start to finish. I won't be so brash as to declare it a modern masterpiece for the fantasy genre, but it isn't nearly as horrid as the vast portion of critics out there would have you believe. There have been far worse films in the last five years that haven't caught even half the flack Warcraft has, and there are even worse video game adaptations you could waste your time watching to boot. While saying "There are worse films to see." may not seem like a super strong argument (and honestly it isn't) I think my friend Matt may have put it best when he said "At least this isn't a film that takes a huge steaming dump all over its fans." and in today's movie making climate, that puts Warcraft head and shoulders above the competition.

Besides, China really seems to like it, seeing how it broke records there and all that...

Positive Factors

• While fans will certainly know what they're looking at, newcomers won't find themselves lost.
• When the pacing hits its mark, this is a very compelling high fantasy war story.
• Characters are all expertly cast, with tons of solid/fun performances.
• Faithfully recreates the world of Warcraft (no pun intended) down to the most minute details with spectacular effects.

Negative Factors

• The pacing of the movie may be a flat-out deal breaker for some. Too much comes and goes on a whim at points.
• Some heavy exposition in the first act comes off heavy handed.
• The score lacks an identity to truly set it apart from its peers.

Final Rating: Splenderiffic!