Warcraft
Starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton
Directed by Duncan Jones
It’s not the unmitigated disaster some are describing nor does it ever rise to greatness; Duncan Jones’ highly-anticipated adaptation of the worldwide gaming sensation Warcraft hits the big screen, resulting in something between a bang and a whimper.
It’s orcs vs. humans after the evil orc shaman Gul'dan, harnessing some rather dark magic, opens a portal into the human realm of Azeroth and seems hell-bent on annihilation. Vikings star Travis Fimmel stars as heroic warrior Anduin, who is tasked by the king (Dominic Cooper) to defend their homeland.
As it turns out, not all the orcs are bad. Toby Kebbell plays a hulking monster with a heart of gold and Paula Patton portrays a half-orc who takes a fancy to Anduin. The plot becomes a tad more complicated and, although prior experience playing the game is not required, a penchant for fantasy will certainly help makes things more tolerable.
The expository-heavy script will leave some wondering what the hell is going on and the dialogue is about as subtle as a battle hammer to the head. Thankfully, when the movie isn’t getting bogged down with endless talk it’s quite captivating. The technical achievements are dazzling. The world-building, from state of the art motion capture performances and vivid landscapes to the miniscule details in the costumes, makes the film an immersive experience and Jones peppers in plenty of fan references throughout.
In the end, Warcraft doesn’t deliver the epic some hoped for but is a worthy genre addition.
