Review of Warcraft (2016) by Riley M — 13 Oct 2016

So to be clear Warcraft is for better or worse a massive Blizzard Cinematic and not a "good movie.".

With that out of the way I feel I should express my credentials: over 20 years of playing the series the movie is based on, which is important because none of the professional or amateur reviewers on this site seem to have 1 hour under there belt or understand where this movie is coming from. With the characters landscapes and plotline being familiar beforehand I was able to relax into the movie and enjoy it for what it is: a spectacle. While Warcraft aspires to be more than a fan movie it's origins come from the massive demand from fans like me and it shows. Unlike other video game movies (looking at you DOOM) Warcraft is different in that a community of fans didn't absently think "I love this game it should be a movie" warcraft comes from a lineage of great cinematics. For the uninitiated, video games have short little movies in them that expand on a given moment in the story line and Blizzard is the best in the business at producing them and always has been. Fans being afforded only short teasing glimpses into Blizzard's (the company that makes warcraft) worlds naturally generated the demand for a movie to get a more extended look. When other reviewers question "why did this need to be a movie" they misunderstand Warcraft on an existential level. Anyone who has played the games and watched the cinematics has uttered the words "I wish blizzard would make a movie." The question they ought to be asking is "why am I, a non warcraft fan, watching this movie?".

There are a few good reasons but ultimately there are more reasons to stay away then to spend the 2 hours. The story is overstuffed, the acting is spotty, the dialogue is stiff, the cartooney style is hilariously juxtaposed against the overly self-serious tone, the subtext of much of the screen time garona and lothar share is sexist and frankly dumb, and the list goes on ok. Like I said not a "good movie.".

But if any non-warcraft fans reading this are still considering watching it (likely dragged by significant other nerd/nerdettes) you have a few things to look forward to. If you can follow the plot you will be hard pressed to predict it, the film is extremely environmentally conscious which was an odd surprise, the visuals are phenomenal, and the first 5 minutes of the movie, right up until they show the title, are executed almost flawlessly (save the hammy dranei mom asking for her baby to be spared). That's not intended as a backhanded compliment either, the beginning is legitimately great film and is essentially the quintessential blizzard cinematic. This is exactly why the movie was made.

And for everyone who is a Warcraft fan, Lok'Tar enjoy the movie you'll love it but who am I kidding you've all already seen it.