Warcraft (2016) [Blu-ray]
Action | Adventure | Fantasy

The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, an unlikely set of heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their families, their people and their home. So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something.

Storyline: When the world of the Orcs Draenor is being destroyed by the evil fel magic that uses life-force, the powerful warlock Gul'dan creates a portal to the world of Azeroth and forms the Horde with members of the Orc clans. He also captures many prisoners to keep the portal. The king of Azeroth Llane Wrynn and his brother-in-law Anduin Lothar are informed by the apprentice of magician Khadgar that he has found fel magic in dead bodies and the king decides to summon the Guardian of Tirisfal Medivh to protect his kingdom. Lothar and Khadgar head Kharazhan to meet Medivh and a shadow points a book to Khagdar and he takes it and hides. Anduin, Khadgar and Medivh and a group of soldiers are attacked by Orcs and they capture the slave Garona, who is released by King Llane, and she shows the location of the portal. Garona is contacted by the Orc chief of a clan Durotan that wants to meet King Llane to stop the fel magic. Meanwhile Khadgar learns that the gate was opened with the help of someone ... Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, September 16, 2016 Blizzard's video game World of Warcraft was, in 2015, amongst the inaugural entrants into the Video Game Hall of Fame, entering alongside other esteemed classics such as Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Pac-Man, and Pong. That puts it in seriously elite company. And with its sprawling story of humans (and other species) battling giant Orcs, it was only a matter of time before a related cinematic venture hit theaters. Seemingly long in development and anticipated for years prior to its release, Warcraft, directed by Moon's Duncan Jones, does justice to the material and stands as a special effects extravaganza, but the film doesn't quite find the same success as its video game namesake. Though not destined for any cinematic hall of fame, the film adaptation at least stands tall enough as a serviceably entertaining Fantasy/Adventure film that's more a product of its name and less any kind of interesting story it has to tell, forced to cram several games and many novels worth of development into a two-hour movie.

The Orc homeward is on the brink of destruction. A mysterious power called "Fel Magic" is responsible, and the mighty Orc Gul'dan (Daniel Wu) organizes the clans and creates the Horde, an invading army that uses Fel Magic to travel to the world of Azeroth in search of a new home, which they will fight to take. Even before the residents of Azeroth can begin to piece together what it is they're facing, it may already be too late. At the center of Azeroth is Stormwind, a military stronghold led by Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel) and its king, Llane Wrynn (Dominic Cooper). With the help of a mage named Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer); the Guardian of Tirisfal, Medivh (Ben Foster); and a half-Orc named Garona Halforcen (Paula Patton), Azeroth comes to realize the ferocity of its enemy and the power it wields. Meanwhile, the horde shows signs of fracture from within when an Orc named Durotan (Toby Kebbell) rises against Gul'dan.

Warcraft is unquestionably a technical achievement. Visual effects often look and feel seamless, perfectly meshing with their surroundings and human counterparts to the point that, beyond digital that's obvious if only because there's no other way to make the effect -- the Orcs, for instance -- the line is practically completely blurred. But many other films of the past few years can claim much the same. Digital wizardry isn't enough anymore. Making a movie a success stems more from creative, involved storytelling and less the wow factor that splashes on the screen. Warcraft doesn't quite get that part right. The story has its roots in simplicity, but all of that lore and mythology -- spelled out in several lengthy games and several more novels based in the Warcraft universe -- can't quite be absorbed by the movie, even at two hours. Jones and the other filmmakers necessarily cram a ton into the movie, and much of it is a mouthful. It can be a little hard to keep straight. Newcomers may very well struggle, though franchise veterans will find it much more comfortable.

That said, the movie still works well enough even through what is sometimes gibberish lore. The core story is carried out proficiently and the filmmaking around it professionally. It's a soaring production that hasn't forgotten its core fans, that carries through a lot of nice little touches that even casual players of the games will recognize. Character development is decent, with both warring parties given equal time and ample space to stretch and fit into the story and larger universe. Fortunately, the Orcs are not simply a big, hulking, green menace but instead carefully and lovingly crafted characters with, arguably, a greater and more interesting arc than their human counterparts. This is as much their movie as anyone's, and it's the lore on their side of the ledger that makes for some of the film's best moments. Beyond story, Warcraft proves acceptably entertaining, blending that characterization with some well realized and smoothly complex action extravaganzas that give weight to the surrounding story, not define it.

Warcraft may lack more readily accessible storytelling chops, but it's a technical marvel and an entertaining venture if one can just go with it. It'll speak more to established fans than newcomers, and the filmmakers have seemingly taken care to get a lot of it right. It doesn't lack superficial identity, but take off the name and redesign some of the pieces and there's nothing all that original here. Take it for what it's worth and enjoy the effects, action, and core story. Universal's Blu-ray release of Warcraft features standout video and audio. Though absent a commentary track (a track featuring a few of the games biggest fans breaking down the movie would have made for an excellent addition), the supplemental department isn't otherwise lacking. Recommended.

[CSW] -1.4- If you play the WoW game then you will probably find the visuals amazing and the plot line staying pretty true to the game. But if you never played the game and have no idea about the story or any of the characters then, like me, some of the things like the portal and the magic did not really make any sense. I have to assume that since it basically just ends with no real ending that they are planning a sequel. So for those of us that don't really understand the characters, the portal, the magic, or the ending, it leaves us with virtually no plot. That leaves us with nothing but eye candy or to compare it with a cone of cotton candy at a carnival it has no substance or flavor only sweet tooth decaying sweetness for those with little taste or sophistication.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box


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