Written by: Charles Leavitt and Duncan Jones (screenplay)
Directed by: Duncan Jones
Starring: Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Toby Kebbell, Clancy Brown, Ruth Negga, Ben Schnetzer
Rated: PG-13
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot:
Humans and sympathetic orcs must stop an invading orc horde.
Verdict:
I think fans of the Warcraft games and novels will like this movie, but if you aren't familiar with the franchise, you're going to be lost. This movie expects you to have an extensive knowledge of the properties.
The pacing is quick and while I know what's going on, it's not always clear why leading me to wonder what's going on. The production design and CGI is great, but this should have been multiple movies or a simpler story. It just doesn't work.
Skip it.
Review:
There must be a lot cut out of this movie, because that's what it feels like. With the very first scene jumps in so fast I feel like a missed the first couple of scenes. Any foundation and backstory was cut to pack the plot into two hours. How many movies was this originally intended to be?
This movie rarely slows down, and even when it does it's incredibly brief. It's a strange scenario where I feel like I don't know what's going on even though I can easily explain what has occurred in the plot. The disconnect is that I can explain the what just not the why. The Orcs invaded a human world sure, but I don't know why. Well, I do but it's too simple of an explanation. There world is dying, but I've never seen that. Nothing visible in this film reinforces the need.
Ben Foster got possessed but I don't know how. There is very little foundation to this, I guess Duncan Jones expected only diehard fans of World of Warcraft would watch this. As someone unfamiliar with the inspiring property. I felt like I was missing a lot.
This is based on the novels World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde and World of Warcraft: The Last Guardian, which are based on the Blizzard's video game franchise Warcraft.
It's a little too faithful, if I had to guess. Purists will love that aspect, but this movie packs too much into the two hours without proper explanations. There are Orcs, magic, warriors, kids fathers, double dealing mages, Black Hand, and kings. There are so many characters that none of them feel that important. The movie tells me things are important, but that's the only way I would know which makes many of the big moments overwrought.
The CGI and production design is great, but it can't overcome the plot. Ben Schnetzer portrayal of Khadgar was a little rough. He has the young mage part down, just not the believable part. He always felt like an actor, not the character.
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