I wasn’t sure what to expect ahead of watching Warcraft: The Beginning at Boston’s West End Cinema.
As somebody that loves video games, it’s a shame that film adaptations of popular gaming titles generally have a pretty rubbish reputation.
Although I’ve never played Blizzard’s mammoth PC game World of Warcraft, I’m acutely aware that it’s one of the most popular games around.
My initial thoughts were that it’d be something along the lines of The Hobbit, without Tolkien’s majestic style of storytelling.
And, to a degree, my gut instinct was the right one.
If you know your World of Warcraft, I’d imagine that understanding the plot would be relatively simple. But for newbies such as myself, it’s incredibly complicated.
So in the interest of not boring you to death, here’s the synopsis in layman’s terms.
The orcs (who kick off the movie in surprising style) are living on a dying planet and need to find themselves a new home. They’re willing to go to extreme lengths to find one, too, with their leader Gul’dan (Daniel Wu) using dark magic (dubbed The Fel) to open up a portal to the peaceful world of Azeroth.
The portal is powered by death, so Gul’dan sends through his best warriors and tasks them with capturing as many humans as possible.
Among those passing through are Durotan (Toby Kebbell) and his pregnant wife Draca (Anna Galvin) – and not all of them agree with the plan.
On Azeroth, King Llane (Dominic Cooper) and his right hand man Lothar (Travis Fimmel) are made aware of the orc attacks – and told by sorcerer’s apprentice Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer) to summon the all-powerful Guardian (or should I say wizard) Medivh (Ben Foster).
Medivh is essentially the protector of the realm and it’s his job to help Azeroth fend off the invaders. However, they remain oblivious to the orcs’ true goal until they capture half-orc slave Garona (Paula Patton). With all-out war inevitable, the people of Azeroth must stop the orcs from re-opening that portal and bringing thousands more warriors onto their planet.
If that sounds confusing (even in basic terms), you’d be right. Warcraft’s biggest problem is educating the audience – and director Duncan Jones doesn’t have the luxury of taking his time.
Unlike the above-mentioned Hobbit, there’s no 3-4 hour running time, so everything becomes a little confused and rushed.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy Warcraft, though.
What begins as a CG-heavy slugfest slowly develops into an immersive experience – and it certainly puts in the groundwork for future films.
It’s actually Kebbell’s Durotan who steals the show as an orc with the most human of dilemmas, while ex-Eastenders star Robert Kazinsky does a solid job as his sidekick Ogrim.
Cooper and Fimmel are a solid lead pairing on the human side of things, while the more magical characters played by Schnetzer and Foster are intriguing. Patton’s Garona suffers from a rushed storyline more than any other character, but she does her job well regardless.
Warcraft looks great and also has a top musical score, making it one of the best video game adaptations yet.
Sadly, that’s not saying much.
There’s much to be admired about Warcraft if you play the long game, but it lacks the prestige of others in the action/fantasy genre.
Voice Verdict: 7/10
+ Great visuals and score
+ One of the best video game films
+ Durotan
– Confusing and rushed story
SHOWTIMES
Boston’s West End Cinema (Fri, June 10 to Thurs, June 16)
**THE CONJURING 2 (15)
8.30pm (Mon-Thurs)
**THE BOSS (15)
4.20pm (not Tues), 6.30pm (daily), 8.45pm (daily)
**MOTHERS DAY (12A)
12.20pm (Wed), 3pm (Fri-Sun/Weds), 5.40pm (daily), 8.20pm (daily)
ME BEFORE YOU (12A)
6.20pm (not Thurs), 8.45pm (daily)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2 2D (12A)
3.15pm (daily), 8.30pm (Fri-Sat)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 2 3D (12A)
10am (Sat/Sun), 12.30pm (Sat/Sun/Wed), 6pm (daily)
WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING 2D (12A)
12.30pm (Sat/Sun/Wed), 5.40pm (daily)
WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING 3D (12A)
3pm (daily)
X-MEN: APOCALYPSE 2D (12A)
8.15pm (not Thurs)
ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 3D (PG)
12.40pm (Sat/Sun), 4pm (not Sat/Sun)
ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 2D (PG)
10am (Sat/Sun), 3.20pm (Sat/Sun)
ANGRY BIRDS 2D (U)
Noon (Sat/Sun), 2.10pm (Sat/Sun)
TOP CAT BEGINS (U)
10am (Sat/Sun)
THE JUNGLE BOOK 2D (PG)
10am (Sat), 12.25pm (Sat/Sun)
KIDS’ CLUB
Sat/Sun 10.15am – Ratchet and Clank (U)
SILVER SCREEN
Wed 11.30am – X-Men: Apocalypse 2D 3D (12A)
**FREE LIST SUSPENDED
