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Review: Warcraft: The Beginning - MMORPG.com News
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Review: Warcraft: The Beginning - MMORPG.com News
The Warcraft movie opens in US theatres today, but is it worth your time in the cinema chair? Armed with popcorn and diet soda, we sent Gareth Harmer to find out.
Comments
Edit after reading: i always like Gareth's articles, but this review is one of his weaker pieces i'd say. Could be much deeper.
Waiting for Suzie's movie review now!
Edit #2: have to fill in my own break-code again. FIX THIS!!
My impression and nearly everyone at the cinema? Disappointed.
The sad part is that I went into it with a low expectation, but still hoping it would be better than the reviews out there. The critics are definitively right on this one.
I really think LotR and Game of Thrones spoiled us. Warcraft tries to be both, yet it fails miserably. Even as a Warcraft Lore fan I'd rate it 4.5/10. If you've never played WoW or Warcraft definitively skip this one.
Aye, it's a tricky balancing act between giving a blow-by-blow analysis of the film (which I was sorely tempted to do), and a run-down of the key points and reasoning without giving too much away, and I was probably a little too cautious.
There's the complete waste of screen time that is Lady Taria Wrynn. There's the omission of Sargeras - something that I think could have been explored to much greater depth - or the opportunity for Gul'dan to use his mind control on Garona. There's the absence of the Shadow Council or Kil'jaeden, which could have provided more of a face to the Fel.
And then there's the flimsiest of flimsy endings, which squandered what little character had been established, and fouled the taste of the film. I alluded to it, but didn't want to call it out directly. But all of this makes a case for deeper analysis, once everyone who wants to has had a chance to see it. I'll be looking forward to a retrospective in time, where we can all pour into it with our thoughts.
Currently playing: WildStar, Guild Wars 2, EVE Online, Vain Glory.
Drinking Demon Blood = R rating. Got nixed for the PG-13 'make more money this way' crowd.
Weaker and Lamer Garona with cheesy love story tacked on = "Our demographics show that humans with lady parts want romance." And they probably had to cut [good] stuff to add in last minute romance because some studio head was worried it wouldn't attract as many people without it.
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
Yeah, but only the red shirts really care, right? It's a little like debating the differences between Star Trek movies, timelines, etc. It's all in the same universe and the lore co-mingles plenty. Oh! And Blizzard isn't giving out free copies of Warcraft at the movies, they're giving out free copies of WoW
Crazkanuk
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I hope the Wheel of time serie will be treated better, or that at least "The name of the wind" will get the love it deserves.
Most fantasy movies and series are sadly not good. There are many "Legend of the seeker" and few "Game of thrones". If it is because Hollywood just don't take fantasy serious or because most directors don't have the talent to get it right is anybodies guess but it usually is average or worse.
On the plus side did they at least put work here to get the locations looking right which makes it worth seeing for fans of the IP, but movies like LOTR and Willow did appeal both to fantasy fans and average movie goers and I just don't see it here. Still, the top 100 fantasy movies list I seen are all pretty sad with the Jackson trillogy in top in all of them. Most fantasy movies sadly suck.
It's expected to do poorly in America but that appears to be of little importance because China is the most important region by far now, of which pre-tickets sales are breaking all records. It's pretty much guaranteed to make a profit at this point given everything stated above, let alone DVD/TV and Netflix deals later on down the road.
Like it or not it looks set to be the first of a trilogy of movies based on the Warcraft universe and possibly more blizzard licenses in the future.
http://variety.com/2016/film/news/warcraft-box-office-china-pre-sales-1201789304/
And i didn't like either the actors or the way the role was portraited. Medhiv for one, or Garona. Medhiv wasn't an amazing wizard or anything, and Garona really was just there because Hollywood movies always have a love interest.Khadgar was okay as the role, but i think Ben Schnetzer was the wrong guy based on his looks. He didn't fit with the other guys.
So yeah, overall not too exciting, but it was fun to watch and as i said, for a game movie..if i compare it to e.g. D&D or so..
Next time do full CGI like in the the trailers, and stay away from Hollywood, Blizzard doesn't need them.
I'll wait to the day's end when the moon is high
And then I'll rise with the tide with a lust for life, I'll
Amass an army, and we'll harness a horde
And then we'll limp across the land until we stand at the shore
Garona was also brilliant and beguilingly so ..... I thought 'Gareth' seemed to be grumpy in regard to his critique of this character and should immediately get himself a replenishing Beer.
I think that the film entitled 'The Beginning' is exactly this and from what I have watched I cannot see any reason why the franchise cannot go from strength to strength and am certainly looking forward to seeing Grommash (again hehehe), the Forsaken, Night Elves, Dwarfs, Ogres, The Lich King, Booty Bay when the story develops.
I also think the 'Fel' energy / blood story and the way the Portals are opening using life-force conduits was very convincing .... along with the explanation of how Thrall has Greenskin.
Also the CGI is some of the best I have seen and doesn't deserve the criticisms made by those who have clearly only seen the trailers. If not they are blind..... very.
Those Orcs are profoundly good ...... and a step up from the Hobbit without a shadow of a doubt and I am a huge fan of the Tolkien / Jackson films and so am not 'trolling'.
I think that MMORPG'S community-wise can be a little tribal and squabble-some for the sake of it, a bit like the blind hatred for someone elses chosen football / soccer team where so many comments are basically only needless jibes. I think that many of the ridiculously poor reviews made by certain 'authoritative' movie critics only demonstrate a lack of confidence in their ability to be honest and clinging to a notion that computer / video games are uncool and so certainly not proper in a world where Martin Scorsese hasn't won an Oscar but rubbish like Slumdog Millionaire and the Life of Pi are revered ..... emperors new cloths or what.
I think more folks should go and watch Warcraft .... it has balls. Support it or we will all have to live on a diet of Marvel's and DC's endless parade of flash bang wallop.
1 - The childish humour seemed way out of place specially with the apprentice mage.
2 - Did we really need all that friggen romance? Sigh...
3 - The ending imo was a cocky move by Blizzard as if they knew people will love the move and knew they would want a sequel. I hated it in the Hobbit 2 and I hate it even more here because unlike Warcraft, the hobbit had a preceding movie, it wasn't the first in line.
I was deeply suprised by the Movie and did really enjoy it! It was no Perfect Movie by all means, but it was entertaining for me and gave me enjoyment. So money well spend.
It's just tiresome that these so called critics are only be able to view Movies so black and white and think every single Movie needs to be Oscar material, otherwise it gets ripped apart and thrown in the abyss!
Why can't People just Accept that not every friggin' Movie needs to be Oscar material! And that, you know, sometimes People just want to go to the Movie and have a good time. /shrug
And because of this, a lot of good series get canceled and a lot of good Movies never got a deserved sequel!
It's now pretty much guaranteed that Warcraft will not get a sequel. Which is a shame.
https://variety.com/2016/film/box-office/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-box-office-sequels-1201788984/
An article about sequels as TMNT - one of several sequels performing better than Warcraft - is the latest sequel to disappoint.
Basically people will consider seeing a badly reviewed film but if, having seen it, they are disappointed getting them to see a sequel becomes hard. And there are lots of comments about Warcraft on the lines of: reviews were right, OK film but not great.
The $70M number is not great either - it will finish higher but with so many huge films to come it won't get much bigger due to e.g. https://variety.com/2016/film/box-office/finding-dory-box-office-debut-1201789640/
Which launches June 17th in the US.
Now if it takes hundreds of million dollars in China (MoP sequel then!!!) or Blizzard decide it has done wonders for WoW the game and decide to fund another movie anyway who knows.
Looking forward to: Crowfall / Lost Ark / Black Desert Mobile
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I used to play WoW, but no longer as the game is getting on and gets boring, but I did play for 5 years from launch. We saw the movie May 30th here in the UK