Verdict:
Contrary to the overwhelmingly negative critical reception, Warcraft is not quite the cinematic disaster you might expect, but it is still an incredible mess.
The whole affair eventually devolves into a series of colourful shots that are only marginally connected to one another. The rhythm of the story feels completely off. The ending assumes a sequel or even a trilogy. How could the creators have possibly looked at what they had in their hands and thought, “Yeah, there will definitely be a sequel to this”?
There are actually a few interesting ideas floating around, such as the concept of the Fel magic operating like a plague, corrupting the otherwise normal creatures and making them evil. Unfortunately, these elements are never fully explored, as they get lost amidst a screenplay that’s overstuffed and unfocused.
Anyway, the primary strength of this movie is its crisp and colourful imagery. There are moments worth revisiting purely for their aesthetic appeal. What’s unclear is why there are live-action human faces floating around this CGI world.
The film opens in the realm of the orcs, with everything being computer-generated, and that’s fine. At this point, you are basically watching one of those famous Blizzard cutscenes from the games. But then it cuts to real people, clad in plastic armour, and this brings the immersion to a screeching halt because of how much those plastic humans don’t belong in this world. It takes some time for your mind to get used to this visual dissonance.
This movie could be represented by an image of a CGI orc wreaking havoc inside a live-action porcelain store. It is entertaining to watch, even though it’s a disaster.