Review: ‘Warcraft’ is more than just a great video game adaptation, it’s a great fantasy film

Posted on June 17, 2016

By MARK VIOLA

I’ve mentioned–more times than I can count–that there is a nearly complete dearth of good video game film adaptations. Sure, we have our guilty pleasures here and there, but there hasn’t been a truly good example to hold up as proof that it’s even possible to make a solid film based on a video game.

Thus there have been lots of expectations for “Warcraft,” based on the widely popular series of video games, as well as the massive online role-playing game, “World of Warcraft,” which still had 5.5 million users as of last November, 11 years after the game first went live.

Now typically, when I say a movie is based on a widely popular series of video games, I’ve not actually played those games. “Warcraft” is an exception, because not only did I spend several years playing “World of Warcraft,” I’ve been playing the series since the first game hit store shelves back in 1994. That being said, it’s been at least a decade or so since I played any of the standalone games’ single-player campaigns, which provided the bones of the story told in the film, so I went into this movie with only a slightly better grasp of the world as a non-fan would.

I really enjoyed “Warcraft,” not only as an adaptation of the games, but also as a solid sword and sorcery fantasy film of the kind we’ve been looking forward to ever since the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy took over the box office more than a decade ago. That’s not to say this film doesn’t have problems, including a very jumbled first act and a few plot threads that don’t get the development necessary to guide the audience through a sometimes complicated story. But I was still entertained from pretty much start to finish by a movie boasting a solid cast and some truly mind-blowing special effects that bring the entire race of orcs to life.

I went into this one with high hopes, not only because of the rich stories ingrained in the “Warcraft” series, but also because of director Duncan Jones, who has given us two really solid sci-fi films, “Moon” and “Source Code.” And once again, he delivers a really fun, enjoyable movie.

This is a well-directed film, with some solid cinematography and well-choreographed action sequences. Fans of the “Warcraft” games should find plenty to enjoy here, as should fans of solid fantasy films. It’s not perfect, but it still provides plenty of enjoyment and if there is another one, I’ll be there on opening night to see what happens next.

The film is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy violence.

(This is a abbreviated version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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