Warcraft

Warcraft is the third movie based on a video game we've had in two months, after the disappointing Ratchet & Clank from April, and the mediocre Angry Birds Movie from May.  It tells the story of an epic battle between humans and orcs for control of a world.  Most of the orcs are CG, but some are half-human or "half breeds", like poor Garona (Paula Patton), so she is played by the actress in very unconvincing green make up that makes her look like she wandered into the film from the touring company of the Shrek Broadway Musical.  It's all very silly, loud and garish, but I'm guessing it makes more sense if you've played the games.  I have not.

What we have here is yet another movie with A-production values, but saddled with a B-level script.  Much like Jupiter Ascending from last year, take away the vast CG landscapes and highly detailed monsters, and replace it all with cardboard sets and silly costumes, and the movie would be right at home on Mystery Science Theater 3000.  And when I say A-production values, I mean it certainly does look like it cost a few hundred million to make.  The effects themselves look very cartoonish, or sometimes don't blend well with the live action backgrounds.  I got the feeling that co-writer and director Duncan Jones (the fine director behind films like Moon and Source Code) was in over his head here.  He throws so much stuff at the camera that it all kind of blends together, no matter how epic or "important" he wants it to come across.  It doesn't help that his script is completely disposable and incapable of creating any reaction.  When a character dies or falls in battle, it creates the same emotional response as being at the grocery store, and checking the expiration dates in the milk aisle.

In the two hours or so the movie runs, we are tossed head-first into the story with little lead in or explanation.  The fantasy world of Azeroth is a fairly peaceful place, until some orcs step through a portal, and decide they want to claim the land as their own, since their home planet is dying.  One of the orc warrior chiefs, Durotan (Toby Kebbell), isn't crazy about this idea.  He thinks there might be a connection between their dying world, and their leader, Gul'dan (Daniel Wu), who possesses the magic to steal the life out of living things in order to give himself power.  Since Durotan's orc wife (Anna Galvin) recently gave birth to a bouncing baby orc boy, he's beginning to question his orders of destroying the humans who inhabit Azeroth, and thinks maybe there is a way that they can reach some kind of agreement against the power-mad Gul'dan.

On the side of the humans is the personality deprived Lothar (Travis Fimmel), who serves his King nobly, and is pretty much defined solely by the fact that he has a teenage son whom he frets about a lot when the kid's in battle.  Much like Durotan over on the orc side, Lothar is starting to question one of the people he serves, in this case a magic user known as the Guardian (Ben Foster).  Could there be a connection?  I'm not telling, and even if I wanted to, I don't know if I could.  There is so much chaotic fighting between the humans and orcs, the plot fades into the background, despite some lengthy exposition dialogue that tries to explain why we're supposed to care about all of this.  Nothing here has any resonance or real importance.  When Garona the half-orc joins the human army, you would think this would create some kind of tension or perhaps apprehension, and while this is hinted at early on, it's never really explored in the slightest. 

It's obvious that Warcraft is intended to kick off a franchise, as absolutely nothing gets resolved by the time it's over.  Instead, the movie leaves us with a bunch of loose ends that are supposed to tease upcoming sequels.  I'm all for a good cliffhanger, but first, the movie needs some kind of closure or sense that we have accomplished something by the time it's over.  Instead, when it's over, we feel like we've sat through two hours of set up for a sequel that may or may not get made. (The movie has largely failed at the box office over here, but is apparently breaking records in China and other countries.) All this proves is that Jones and fellow screenwriter Charles Leavitt didn't have much of a story to tell in the first place, and just wanted to get this one out of the way so they could get to the more interesting stuff in the sequels.  I say, if you can't think of a good beginning, don't bother teasing us with what's to come.

I'm sure there are those who have played the games who can tell me the whole intricate backstory of Azeroth, and the characters who inhabit it.  Despite a generous running time, the movie does feel very rushed and incomplete, as if whole character details and arcs are missing.  I'm sure some will read this review, and suggest I didn't understand it because I didn't play the video games.  The thing is, a cinematic adaptation of something should be able to appeal not just to the fans who already support it, but also newcomers alike.  I'm not all that familiar with all the Marvel comic book characters, yet I have been able to enjoy many of their films immensely.  A movie such as this should make me want to look more into the world of the games by intriguing me, not by forcing me to play it in order to fill in the narrative blanks. 

I think that is ultimately where Warcraft comes up short, and why it will frustrate audiences outside of the pre-installed fan base.  However, where the filmmakers really slipped up is that they seemed to have dreams of a sequel before they got the first one up off the ground.  The question remains, if you're not going to tell a good story the first time, why expect the audience to come back?

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