Warcraft

Listen, this isn't going to be "Lord of the Rings." It does have some similarities, but overall, it feels like its own thing. Keep in mind that prior to viewing this movie, I knew absolutely nothing about the World of Warcraft, so I can't say how true it is to the source material. But judging it on its own merit, I found it surprisingly entertaining. The battle sequences are huge (although one problem is they do tend to drag on a bit too long), the plot was surprisingly thought-provoking, and the scenery and the CGI are just so beautifully done. The Orcs have so much detail put into them, that for the most part the line between real and CGI is blurred. (However, this is just when the Orcs are in scenes by themselves. When they're with human characters, the CGI tends to look a bit faker.) There are some elements that are very obviously "borrowed" from Tolkien's work, but overall I thought it was a fun movie. It does have some of the cliches that are in every fantasy movie, but they're few. The battle sequences are just brutal! The death toll and the emotion in the battles really make you feel for the characters, whether they be human or Orc. There are heroes and villains on both sides of the conflict. and it doesn't matter which side you root for, because without giving anything away, I will say the film doesn't really have a resolution to the conflict, which left me feeling empty. I know they did this because they think it's going to be a trilogy (or more), but sadly I doubt this will get one. That's something I thought I'd never say. I want this story to continue. I want to see more of these characters and world. I won't play any of the games because on the 0.000001% chance this does end up getting a series of films, I want to judge them on their own merit, just as I did this one. It's only fair.
Grade: B. 8/10 4/5 stars