Uh Oh, Early Warcraft Reviews Plunge It To 40% Rotten Score
Another video game movie bust.
When Duncan Jones was chosen to helm the first World Of Warcraft film, it was assumed that the director's film-making credentials would ensure a brave new world of video game movies that actually didn't suck. Fans of the genre have been forced to live on scraps over the years, pushed into a position where - somehow - Resident Evil is about the pinnacle of what adapting games can be.
Why else would the atrocity that is Super Mario Bros be so highly praised as a cult gem?
But sadly, it doesn't look like the expected renaissance is happening, as the early reviews of Warcraft are far from excellent. Uninspiring would be a more fitting word.
Here's Variety's take:
"The epic battle at the center of Warcraft isnt the clash between humans and orcs. Thats just what takes up roughly two hours of screen time. The true conflict comes from filmmakers trying to tell a story with soul and struggling against the inherent ridiculousness of the commodity theyre working with. It shouldnt take a mage to foresee that this pricey and preposterous adaptation of an online gaming phenomenon was preordained for artistic mediocrity."
And The Wrap's:
"Warcraft promises, or threatens, sequels, but then so did Super Mario Bros. And come to think of it, if forced to watch either of these video-game movies a second time, Id probably vote for the plumbers."
Ouch. And Screen International's:
"The film (rated PG-13 in the US) ends up feeling unconvincing and generic, with nothing to compare to either the dramatic heft of Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings trilogy or the raunch and gore of Game of Thrones."
It isn't all bad, though, and the fact that only 5 reviews have been turned in to Rotten Tomatoes suggests there may be some levelling out to do yet, but it's not the positive start Blizzard and Universal will have hoped for.
They will, however, be able to grab on to the fact that two reviewers - at Crave and THR had positives to say...
First Crave:
"We are still waiting for a great video game movie. Maybe well never get one, but a film like Warcraft at least makes it feel like were buffering for it. This is an honest attempt to recapture the finer qualities of its source material inside of another medium. When it works, its a lot of fun. When it fails, its merely an average fantasy adventure that focuses too much on familiar plot devices to make a major impact."
And finally THR:
"Combining primitive textures (hides and sun-bleached bones) with the glowing whoosh of magical elements, Warcraft is a big-screen, 3D game that the viewer enters, to the martial beats of the elegantly ominous score by Ramin Djawadi (composer of the Game of Thrones theme). Its use of multiple cameras to film the motion capture performers in the same take as those playing human characters is one of the ways that its new. And then theres Durotans eyes, and Garonas grit. Dramatically and technically, Warcraft gives the concept of hybrid new punch."
Even the more positive reviews come with several caveats, but there is praise to be found in there.
Whether any of this critical response will actually affect the movie's box office take remains to be seen. Warcraft was very obviously chosen for adaptation because of its existing brand appeal and the fandom who already spend millions on playing the game. Universal will no doubt be hoping that that sort of brand loyalty will make the film critic proof, otherwise they may be facing the embarrassing situation having to scrap already planned sequels.
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