10 Things Hotly Anticipated Films Need To Get Right In 2016

2. Warcraft Needs To Earn Its Visual Spectacle

Could Warcraft €“ based on the Warcraft video game series and directed by Duncan Jones €“ be the video game adaptation the world has been waiting for? Only time will tell, but there are a few things the film needs to get right if it wants to achieve that esteemed title. Worryingly, one of the massive marketing focuses is the film's amazing visuals. Which yes, often look amazing (though there are shots in the trailer, hopefully unfinished, that leave a lot to be desired) but won't be enough to make a good film. The film focuses on the initial encounters between the humans and the orcs, and details their subsequent conflict. Going by the trailer, these conflicts are very large and very violent, meaning the film could easily fall into the trap of attempting to be exciting through nothing but action-based spectacle. What the film really needs to do is earn its amazing spectacle. It's Warcraft, so over-the-top set pieces are pretty much a given, but they run a very real risk of becoming the kind of weightless, CGI-fest seen in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy. The film has the unique opportunity to flesh out both the orc and human side of the conflict, and to be filled with nuanced, complex characters and relationships. The war itself won't matter without some seriously great writing craft.