Warcraft: 8 Things It Actually Did Right
5. It Nailed An Entertaining Tone
With blockbusters having become so enamoured by grittiness in recent years it would have been easy for a story that contained a violent war between orcs and humans – along with a healthy dose of dark magic and human sacrifice – to have gone the Batman Vs Superman route, taking itself wholly seriously and remaining po-faced throughout the entire run time.
As tempting as this might have been, the film chose to stick the actual game's tone – a simultaneous blend of lighthearted humour and sincere storytelling. There are plenty of gags throughout, and while not all of them landed (though the polymorphing sheep scene is a particular highlight), it was great to see even the orcs playfully teasing each other in quieter moments.
Unlike The Hobbit trilogy – another big-budget CGI fantasy-fest – which tried to stuff darkness into what's essentially a children's, book, Warcraft had a lot more confidence in its tone, blending its poignant moments with its humour very well.