So what happens when the highest grossing massive multiplayer game of all time decides to turn the popular game into a film?You get Warcraft: The Beginning. Now, my eldest daughter Bailey and I were fairly excited to see this film for two major reasons. One, because we are both fans of the game, and secondly because Bailey is currently studying game and film animation at college, so this film ticks all the boxes for her.
Warcraft: The beginning is a mixture of CGI and live acting, and the flow between the two forms is done exceptional well. The animated content is modelled and composed in the true Blizzard (creator of the Warcraft games) style.
The Warcraft story is based on two factions fighting for control over the world of Azeroth. The Horde are the invading faction trying to find a new home after the destruction of their original world. Whereas the Alliance are the defending faction trying to stop the Horde from destroying everything.
In the film we start with a Orc army using a waypoint portal to enter Azeroth, during this time we are introduced to an honourable Orc clan leader named Durotan (Toby Kebbell, Fantastic 4) who is just trying to find a new home for his family and clan. Once the Horde arrives in Azeroth they start to invade the Alliance villages. Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer, Pride) a runaway Guardian apprentice reports the invasion to the Alliance King (Dominic Cooper) who sends his Alliance commander Anduin, played by Australian born, Travis Fimmel (Vikings) to find Archmage Medivh (Ben Foster) to help stop the invasion. The war begins and the tug of war for control over Azeroth starts.
The thing that probably stands out the most about this film is that it is aimed at fans of the Warcraft games, because it is implied that you have some knowledge of the game, the structure of the realms and the state of play. Although saying that, doesn’t mean that the film is confusing to a new viewer, it’s just your understanding of what is occurring and where the film takes place is more enhanced if you have had a previous experience with the games.
Warcraft: The Beginning is probably not the film to take your first date to, unless they are huge fans. Likewise, it’s probably not the film to take your teenage children to, unless you want them to buy the games and never see them leave their rooms except for food and water. The Warcraft games are very addictive and this film will encourage you to take up that addiction, if you are partial to playing computer games, so be warned.
Overall the film is just a taste of things to come, because as the title states it is just the beginning of this movie franchise. Bailey and I really liked this film, and it has helped to reinforce her decision to have a career in animation. So if you do take your children to see this film, I hope it inspires them too.
Rating: 1-10 (1 = very poor, 10 = excellent)
Cinematography/Animation = 10
Storyline = 6
Characters & Acting = 6
Overall = 7
