123 minutes, Fantasy Action/Adventure, M

China is set to surpass North America as the world’s largest blockbuster movie market by the end of 2017. WARCRAFT, a live-action adaptation of the popular games and books, serves as an outstanding example of that, after grossing an estimated $156 million in just 5 days of release in China, including the largest weekday-midnight opening ever. By comparison, WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING (as it’s known in the US, so yes there will be many more movies from this franchise to follow!), grossed $24.35 in its opening weekend in the US!

Draenor, the homeland belonging to the Orcs (Green-skinned muscular humanoids that look a bit like Shrek on ice, for those who don’t know!), is dying. As a result, the Orcs are forced to find a new place to call home. That place is the peaceful land of Azeroth, home to numerous other species. Faced with foreign invaders, those who call Azeroth home are plunged into war and a battle to protect their country, people and family ensues.

What J. J. Abrams managed to achieve with his STAR TREK reboot from 2009, MOON and SOURCE CODE director Duncan Jones doesn’t quite accomplish with WARCRAFT. Proclaiming this world to be a “high-fantasy” one, his attempts to ground it in reality are present, yet WARCRAFT remains a fans-only and fantasy genre aficionado affair only. Having said that, WARCRAFT is much better than what it would have been without Jones as writer and director. This opening chapter to an upcoming franchise series was originally told from a singular perspective. After signing on, Jones made massive edits to the script and story, to tell it from the perspectives of the two factions. As a result, WARCRAFT is able to keep its plot a driving force for the many action sequences bound to entertain those eager to watch, and is fairly accessible too for an (almost) all-ages crowd. Heavy detail in the CGI area (123 days of filming, 20 months of post-production!) sends this blockbuster beast up to a pass mark to warrant a look-in on the big screen.

2.5 out of 5

WARCRAFT – Film Trailer

Footnote to Parents
M classification for extended sequences of intense fantasy violence

Moviedoc wishes to thank Universal Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and IMAX Cinema, Melbourne Museum for the official 3D launch screening of WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING.

Review by Moviedoc
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