Surprisingly Entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2016)

After reading the terrible reviews, and not being a fan of the World of Warcraft games, I went into this movie with very low expectations. Initially, the low expectations seemed to be appropriate. The movie introduces a number of different characters in a rather haphazard way, barely explaining what they do or why we should care.
Similarly, there's very little world building in the beginning, and people are just expected to have a basic understanding of how things in the Warcraft universe fit together.
Pretty quickly, though, the movie launches into a surprisingly compelling plot. Unlike many other movies in the genre (Lord of the Rings, for example) doesn't just focus on the human (or "good") side, but explains the back story of the Orcs, and gives them personality and motivation. After a lackluster start, the movie manages to give the characters at least some depth, and despite having a pretty large cast, almost everybody has at least some character development.
Technically, this movie is flawless. The amount of work that must have gone into creating the Warcraft universe in this movie must have been incredible. The attention to detail is breathtaking. In scenes where dozens and dozens of Orcs are shown, every single one looks unique, and has his (or her) own characteristics and movements. The world in which the movie takes place is beautiful, and the fight choreographs are amazing.
The colorful world in which the movie takes place defies the grim-dark trend in recent years, where even Superman movies have to be sad and dark and rainy, and that alone makes Warcraft a refreshing joy to watch.
Despite being quite long, the movie always moves ahead at a brisk pace, and manages to convey a ton of plot.
In short, this is a really well made, very entertaining movie. It has its flaws, particularly in the beginning, but I truly enjoyed every second of it.