Sollid film

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 2016)

They say this blockbuster season was the worst in decade but so far I'm surprised by the quality of films such as the latest X-Men film and this movie. Sure, they won't become classics but they are bonafide blockbusters: 100% epic entertainment from start to finish.
I'm not a Warcraft fan at all. I do play roleplaying games but I found World of Warcraft to be rather mediocre and I was never a fan of strategy games. So I went into this film not being a fan or even very familiar with the Warcraft franchise but still knowing its cultural impact. I can say that I finally understand the obsession of the fans with the lore of Warcraft. It is rather compelling and I'm looking forward to the next film to continue the saga.
Having said that, this film is far from perfect. It is clear they have a lot of great content to work with but somehow it feels half done. Even so, that's still sufficient for a solid score in my opinion. But it feels like the movie could have been better if they had given us a slower introduction to the world and the characters. I only started to care for most of them in the final act of the film.
At the same time I feel the film shouldn't have been longer since I sometimes wasn't fully engaged as it was. Characters make or break a film so I don't endorse simply adding more content but if the film had add 30-45 minutes to better flesh out the characters and story then it would have made for a better film. Particularly the opening felt rushed and was uneasy for me as someone who was new to the franchise.
I advice the creators to look at Lord of the Rings (LOTR). The discovery of the orc invasion and the dark magic behind it could have been revealed at a much slower pace similar to the discovery of the ring in LOTR. They would have made me more engaged in both the characters and the story which would have also made me more interested in the action and effects (which remain topnotch by themselves regardless).
In short, this movie showed a lot of potential and I think the sequel can fully realize it. The great thing about the Warcraft franchise is that it appears to deal with generations and the next could focus on the son of the king and the orc chieftan. So the creators have a change to re-introduce the world and the plot line at a better pace and in a more compelling way in their next outing! Looking forward to it!