Mixed feelings, excited about the beginning of a new era

Rating: 6/10 (19 June 2016)

Here is what happens in the reviewing section: we have two factions (no pun intended with the Horde and the Alliance, but why not) of opinionated viewers, die-hard fans who have played WarCraft, and unrelated audience who were drawn because of the heavy advertising.
I belong to the first faction, yet I will try to be as objective as possible. Before my review, I want to mention that the argument of "not having played the game, thus you should not have any opinion" is terse at best. Blizzard, as we all know, is a video gaming company and they have spread their wings to film-making as well; why not, given that the cinematic trailers of their games are AAA quality. Although I feel compelled to actually use the previous argument against someone saying "it was a very mediocre movie", I am at the same time overwhelmed with rationality: Why do you have to be familiar with the game, in order to appreciate this movie?
Blizzard's responsibility, after having decided to take a stout venture in producing an actual film adaptation, was to immerse viewers in a world they have so elegantly and meticulously created. As with other movies, we do not need background story to acquaint ourselves with the movie's plot. That said, they should have found ways, given the abundance in narrative techniques, to bring naive viewers to a similar level of cognizance. Failure to do so implies that the narrative was mismanaged.
One of the first things you witness as a player in WarCraft is the insatiable loathing of humans against the orcs and vice versa. This part felt extremely rushed and undefined in the movie. The pace was so prematurely overtaken by the wicked and demigod Gul'dan, that before you know that humans are natural enemies of the orcs, you get to see them forming an alliance. This movie was destined to be an introduction to this universe - and it should intrinsically entail demonstration of races occupying the world, their relationship and some cultural idiosyncrasies.
It was pretty clear that humans thought of orcs being beastly, but we got to see a very emotional Durotan which inadvertently coalesced into a humane version of an orc - yet he was still mistreated by the humans with reluctance. I might suggest that the conspicuous humanity is linked to the World of Warcraft game (my arguments concomitantly enter this realm), where players can also create orcs and thus identify with them. However, I am not sure if they should assemble human-like traits; if the director and/or writer wanted to instill empathy to the viewer, they could have achieved it by giving focus on the injustice of the imminent events, not by turning naturally brutal warriors into weaklings. It is not explained why orcs, who grow in a society of the same standards, and are bound to obey their authoritative commanders like sheep, have such a deviating behavior. Thus, the fight taking place in the end, between Durotan and Gul'dan, was admittedly belated, for a sadistic and forcible ruler like Gul'dan.
Additionally, the voice overs were a huge disappointment. The voices of the orcs were very distorted and by no means reflecting the typical voices in the game. The game voices were much easier to understand and they did not sound like their pitch was exaggeratedly decreased by 20dB. They had a natural husky and roaring tone.
As for the acting, I did find it to be weak. It was Hollywood acting (and yes, this is derogatory): exaggerated facial expressions, overly dramatic with slow head motion, know-it-all attitude and shocking bravery (because let us recycle the stereotype that men are fearless). The actor who played Medivh felt completely out of place. His body- type would fit a barbarian or a warrior more than a wizard (we all know how wizards appear skinny or under-built in video games). Plus, I dare wonder, why did they choose a blond actor? I have not seen any depiction of the character with blond hair.
I will cast aside the fact that I have played the game. As a movie, it was entertaining, but it was not what I had envisioned. The only commendable part for me, the potential source of its entertaining value, was the CGI. I could never get enough of the spell-casting. Gul'dan was perfectly portrayed, very intimidating and demonic. I am also glad that certain "eggs" lied there for the fans: e.g. a Murloc standing in the middle of the river or Draenei used as prisoners. However, this is the problem; someone who is not familiar with the game will not pick up these details. These exact details are what constitute this universe and make it so unique. Draenei, Elves and other races made appearance, so that the viewer takes a glimpse of the forthcoming story in the sequel, but they are all redundant when they are not given enough focus. Plus, the assemblage of different races to make decisions on their role in the war, did ring a huge Lord of the Rings bell. However, Lord of the Rings achieved a better reconstruction, because racial conflicts were uncovered throughout. Warcraft's assemblage, on the other hand, was very generic, purposeless, and lasted what, one minute? I am not sure how naive viewers are expected to keep up and appreciate the glory, imagery and richness of this world, when they are bombarded with visual stimuli of little importance.
In my opinion, the movie did not feel like the game. I have seen others stating that they had tears in their eyes because of the consistent resemblance to the game. Unfortunately, I did not have this feeling - it did not even manage to echo the magnificence of the game's cinematic trailers or even the in-game cut-scenes. Good movie, but not the perfection I expected from Blizzard.