Warcraft has created a solid cinematic base for its universe in this film

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2016)

I've been playing WarCraft games since 2002 and I know the quality Blizzard put in their cinematics, so my expectations were actually high. Boy, I was not disappointed! In one of the first scenes, Gul'dan is opening the Dark Portal in an explosion of fel energy sucking souls of the Draenei! The Orcs, enhanced by CGI, look fearsome, brutal and believable! Poor humans after years of peace have no idea what to do.
The plot of WarCraft 1 is understandably shaped to fit in a movie, and even though I consider myself a lore-fanatic, it was interesting to see what Dunkan Jones wanted to tell. There are two sides. The free races of Azeroth are getting attacked but are too hesitant to form an alliance. Whereas the Horde, while mighty, is being torn apart by internal disagreements because Gul'dan practices magic that corrupts land itself. Fel energies have destroyed their homeland and are the reason they're seeking a new one in the first place, so that's why the "good" Orcs oppose Gul'dan. Too bad the old warlock can wreck faces in melee combat. Ouch!
Humans are depicted quite clueless, seeking the help of the Guardian (of Tirisfal), Medivh. Ben Foster beautifully mastered his role of the mage possessed by a demon lord. The plot basically rotates around him. The whole story leading to Khadgar getting to know Medivh's secrets is retold in such a way, I didn't know what to expect next second. And the Guardian's death is epic in itself, regaining control over himself and helping the humans in his final moments!
Garona is a strong, honest half-Orc trying to survive in the war. Unlike in lore, she doesn't seem to be magically enslaved by Gul'dan here. But it has made her betrayal of humans even more tragic and heart-breaking!
The visuals are completely out of the world. Arcane magic is blue and powerful, fel is toxic and overwhelming, souls are sucked right from the shrinking bodies! I won't even touch on the architecture of Stormwind, or Kharazan, or Oricsh tents and towers!
The only critique I have is the screen time for the initial stage of the war when humans lost legions of their warriors is quite short (it would be nigh-impossible to include everything though). Also, such places as Ironforge and the flying city of Dalaran (yes, in the First War) are only shown for brief moments. I hope, they'll return in the future films!
Overall, it's a solid base for the Warcraft universe in the movie format. Dunkan Jones doesn't spare the characters from the harshness of their original stories. Sorry, Durotan, Draka, Medivh, Anduin Lothar and others, you will be missed!
P.S. Khadgar doesn't magically age after his fight with Medivh in this movie. Anduin's sword doesn't break beneath his body either. Lucky.