Breaks the 'video game to film' spell

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2016)

I'm a film lover. I have also played a considerable amount of Warcraft in the past. This is to say I wasn't sure if I could write an honest review of the film, not because I feel biased towards the Warcraft universe, but simply because I might subconsciously understand a lot more of what is going when compared to someone who hasn't been in contact with the games.
With that said, Warcraft is a good film.
Starting with the good:
Characterisation. A lot of fantasy films fail because we can't relate to the characters. Warcraft pulls it off. You immediately sympathize with the characters in both factions.
Balance. You don't really get to pick a side here, there is no such thing as "these are the good guys, those are the bad guys". Both sides bring strong characters to the table, characters you can relate to. The Alliance is lead by men who put the well of their people first. The Horde is lead by a villain, but the Orcs show they value honor the most, and it becomes clear throughout the film that change is coming to the Horde.
The art and cgi. It's loyal to the games and fans. Anyone that has played the games will find plenty to relate to here. From full blown environments and scenery, the cities, the spell effects, the Orcs, the human armor, the weaponry, the little details here and there... It's clear this was made out of the love and respect for the franchise.
The excellent: Durotan. What a character, you completely forget about the CGI here. A 5* star performance from Toby Kebbell and the art team.
The bad:
It's fast paced. Maybe it's hard to get around this, there is only so much you are allowed to fit in. I guess that if you're a fan, it's easier to follow and you already "know" a lot of what is going on... I can imagine this will be a bit harder for the rest of the audience. It might just feel a bit too much at times.
Travis Fimmel. Don't get me wrong, I think he is a great actor - I just have a problem understanding him at times! I've been a fan of him since Vikings, but the man needs to step up his voice, speech lessons, whatever. It's hard to understand the man.
All in all, Warcraft pulls it off extremely well. I do hope it performs well enough so we can see future sequels, fans know the best is yet to come: There are amazing stories and characters the "rest" of the world needs to see.