Epic! Spectacular!

Rating: 9/10 (8 June 2016)

Wow! I did not expect WARCRAFT movie to be this spectacular. And I'm not a gamer nor have I ever even played Warcraft games, so to come across an adaptation that is so well-done, so well-crafted is a breath of fresh air. This movie is as epic as it gets, jaw-dropping and visually stunning, a magnificent cinematic experience.
Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures gave you this adventure saga based on Blizzard Entertainment's iconic property. Directed by Duncan Jones who spent more than three years working on this project, the story is essentially about a peaceful realm that suddenly faces the fearsome Orcs who have fled their dying home in search of a refuge. A portal connects these two worlds that ultimately collide in a massive war for the fate of their family, their people, and their home.
I had my worries at first because I feared that since I didn't know much about Warcraft universe and its mythology that the film would somehow lose me. But the writers including Duncan Jones came up with this heroic story with its many complications and all shades of grey, because the motivations on both sides can be justified depending on how you look at each of them, and it's so well-structured that anybody can follow it just fine; that they can invest themselves in it. And there's balance as well, you'd enjoy the orcs storyline just as much as you'd enjoy the human dramas. Some can even draw Israel - Palestinian struggle comparison with this film, but that's another topic for another time.
This year alone, just when you thought "The Jungle Book" had raised the bar in terms of visual effects, this WARCRAFT movie comes along and splits us in half, basically. Watching it in 3D even adds to its already many breathtaking, mind-blowing sequences. The world created, including the houses, the castles, the creatures, the designs are nothing short of astonishing, clearly this is the work of people who truly cared for this game, that said, this is a film that exits not only to just pay homage to the game, it's not by any means trying too hard either, it's the perfect mash-up of a great story, solid characters, and outstanding spectacle. The best high-fantasy film since "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.
-- Rama's Screen --