A set up movie, but a damn good one.

Rating: 7/10 (5 June 2016)

I've gotta say this movie surprised me. despite me being a fan of the Warcraft series I had mixed feelings about this movie especially when the first reviews started to spring up but thankfully I really enjoyed the film for what it was. It does have a few flaws mainly in the form of pacing issues but this doesn't mean it automatically becomes terrible which some people keep jumping to despite it also having a lot of redeeming factors. It seems that a lot of people want to bash and criticise the movie simply for what it is, an extremely nerdy and often joked about source material trying to be brought into the world of franchises, yet people seem to forget that this is exactly what happened to comic books. Now I'm not saying Warcraft is as good as the first X-men or Iron Man but as a franchise starter it managed to be well contained story in its own right while still introducing us to the world of Azeroth and the later stories that can (and possibly will) be told in that world. Due to sheer size of the world and lore of the source material it's understandable why Warcraft didn't achieve the absolute perfect balance that things like X-men did, but I personally believe Duncan Jones did the best he could while still staying as true to the original as possible.
So yes it can be argued that the film is just to set up other movies but there are plenty of films that were essentially that to begin with and have had extremely successful franchises, Hunger Games and the Divergent series all started off this way and I believe that Warcraft is a much stronger starting movie than the movies that kick started those franchises. Even this year Batman vs Superman was essentially a set up for the larger DC Universe but was mishandled greatly, whereas Warcraft feels more like it's trying to be a stand alone film and while it doesn't entirely achieve this it still holds up.
As I said the film does suffer from pacing issues and this it's most glaring problem, I would be lying if I said it didn't take some enjoyment away from the film (one scene in particular comes completely out of nowhere and I still can't really understand it even now) but this is really the only huge flaw. Something to mention is the world of Azeroth is drenched in Fantasy and unlike much more grounded versions of fantasy worlds such as Game of Thrones the sheer detachment from reality will turn some people off. This is by no means a bad thing about the movie and anyone who believes this to be a flaw (which some people do) should not be allowed to write movie reviews. It is simply a matter of personal opinion, if you enjoy that kind of thing then you will enjoy the film but if you're not really a fan of that sort of thing then Warcraft isn't for you.
Now moving on to the good parts of the film, of which there are many. By far the strongest point of the movie is the acting, every character was 100% believable and when the characters are as outlandish as these ones this is not an easy thing to achieve. The good guys all felt as though they truly had something worth fighting for and everyone of them felt innately human (even the orcs) They had personalities, they had struggles and worries and things that made them happy, they had people they cared about, people they hated and all felt very natural to watch on screen, Toby Kebbell particularly stands out as Durotan. Villains were scary and ruthless and you just couldn't help but hate them for what they were but still love it when the come on screen just because they are so evil.
Speaking of the orcs, the CGI is damn near perfect as well, in fact I would go as far to say it was Jurrassic Park level of good, possibly better. The orcs all look like they are actually the hulking great beasts that they are and the level of detail put into them is incredible, so good you can see the hair follicles on the orcs arms. Everything just feels real which again is no easy task considering the source material.
The story is simple enough that everyone can follow it but not so simple it becomes boring or tedious. Action scenes are stunning, dialogue is interesting and overall the pacing issues don't hinder the story too much, it just makes some scenes either pointless or rushed, but as said before it does not ruin the film by any means.
In the end Warcraft: The Beginning isn't a perfect movie but it sure is a good one and is extremely enjoyable one at that, think along the lines of Pacific Rim but with a fantasy story and better acting. If you're a fan of the Warcraft series you'll definitely enjoy it and even if you're not I recommend you check it out, you'll be pleasantly surprised. This franchise has lot of potential so don't let a good movie or a possibly good franchise go to waste because of what it is or because it's not the masterpiece critics expect it to be. Grab some friends, enjoy a fantasy a movie and just have fun with it, it's truly a world brought to life.