A faithful and entertaining adaptation of a popular computer game series

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2016)

Many popular video games have been adapted to the big screen over the years. Some, like Tomb Raider, have been reasonable. Others like Mario and Wing Commander were terrible. Warcraft is the first one that I think was genuinely not only a very good movie, but also a faithful adaptation of the game it was based on. With a story based primarily on the first of the Warcraft games, the film included elements that would be familiar to players of later games also including World of Warcraft. Locations in the game are faithfully reproduced so that they are instantly recognisable in the movie. Costumes, buildings, even the way magic is portrayed looks very much like in the games. This is very much a film for fans of the game. As a standalone movie it also works well. Though of course many of the game's references will be lost on viewers not familiar with the game, it still works as a solid action film. My one complaint is that in some parts of the film, especially early on, things felt a little rushed. I found myself on more than one occasion wondering if there were some deleted scenes there since some parts seemed a little disjointed. I'm no expert on film editing but the pacing just seemed a little off. Over-all, I found it a fun film. Great effects, great action and a real treat for fans of the game. Good enough perhaps, to make up for how disappointing the game itself has become in recent years.