Just watched Warcraft yesterday.
What can I say? Well, it's not a masterpiece, but it's another brick in my personal "critics are complete idiots" line regarding this year's movies.
It also made me understand how important the third act is for the movie as whole. Because Warcraft had an atrocious first act, with bad editing (a scene with Durotan and Orgrim overlooking burning villages is put right in the middle of a continuing flight sequence), bad introduction of characters (all is quite rushed, it's barely explained what sort of geas Khadgar was under, Lothar's intro is quite weak for a main character). The "realer than real life" orcs were the only saving grace of the first act, and, of course, Medivh and Gul'dan.
Medivh was quite fantastic. They were certainly going for a Jesus parallel, and it worked wonders. Bravo, Jones and Metzen, bravo. My only beef with this portrayal was shitty explanation of his transformation. Unless I missed something (the cinema theatre was too loud), they didn't mention him being possessed by Sargeras at all, and only said that Fel Magic transformed him when he tried to control it. That's a weak explanation, especially since they set up a scene with Aegwynn to explain that.
Yeah, Aegwynn scene was also a weak one. Again, nobody but those with knowledge of Medivh's story would guess that this is Aegwynn, his mother. And, instead of telling us why Medivh is possessed by the prime demonlord, she spouts that "light from darkness" bullshit. What was that all about? She could have at least given Khadgar a magic formula, which he would try to decode, THEN realizing "light from darkness" is the answer, whatever it is supposed to mean.
But, overall, Khadgar is one of the better characters, despite his lackluster introduction. He's more or less a complete underdog for the whole movie, despite being right and figuring out how to handle Medivh.
[1/4]
>>70705953
Also, fuck Metzen for attacking a fan-preferred pairing once again, with Garona saying that Khadgar is too weak for her.
Yep, let's do a nonsense pairing of Garona and Lothar instead. Right when Lothar is grieving about his dead son (damn, that son's death was hanging above him for the whole movie; introducing Lothar's son is like introducing a third Mario Brother - you just know he's gonna end up dead).
Lothar was pretty good on his own. He's nothing like OG universe's Lothar, but I guess that's a larger than life character, and the movie needs someone more relatable. As a foil to Khadgar and Garona (the actual main characters, who undergo an arc and achieve knowledge, experience and moral changes out of it), he was OK.
Among the orcs, aside from Garona, I found myself liking Gul'dan and baby Thrall the most. Durotan's motivations were understandable, but it all falls apart when there's a fact that Gul'dan saved his sickly kid, and Gul'dan is very much right about his plan to open the Dark Portal, because otherwise the orcs on the other side will be left to die. Durotan has little screentime, but his death serves to undermine Gul'dan's authority, with the orcs remembering about how he defies their traditions. Overall, the movie is not even about WC1, but the pre-WC1 events depicted in the instruction manual, with the orcs' first unsuccessful attack on Stormwind. I wouldn't be surprised if the 40 minutes cut incluse the "Stormwind's destruction" ending.
Orgrim was incredibly shady, and I couldn't understand what his true plan is (remember, that he's supposed to take over the Horde and imprison Gul'dan and Garona somehow). Moving him from Blackrocks to Frost Wolves was a mistake, as was executing Frost Wolves en masse (whom is Thrall going to lead?).
[2/4]
>>70705953
>What can I say? Well, it's not a masterpiece, but it's another brick in my personal "critics are complete idiots" line regarding this year's movies.
DCuck detected. Thread hidden. Enjoy your Chinese-pandering Orcshit, idiot.
>>70705953
>>70705977
I liked Blackhand, despite him not wearing the crazy Stag Helmet, and he, too, was not a fully evil character, what's with being saved by Durotan and then giving him a chance to escape. The first makgora scene, where he defied Gul'dan and forced him to stick to traditions, was also quite great. His death, however, after being turned into "the strongest orc alive", was severely anticlimactic, but what followed it was worth it.
Speaking of helmets, Llane's hillarious lion helmet is something I don't ever remember from Warcraft, but should have been Jaime Lannister's helmet in Game of Thrones, per the books, at least.
I really like how they remembered the "LATE" Medieval element of Warcraft fantasy, with the dwarves showing Lothar their flintlocks and later the humans being able to stand a chance against the orcs due to having primitive firearms. This is something very Warcraft-ish, and I'm glad the film wasn't just pure sword&sorcery fantasy.
The second Makgora aftermath, with Garona and Grom defying Gul'dan, while all the other orcs salute in respect to Lothar, was incredibly well. One scene redeemed all orcs as characters and showcased their honor.
The whole deal with "Garona's betrayal" was done much better than in the old universe. It was pretty tearful and had genuine consequences (for both Garona and Lothar as persons, and for Gul'dan's shaming in the end). It also redeemed the otherwise blank character of King Llane, showing how much is he ready to sacrifice for what he believes in. Llane's wife, surprisingly, was quite good of a character, what with being able to bring Garona into the fold by kindness, and then influence the whole Alliance negotiations (big mistake to add them here while Stormwind still stands and we're not yet in Lordaeron, but whatever). Her actress wasn't kidding when she described her character's role in the movie.
[3/4]
>>70705953
>>70705977
>>70706004
Still don't get what was the point of Flying Dalaran. I suppose, just like Stormwind's firearms and cameos of elves and Kul Tirans, it was done for the "no-sequels" possibility, so that the film would include all aspects of Warcraft universe.
The landscapes and establishing shots in general also made me quite happy. While some shots truly ape the Fellowship, most of them are more in line with Lucas's Star Wars, where there' s always an establishing shot of exterior, before moving to interior, something Disney Wars severely lacked.
Overall, a 6.5 - 7.5 range, depending on how bad the first act will be for you. It gets better.
A lot of surprising hidden references, from Batman ("Clayface"), to Highlander (Medivh's whole shtick with being surrounded by lightning on a big mountain, Llane's helmet and Blackhand's back armor referencing Kurgan etc.) My friend, who's a big Highlander fan, really liked the movie and said that it's a spiritual continuation, in a way.
[4/4]
>>70706022
Good shit anon.
>>70706179
Thanks.
Really, that anon up there called me a DCuck, but, while I do think BvS deserves better, it's anithesis to how Warcraft ended up. Wacraft - atrocious first act, good 2nd, incredibly powerful 3rd. BVS - good 1st act, then it falls apart.
Motivations are a big thing to me, and in Warcraft, only Durotan's were strange (if he stops Gul'dan before he opens the portals, other orcs will be left in Draenor shithole to die). How they handled Garona/Llane thing was great, much better than just "dark magic" explanation the game manuals had.
>>70706022
OP, I just read in some recent interview that the movie timeline isn't the same as the WoW one, so their explanation is that it's some parallel universe or something.
Some people might call foul and bullshit, but at the same time it gives them more creative freedom to change certain stuff and to surprise people like me and other lorefags who knows all this stuff by heart.
Personally I can't wait for a sequel with Amani trolls, dwarfes, elves and ogres being introduced into the fight
what happened to the bald betrayer orc? I didnt see what happened to him after guldan did his thing at the end...
>>70705953
>>70705977
>>70706004
>>70706022
>all that text
lolno
>>70706304
Nah, I knew that it was going to be its separate universe from the start, Metzen even compared it to "Ultimate Marvel". Just, uh, wondering regarding some of the decisions. Mostly because I preferred the gigantic, yet land-based Dalaran from WC3.
>>70706348
It's why I said his goals were strange. Supposedly, he had other Frost Wolves removed (dead or escaped), while he himself gathered the orcs in a crowd against Gul'dan after the second Makgora, along with Garona and (voiceless) Grom.
>>70706377
Just tried to make a review, mate.
>>70706382
One thing that bothered me a bit was that before Llane tells Garona to kill her, he tells her to bring peace between orcs and humans and stuff. But then when people are about to rise up against Gul'dan she defends him and tells him to make the better decision in letting Lothar go, I understand she wants him to live but killing Gul'dan must've been a priority no?
>>70706451
to kill him*
>>70706451
I don't think the orcs were trying to kill him, just threatened him and didn't let go. She wasn't so much defending him, as standing and making a point to him that the orcs' culture still matters more than his ambitions.
It also parallels the earlier scene, where Gul'dan shouted at Durotan for stopping Blackhand's execution, which, too, was part of the tradition. Gul'dan, who tried to clamor to orcish traditions when it benefitted him, was left alone when they didn't.
I am more sad at the fact that the orcs just gave up and ran away scared from Gul'dan after the first Makgora. They all shouted "that's not fair!", but as soon as he blasted three dudes with magic they just forgot about their honor and ran away to fight.
>>70705953
nigga i aint reading all that shit ill just make up my own mind lmao
>What can I say? Well, it's not a masterpiece, but it's another brick in my personal "critics are complete idiots" line regarding this year's movies
>continues with 20 lines of criticism
m8 u wot
>>70706403
nobody reads t b h, just give it a score that is either 2 stars or 96 out of 100
>>70707545
There is stuff to criticize, but I am mostly positive about the movie.
"Critics are idiots" refers to abominably low scores it gets.
>>70706563
Yeah, RIP Durotan, died for nothing. Should've just gotten Anduin "niggersplitter" Lothar to slide between Gul'Dan's legs and slice his sack.
A lot of work went into making the armour look plastic.
They should have bashed it up a bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlNE1nvlGsQ
>>70708991
>but I am mostly positive about the movie.
That's because you're a shiteating faggot.
