WARCRAFT from Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures (6/10/16)

[Bosco685]

[Bosco685]

[Bosco685]

Uh-oh!

 

First Wave Of Reviews For WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING Are Sure To Upset Fans Of The Video Game Series

 

In the hands of director and co-writer Duncan Jones (who previously earned plaudits for sci-fi outings Source Code and Moon), the film takes a long time to build dramatic momentum and gets interrupted by what seem like unnecessary plot points; some of them, perhaps, geared towards potential sequels. The CG and motion capture work that goes into the orc characters and most of the sets is impressive - Life of Pi Oscar winner Bill Westenhofer leads the visual effects team – but it doesn’t always meld easily with the live action. The film (rated PG-13 in the US) ends up feeling unconvincing and generic, with nothing to compare to either the dramatic heft of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy or the raunch and gore of Game of Thrones.

 

With its meticulously detailed realms built out primarily on soundstages and enhanced via CGI during extensive post-production, “Warcraft” aims for fresh and eye-popping and yet ends up shopworn and rather tacky. It fits into a long line of visually audacious Hollywood gambles: In success you wind up with a sleeper that few see coming, like “300” (or, if you strike the bull’s-eye, a phenomenon like “Avatar”), but the ones that miss — “The Spirit,” “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” “Sucker Punch” — tend to tank hard. Boasting more than 2,000 visual effects shots, it’s dispiriting to think about the time, energy, planning and precision that went into “Warcraft” when the final product brings to mind those animated advertisements for iPhone app games. So good at making the most outlandish elements of his first two films seem completely credible, Jones can’t find a way to get this cartoony spectacle to soar. His heartfelt approach to the material only underlines the silliness.

 

Imagine “Battlefield Earth” without the verve and you get this sludgy, tedious fantasy adventure, a fun-starved dud that’s not even unintentionally hilarious. The cast seems mostly adrift, with only Schnetzer giving what might be considered an actual performance. The usually reliable Foster is reduced to gadding about like a prog-rock Jesus in a series of robes that make him look like he’s posing for the side of someone’s van, and poor Paula Patton gets saddled with a sad pair of novelty-store fangs. (To her credit, she makes the green body makeup work; if the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever expands to include superhero-with-a-law-degree She-Hulk, we’re looking at a real contender here.) “Warcraft” promises, or threatens, sequels, but then so did “Super Mario Bros.” And come to think of it, if forced to watch either of these video-game movies a second time, I’d probably vote for the plumbers.

 

But if you’ve never played Warcraft the game, can you care about Warcraft the movie? Given the ardent global following of the franchise, will it matter? For non-aficionados, the two-hour experience could be more concise, but it’s no ordeal. Neither, though, is it consistently involving. If you haven’t already invested in the self-serious mythology, it can feel borderline camp, if not downright dull — or both, as when an uncredited Glenn Close intones platitudes from on high about darkness and light. Yet there’s no question that it’s a breakthrough in both storytelling and artistry for features based on video games. And compared with another medieval-ish tale, the soporific Hobbit trilogy, this international production is a fleet and nimble ride, likely to conquer overseas box offices and make a solid stand stateside.

[fantastic_four]

Surprise for me would be anything other than mixed reviews given how mediocre the trailers have been.

[bane]

Surprise for me would be anything other than mixed reviews given how mediocre the trailers have been.

 

Yeah I thought the trailers pretty much suck. I have zero interest in seeing this at the cinema.

[fantastic_four]

I'll see it opening weekend, but it's because I've been playing Warcraft since the very first game came out in 1994 (screenshot from that game is below). It was a real-time strategy game until World of Warcraft came out in 2004 to make it more popular as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

 

[fett]

so was anyone cast to play Leroy Jenkins? that would be awesome :0

[Bronty]

The usually reliable Foster is reduced to gadding about like a prog-rock Jesus in a series of robes that make him look like he’s posing for the side of someone’s van.

 

that's gold! lol

[Bosco685]

so was anyone cast to play Leroy Jenkins? that would be awesome :0

 

 

That would be the ultimate inside joke.

 

 

 

[fantastic_four]

The moment where the party leader asks someone to compute their chance of survival and the guy responds "32.333 repeating" is the point meant to help you figure out that the video is set up to be fake. Still pretty funny, but I'm guessing people who haven't played the game don't really get why it could be so incredibly humorous to people who have been a part of the fights in this game.

[MetalPSI]

so was anyone cast to play Leroy Jenkins? that would be awesome :0

 

 

That would be the ultimate inside joke.

 

 

 

 

That cracks me up every time.

[Bosco685]

The moment where the party leader asks someone to compute their chance of survival and the guy responds "32.333 repeating" is the point meant to help you figure out that the video is set up to be fake. Still pretty funny, but I'm guessing people who haven't played the game don't really get why it could be so incredibly humorous to people who have been a part of the fights in this game.

 

That is been the belief for a long time. But it doesn't make it any less funny.

 

WoW Archivist: The legacy of Leeroy Jenkins

 

Leeroy Jenkins is easily the most recognizable name in all World of Warcraft. It isn't Thrall, it isn't Arthas, it isn't Chris Metzen or Ghostcrawler. It's Leeroy Jenkins. Leeroy has transcended the realm of geekdom in a way that no other aspect of World of Warcraft can.

 

While World of Warcraft may have made appearances in shows such as Stargate Atlantis, Leeroy has found a place on How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl, Scrubs, and beyond -- he has become a genre and a trope unto himself. Leeroy Jenkins has been mentioned and plugged so many times in pop culture that the days of his being a World of Warcraft reference are in decline and we're coming to a point that most of the world has no idea of the origin of the joke. It's just a funny thing that exists, disembodied from its nerdy, video game roots.

 

The original Leeroy Jenkins video was uploaded to WarcraftMovies.com over six years ago on May 11, 2005. The video was created by Leeroy and his buddies in the guild PALS FOR LIFE on Laughing Skull (US). It depicts ... you know what, no. Just watch it.

 

The video, originally titled A Rough Go, was included in a tie-in thread posted to the official World of Warcraft forums, which has been immortalized in the truly ancient bluetrackers floating around on the 'net, such as cardplace.

 

It even made it onto Workaholics - so that says something.

 

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

I can`t wait to see what this does at the box office.

I predict big box office!

[paperheart]

I can`t wait to see what this does at the box office.

I predict big box office!

 

[Bosco685]

[krighton]

Premiere live stream on June 6th on the Warcraft Twitch stream. Just showing the Premiere event from Hollywood I guess if you're into that.

 

 

https://www.twitch.tv/warcraft

 

 

[Doohickamabob]

If this IndieWire review by David Ehrlich is any indication, "Warcraft" is a colossal piece of ----.

 

Choice quotes:

 

"“Warcraft” is a once-in-a-generation disaster, one of the most ill-advised and ill-conceived studio films of this modern blockbuster era..."

 

"“Warcraft” is finally here, and not only does it fail to bridge the gap between movies and video games, it self-immolates and swan-dives into the void, illuminating a dark rift that’s even deeper than it is wide. A grotesque, funhouse reflection of modern blockbuster cinema, the film is truly a staggering failure, and there’s no joy to be found in its profound awfulness "

 

"Presented in garish 3D so vivid that viewers can practically feel the movie losing money in real time, “Warcraft” unfolds as though a Dungeon Master were narrating a very expensive episode of “Drunk History.”"

 

"“Warcraft” unfolds like a feature-length version of a “Previously, on ‘Game of Thrones'” package, blitzing through the plot as though the movie’s only task was to remind viewers of a story they already knew."

 

"This is truly a depressing experience. It’s rare to feel such pity for a major studio movie, but watching “Warcraft” bend over backwards to set up a sequel is like watching a desperate paramedic apply CPR to someone who’s clearly been dead for hours. He’s gone. He’s gone. Let it go."

 

"Bad movies come and go — “Warcraft” is a tragedy. Grade: F"

 

[paperheart]

If this IndieWire review by David Ehrlich is any indication, "Warcraft" is a colossal piece of ----.

 

Choice quotes:

 

"“Warcraft” is a once-in-a-generation disaster, one of the most ill-advised and ill-conceived studio films of this modern blockbuster era..."

 

"“Warcraft” is finally here, and not only does it fail to bridge the gap between movies and video games, it self-immolates and swan-dives into the void, illuminating a dark rift that’s even deeper than it is wide. A grotesque, funhouse reflection of modern blockbuster cinema, the film is truly a staggering failure, and there’s no joy to be found in its profound awfulness "

 

"Presented in garish 3D so vivid that viewers can practically feel the movie losing money in real time, “Warcraft” unfolds as though a Dungeon Master were narrating a very expensive episode of “Drunk History.”"

 

"“Warcraft” unfolds like a feature-length version of a “Previously, on ‘Game of Thrones'” package, blitzing through the plot as though the movie’s only task was to remind viewers of a story they already knew."

 

"This is truly a depressing experience. It’s rare to feel such pity for a major studio movie, but watching “Warcraft” bend over backwards to set up a sequel is like watching a desperate paramedic apply CPR to someone who’s clearly been dead for hours. He’s gone. He’s gone. Let it go."

 

"Bad movies come and go — “Warcraft” is a tragedy. Grade: F"

 

yet it's going to take China by storm. Deadline predicting that it could beat the $390MM BO of FF7, US it will be lucky to do $75MM.

[MetalPSI]

Yes, but are these reviews by the same bunch we repeatedly keep seeing. Seems like everyone is a pessimist and cynic these days.

 

Are these a bunch of fanboys?

 

Not that I'm defending the movie. I have yet to see anything good come out this year at all.

[Ken Aldred]

It's disappointing if the reviews are accurate. I'd expected Duncan Jones to do a lot better with it.