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MOVIE REVIEW

WarCraft

also known as “War Craft,” “Warcraft,” “Warcraft: The Beginning,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for extended sequences of intense fantasy violence.

Reviewed by: Gabriel Mohler
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Adults—fans of the video game
Genre: War Fantasy Action Adventure Adaptation
Length: 2 hr. 3 min.
Year of Release: 2016
USA Release: June 10, 2016 (wide—3,400+ theaters)
DVD: September 27, 2016
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Relevant Issues

invasions

war in the Bible

What is the Biblical perspective on war? Answer

fighting for survival

greed for power

family

friendship

loyalty

fairness

fantasy magic

Featuring Travis Fimmel … Anduin Lothar
Paula PattonGarona
Ben FosterMedivh
Dominic CooperLlane Wrynn
Toby KebbellDurotan / Antonidas
Ben Schnetzer … Khadgar
Robert Kazinsky … Orgrim
Clancy Brown … Blackhand
Daniel Wu … Gul'dan
Ruth Negga … Lady Taria
See all »
Director Duncan Jone — “Source Code” (2011), “Moon” (2009)
Producer Atlas Entertainment
Legendary Pictures
See all »
Distributor Distributor: Universal Pictures. Trademark logo.Universal Pictures

“Two worlds. One destiny.”

What standards does a movie have to meet to be good? The first thing a Biblical Christian would say is that it can’t consistently reinforce any messages that run contrary to the Bible, and that it can’t have gratuitous sex, nudity, profanity, or offensive violence. And I agree that a movie has to meet those standards to be good, but I would add that just because a movie meets those standards doesn’t make it good.

Take “Warcraft” for instance. It’s a pretty clean movie. Come to think of it, it’s probably one of the cleaner movies I’ve seen in a long time, other than the violence. The only bad language is one use of b*stard and hell, and the only thing sexual in nature is a wholesome scene in which an orc lovingly strokes his wife’s pregnant belly, plus some cleavage and shirtless males.

There are some pretty intense battle sequences, but the violence doesn’t reach the levels of extreme because there is barely any blood. Most of the stabbings and deaths are offscreen, and on the few occasions when anything more is shown, it’s done to an orc (thus making it less disturbing than if it was done to a human). I’ve never played the video game, but I hear it’s more violent than the movie.

For teens on up, there’s barely anything to worry about, except this: Is the movie worth your time? Personally, just staying awake through this film was drudgery for me. It really tries to tell a story with good dialog, but there is nothing original about the plot. It’s just another war between humans and fantasy creatures. The orcs aren’t really scary, but they are unpleasantly ugly.

To be fair, there are some positive messages to be drawn from the film about living in peace. There is also a (sort-of?) sacrifice at the end, although it comes with questionable messages about war and killing. Some Christians may also want to be aware that fantasy magic is used.

While good does win over evil, this film has nothing new or thought-provoking to offer. It’s more eye candy than anything else. And on that note, I WAS impressed with the CGI. The movement, talking, and special effects are very believable. But watching this movie felt like wasting two hours straight playing a video game. Hmmm, I wonder why?

I guess I could recommend this film to fans of the video game. They’ll probably enjoy seeing the animated figures come to life in a movie plot. But it will probably be an insult to general fantasy film fans, who know a good fantasy film when they see it. “The Fellowship of the Ring,” anyone?

Violence: Very Heavy / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—If you have played the “World of Warcraft,” like I have for the past 15 years, then you will love this film. If you have not, then not so much. One sweet ending was a little “Moses basket” scene, which was a nice nod to the Bible story.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
James, age 42 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—I really wanted to like this movie. My sons, who enjoyed the game during their youth, assured me I would. The special effects are remarkable, and the moviemakers have created a totally believable fantasy world with many honorable characters. There is a strong emphasis on loyalty and self sacrifice. I liked that the orcs weren’t cardboard cutout villains. They had a real culture and troubles within their own ranks. They didn’t just wake up cranky one day and decide to attack the humans, but were trying to survive as a species.

While many of the elements for a successful action film were present I came away wondering why I hadn’t enjoyed myself. It was all so big, loud and ugly, I felt exhausted. There was one very touching moment for me, and this is a real spoiler if anyone cares. The Guardian who was supposed to protect the humans was seduced by a demon. Earlier in the film he speaks of his great loneliness. He comes to his senses as he dies at the end. It made me wonder if the demon hadn’t approached him as a friend. Isn’t that the way of Satan, to present himself as an angel of light and strike where you are most vulnerable.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Kathy Cicotte, age 61 (USA)
Movie Critics
…Jones’s take on the “Warcraft” universe is little more than a bargain-basement rehash of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth, with wall-to-wall, often cheap-looking CGI serving as an unhappy substitute for the New Zealand landscape. The result is a realm at once overstuffed with space-filling flourishes and strangely empty, a world so relentlessly synthetic it's hard to get a grasp on and thus even harder to care about. …
James Lattimer, Slant
…Hollywood’s habit of turning hit videogames into unwatchable movies continues unabated. …this pricey and preposterous adaptation of an online gaming phenomenon was preordained for artistic mediocrity…
Geoff Berkshire, Variety
…With an emphasis on craft over war, the characters are front and center, and those that are partly digital creations are among its most memorable. They have heart. …a striking blend of pricey practical and digital effects…
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
…In the end, WARCRAFT is an enjoyable ride, but some strong action violence and the magical elements warrant extreme caution.
Ted Baehr, Movieguide
…So many things make it hard to go with the flow in this video-game adaptation… [2/5]
Charlotte O'Sullivan, London Evening Standard
…The Warcraft movie is naff fantasy in shiny, technicolour armour… If you take delight in names like “Orgrim Doomhammer” and have a high tolerance for randomly scattered apostrophes and superfluous “h”’s, it could be your film of the summer. If not, you should avoid it at all costs. …[2/5]
Helen O'Hara, Empire [UK]
…anything but magical… Somebody should have put this script to the sword. … [1½/5]
Ethan Sacks,·New York Daily News
…derivative, relentlessly dull-witted computer game spin-off… the effect of the overstuffed plotting and cacophonous score is like being bludgeoned by the war hammers of a thousand orcs. … [2/5]
Wendy Ide, The Guardian (UK)
“Warcraft” is a rather shocking misfire, a jumbled and narratively wonky bit of would-be fantasy world-building that is darn near impenetrable to anyone not deeply entrenched in its source material. …
Scott Mendelson, Forbes
…Duncan Jones tragically stultifying fantasy is hard to pin down—picture a film in which most of the antagonists wear buckets on their heads and you’re halfway there… It generates no great pleasure to reveal the wretchedness of this grand enterprise. Hundreds of very talented technicians have laboured hard to produce the largely horrible images. …
Donald Clarke, The Irish Times
…An epic fantasy adventure with all the trimmings—but none of the personality… Much of the problem lies with the cast—Travis Fimmel is a walking charisma void… [2/5]
Tom Huddleston, Time Out London

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