Warcraft: The Beginning

Die Produktion ist hochwertig, der Film hat eine schöne Fantasy-Welt und super Masken, die visuelle Seite ist bis ins Detail ausgefeilt. Die Abwesenheit von bekannteren Schauspieler*innen ist kein Problem, Ben Foster ist für mich auch eine Schauspielpersönlichkeit. Bei mir ist es eher so, dass ich das Spiel, die Regeln seiner Welt und die Art des Zaubers nicht kenne. Und die Dramaturgie der Geschichte schien mir vereinfacht zu sein – der Rassenkonflikt hat mich nicht gefangen genommen, ich musste meine Aufmerksamkeit auf zu viele Figuren richten. Den Toden mancher Gestalten widmete sich der Film nicht ausreichend genug – im Hinblick darauf, wie wichtig sie für die Handlung waren. (27.06.2016)

I understand that it's hard to come up with something new when it comes to adapting a PC game, especially when you've got Blizzard's watchful eye on your back, and the thousands of fans who've spent hundreds of hours in WoW. Even so, the filmmakers could still have delivered more than just a recycled dumb fantasy cliché that you’ll immediately discard because you've seen it in plenty of other movies, computer games, or read it in the weaker fantasy titles that bookstores are full of. I was going to write exactly what Cervenak wrote, but he beat me to it, so I'll just repeat it - any 10 minutes of The Hobbit is more fun than 2 hours of Warcraft. I’m not going to mince words, it was boring. (13.08.2016)

This is surprisingly good work. It pulls at the gate without hesitation with the vigor of the Horde to engage the imagination of the Alliance at times. In the first case, it offers monumental and clear battles, in the second good personal moments, catchphrases, and even emotional highlights of heroic self-sacrifice. Jones' flick would have deserved another half-hour to introduce that world in a little more detail so that the viewer could get a better look at the inner threads of each side of the feud. However, I understand that the studio wanted a decoy that would score better if the viewer was fooled by the special effects artists and Djawadi's thunderous vibrations so that it could serve us a distinctive trilogy thanks to the earnings. I already consider Mortal Kombat and Silent Hill to be good video game adaptations, but Warcraft will hopefully break the genre floodgates to quality cinema for others. (05.08.2016)

Essentially, you could say that it’s a rather adequately made absolute fantasy movie with everything that goes with it. So no Tolkien-like more history than fantasy or something in the style of The Game of Thrones, where it’s only after the end of the first season that you realize that this isn’t exactly a movie from the middle ages, but that it contains traces of fantasy as well. With this movie, that is clear already with the first digital orc character that appears in the first scene. At that point I realized that there was no other way, as the entire world of Warcraft is based mainly on nations such as elves, orcs, goblins, dwarves or the undead and humans are rather an ancillary nation. Or they do have their place in all this, but it is comparable to that of the other races. So, it took me about half the movie to get used to this film world. It was incredibly colorful, and the digital effect guys did a lot of work as well and looking for a part of the real world in this movie would be as hard as looking for a beer in a crate of Bud Light. But the second half of the movie got me up from my chair and despite initially thinking that I might not watch the movie to the end, the final war scene actually satisfied me, more or less. This doesn’t mean I would need to see the sequel, but on the other hand, I must agree that Blizzard managed to keep an eye of everything. I guess fans of “WoW” or “DotA” will probably die of bliss. (03.10.2016)

I got what I expected. A slightly above average fantasy film that tries to be spectacular and succeeds quite well, but unfortunately falls flat on its face due to the sometimes downright repulsive stylization (I get it, it's very subjective), but mostly due to the unfortunate casting of a good half of the main characters and the attempt to fast forward and untell everything. Because of this, it doesn't make any sense at all at times, the relationships between the characters don't work the way they probably should, and trying to show as many monsters, places, cities, spells and things as possible ruins a potentially interesting story that ends up being much more banal than it could have been. Fans will probably be thrilled, but all I got was an ordinary if fairly epic fantasy movie that was alternately quite entertaining and downright grating at times. On the other hand, I accept that it's the first film and they managed to deal the cards in such a way that the sequel could be quite interesting and I'll happily go see it in a few years. I definitely don't need to see First Clash again though. (15.05.2017)

Es ist wie das Intro zu einem Computerspiel, bei dem ich lange dachte, dass ich es gerne spielen würde. Doch sobald es vorbei ist, gleicht der Geschmack Null. Es wirkt ein wenig wie ein Film für Menschen, die vergessen haben, wie ein Film auszusehen hat. Die Handlung wirkt provisorisch und der Versuch, sie durch mehrere "tiefgründige" Dialoge zu flicken, ist absolut amateurhaft. Sympathische Charaktere, jedoch alles lediglich in 2D. Die Welt endet hinter den Kulissen. Ich würde gerne einen vollblutigen Phantasyfilm sehen, welcher die Fantasie anregt, doch Warcraft: The Beginning ermutigt mit seinem Modell "von Aktion zu Aktion schreiten und in der Zwischenzeit nichts zu fragen", eher zur Passivität. Das tut mir Leid. Duncan Jones ist für die neue Welle cleverer Science-Fiction Filme mitschuldig, doch sein erster Phantasyfilm wird wohl eher lediglich in China für Erstaunen sorgen. Dort werden ja auch der Phantasie Grenzen gesetzt, wobei sich das Publikum ist mit Gurkenlake betrinken lässt. (29.06.2016)

A hodgepodge, which is not even bad enough to be ridiculously amusing in its unwanted stupidity (albeit flashy visuals or magic neon run style with bloody menacing glances, fingers ominously tapping and you can hear whispering something like "blablagrgrplopplopouch" are dangerously close to it) and at the same time it is not good enough to stand without any objections as a quality genre and not just as a video game B-rate movie pretending to be A-rate. Basically, when panoramas are being shown, the characters shut up and fight in a way that "someone randomly dies", it works well. In other words, yes, it works especially if it's essentially a variation on animations, as we know them directly from Blizzard. Despite how seriously it is taken, it also works in orc scenes, in which this is exactly what the movie Warcraft as a whole was supposed to be. But from the Alliance's point of view, everything is pure hell. In addition, in every second scene, it's more than obvious that the footage has been shortened a lot (some allegedly by up to forty minutes), but paradoxically it is not to the detriment. What is obvious is that the footage was shortened mainly due to removal of piffle. I mean what is like a torture when watching film adaptation of Warcraft. Even so, there is still more piffle than would be appropriate. Overall, it has vast potential, interesting story lines, decent battle scenes, sympathetic uncompromisingness of the main characters, but it also has C-rate dialogs, awkward actors (the real ones look like without life compared CGI orcs), appalling (however based on the original) stylization and gala show of the most original and ridiculous clichés from the department of "fantasy for losers". (18.06.2016)

Duncan Jones tries to appeal to fans of all kinds of the source material, as well as those unaffected by Warcraft, but in my case, he only made it halfway, stumbling along the way. When unfamiliar characters appear a few minutes into the film, looking deadly serious and throwing around unfamiliar names, titles, or at least mysterious words like "Gul'dan," I didn't believe I could get into the story. Luckily, the whole mythology is not complicated, and everything starts to fit together, especially when combination with the adventure where something is always happening, and there is never a moment without one of the main characters fighting, enchanting, or at least flying around a battle or spell. The problem is that beyond the initial visual destruction or emotionally well-crafted soundtrack, there is nothing else. The battles, romances, pacts, and wars lack entertainment value, and the entire First Contact takes place without me starting to root for Lothar and his comrades. On the contrary, the only character who truly interested me and for whom I was rooting for dies in a shockingly routine manner. I wouldn't mind a sequel because with such breadth, there will always be something to develop, but here, there was a lack of soul that would have made this newly discovered universe feel close to me. 50% (15.08.2016)

So once again, I threw my preconceptions aside and almost completely volunteered to go to the cinema to see Warcraft. I had no idea what orcs were beforehand, and I found their teeth and general appearance quite laughable. Honestly, in the first few minutes, as fans of the game began to excitedly whisper their first impressions amongst each other, I mentally cursed myself for being there. But fine, it'll get better. I'll at least try getting into the normal people who act in it. Yeah, that Lothar guy's pretty cute. The queen's not completely off base, either. Aside from the teeth, Garona's actually pretty cool, too. Screw the teeth, she's great. And Durotan is the best orc in the world. Oh, my God, I like orcs! Is it over yet? Why?! It was just so much better than I expected, and I really want a second one. 4 stars. (03.07.2016)

I'd hardly have anything to fault about it, except for the weird king character, whom I found rather bland and unhelpful given that he was a king and his decisions (however they were at the end of the film) had a big impact. I liked the story, basically I found most of the characters likeable, or at least I didn't develop any aversion to them. I liked Orc Durotan the most, of course, as did many others. But it just didn't have that something that makes you fall in love with it, that makes you leave the theater excited. Yes, it was a fine spectacle and I wasn't bored, but for all the magic the characters had in the film, it didn't quite have real magic. A very strong 3 stars and I'm curious to see the sequel. (18.06.2016)

I don't like movies with the IQ of a rocking horse, and therefore I should mercilessly tear Warcraft apart. The creators endowed it with a plethora of digital effects and action, but it has the intelligence level of a toddler, no, even an infant. It is a film with an A-budget but B-quality innards. A fleeting look at the film characters immediately reveals that it is not a "serious" fantasy with an attempt at philosophical depth, but rather infantile entertainment where it is advisable not to pay attention to stupid dialogues, crazy costumes, and fight choreography. However, I am forgiving toward the film because it is so silly in a pleasantly non-offensive way. I consider it my kind of guilty pleasure, and I'll give it a weak three stars. But I am happy to avoid any potential sequels, namely a second, third, and so on. Overall impression: 50%. (23.01.2021)

Unexpectedly good. Although Warcraft has some flaws, it got to me even despite my initial mistrust. An extra hour would have helped this movie no end. As it was, everything was a bit too heavy-handed and there are a lot of twists with very little room, but even so everything works almost excellently. In visual terms this is top-class, even though I have a big problem with human bones (I think the stylized armor doesn’t fit, even though it’s similarity to the game is admirable). The orcs are great, perfect expressions, you believe their every feeling. I especially enjoyed scenes with the orcs. Steeped in fantasy atmosphere, thank you Duncan Jones, for that. The action isn’t very polished, but even so, pretty fine and even though there is a lot of talking, it works. I’m very content, and I didn’t expect to say this, but I am really looking forward to the next part. (17.06.2016)

Ecstasy for the fans, a borefest for the everyone else. They completely abandoned trying to appeal to a wider audience base, and so, after a very brief prologue (because they had to), they go straight to the point and things basically don’t stop until the end. Therefore, when they start fighting with this one and that one does this other thing, the viewer not familiar with the game is lost. It's an impressive array of images, a well-chosen cast (Patton, Foster, Fimmel), and it's decently paced, but it doesn't allow anyone other than an absolute lover of the game to have emotions and form a more personal attachment to the film, or to like it. (25.09.2016)

Die Tricks waren einfach atemberaubend. In den ersten Minuten habe ich nur all die völlig realistischen digitalen Orks angestarrt. Im Laufe der Zeit habe ich sie als vollwertige (oder noch bessere) Schauspieler aus Fleisch und Blut wahrgenommen. Das habe ich nicht erwartet. In Warcraft: The Beginning gab es aber zum Glück noch mehr Überraschungen, z. B. ein paar Windungen der Geschichte. Die Schlachten sind gut und richtig saftig. Ab und zu sind in ihnen Figuren gestorben, bei denen ich damit gerechnet habe, dass ich sie im Finale oder sogar im nächsten Teil sehen werde. Schade nur, dass die Musik nicht ein bisschen besser gewesen ist und dass es nicht gelungen ist, mehr die anderen Rassen zu nutzen. Aber vielleicht nächstes Mal. Vielleicht…? (08.04.2017)

I was unable to watch it in one go. I felt a similar emptiness and tired genre self-reflection the other day with Kingdom of Heaven, where the result was also completely inadequate to the ambitions that go well beyond the limits of a simple summer blockbuster. Warcraft is a film by a fan for the fans, briskly paced and revelling in the unspecified laws of its fantastical world and its order, but it says absolutely nothing to viewers unfamiliar with the subject matter – except perhaps this, that The Lord of the Rings is irrefutably unparalleled as a cutting-edge product of fantasy entertainment in the cinematic field, and that video-game adaptations in particular, with their truncated schemes and more than a little blurred causality, are the very last subject matter sources that stand a chance against it. More than an adaptation of a book, the film feels like a pointlessly sprinting two-hour trailer for the game, with no standout characters, surprising twists, or established storyline or continuity. The only positive aspect is, naturally, the visuals, the quality of which is especially evident in the breathtaking authenticity of the majestic Orcs, and here and there a hilarious musical motif that keeps the audience awake in the extra-sleepy realms. Unfortunately, the first dud for the previously infallible Duncan Jones. (22.06.2016)

Für die Fans des Originalspiels ist es im Grunde Pflicht, für andere ist es ein glänzend und glitzerndes Gemisch aus "Chroniken von Narnia" und "Eragon", das in grellen Farben und der Ästhetik von Fantasyfilmen der 80er Jahre umgesetzt wurde, mit etwas begrenztem erzählerischem und emotionalem Wert. Interessant ist, dass der Film beide kämpfenden Lager, Menschen und digitale Orks, auf die gleiche Ebene stellt, so dass der Zuschauer praktisch wählen kann, wem er die Daumen drückt, genauso wie er im Spiel wählen kann, für wen er spielt. Viele verkürzte Situationen und Motive und zum Beispiel das vollständige Ignorieren anderer Rassen im Reich sind wahrscheinlich auf die deutliche Kürzung zurückzuführen. Die Geschichte ist schrecklich gewöhnlich und uninteressant und das Ende ist kein eigentliches Ende, sondern ein mutiger Schritt in weitere Teile. Für ein kommerzielles Produkt, das auf Fans des Spiels abzielt und weitgehend im Rahmen seiner Werbekampagne erstellt wurde, ist es jedoch ein ziemlich unterhaltsamer und visuell attraktiver Anblick, auch für den Zuschauer, der nicht von "Warcraft" geküsst wurde, was hauptsächlich dem Regisseur und den digitalen Technologien zu verdanken ist. Längere Rezension HIER. (11.06.2016)

When I was younger, I used to play "Warcraft III" for quite a long time, both campaigns and actual games. I really enjoyed it, though, and was very curious to see how they would tackle it on the big screen. I have to say that the final product is definitely not some bland fantasy quickie that would have vanished right out of your head after the credits rolled. I liked the visuals, which some users have condemned as too artificial – I was particularly impressed by the buildings, which were quite faithful to the source material, as well as the wizards' spells. As for the story, I was on the edge of my seat until the end to see who would survive this audiovisual orgy, so I give it a thumbs up on that front. All in all, a really solid fantasy blockbuster and a nostalgic throwback to my younger years at the same time, and one that I wouldn't be averse to a sequel to. (15.06.2016)

It's easy to forget, but the world of the source material (just like the Warhammer Universe, for example) is an exploitation of Anglo-Saxon fantasy that takes its classic attributes to the extreme, from the warmly decorated armor of the forces of good, to the length and shape of the elven ears, to the grotesque disproportions of the forces of evil. In a similar reading, it's possible to see the film adaptation as something so bizarre (I nearly peed myself laughing – several times – during the opening sequence with the pregnant orc) that even a decade ago no one would have thought that, in principle, anyone could actually get away with making a feature-length live-action adaptation of the games' legendary blizzard cinematic sequences despite any comic relief. Warcraft, after all, can be seen rather easily as an exploitation of the colorful blockbusters filmed entirely in front of a green screen. Indeed, the process of throwing live actors into a completely surreal environment where they are forced to interact with a bunch of pingpongers and dancers with pockmarked faces is taken to the point of absurdity here, and it's terrible fun. Ironically, then, the chivalrous charge with flintlocks is what movie fantasy is sorely lacking – balls, ideas, and the joy of being entertained. I stomped my feet contentedly and was happy. This despite the fact that I'd tried the games and didn't care for them. Bonus subjective point for Travis Fimmel's acting, which reminded me terribly of waking up after a wild bash in a completely unfamiliar place among unfamiliar people and trying vehemently to pretend I fit in so as not to arouse suspicion before I can find the door. (30.09.2016)

Ich habe mich nie für Computerspiele interessiert, mit ein paar rühmlichen Ausnahmen. Ich bin nicht so sehr durch einen CGI-Hintergrund belastet, und ich war begeistert von der zwischen Menschen und Orks aufgeteilten Fantasy-Welt. Die Orks haben mich sofort überzeugt, sie waren visuell perfekt. Es tut mir leid, dass ich den Film nicht im Kino gesehen habe, sonst hätte ich bei der Bewertung vielleicht die Höchstnote vergeben. Hoffentlich gibt es in diesen harten Zeiten einen zweiten Teil, denn dies war eine Aufwärmrunde für epischere Schlachten. (27.10.2021)

As I've been playing WOW for 8 years now, I was excited to see this. At the same time, I was seriously apprehensive. I've never played the original Warcraft, but I'm at least roughly familiar with it and the film certainly didn't disappoint. As a player, I was pleased that I could easily recognize the locations without the need for text on screen. As a viewer, I was pleased that it was possible to immerse myself in the story even without any prior knowledge of the game. Thankfully, unlike in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the declarations of love, both straight and gay, were kept to the minimum, so there was no need to add entirely new characters to the story. The plot could simply race forward, which it did. I think it’s an excellent fantasy film, which not only didn’t disappoint me but made me look forward to the sequel (if there is one). On the other hand, what I didn’t like too much were the deviations from the game. If it continues along these lines, it will probably become a completely different story that will have very little in common with what the players know. (22.06.2016)