★★☆
If it sells in one medium, it sells in another. That is the production mantra that has led us to the glut of thickheaded paint-by-numbers summer blockbusters through which we now wade. Fortunately, Blizzard’s inevitable Warcraft cash-in stands just above its peers, delivering on its title with satisfying brutality.
The kingdom of Azeroth stands on the brink of war, as the orc horde, which inhabits the dying world of Draenor, constructs a portal that allows it to invade the realms of men. As both races fight for their survival, factions within the two sides seek out the source of the dark magic that led to their conflict.
Warcraft begins at a blistering pace, introducing five or six locations and thrice as many characters within the first half-hour. In contextualising the narrative and catering to fans, director Duncan Jones is forced to rush through world-building, and the realm is poorer for it. By the time the fourth CGI city has whizzed past, we are hopelessly lost, and Ramin Djawadi’s forgettable soundtrack gives us no anchor to place or person.
The same is true for characters – we are given little reason to root for generic swarthy man-soldier Anduin (Travis Fimmel) or his son, nor mage sidekick Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer) or the plight of half-orc Garona (Paula Patton). Toby Kebbell’s stoic orc lead Durotan has more clout, surprisingly, than much of the human cast, though Ben Foster’s turn as the omnipotent Medivh is enjoyable.
As for plot, one could hardly expect much. World history is pushed aside in favour of immediacy – a wise choice, but one that reduces any power that the many yelled pronouns from soldiers may have had, given context. The narrative centers around the intricacies of an otherwise simple bipartisan war, and how corruption condemns all to suffering.
In this last detail, Jones shines, taking from the first Warcraft video game’s narrative audacity and raining down violence on even the noblest of protagonists. Some twists of the knife are predictable; others surprise with the pain they inflict. How did we get so attached to these characters, when we first thought them poorly formed?
Ultimately, the true heroes are the effects team, which has created some of the weightiest and most bone-crushing combat sequences yet rendered. When the horde barrels through a platoon of soldiers, the crunch of muscle on armour is both audible and palpable.
It is neither the smartest, nor the dumbest film likely to release this year, and it is far from the end of what Blizzard will bring to the big screen. They’ve nailed their warcraft; let’s hope their filmcraft follows suit.
Warcraft: The Beginningopens in cinemas on Thursday June 16.
