After watching this film, I came to the conclusion that either critics nitpick too much...or they just hate video game adaptations. I can see the problems that this film has...but most of the time, I enjoyed the film. The visual effects are spectacular - the Orcs look very real to me. And the action sequences are a lot of fun, too. The major issues with this film are mainly on the pacing and the editing.
Let's start with the best thing in the film: The Orcs. And not only physically, but emotionally, too. Physically, they look so cool & so real and I really have to credit the visual effects team for pulling such a feat. They look awesome!! And they do look quite distinct from one another, too.
And not only from their looks, but in terms of their character, Durotan has that presence & charisma of a leader - he doesn't look fearsome, and instead has that charismatic presence. And that is a character you want to root for. Meanwhile Gul'dan is the opposite end of the spectrum and brings such an evil & menacing feel. These two characters are the prime example of what the film did right, and why I like this film.
Meanwhile, the human characters feel rather generic. They're not that bad, but when you have Orcs as interesting as Durotan & Gul'dan, the human characters feel a lot less interesting. Even the story arc of the human protagonist, Lothar, is similarly very generic. Meanwhile, Durotan has more of a conflict in terms of who to trust and what should he do or not do. In short, in terms of both plot & characterization, this film has it better towards the Orcs' side.
Now, the action sequences, which is what you'd expect a lot of from a film like this, are pretty solid. The Orcs really have that size & strength so its awesome to see them in battle. And just in general, the action sequences are fun to watch. And they are seriously enhanced by the super brilliant music/score by the great Ramin Djawadi (Pacific Rim, Game of Thrones). He really is a genius and this is maybe the best musical score of the Year so far, apart from Batman v Superman. It really enhances the feeling on screen, and now I also enjoy listening to it in my phone.
The problems with this film is that it paces too fast without giving audiences some time to breath it in. It jumps too quickly from place to place and it is not easy to catch on in a fantasy world like this. While I am a huge fantasy world fan, I was never a Warcraft fan, and I do miss out on some of the details, names, etc. But where it mattered, in terms of our main characters, its not that hard to catch on, so overall, I can generally understand what happens. The pacing can be improved, but it doesn't ruin the film for me.
Apart from that, everything else seems like it works just fine. There is nothing too special that this film has to offer, but in terms of the visual effects & the action, it was brilliant. And in Durotan & Gul'dan, we have some of the better fictional (non-human) characters we've seen on screen. And the musical score - I swear - was awesome. And in the end, it is a fun & enjoyable film to watch.
VERDICT: 7.0
If you're a fan of Warcraft, then definitely check this out. I didn't even catch any of the Easter Eggs, but I still enjoyed the film. And if you're a fan of Action or Fantasy films (like I am), then you will find this an enjoyable film to watch. Or if you're just looking for some fun, then you might have it with this film.
But if you're not in any of the above categories, then this film might be a pretty hard sell.
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