Warcraft movie MEGA THREAD

[Relapses]

They deliberately delayed the US release because a bad performance in the US can negatively affect foreign box office. I suspect the reverse (at least, with respect to critical reaction) is true to a lesser extent. All the negative reviews and low RT rating couldn't have helped. Even for fans, there must have been a temptation to just wait for video release. And I wonder if the availability of wide screen video is higher in the US than some other countries, like China, which would make that delay easier to justify.

The former explanation is far more likely than the latter.

[Jagang]

So Ive heard ppl say theres a mannoroth camre, if true can someone say when abouts it happens in the movie? thanks

I missed this too.... Is it bs?

[Deleted]

I missed this too.... Is it bs?

Not BS. Think i remember it somewhere.

[Deleted]

Not BS. Think i remember it somewhere.

BS, saw the movie 3 times, there is no other demon than Sargy.

[Ultimacy]

Not BS. Think i remember it somewhere.

Someone pulled your leg.

[Count Zero]

So Ive heard ppl say theres a mannoroth camre, if true can someone say when abouts it happens in the movie? thanks

I heard:

Gul'Dan has a picture of Manno inside his tent, which is only briefly visible a couple/few times.

[Pull My Finger]

Finally saw it today.

Honestly: I have no idea how anyone could say it's a bad movie. Nonsense!

First off: it looks really good. The production design is great and the CGI is really well done. What's really nice is that visually, they managed to really do the franchise justice. The environments, the architecture, the weapon and armor design - it's all how it should be and feels 100% Warcraft. There are lots of little details, easter eggs and funny little puns that will put a smile on the face of any seasoned Warcraft/WoW player. The soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi strikes a nice balance between sounding like a proper Hollywood blockbuster while capturing that classic Warcraft flair.

The film is fast-paced, compellingly written and just continuously fun to follow - not a dull moment during those 2 hours. It's not one of those bumptious and garrulous borefests that burble away trying to squeeze the meaningful epicness of a grand saga into 2 hours of screen time.

I liked the cast - the characters are likeable and charismatic, especially Anduin Lothar, Durotan, Khadgar and the secret star of the movie, Garona. The action is great, there's just the right amount of comic relief and lighthearted moments and the plot is emotional in the right moments.

So, all in all: if you still haven't seen it or are on the fence: do yourself a favor and go watch it! It's an unreservedly entertaining, FUN movie that's compellingly easy on the eyes and entirely enjoyable for an audience that isn't familiar with the Warcraft franchise, but even more so for a fan.

[Deleted]

Honestly: I have no idea how anyone could say it's a bad movie. Nonsense!
...
The film is fast-paced, compellingly written and just continuously fun to follow - not a dull moment during those 2 hours.

Maybe not bad but it wasn't good either.
Also fast-paced? is that what you call a rushed mess of name dropping in a sequence of 20-30 sec scenes? Maybe there wasn't a dull moment in the movie but there were many dumb ones that left me completely baffled and i'm pretty familiar with the WoW lore. I understand that a big chunk of the movie had to be cut out so it's even worse when you consider the choice of keeping some completely pointless scenes in. I think a lot of them were purely for fan service and in all honesty it was a movie for the fans.

I was skeptical about the critics aswell until i saw the movie but now i kinda understand how someone unfamiliar with the warcraft universe can sit in the cinema for 2 hours with a WTF expression on their face. I can understand the people who absolutely love it aswell because i have never been surrounded by so many impressionable teenagers who like fighting and explosions until i went to see this movie.

Personally i think that game movies are generally bad because hollywood simply buys popular IPs for a quick cash in on their popularity, they don't care about the product but with Blizzard involved in the production of the Warcraft movie i though we were gonna get the best movie they could make. But no, we probably had the marketing department step in and asked for the movie to be cut cause they calculated a 2 hour movie would make the most money.

I don't regret seeing the movie in the cinema BUT from what i understand there will be a director cut or extended version which i suspect it will be much more enjoyable and it's what i recommend for people who aren't familiar with the lore.

[Pull My Finger]

Maybe not bad but it wasn't good either.
Also fast-paced? is that what you call a rushed mess of name dropping in a sequence of 20-30 sec scenes? Maybe there wasn't a dull moment in the movie but there were many dumb ones that left me completely baffled and i'm pretty familiar with the WoW lore. I understand that a big chunk of the movie had to be cut out so it's even worse when you consider the choice of keeping some completely pointless scenes in. I think a lot of them were purely for fan service and in all honesty it was a movie for the fans.

Of course it's a movie for the fans. That's exactly what it should be! As a WoW player of 12 years (11 if you count out my largely inactive last year, to be exact), I felt unreserverdly entertained. It's not a "mess" by any stretch. And it's as easy as it is unreasonable to hold petty criticism towards the fact that they couldn't possibly make a 16-hour long movie that covers all the details in the "right" pace and detail.

Personally i think that game movies are generally bad because hollywood simply buys popular IPs for a quick cash in on their popularity, they don't care about the product but with Blizzard involved in the production of the Warcraft movie i though we were gonna get the best movie they could make. But no, we probably had the marketing department step in and asked for the movie to be cut cause they calculated a 2 hour movie would make the most money.

I can't agree with not caring about the product, and I think it's quite an unfair accusation. In fact, I think they did a really good job of making the movie look and feel just what you expect it to if you're familiar with the games, and the attention to design details and the many little references show that the people who made this actually have an idea of the source material.

Some things have been a bit rewritten. As long as it works for the movie, who the hell cares? I don't go to the movie theatre to see a bunch of stuff I already know faithfully re-narrated to the slightest detail just to satisfy some insular and narrow-minded lore nerd grailkeeper nonsense. What they did worked well for the plot and within the 2 hours of screen time they had, and ultimately, served the conclusion, and worked as a build-up for a potential sequel. Even if some things were told a little different.

What movie adaptation doesn't do this? You don't see people cry about all the Marvel adaptations who are ALL OVER THE PLACE with rewriting and mixing up "facts". I never liked nitpicky lore nerds and choose not to be narrow-minded to a point where it prevents me from enjoying a perfectly satisfying movie. I just took it for what it is, and that's how the movie deserves to be watched, anyway.

[Pull My Finger]

Funnily enough is that a movie that did exactly this, Watchmen, was notoriously slagged for having done so.

I found Watchmen absolutely watchable. Oh lookey - who watches the Watchmen ... me ... no pun intended. Not my favorite movie of all time, but I don't see why one would have to slag it. People will always trash a product for something. Can't really take that seriously either way. It just seems to be some kind of mistaken dogma - you're supposed to stand there with your arms crossed, nitpicking and pointing out flaws. Apparently this makes people think they're being "experts", or they mistake it for "having an opinion". Life's much more fun when you're open-minded and relaxed.

[Zaqwert]

Mega bomb in the US, good numbers overseas, ala John Carter.

Sequel may or may not happen. If it does happen the budget will be slashed dramatically, no way in hell they spend another 160+ million on another Warcraft movie.

- - - Updated - - -

Horribly bad isn't the way I'd put it. The studio predicted a $25M domestic box office cume and that's exactly how it performed.

The movie will finish with likely 50-55 mil domestic, which for a 160 mil movie is a huge bomb, likely will be the biggest box office bomb this year domestically (cost - gross).

The overseas numbers are the only thing that's going to make this not an epic financial disaster.

[Nurvus]

Imo, the movie was very good.
The only aspect of the movie I felt could've been greatly improved, was Garona's emotional development over the movie. I guess there must've been some parts that were cut, but she became friendly/emotionally attached WAY too quickly. The only cringeworthy moment was the scene in the end where she looks at Gul'dan with an obnoxiously "guilty" face, completely oblivious to the fact anyone around her would be able to tell something was fishy about her behavior.
This is obviously an attempt at conveying a very specific message - but it shouldn't be done at the expense of believability.

There's also a minor fail in the movie, one that really doesn't bother me much, but shows lack of attention (or they cut way too much stuff and lost track of continuity):
When Lothar flies with Khadgar on Gryphon from Stormwind to Kharazhan, they pass over an snowy peak.
There are no snowy peaks in between those two locations. I suppose the original footage was on the assumption they'd fly from Ironforge, or something.

[Osmeric]

Mega bomb in the US, good numbers overseas, ala John Carter.

I believe it has already outgrossed John Carter globally, and that movie cost $100M more to make.

[Count Zero]

Funnily enough is that a movie that did exactly this, Watchmen, was notoriously slagged for having done so.

And now everyone is having aneurysms about all this DC Rebirth stuff ...

[Deleted]

Of course it's a movie for the fans. That's exactly what it should be! As a WoW player of 12 years (11 if you count out my largely inactive last year, to be exact), I felt unreserverdly entertained. It's not a "mess" by any stretch. And it's as easy as it is unreasonable to hold petty criticism towards the fact that they couldn't possibly make a 16-hour long movie that covers all the details in the "right" pace and detail.

It shouldn't be made for fans and i'm pretty sure Blizzard doesn't see it that way. They made a fantasy movie and they want as many people to see it, especially the ones interested in the fantasy genre, why would they limit themselves to the 5-6 million still interested the the game?

Also nobody is asking for the movie to be extremely long and cover everything, you're taking it to the extreme for no good reason, but the things they just didn't do justice to the things they covered, be it story wise with a half-assed love story or lothar's son to iconic environments. Dalaran is showed like 3 seconds in trailer and gets like 10 seconds in the movie, where there were some people with glowing eyes we knew nothing about that have a strange cube they know nothing where an old lady lives that speaks some gibberish (all this in less than a minute and this is all we get about the dalaran and the kirin tor).

I can't agree with not caring about the product, and I think it's quite an unfair accusation. In fact, I think they did a really good job of making the movie look and feel just what you expect it to if you're familiar with the games, and the attention to design details and the many little references show that the people who made this actually have an idea of the source material.

That's cause i was talking about video game movies in general, not Warcraft, and how hollywood producers used popular IPs for a quick cash grab. And even thought they cared enough to create all those sets and props and bring passionate people, in the end they still compromised for some extra money.

Some things have been a bit rewritten. As long as it works for the movie, who the hell cares? I don't go to the movie theatre to see a bunch of stuff I already know faithfully re-narrated to the slightest detail just to satisfy some insular and narrow-minded lore nerd grailkeeper nonsense. What they did worked well for the plot and within the 2 hours of screen time they had, and ultimately, served the conclusion, and worked as a build-up for a potential sequel. Even if some things were told a little different.

What movie adaptation doesn't do this? You don't see people cry about all the Marvel adaptations who are ALL OVER THE PLACE with rewriting and mixing up "facts". I never liked nitpicky lore nerds and choose not to be narrow-minded to a point where it prevents me from enjoying a perfectly satisfying movie. I just took it for what it is, and that's how the movie deserves to be watched, anyway.

There is nothing here to make anyone think changes to the lore is a problem with the movie, why you went on a rant about nitpicky lore nerds is beyond me.

[Count Zero]

I believe it has already outgrossed John Carter globally, and that movie cost $100M more to make.

And if we're going to say things like "huge flop in the States" maybe we should look at how much US investors put in. Wasn't it about 50/50 between US and Chinese investment / backing ? Even if I'm wrong, whatever, Chinese investors are definitely happy no matter how big or little their stake, at this point.

At this point I all but guarantee we get a sequel on a smaller budget. If we get a director's cut of the first one here on dvd I think that will be a huuuuge boost to its income capability. I bet a lot of fans even are just waiting for the dvd instead of seeing it in the theater, directors cut or not. And an extended cut will address a lot of the pacing problems that critics and fans alike had with the theatrical.

[Pull My Finger]

why you went on a rant about nitpicky lore nerds is beyond me.

Because it's a frequent point of petty criticism?

Also, just because: fuck lore nerds! A nasty bunch. This just has to be said here and there.

[Deleted]

Mega bomb in the US, good numbers overseas, ala John Carter.

John Carter costed $250M (production) and grossed $280M. Warcraft costed way less and already grossed more. A better comparision would be Pacific Rim and Warcraft probably even finishes better than Pacific Rim financial wise.

- - - Updated - - -

And if we're going to say things like "huge flop in the States" maybe we should look at how much US investors put in. Wasn't it about 50/50 between US and Chinese investment / backing ? Even if I'm wrong, whatever, Chinese investors are definitely happy no matter how big or little their stake, at this point.

Last number we got was 25-30% Universal, rest chinese investment (Legendary is being counted as Wanda investment). It has a good chance to be profitable to everyone.

[Rawrajishxc]

Bullshit. Blizzard's CG is usually top notch. The CG in WarCraft was AWFUL. Anyone who praises that CG can't have seen much CG. I don't mind CG in the slightest, it's never bothered me, but in this movie it was horrrrrrrible.

Did they ever see any of Blackhand's parts in the movie? His stupid bone armor? Everytime he moved and it moved with him it was amazingly jerky and blurred to hide how bad it was.
Any scene where a gryphon was flying low to the ground was horribly done. Shit, at one point there is a closeup of a gryphon and it's feathers are completely FLAT. Going into the movie I expected the Orcs to look amazing and the humans to look silly with their plastic armor. The opposite was true however, the humans looked fine for the most part, and the Orcs looked silly. Horribly low quality CG. Horrible. They can say they had to develop new software for this, but that doesn't mean that it's good. Definitely not on par with Star Wars. Okay it probably wasn't as bad as Gods of Egypt or whatever, but it's pretty close.

The CG was terrible and people that disagree are blind. Every scene with Blackhand was cringe especially after he was given the Fel.

[Mad_Murdock]

It shouldn't be made for fans and i'm pretty sure Blizzard doesn't see it that way. They made a fantasy movie and they want as many people to see it, especially the ones interested in the fantasy genre, why would they limit themselves to the 5-6 million still interested the the game?

I agree, Warcraft, just like the JJ Abrams Star Trek, should be a movie for people who love movies. LOTR showed there is a place for nerdy Sci-Fi films, if the story engages the viewer. I don't know that the story itself was bad, maybe we'll have to put the blame mostly on Duncan for not capturing it right. I'm kinda torn on what was wrong with it, but I can agree with others that I didn't leave with a Fist pump feeling, but a "meh' feeling.

I have blind hope that their will be a sequel and they can tighten things up a bit