Warcraft is an action-packed, CGI/live-action fantasy film based on the smash video game franchise from Blizzard Entertainment.
The home world of the orcs is dying and they must find a new place to live. Warlock Gul’dan (Daniel Wu, Into the Badlands) has used his evil magic—fueled by the life force of his captives—to open a portal to the human world. He plans to bring a small army through the gate to conquer and capture the humans so he can use them as fuel to strengthen the gate in order bring the entire Horde through. One of the Orc chieftains, Durotan (Toby Kebbell), is about to be a father, so he has his wife Draka cover up her pregnant belly so that she can join him as they head through the portal to raid the human world.
The people of Azeroth have been experiencing a long period of peace, and have never seen anything like these enormous man-like creatures that ride around on giant wolves. When news arrives that one of the barracks has been attacked, King Llane Wrynn (Dominic Cooper, Preacher) sends his trusted soldier/brother-in-law Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel, Vikings) to investigate. When Lothar arrives, he finds a young man suspiciously looking over the bodies—Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer), a former Guardian novitiate (a.k.a. mage-in-training) who has renounced his vows. Khadgar suspects that dark magic is at play and implores Lothar to consult the Guardian.
Guardian Medivh (Ben Foster, Lone Survivor), the powerful archmage in charge of protecting the land, is dismayed to discover that the orcs are making use of the Fel, a dark magic that not only feeds on life itself but also has a lasting negative effect on those who wield it. The soldiers set out to capture an orc soldier to study it, but instead cross paths with Garona (Paula Patton, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), a recently-freed orc slave who can speak English, and she explains Gul’dan’s evil plan to the king.
Meanwhile, Durotan is rapidly becoming disillusioned by Gul’dan’s plan as he discovers that the Fel is likely what destroyed his home world. And if Gul’dan isn’t stopped, he will likely end up doing the same thing to this new world. Durotan convinces his Frostwolf clan to join him in mutiny, and asks Garona to set up a meeting with the king so that they can discuss combining their forces to take down Gul’dan before it’s too late. Can these two groups trust one another, and can they stop this powerful warlock who has the Fel and many other orc clans at his command?
I have never played The World of Warcraft, so I went into this film knowing very little about this world. However, from the opening moments of the movie, I knew this was going to be an epic Lord of the Rings-style fantasy film. The thunderous score sounds like something straight out of that franchise and establishes the film’s tone. It’s got the same type of fantastical characters and creatures, and epic battle sequences. However, Warcraft adds more depth to your typical humans vs the evil creatures fantasy film by delving into some deeper personal stories, and allowing the viewer to empathize with the characters on both sides of the battle. On the human side there is soldier Lothar, who lost his wife during childbirth, and now his son (who he still blames for the death of his wife) wants to be a soldier himself. And Khadgar, who renounced his vows, is thrust back into the world of magic when the Fel starts to affect the current Guardian. On the Orc side, there are also several stories surrounding families. Durotan just wants to find a home for his wife and newborn child, but he doesn’t agree with Gul’dan’s methods, and so he struggles with doing the right thing. Meanwhile, Garona is an orc without a clan—she speaks English but is not human, but as Gul’dan’s former slave, she also doesn’t fit in with the orcs. So Garona needs to find a way to prove herself worthy to be taken in by another clan.
The film is really well done and utilizes some amazing special effects that really bring the fantastical world to life. The CG is blended so seamlessly with the practical sets and actors that you instantly forget what is real and what is fantasy because it all feels so realistic—the orc characters feel every bit as alive as the human characters. The battles are epic, the sets are stunning, the magical effects are fantastic, and creatures like orcs, griffins, and giant wolves all come to life in such a realistic manner. And there is a human element to the orcs’ facial expressions, making the viewer really care about the characters on both sides of this battle.
Universal’s 4k UltraHD Combo pack includes both the 4K UHD disc as well as a Blu-ray disc. Both of these provide phenomenal picture quality, but the UHD disc adds even finer detail—the environments look richer, the skin and clothing textures (both human and orc) are more detailed, and even individual hair follicles on creatures and humans are more defined. The CGI generated backdrops are breathtaking and blend in seamlessly with the physical sets. Compared with the Blu-ray picture, the HDR-enabled 4K picture takes on a slightly yellower tone, which adds an even more fantastical and cinematic feel to the film. The film’s Dolby Atmos audio track is extremely impressive, and constantly fills the room with sound while also providing clear dialogue. The sub-woofer gets constant exercise with the booming score and thunderous battle sequences, while the surround channels are consistently used to add dimension and give an immersive experience. There’s one scene where you flies are buzzing all around and it felt like my living room was infested.
The Blu-ray disc contains over 2 hours of bonus features, including 14 minutes of deleted scenes, a gag reel, an extensive six-part behind-the-scenes feature, a 5-part motion comic prequel film following the Azeroth characters, and several other short featurettes, such as a look at the fans at BlizzCon and a making of the Madame Tussauds exhibit for the film. The discs come packed in a standard 4K UHD keep case with a glossy, rounded-edged slipcover, and contains a insert with a code to redeem a Digital UHD copy of the film. (I really appreciate that Universal is giving UHD digital copies with its 4K releases, unlike most other studios that still only include 1080p!)
What’s Included:
Film: (2:03:08)
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4K Ultra HD:
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.43:1
- HDR
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.43:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Video Service, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital,
French 5.1 Dolby Digital - Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 4K UHD Digital copy redeemable via UltraViolet (Universal, Flixster or Vudu) OR HD Digital Copy via iTunes
Blu-ray:
Digital HD (for redemption deadline, see NBCUcodes.com):
Extras:
- Deleted/Extended Scenes (13:57)
Collection of 11 deleted/extended scenes with varying degrees of completed effects. Play All or select from “Durotan & Orgrim Petition for Entry”, “Durotan Fights Dark Scar”, “Orcs Discuss Fel at the Campfire”, “Lothar Receives Booomstick at Ironforge”, “Callan & Khadgar Ride to the Lion’s Pride Inn”, “Lothar Briefs Officers, Questions Medivh”, “King and Queen Talk on Balcony”, “Meeting of the Kingdoms”, “The City Prepares for War”, “Lothar Mourns, Garona Comforts Him”, and “Antonidas Asks Khadgar to Be the New Guardian”. - Gag Reel (3:25)
Fun with the cast as they flub and forget lines, crack up, and just have fun on set. Also gives a glimpse behind-the-scenes at the various green screen, blue screen and motion-capture techniques used to bring the world to life. - The World of Warcraft on Film
Six-part Making Of feature, which includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with co-producers Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rob Pardo, executive producer Michael Morhaime, producers Thomas Tull, Charles Roven, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan, director/co-writer Duncan Jones, visual effects supervisors Bill Westenhofer, Jeff White and Jason Smith, animation supervisor Hal Hickel, production designer Gavin Bocquet, lead artist Damian Steel, costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo, second unit director/stunt coordinator Tom Struthers, fight coordinators John Street and Roger Yuan, and actors Travis Fimmel (“Anduin Lothar”), Ben Foster (“Medivh”), Ben Schnetzer (“Khadgar”), Dominic Cooper (“Llane Wrynn”), Paula Patton (“Garona”), Ruth Negga (“Lady Taria”), Rob Kazinsky (“Orgrim”), Toby Kebbell (“Durotan”), Daniel Wu (“Gul’Dan”), Glenn Ennis (“Compound Guard”) and Burkely Duffield (“Callan”).
Select from:- Origin Story (4:54)
The filmmakers talk about the evolution of the video game franchise—from the original trilogy of games to the smash phenomenon World of Warcraft—as well as the challenge of finding the right story to tell, and right way to portray the world in the film. - The World of Talent (5:35)
A look at the film’s characters and the talented actors who bring the them to life. - The World of VFX (5:09)
A look at the variety of visual effects techniques used to bring the world, characters and creatures to life. - Outfitting a World (6:16)
A look at the film’s costumes and wardrobe, and what went into the designs—integrating iconic elements from the video games while also creating something new. - The World of Mo-Cap (6:50)
A look into bringing the orcs to life via motion-capture, and the cutting edge facial capture technology that was utilized to add realistic emotions to the creatures. - The World of Stunts (5:06)
A look at the stunts, wire-work and fighting used in the film’s action and battle sequences.
- Origin Story (4:54)
Head to BlizzCon to hear from the dedicated fans of the franchise. Includes footage of the convention and interviews with attendees, comedian Chris Hardwick, and the cast and filmmakers.
Five-part motion comic set about 18 years prior to the events of the film. The comic is fully voice-acted and includes sound effects to help bring the story to life. When Trolls attack a village, Prince Llane wants to go to war, but the king will not allow it. He gets Captain Anduin Lothar and Guardian Medivh to help him investigate, but they soon discover the trolls have a new form of magic. Meanwhile, Anduin worries his impending fatherhood will bring an end to his fun; Prince Wrynn must select a bride, and he has his eyes set on Anduin’s sister Taria; and Medivh investigates this dangerous new magic called Fel. Play All or select from Chapter One through Chapter Five.
A look at the effort that went into creating the Warcraft exhibit at Madame Tussauds in London. Includes footage of the artists at work, and interviews with creative director Eddie Saul, senior sculptor Victoria Beaton, costume designers Louise Budryk and Katie May-Boyd, senior hair/colour stylist Amanda Truman, as well as the film’s cast members Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton and Toby Kebbell, and director Duncan Jones.
Animated demo reel that showcases the various layers of effects used to bring the film’s fantastical world and characters to life.
Original teaser used to promote the film (though it doesn’t actually include any of the film’s characters).
Final Thoughts:
Warcraft is thoroughly-entertaining fantasy film that evokes the epic feeling of a Lord of the Rings-style movie. It has an interesting story, and adds a “human” element to the orcs that makes you care about the characters on both sides of the battle. The special effects and CG-generated characters look phenomenal, and the disc’s visual and aural presentation is top notch. The release also includes over 2 hours of bonus material plus a Digital UHD copy of the film. Knowledge of the World of Warcraft video game franchise is not needed to fully enjoy this film, though I suspect those who are familiar with the games will have an added layer of enjoyment at seeing that world come to life. This title comes Highly Recommended for anyone who enjoy epic fantasy films. Note: For those with 3D playback capabilities, Universal is also releasing this title in Blu-ray 3D format.
