Contrary to many critics I enjoyed WARCRAFT. Perhaps it's because I've actually played the game and I can pick up on most of the locations and references - it's still a CGI powerhouse and the 3D is amazing.
The 3D is amazing because most of it's pure digital 3D that's well done. It's a positive byproduct of doing most of the movie with CG characters and backgrounds. Loved the action sequences and how it all looked on a giant IMAX 3D screen. I'll be seeing it again on a Real D screen and I'm sure the level of excellence will be the same for stereo enjoyment. WARCRAFT is the fastest international movie to $135 million ever in China. The movie only opened to $27 million in North America. I love how the movie has bounced back against the critics in China. Absolutely love it.
The story is somewhat hard to follow at times for someone who has not played the game I would imagine, but even if you haven't the visual effects are jaw dropping. The scale of the movie is off the charts.
WARCRAFT is a definite must-see in 3D. The stereo view enhances the CGI and makes the characters much more realistic and closer to crossing the uncanny valley. Trust me. 3D makes this movie.
Check the latest TV Spot for Duncan Jones' WARCRAFT based on the popular MMORPG from Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft. This is looking GOOD. I was skeptical at first because video game adaptations for the big screen do not have a great reputation, but I did have confidence in Jones to deliver something palatable. And so he has!
I can see the character traits exploding from these creatures and the casting seems particularly well done. The effects? Staggering! Looks amazing. Can't wait!!
Here's the boilerplate for the movie: From Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures comes Warcraft, an epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based on Blizzard Entertainment’s global phenomenon. The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home. So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something. Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones, the film starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Rob Kazinsky and Daniel Wu is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production. The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan. Jillian Share, Brent O’Connor, Michael Morhaime and Paul Sams serve as executive producers. Rob Pardo, Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rebecca Steel Roven co-produce. Warcraft will be released by Universal Pictures. www.warcraftmovie.com
WARCRAFT opens on June 10 in RealD 3D, IMAX 3D and flat.
Yes! Was hoping for this role for him in WARCRAFT. I have been amazed at Ben Foster's work since I saw him in 3:10 TO YUMA and I have yet to see him fail at a character. I was so happy to hear he was cast in Duncan Jones' WARCRAFT and it didn't really matter what role he was cast for - I knew he'd nail it. Foster as a Mage makes sense. Foster isn't a huge guy (so a tank is out really) but he does have a scowl that can easily be the perfect accoutrement to cast spells. :-)
Says Foster:"The character in Warcraft that I play is named Medivh. He’s a mage, which is essentially a sorcerer. He came up in a time protecting an area, and the way he protected this area was through magic. As peace returned to this land he took a break. He hung up his staff, so to speak, or let his guns get dusty. We meet him as his friends are returning asking for his help in a battle. What's exciting about Duncan Jones' take on this video game is that it shows both sides of the war. It shows both sides of a conflict, which is exciting to me. It's not just a video game turned into a movie. It's asking, hopefully, an important question of, where do we limit our compassion for what we consider to be the bad guys?" ...And Foster had this little nugget:"The way that they're pushing motion-capture -- I just saw some of the test footage -- it's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's performance-capture. It pushes it to the next level. It's going to be one helluva 3D event." And one whether his role is a performance captured character: "No, mine's not, but there are interactions with a lot of characters that are. There are a lot of different kinds of creatures in this picture that I interact with." WARCRAFT logs into our world on March 11, 2016.
Some release updates for you from Legendary Pictures on some anticipated 3D projects in the coming years, namely Duncan Jones' WARCRAFT and Sergei Bodrov's SEVENTH SON.
First up lets discuss WARCRAFT as I've played World of Warcraft and love it. It's about time that a feature based on this popular MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) hit the screen! Right now I prefer LOTRO (Lord of the Rings Online) as it is entirely free to play - although paying a tiny bit here and there make things much more enjoyable. But I digress. WARCRAFT is coming from a very vibrant and expansive universe. The groundwork has all been done in the game as far as environment and flora / fauna, and now comes the story. Whether they weave the movie's story into the gameplay's story to some degree remains to be seen. I definitely think we will be seeing some of the lore introduced at least.
WARCRAFT will be released now on March 11, 2016. That's plenty of time to pull together a really good effort for this. Can't wait! The movie was originally going to be released on December 18, 2015 and well... it's kinda busy then on the silver screens, so great move.
Here's a description for WARCRAFT: Legendary Pictures’ WARCRAFT, a 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment’s globally-renowned universe, will be directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and is written by Charles Leavitt and rewritten by Duncan Jones. The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Alex Gartner. Stuart Fenegan, Jillian Share and Brent O’Connor will serve as executive producers. Blizzard’s Chris Metzen will co-produce.
Next up is SEVENTH SON. From the storyline below it sounds as though it could come from a WARCRAFT universe as well (it won't). But I love the direction Legendary is taking with these projects and I'm hoping for more!
SEVENTH SON will be released on February 6, 2015 and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Here's the storyline for THE SEVENTH SON: In a time of enchantments when legends and magic collide, the sole remaining warrior of a mystical order (Oscar winner Jeff Bridges) travels to find a prophesized hero born with incredible powers, the last Seventh Son (Ben Barnes). Torn from his quiet life as a farmhand, the unlikely young hero embarks on a daring adventure with his battle-hardened mentor to vanquish a dark queen (Julianne Moore) and the army of supernatural assassins she has dispatched against their kingdom. Sergei Bodrov directed SEVENTH SON from a screenplay by Matt Greenberg, Charles Leavitt and Steve Knight, based on the book “The Spook’s Apprentice” by Joseph Delaney. The film is produced by Basil Iwanyk, Thomas Tull and Lionel Wigram. Jon Jashni, Brent O’Connor and Alysia Cotter are executive producers, with Jillian Share and Erica Lee co-producing.
