In 2016, one of the most anticipated fantasy movies in history was released in theaters. After years of being the most played video game and having several subsequent resurrections, Warcraft finally had a film adaptation. It was one of the most anticipated releases for fantasy and video game fans. However… not everything went as expected.
The movie grossed 439 million from a budget of 160, so it can’t be said to be an absolute failure. However, the critics panned it and left it in the dust, which led to no further sequels or expansion of its cinematic universe. A similar case to Dungeons & Dragons, although this time it was more the audience that distanced themselves from the movie than the critics themselves.
Now, however, Warcraft: The Beginning – as it was finally titled – is experiencing a new life thanks to Netflix. The movie has become the fifth most viewed on the streaming platform worldwide, and now many wonder why it didn’t have more success at the time or why this universe wasn’t explored further. The truth is that, despite its poor reception at the time, it’s worth taking a look from a different perspective and with an open mind.
The virtues behind Warcraft
The plot of Warcraft: The Beginning focuses on the first conflict between the humans of the kingdom of Azeroth and the orcs of Draenor, who are fleeing from their dying world in search of a new home. Thus, it is a war fantasy film in which the main characters, such as the human warrior Anduin Lothar and the orc Durotan, try to find a way to prevent war between their peoples. However, they will soon realize that not everything is as easy as they think.
Despite receiving criticism, one of the highlights of Warcraft: The Beginning is its impressive visual design. The CGI creatures and the impressive landscapes of the Warcraft world are made with an impressive level of detail. In addition, the armor, weapons and scenarios faithfully recreate the style of the video game, completely immersing the public in Azeroth.
On the other hand, the script, despite not working as it should, has some quite interesting details. Without being a tutorial, it manages to be introductory enough to introduce those who are not familiar with the video game to the plot. And the treatment of the characters manages to elegantly summarize the complexity of Warcraft. In addition, the soundtrack composed by Ramin Djawadi added an epic and emotional layer to the narrative.
In retrospect, perhaps what least helped Warcraft: The Beginning was the saturation of the fantasy film market and video game adaptations at that time. Movies like The Hobbit and several Marvel and DC superhero installments were competing for the audience’s attention at that time, in a market that would soon make it clear that it couldn’t handle any more. This made it harder for Warcraft to stand out among the crowd, as it was based on a universe that viewers were already struggling to assimilate. Additionally, the stigma of bad video game adaptations to film weighed on the minds of many viewers, who approached the movie with skepticism from the beginning.
Seen this way, maybe now we are in a much more receptive moment for this type of movies. After the great video game adaptations we have had in recent years, in addition to great fantastic surprises like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, it is a good time for Warcraft to come back into the light. And Netflix has understood it perfectly.
