Warcraft (2016) review

In the world of PC gaming, Warcraft is easily one of the most famous franchises in the history of the platform. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment, the series first started out with a trilogy of real-time strategy games; 1994’s Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, 1995’s Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, and 2002’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. But since 2004, the franchise’s arguably most popular installment has been the ‘massively multiplayer online role-playing game’ (MMORPG) World of Warcraft. As of October 2015, around 5.5 million players have active subscriptions to the game, which has obviously become a worldwide pop cultural phenomenon. Thus, it’s only fitting that we now have a feature film set within the world of Warcraft (no pun intended). And for a film that’s part of the controversial ‘video-game based film’ genre, and by ‘controversial’ I mean the fact that most of the genre’s output has been absolutely savaged by both critics and audiences, it certainly has some major credentials in terms of its crew. Specifically, its director, Duncan Jones. The son of the late rock legend David Bowie, Jones has made a name for himself in the film industry thanks to two critically acclaimed sci-fi films in 2009’s Moon and 2011’s Source Code. With Warcraft, however, Jones takes on what is easily his biggest project to date and with that comes a lot of pressure. Not only does the film have to appeal to the longtime fans of the franchise but it also must do enough to appeal to those who are generally unfamiliar with the franchise, me being one of them. So, with that said, does it achieve this? Well, ultimately, I’d say yes and no…

When their homeworld begins to be destroyed by a dark magical force known as ‘Fel’, the orcs of Draenor, led by the powerful and sinister warlock Gul’dan (Daniel Wu), travel via a portal to the human world of Azeroth. Once there, the orcs begin to attack various settlements all over the area, kidnapping large amounts of humans to use as sacrifices for Gul’dan so that he can reopen the portal and bring the rest of the orc Horde through it. This eventually ends up attracting the attention of the kingdom of Stormwind, ruled by King Llane (Dominic Cooper). When traces of Fel magic begin to become noticeable all over Azeroth, Llane sends his military commander, Sir Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel), to investigate. Enlisting the aid of Medivh (Ben Foster), a powerful sorcerer known as ‘the Guardian’, and young mage Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer), Lothar begins to investigate further into the matter, which ends up resulting in him and his men coming into conflict with the orcs. However, at the same time, some members of the Orc race, namely Durotan (Toby Kebbell), the chieftain of one of the primary orc clans, Frostwolf, begin to consider breaking ties with Gul’dan, who wields Fel magic, so that the orc race can truly survive. And to do so, they decide that the best option is to form the unlikeliest of alliances with the humans, who likewise work to stop Gul’dan before he can summon his Horde army and take over Azeroth.

As I noted in the intro, I’ve never played any of the Warcraft games. Thus, this film has the challenge of making it so that newcomers to the franchise can at least understand what’s going on. And for the most part, the film does succeed in doing so. Now, granted, it’s not a complete success as I’m sure that are some references to the games here and there that I most definitely didn’t get. But as far as establishing the, again no pun intended, ‘world of Warcraft’, the film does do a solid job of establishing the primary ‘story’ of the war between the humans and orcs. In fact, the plot of the film is basically the set-up for said conflict that is the backbone of the entire series. While some critics have noted that the plot was rather incoherent, I personally didn’t really notice that. Still, like I said before, those who have played the games are no doubt going to get more out of it, specifically in terms of how certain moments factor into the franchise’s lore. As for the visuals, which have been one of the most talked about aspects of the film, well, all that buzz was warranted. The visual effects in the film are outstanding. Now sure, some will probably take issue with the fact that, like the latter half of the Star Wars prequels and the Hobbit films, there are quite a lot of visual effects in this film, namely in terms of the environments that it creates. And while I have read that there were some actual sets that were constructed during filming, overall I think it’s safe to say that most of the action sequences in this film are primarily computer generated. Still, it’s hard to deny how much detail was put into these visual effects. From the grand environments of Azeroth to the impressive motion-capture work for the Orc characters, this is easily one of the best-looking films of the year and it does lead to some impressive big-scale action sequences.

But while the visuals are great and the story at least isn’t as confusing as critics are claiming, the film does lack in terms of character development. I don’t want to go as far as to say that this is a case of ‘style over substance’ but still, emotional depth is very slim here. And, no, this has nothing to do with whether you’ve played the games or not. Certain character moments in the plot (e.g. a tragedy that befalls Sir Lothar) just don’t have the emotional impact that the film is trying to achieve. Still, the film’s cast does do a decent job with the material that they are given. Of this cast, there are two main standouts. The first is Toby Kebbell in the lead orc role of Durotan. Kebbell’s become a major figure in the world of motion-capture performance work in recent years thanks to his great turn as Koba in Dawn of Planet of the Apes. And while Koba is easily the stronger character, Kebbell does do a good job in the role of Durotan, the lone orc who decides to stand up against Gul’dan because, unlike him, Durotan cares about his fellow orcs. The other major standout is Paula Patton in the role of Garona, a half-human/half-orc slave who is captured by Lothar’s forces and subsequently joins them in the fight against Gul’dan. Again, while character development is rather lackluster in the film, Garona does at least get more of it than most. She’s probably the most interesting character in the entire film; a half-human/half-orc who is obviously torn between worlds. And the film does a good job of exploring that internal conflict, primarily represented by a key decision that she makes during the finale.

I will admit that this film is a hard one to recommend because it all depends on the audience. If you’re a fan of the Warcraft series, I think it’s safe to say that you’re probably going to really like this film. From the perspective of a Warcraft outsider, it seems like Duncan Jones and his crew did do a solid job of respecting the source material, particularly in terms of the production design. But for anyone like me who went into this being generally unfamiliar with the franchise, it is quite a bit of a hard sell. At the very least, the film does a decent job of establishing the universe so that it’s easily accessible to newcomers. But at the same time, you really do have to be a fan of the franchise to get the most out of it. And while the plot isn’t as convoluted as some critics have said, at the same time it is very simple and character development is rather lackluster save for a select few characters. At the very least, the visuals are fantastic and I think that they at least deserve some attention come awards season (and yes, I’m fully aware that this would be the ONLY real way in which this film gets recognized during awards season). So, in conclusion, while the hunt for the first universally beloved film based on a video game still goes on, this will no doubt please fans of the franchise, at least more so than any other entry in the genre. And while this is nowhere near being one of my favorite films of 2016, at the very least I will say that this isn’t as bad as its current 28% rating on Rotten Tomatoes suggests. Granted, it isn’t exactly a film that I plan on re-watching anytime soon but, for the most part, I liked it fine.

Rating: 3/5

The Finest Hours (2016) review

In February of 1952, members of the United States Coast Guard performed what has since been regarded as one of the most famous rescue missions in the organization’s history. In the midst of a particularly harsh ‘Nor’easter’ storm that had hit the East Coast, a four-man crew from the Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts braved the storm and the harsh waters of the Atlantic in order to help the crew of the SS Pendleton, a T2 tanker that had broken in half about 20 miles or so off of the Chatham coast. In fact, it was the second of two T2 tankers that suffered the same exact fate on the very same day, the other being the SS Fort Mercer. Ultimately, though, it was the Pendleton rescue that became known as the most famous small boat rescue in U.S. Coast Guard history and the story of this daring rescue mission is brought to life on the big-screen in Disney’s ‘The Finest Hours’, which is primarily based off of the book of the same name by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman that chronicled the events of that day. ‘The Finest Hours’ is driven by some particularly stand-out performances from its two main leads, Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, and while the film is admittedly a bit straight-forward when it comes to its proceedings, it’s still a fittingly honorable and suitably thrilling take on this fascinating true story of the heroism of four men in some of the harshest conditions imaginable.    

The leader of the four-man crew was Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernard ‘Bernie’ Webber (Chris Pine), who at that time was courting a local girl from the neighborhood named Miriam (Holliday Grainger) who worked as a telephone operator. But on February 18, 1952, T2 tanker SS Fort Mercer ends up getting split in half by the impending winter storm that is set to hit the Cape Cod area. And as fate would have it, another T2 tanker nearby, the SS Pendleton, breaks in half as well. But unlike the SS Fort Mercer, the SS Pendleton was unable to make a distress call for help due to a loss of radio capabilities as a result of the breakage. While another team heads out to help the crew of the SS Fort Mercer, Chatham station commander Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) dispatches Bernie to help the Pendleton. Despite the severe risks that come from the storm and the fact that they would have to go over the extremely dangerous Chatham Bar to reach them, Bernie and his crew; Seaman Richard Livesey (Ben Foster), Engineman Third Class Andrew Fitzgerald (Kyle Gallner), and Seaman Ervin Maske (John Magaro), head out on Lifeboat CG-36500 to help the crew of the SS Pendleton. Meanwhile, on the Pendleton, Chief Engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) takes control of the crew, due to the fact that the Captain of the Pendleton was lost because he was on the other half of the ship, in order to keep the ship afloat as long as they possibly can in the hopes that they are rescued before the ship sinks.

‘The Finest Hours’ can be a bit straight-forward at times in terms of its plot. Then again, that’s sort of expected given that it’s a true story and you may or may not be generally aware of what happened and how it all ended going into it. But even with that in mind, the film is full of some genuinely thrilling moments as both Bernie and his crew and the crew of the SS Pendleton, as led by Ray Sybert, try to stay alive in some of the harshest conditions imaginable while out on the open sea. Those sequences set at sea, including the sequence where Bernie’s crew traverses over the aforementioned Chatham Bar, a sand bar that was capable of running ships aground even in lesser conditions compared to the storm that they had to go through that day, are definitely the major highlights of the film. They convey the right amount of tension and suspense and are benefitted by some solid visual effects work. However, there are some who have argued that the film doesn’t really do enough to convey the real emotional core of the story and, as a result, feels a bit too ‘workmanlike’ at times. But overall I think that the film did do a fine enough job in regards to showcasing the valor of its heroes simply by way of the remarkable nature of the situation that they’re put through.

In regards to the film’s cast, the biggest standouts are its two main leads, Chris Pine as Bernie Webber and Casey Affleck as Ray Sybert. As Webber, Pine once again shows off his strong charisma that was also present in many of his other performances like James T. Kirk in the ‘Star Trek’ films or as Cinderella’s Prince in ‘Into The Woods’, while also doing a great job of getting across Webber’s audacity and courage in the face of danger. As Sybert, Affleck is also terrific in the role of the one man who, despite the fact that a lot of the crew didn’t like him very much, took charge of them so that they could survive. The two are backed up by a solid supporting cast that includes, among others, Ben Foster, Kyle Gallner, and John Magaro as the other members of Bernie’s crew and Eric Bana as Webber’s commanding officer Cluff. Pine also has really solid chemistry with the film’s main female lead Holliday Grainger, resulting in some very charming and sweet romantic moments between them. However, Grainger ends up being rather underused in the role of Bernie’s girlfriend Miriam. While the trailer may have implied that she would have a fairly substantial role in the film, as primarily evident in the sequence in the trailer where she confronts Cluff over sending Bernie and his team out into the storm on what very much seems to be a ‘suicide mission’, that’s really all that she gets to do in this film. In other words, she’s basically stuck in a ‘50’s era housewife’ role. Though from what I hear, at the very least this is more than what her character actually did in real-life. In reality, Miriam was stuck at home with the flu while all of this was going on.

The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes notes that this film is ‘old-fashioned to a fault’ and I will say that this is a pretty accurate description of the film. For some, this may be just a bit too ‘old-fashioned’ for their taste. But as traditional as it may get from time to time, it’s still a very solid and exciting adventure that highlights one of the most fascinating rescue missions in U.S. Coast Guard history. To truly put this moment into perspective for you folks, Webber and his crew had to rescue a 33-man crew commandeering a 35-foot boat that could only hold 12 in the midst of an extremely harsh winter storm. And while some may argue the film is a bit too subdued in regards to how it handles its true story, overall I’d say that the film does do a fine job in conveying the heroism of its real-life subjects. And to top it all off, the film has a solid cast buoyed (no pun intended) by leads Chris Pine and Casey Affleck and some genuinely tense action sequences backed by solid visual effects. In short, it’s a neat little look into a fascinating true story that took place in the New England area. Being a local New Englander myself, I’ll admit that I’m always fascinated by true stories like this that took place in this area, with other notable examples being ‘Black Mass’ and, to some extent, ‘The Social Network’. ‘The Finest Hours’ is the latest of these films and overall I say that it’s very much worth checking out for those looking for a good-old fashioned rescue drama.

Rating: 4/5

Lone Survivor (2013) SHORT REVIEW

In late June of 2005, in the midst of the war in Afghanistan, the United States Navy SEALs began ‘Operation Red Wings’ in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. Their goal was to capture and kill Ahmad Shah, the leader of a group of fighters in the area who had pledged his allegiance to the Taliban. Four Navy SEALs were sent in to carry out this mission, but by the time the operation had ended only one of them, Marcus Luttrell, came back alive while the other three members of his squad, along with 8 other SEALs and 8 members of the 160^th Special Operations Aviation Regiment lost their lives. Their story was initially told in a 2007 book, ‘Lone Survivor’, which was written by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robertson. In 2013, that story was translated to film by director Peter Berg under the same name.

The film itself is very intense, right from the moment the SEALs are first attacked by Shah’s men. Two scenes where they fall down hills are especially brutal. But at the same time, the film benefits from the fact that everyone involved in the production clearly had the upmost respect for those who had lost their lives that day. This is easily one of Peter Berg’s best directorial efforts and Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster all do terrific jobs in the four lead roles. Their camaraderie is exceptional and you really see how they are like ‘a brotherhood’. Now, if I do have one complaint, it is that I feel like there could have been a few more scenes between the four men so that their characters could develop more. And for the record, I’m not referring to the actual four men and the performances of the cast. I’m just saying that the action does takes up the bulk of the film and I wish that there could’ve been just a few more moments amongst the characters so we could get to know them more. Again, this is just from a film perspective, not in regards to the actual events that took place during the Operation and the men who did lose their lives during it. Even with that in mind, ‘Lone Survivor’ is a very well-made war film.

Rating: 4.5/5