Warcraft: The Beginning

I'm not in the best position to give a rounded judgement on Warcraft: The Beginning having no knowledge whatsoever of the games or being the biggest fan of this kind of high-fantasy.

However, I can write a review from the perspective of a newcomer seeing the film based on the brilliant trailer and promise of a new franchise, and this is where the vast majority of viewers will be coming from. Unfortunately, it disappoints in this regard. This doesn't come close to the likes of The Lord Of The Rings or Avatar, despite its promise.

On the positive side of things this is visually sumptuous; beautiful landscapes and well designed characters will engross you in the world you see. There is also a nice, rounded story which does leave off with the potential for sequels.

However, I'm not convinced that the average viewer will completely buy into the characters and universe. There's so many things thrown at you in a short space of time it's difficult to feel too much for anyone (which becomes a major issue when they start getting killed off, however spectacularly). There are species and worlds not explained sufficiently and, whilst these questions may be answered going forward, a starting rundown or visual map would have been a nice addition for the uninitiated. The reason films like LOTR or Star Wars are so revered is because you never get lost in the information and this, unfortunately, can't compete in this regard.

The battle scenes are meaty and are, again, a feast for the eyes but there are a fair few plot holes which damage the story.

My biggest gripe, however, is the odd sense of how seriously or not the film takes itself. At times it's impenetrably serious to the point that you need to be a fan to buy into. At others, there's the odd joke or punchline at a completely inappropriate time which often kills the tension or mood.

A good introduction to what I'm sure will be a long series, and I'm sure a treat for fans who've waited a long time for this to appear.

For the average viewer though, a missed opportunity and not as good as the trailer makes out.

3 stars ***