WARCRAFT (2016)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical, sociological*

I probably would have been moderately entertained had I seen this film in its theatrical run, despite knowing nothing of the video game. The filmmakers spared no expense in bringing this basic D&D project to life, so there was lots of fantastic eye-candy, albeit nothing strikingly original. I can believe the claim by director/co-writer Duncan Jones that the original script was "stale." The trouble is: all he and his co-writer were able to do was pump up the three main characters with little bits of character elaboration, as opposed to reworking the basic conflict to make it more imaginative.

In the dimension of the huge green humanoids called "orcs"-- which I *think* was supposed to harbor a human-like race as well, based on the backstory of the Garona character-- the dominant ogre-like beings are in danger of having their own world destroyed, so with the help of their sorcerer, they invade the human-dominated world of Azeroth and begin seeking to conquer it. Two main male characters, war-chieftain Lothar (Travis Fimmel) and fledgling wizard Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer) -- become among the first to alert their fellows to their peril. In due course, the humans gain intel from a "half-orc" woman, Garona (Paula Patton), who looks mostly human except for green skin and a prominent underbite. Having learned of the orcs' desire to take Azeroth for themselves, the humans and their wizards muster defenses, resulting in a lot of swords and a fair amount of sorcery.

One problem with the script is that it broadcasts early on that the very magic the orc-sorcerer is using may rebound upon his people-- and thus, there's not much suspense about this revelation. Lothar, Khadgar and Garona are all mildly appealing, and the actors comport themselves well in these limited roles. But most of the story feels well-worn, and a depressing ending-- possibly meant to set up a sequel-- ensured that WARCRAFT wasn't going to be any sort of competition for LORD OF THE RINGS. I only grant the film "fair" mythicity because it does seek to work out the dynamics of the orcs' warrior-based society, however inadequately.