The director of the Warcraft movie, Duncan Jones, gave an interview at Comic-Con and clarified what fans can expect from the film and why he believes that this film will not be a failure.
Video game movies almost always flop
Honestly: Movies based on video games have almost always been a failure. No matter if you look at the adaptations of Dragon Age, Dead or Alive, or Doom, they were not really good films. Small bright spots might be the “Tomb Raider” movies, but even those were, at best, acceptable action flicks and failed to capture the fascination and spirit of the game.
The director of Warcraft knows this. Duncan Jones himself has suffered from these poor adaptations of games. What may be more important: He is a long-time Warcraft fan himself. He knows the world, can assess it from the perspective of a player, but also create material as a director that results in a good film. But will it be possible to meet both demands? If you believe his words: Yes, it will.
“A war film that shows humanity on both sides”
But what can we expect from the film? According to Duncan, a lot. He describes his own movie as “a war film that shows humanity on both sides.” Unlike in “The Lord of the Rings,” the world is not obviously divided into “good” and “evil,” as there are many shades of gray in the characters. Both races ultimately want one thing: to be able to live and ensure their families are safe. There will also be typical heroes on both sides with whom the audience can sympathize and identify – but this is already due to the underlying lore.
Generally, the lore is one of the main reasons for a good foundation. The Warcraft universe has matured over more than 20 years and has an immense amount of material to draw from.
Fans and newcomers should be equally addressed
Especially fans of the MMORPG World of Warcraft will get their money’s worth. There will be plenty of Easter eggs to discover. At the same time, there has been an effort to make the Warcraft universe presentable to a broader audience that has so far been unfamiliar with the world and has never touched a Blizzard game. Still, even the most loyal fans will discover new aspects of their beloved world. Especially Draka, Durotan’s wife and the mother of Thrall, has become a more interesting character than originally planned. In everything he says, the mood resonates with: “I know what you want, because I want the same. This film is made by a Warcraft fan, for the Warcraft fans. Trust me. Look forward to it.” And you want to believe him at least. But watch the full interview yourself:
Although the film is almost finished and according to Duncan only about 10 CGI sequences need to be edited, it will still be until June 2016 before the film finally lights up screens worldwide. Only then will we know if it succeeded in making a video game movie that did not flop.
