8. Warcraft
This one pains me a little bit. I know Duncan Jones, a proven filmmaker with both Moon and Source Code attached to his name, came with only the best intentions when giving World of Warcraft, Blizzard’s once insanely popular multi-player role-playing online video game series, the blockbuster treatment craved by so many fans, like himself. It’s shiny, bright, earnest and, at times, filled with some truly dazzling special effects, but it’s also woefully misguided, scattershot in its focus, lacking any emotional depth and, worse of all, entirely bland in its presentation. Borrowing heavily from The Lord of the Rings, Warcraft is a passionately-made, ambitiously-realized franchise-starter without the creditable world-building to separate itself from its peers, the rich mythology to feel tangible or distinct, or the likable characters to make it entertaining and worthwhile.
Ironically, Warcraft never provides the audience with an avatar to get immersed in this strange, alienating universe. It simply expects you to get sucked in the action, no matter how much understanding or prior knowledge you have to the game. It’s like watching a bunch of strangers play their 17th round of Dungeons & Dragons as you’re stuck in the corner seat, unable to leave or provide anything to the conversation. It’s clunky, awkward, poorly-paced, frustratingly boring and emotionally hollow as a result. You’d be better off playing the game at home. At least you’d feel connected to anything that’s happening in this world.
