New Trailer for Duncan Jones' WARCRAFT

Man, I really don't know what to make of this World of Warcraft adaptation. I don't play video games. I have no idea what is going on with this world, but the main thing working against it for the uninitiated audience is the fact it looks like little more than a Lord of the Rings rip-off. I of course have my hopes; hopes that somehow this will turn out to be more unique and enthralling than I suspect it to be at this moment despite everything I've seen looking rather generic. The closest thing I can equate this to is Stardust where I assumed that the tropes to follow a rather standard plot (not knowing it was based on a Neil Gaiman story at the time), but of course with the adaptation from Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn and with Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Kingsman) in the directors chair Stardust turned out to be a favorite of mine that I still enjoy from time to time. This is the sole reason I have hope for Warcraft. I like Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and that he has both co-written and taken the helm of this adaptation gives me slight hope. The conflict between each species and how they want to handle the situation of their differences for the greater good is appealing and is heavier than what I expected, but I still don't know or care about any of the characters involved. The film certainly isn't shying away from putting on display how grotesquely nerdy the whole affair is, but for those who aren't familiar with the world I was hoping this second trailer would provide an anchor for the film in the form of a stand-out character, but I'm just as bewildered as I was in November when the first trailer premiered. That said, Warcraft stars Travis Fimmel, Toby Kebbell, Paula Patton, Rob Kazinsky, Ben Foster, Daniel Wu, Clancy Brown and opens on June 10th, 2016.

First Trailer & Images for Duncan Jones' WARCRAFT

I don't play video games. I haven't been interested in one since NBA Jam for the Super Nintendo came out in 1993 and so, when it comes to World of Warcraft, I have no idea what is going on. That said, I do like the work of director Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and that he has both co-written and taken the helm of this adaptation gives me a slight interest. Still, the full trailer that has premiered today offers little in the way of trying to convert those that aren't already fans as the visuals represent little more than a Lord of the Rings-esque epic with orcs and humans battling one another. I will say the conflict between each species and how they want to handle the situation of their differences for the greater good is appealing and is heavier than what I expected from a movie adapted from a video game, but that just illustrates what low standards we have for our big budget Hollywood spectacles. I can't say that I'm excited for this feature at all as I have no vested interest in the material and the trailer does nothing to excite or intrigue me further, but I am interested in how this will play with the general movie-going audience. Will anyone see this beyond the gamers who already enjoy these characters or will Universal Pictures come to regret this $100 million investment if things go the way of Hitman, Doom or Need for Speed. Starring Travis Fimmel as the Alliance’s Anduin Lothar, Toby Kebbell as Durotan the hero of the Horde, with Paula Patton, Rob Kazinsky,Ben Foster, Daniel Wu, and Clancy Brown also starring Warcraft opens June 10, 2016.