Warcraft hasn't even released, but it feels like it is has been talked about so much that it's already come and gone. Much of the talk surrounding the film has been largely negative, that is of course with the exception of the people who have been making the movie. During Legendary Pictures’ press conference for the film, Director Duncan Jones embraced comparisons to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, specifically in regards to how the film was made.
He said:
"Lord of the Rings really set the bar as for what a fantasy film should be. And like I said, I think fantasy has a much smaller set of films that are really the things you aspire to make when you make a fantasy film…We wanted to find a way to do it differently and give you a bit of a rival [to Lord of the Rings]. We just wanted to create a spectacle and give it an energy that was different but hopefully achieved the same level of success.”
Well, Duncan is right about one thing, Lord of the Rings did set the bar for what modern fantasy films could achieve. But there's one glaring flaw. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy universally resonated with fans and critics alike from the very beginning. Warcraft has not.
Early reviews of the film are…not good to say the least. The movie currently holds a total score of 31 of Metacritic and an 18 on Rotten Tomatoes. Just for comparison's sake, Fellowship of the Ring's Metascore is a 92, The Two Towers has an 88, and Return of the King boasts a 94. You can't even double Warcraft's Metascore and get anywhere near any film in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Warcraft opens this Friday, June 10th, but is not expected to do well at the Box Office on its opening weekend.
Source: [Comic Book Resources]
