--- title: "Warcraft: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/warcraft/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/warcraft" critics_score: 36 critics_reviews: 25 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Warcraft (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 36 from 25 reviews: 1 positive, 7 mixed, 17 negative. Most critics find Warcraft overcrowded, difficult to follow and short of characters worth caring about. The recurring complaints concern rushed storytelling, dense mythology and familiar fantasy material, with even sympathetic reviews acknowledging the strain of fitting so much into one film. Praise clusters around the performance-captured orcs, particularly Toby Kebbell’s expressive Durotan, and the care put into their world. Several critics also find warmth or promise in Paula Patton’s Garona, though the story gives her too little room. The spread is wide, but heavily weighted towards negative verdicts. Visual effects divide the reviews: some admire their detail and physical heft, while others find them artificial or tacky. The Hollywood Reporter offers the clearest dissent, finding a character-driven achievement despite the burdensome mythology. The Los Angeles Times also sees value in Duncan Jones’s heartfelt commitment; Variety argues that the same earnestness makes the silliness harder to overlook. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2016. Linden finds the film a crafted, character-driven breakthrough, though its mythology can make it dull or campy for newcomers. She particularly praises the expressive digital characters and the grit of Paula Patton’s Garona. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/warcraft-film-review-896290/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 2016. Chang finds Warcraft exhausting and cluttered, but ultimately buoyed by Duncan Jones’ heartfelt commitment to its fantastical world. He especially praises the immersive visuals and Toby Kebbell’s expressive performance as Durotan. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-warcraft-review-20160606-snap-story.html) ## Screen Daily — John Hazelton Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2016. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also does not reveal what the review singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/warcraft-review/5103902.article) ## Little White Lies — Anton Bitel Rating 3/5. 26 May 2016. The critic finds the film often trite but entertaining, with an audience likely to enjoy its ambitious fantasy world-building. He particularly praises the imposing, convincingly bulky computer-generated orcs and the brutal combat scenes. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/warcraft-the-beginning) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be read, so its verdict and any singled-out element cannot be verified. The URL identifies a RogerEbert.com review of the 2016 film. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/warcraft-2016) ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Rating 3/5. 26 May 2016. Harley finds the film ambitious but cumbersome, often rushed and emotionally disengaging. He praises the detailed orc world-building and the performance-captured characters, while faulting the crowded story for leaving little room for wonder or investment. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/warcraft-movie-review/) ## Radio Times — Victoria Luxford Rating 2/5. Luxford finds the film visually impressive but weighed down by its dense presentation. She praises the effects and Jones’s understanding of the source material. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-d1fgmf/warcraft-the-beginning/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 2/5. 25 May 2016. The review finds the fantasy adventure overloaded with genre trimmings but lacking personality. It criticizes the source material as a clunky patchwork of familiar fantasy elements. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/warcraft) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2016. O'Sullivan finds the adaptation difficult to enjoy, despite its effort to make the orcs sympathetic. She praises Jones's command of the effects but faults the confusing character designs and shoddy-looking costumes and props. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/warcraft-film-review-dazed-and-confused-by-the-march-of-the-videogame-orcs-a3263136.html) ## The Guardian — Steve Rose Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2016. Rose finds the ambitious fantasy largely lifeless and difficult to connect with. He praises Garona as an intriguing character but says the film’s CGI spectacle and plot demands leave her underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/25/world-of-warcraft-the-beginning-review-end-already-nigh) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the film crowded and scattershot, with a finale that feels morally weightless. It singles out the characters’ medication-like names as one of the fantasy world’s rare charms. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/warcraft) ## Slant Magazine — James Lattimer Rating 1/4. 29 May 2016. The critic finds the film a graceless, confusing and derivative misfire. He faults its synthetic-looking CGI world and incoherent editing, which leave the fantasy setting difficult to care about. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/warcraft/) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2016. Richards finds the film ambitious but ultimately empty and difficult to love. He praises the care and effort behind its world-building, but criticizes the crowded cast and lack of fun. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/warcraft-review/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 2016. Dargis gives the film a negative verdict, finding its fantasy adaptation familiar and unengaging. The review singles out its reliance on computer-generated spectacle as a weakness. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/movies/warcraft-review.html) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating F. 2 June 2016. Ehrlich calls the film a disastrous, incoherent failure despite its ambitious effort to adapt the game world. He singles out the muddled storytelling and character motivations as major complaints. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/warcraft-review-duncan-jones-1201683601/) ## Variety — Geoff Berkshire Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2016. Berkshire pans the film as an earnest, derivative fantasy that fails to make its spectacle compelling. He particularly criticizes the tacky visual effects and says the heartfelt approach only emphasizes the material’s silliness. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/warcraft-film-review-world-of-warcraft-movie-1201780459/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 3/5. 25 May 2016. Lambie finds the film a lightweight but disarmingly entertaining fantasy with a pulpy, old-school charm. He praises its vibrant magic and improving battle sequences, while noting uneven effects and a shaky opening. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/warcraft-the-beginning-review/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 49/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2016. The headline indicates a negative verdict: impressive effects cannot save the film from familiar fantasy. The critic singles out those effects as insufficient to overcome its genre familiarity. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-brilliant-effects-cant-save-duncan-jones-warcraft-familiar-fantasy-doldrums-20160525/) ## /Film — Jacob Hall Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 2016. The group is divided, but the overall verdict is largely negative. They particularly criticize the rushed storytelling and thinly developed characters, while one participant praises the orcs and their performances. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/544742/dungeons-and-dragons-warcraft-review/) ## Digital Spy — Rosie Fletcher Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2016. Fletcher finds the film dull and emotionally disengaging, with flat pacing and hard-to-care-about characters. She praises the expressive rendering of Durotan and the heart Garona brings, but says the CG-heavy world feels distancing. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a795662/warcraft-the-beginning-review/) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 2016. Goble finds the film’s overloaded lore and rushed storytelling make it difficult to follow and emotionally hollow. He praises the detailed visual effects and production craftsmanship, especially the orcs, but says they cannot compensate for the weak narrative. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/06/film-review-warcraft/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film underwhelming and difficult to follow. They fault its confusing worldbuilding and lack of emotional investment in the characters. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/warcraft-the-beginning-review/) ## Paste — Brogan Morris Rating 1.5/10. 1 June 2016. Morris finds the film a dour, confusing failure that wastes its director’s talent. He singles out Toby Kebbell as the one performer to retain some dignity, while criticizing the effects, action, and performances. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/warcraft) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 2016. Hammond pans the film as incoherent, over-produced fantasy blather. He singles out its cheesy visual effects and incomprehensible dialogue as major flaws. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/06/warcraft-review-paula-patton-travis-fimmel-1201771949/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2016. The critic calls the film a tedious, soulless failure of a game adaptation. They particularly fault its artificial-looking visuals and say the cast seems mostly adrift. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/warcraft-review-swords-sorcery-and-stupidity-abound-in-game-adaptation/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/warcraft.md