{"id":12969,"date":"2016-09-26T11:28:15","date_gmt":"2016-09-26T18:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=12969"},"modified":"2016-09-26T11:31:52","modified_gmt":"2016-09-26T18:31:52","slug":"review-warcraft-uhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2016\/09\/review-warcraft-uhd\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Warcraft 4K UHD + Screen Caps"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>On a technical level, Warcraft<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t terrible but in today\u2019s and age and the advancement in the visual effects realm, it\u2019s should be a given especially with a big budget tentpole. Outside of the VFX, and as someone unfamiliar with the source material, I found the film to be dull and filled with thinly written characters.<\/p>\n

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Warcraft<\/span>
\n(2016)<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Genre(s): <\/strong>Fantasy, Action, Adventure
\nUniversal | PG13 \u2013 123 min. \u2013 $44.98 | September 27, 2016<\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 09\/26\/2016 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n

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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u>Directed by: <\/strong>Duncan Jones
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Charles Leavitt and Duncan Jones (written by)
\nCast: <\/strong>Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DISC INFO:
\n<\/u>Features: <\/strong>Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K UHD, Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
\nUHD Video: <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.40
\nBD Video: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 2.40
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, French, Spanish
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>NA
\nUHD Codec: <\/strong>HEVC\/H.265, BD Codec: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 2.5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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The game-to-screen adaption doesn\u2019t exactly have the best track record ranging from guilty pleasure (Tomb Raider<\/em>) to the downright terrible (BloodRayne<\/em>, In the Name of the King<\/em>, Doom<\/em>). I\u2019m honestly not entirely sure where the latest, Warcraft<\/em><\/strong> ranks with the rest. It\u2019s not so awful that I wanted to tear my hair our nor however was it good enough to warrant much praise. As someone who has never played World of Warcraft<\/em>, not even a single second, I was a bit lost with some of these characters that clearly fans understood and appreciated.<\/p>\n

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On the plus side, the plot is simple enough (from back cover):<\/p>\n

The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orcs warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, an unlikely set of heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their families, their people and their home.<\/p>\n

Warcraft <\/em><\/strong>does feature a quasi-recognizable cast including Dominic Cooper playing the king who, frankly, looked ridiculous in his armor, Ben Foster doing well not hamming it up for the camera too much (but comes close near the end) and Paula Patton who perhaps was one of the few highlights playing a character named Garona (I had to look it up). She actually possessed charm and screen presence even beyond painted as if she stepped off of the set of Star Trek<\/em>. Toby Kebbell meanwhile continues his \u201cwinning\u201d (following the wretched Fantastic Four<\/em>) streak as the CGI character Durotan, a classic character from the game.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s Travis Fimmel who I\u2019m not entirely familiar with though he\u2019s mostly known for his lead role on the AMC series, Vikings<\/em> but based on pictures, it\u2019s easy to see why he was cast. And for the most part, he\u2019s a serviceable hero but, as the case was with Cooper and Patton, doesn\u2019t get a whole lot to work with.<\/p>\n

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The film was helmed by Duncan Jones whose brief career has shown promise especially following low budget sci-fi dramas Moon<\/em> and, especially for me, Source Code<\/em>, the closest feature adaptation of Quantum Leap<\/em> we\u2019ll ever get, and in itself a great flick. I\u2019m not entirely sure why Jones was chosen for such a big budget film like Warcraft<\/em><\/strong> but it doesn\u2019t seem like he was the best fit, however I\u2019d venture to guess he delivered the best adaptation possible, and based on some fan reactions, succeeded, just for this novice, I found it more confusing and worse yet, features characters I couldn\u2019t care any less for.<\/p>\n

In the end, Warcraft<\/em><\/strong> had plenty of potential and as video game adaptations go, it\u2019s not horrible but barely passable. However, fans will probably get much more enjoyment out of while others who are unfamiliar will find it hard to follow.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This release comes housed in the 4K UHD black slim case and a glossy slip cover<\/strong>. Inside is the redemption code for the Digital HD<\/u><\/strong> copy.<\/p>\n

Deleted\/Extended Scenes (13:57; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 There are 11 scenes that were either cut down or eliminated included here though nothing of great note nor anything that would\u2019ve made the movie more understandable.<\/p>\n

Gag Reel (3:25; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Line flubs and all around on-set antics.<\/p>\n

The World of Warcraft<\/em> on Film (TRT 33:50; HD)<\/u><\/strong> looks at bringing the classic and popular game to life in a live action film and covers casting, visual effects and other aspects. It\u2019s split into 6-parts, Origin Story (4:54)<\/strong>, The World of Talent (5:35)<\/strong>, The World of VFX (5:09)<\/strong>, Outfitting a World (6:16)<\/strong>, The World of Mo-Cap (6:50)<\/strong> and The World of Stunts (5:06)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Fandom of Warcraft<\/em> (6:36; HD)<\/u><\/strong> explores the popularity of the game series and their excitement for the feature film adaptation.<\/p>\n

Warcraft<\/u><\/em><\/strong>: Bonds of Brotherhood<\/em> Motion Comic (53:47; HD)<\/u><\/strong> is a companion piece with the movie.<\/p>\n

Warcraft<\/u><\/em><\/strong>: The Madame Tussauds Experience (7:32)<\/u><\/strong> is a tour of the figures museum in London.<\/p>\n

ILM: Behind the Magic of Warcraft<\/em> (2:59; HD)<\/u><\/strong> is a comparison feature breaking down the effects work done.<\/p>\n

Warcraft<\/u><\/em><\/strong> Teaser (2:23; HD)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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4K UHD VIDEO \u2013 4.5\/5, BD VIDEO \u2013 4.5\/5
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Warcraft<\/em><\/strong> battles onto 4K UHD presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p ultra high-definition transfer (HEVC codec). The UHD version isn\u2019t perfect, by any stretch, yet still looks pretty good with well defined and sharp detail throughout though colors aren\u2019t overly brilliant and at times on the softer side. It\u2019s also not a significant upgrade over the Blu-ray version (1080p HD, MPEG-4 AVC codec) and in some instances that one is probably more in tune with how it was originally shown in theaters. Still, black levels are stark and don\u2019t lose definition and show no signs of aliasing or artifacts. This might not be the best looking UHD release, it\u2019s still solid enough.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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AUDIO \u2013 4.75\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Universal once again provides us with a Dolby Atmos track which sounds fantastic. As with the video, it may not be the best sounding UHD audio or anything, dialogue levels sounded crisp and clear but it\u2019s when the battle sequences occurred, where the depth shows up and while it\u2019s not the most robust track where the LFE channel was on the disappointing side kicking in some scenes but then is absent or barely noticeable in others.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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OVERALL \u2013 3.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Overall, on a technical level, Warcraft<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t terrible but in today\u2019s and age and the advancement in the visual effects realm, it\u2019s should be a given especially with a big budget tentpole. Outside of the VFX, and as someone unfamiliar with the source material, I found the film to be dull and filled with thinly written characters. The 4K UHD release offers great video\/audio transfers (both UHD and BD) and an average selection of special features.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers<\/strong>.
\nThese are only here to give an idea of the movie\u2019s video quality and may not be truly representative of it.<\/p>\n