The Sum of Us

There are certain films that as soon as I heard about them I knew I had to seek them out and The Sum of Us was certainly one of them. Not only was it an early performance by Russell Crowe, but one in which he played a gay character. This I knew I needed to see. What I found was a thoroughly charming, if at times unconventional, film. 

Harry Mitchell (played by Jack Thompson) is a widower living in Sydney, Australia with his grown son Jeff (played by Russell Crowe). They both work hard and have settled into a simple level of domesticity. But Harry hopes for more for Jeff, that he would find a nice bloke to settle down with and try to make a life for himself. He can be a bit overbearing in trying to make the guys Jeff brings home feel welcome, practically scaring off the latest one, Greg (played by John Polson). Jeff struggles with some insecurity issues and is striving to build a simple but successful life for himself. He works as a plumber and plays Rugby in his free time. He appreciates that his father cares so much and is so open minded, but also wishes he'd back off a little. Harry then decides to try and get out there himself and signs up for a dating service. Through that he meets Joyce (played by Deborah Kennedy) and the two hit it off right away. They go one a few more dates and things begin to get serious between the two. However, complications arise when Joyce finds out about Jeff's sexual orientation, doesn't approve of it nor Harry's nonchalant attitude towards it and feels like Harry deliberately kept it from her.

The film does a good job as a portrait of a father and son who have a close bond and accept one another and love one another unconditionally. They both want the other to be happy even if they don't always show it in the best way, but you can tell they mean well. Both Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe do well in their roles, even handling the film's semi-frequent moments where the characters break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience work reasonably well. It really is their story and they carry the film well. 

The film was written by David Stevens and was based on his play of the same name. He and directors Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling do a good job of opening up the film and making sure it doesn't feel too "stagey". There is a rather cruel plot twist in the third act of the film that I won't spoil here but the film's tone does shift dramatically, but they manage to make it work within the film and makes a fairly seamless transition from light comedy to a more dramatic tone. It can be jarring for some viewers who aren't expecting it, but then again real life can be that way too so I figure it's fair.   

Overall, The Sum of Us is a funny and heartwarming film focusing on the close bond between father and son as they try to navigate their lives, anchored by two strong performances from Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe (who right after this made his American film debut in the Sam Raimi western The Quick and the Dead). I've always enjoyed it myself, perhaps because it at times reminded me of a point in my life when it was just me and my Dad living by ourselves (although we were never quite as open with one another as Jeff and Harry are). 

The Birdcage

It's been 20 years since The Birdcage was released and while some things have changed since then, there are other elements of the film that feel just as current as ever. The film is an adaptation of the classic French farce La Cage Aux Folles and updates it wonderfully to American audiences with a top notch cast to match, a script by comedy legend Elaine Mays and directed by Mike Nichols. The result is one of my all time favorite comedies. 

Armand (played by Robin Williams) and Albert (played by Nathan Lane) are a loving gay couple who own their own drag club in South Beach, Florida. Armand directs the shows and Albert is the star under the drag persona Starina. One night, Armand's son Val (played by Dan Futterman) returns home from college announcing to his father that he is getting married. It turns out the in-laws are ultra-right wing conservative Senator Kevin Keeley (played by Gene Hackman) and his wife Louise (played by Dianne Wiest). Their daughter, Barbara (played by Calista Flockhart), afraid of her parents reactions spins a web of lies of how Val's parents are a cultural attache to Greece and a housewife. Meanwhile, Kevin finds himself in the middle of a political scandal when a Senator he co-founded the Coalition for Moral Order with suddenly dies in the bed of an underage, African-American prostitute. Louise convinces Kevin to let Barbara go through with the wedding in an attempt to restore a little of Kevin's public reputation. Agreeing to meet the in-laws (and escape the hordes of press camped outside their house, the Keeleys begin their road trip to South Beach to meet Val's parents. 

Meanwhile, back in Florida, Val fills his father in on the web of lies Barbara has spun to her folks and begs his father to help him tone down the apartment for the impending dinner with his future in-laws, as well as send Albert away. Armand initially is resistant to the idea, perfectly comfortable with who he is. However, his love for his son wins out and the re-decoration of their flamboyant apartment commences. Armand also tries to convince Albert to go away for a few days, but Albert is resistant. When Albert discovers what is going on, he is emotionally distressed and leaves. Armand decides it would be better if Albert stays and begins coaching him on how to act more straight for the incoming in-laws. They also venture to Miami to try and convince Val's birth mother Katherine (played by Christine Baranski) to join them as Val's mother. Albert is less than thrilled but tries to play along to please Armand. However, when Katherine's arrival is delayed, Albert strolls in to meet the new in-laws decked out as the drag version of Barbara Bush to pose as Val's mother, setting up a chaotic and unpredictable night for both the Keeleys and Val and Armand.  

The film was wonderfully updated for American audiences with a razor sharp script by Elaine May where everything is fair game and nothing is sacred. Mike Nichols likewise offers solid direction with flair starting off with an impressive tracking shot that starts over South Beach and goes all the way into the club (it's a combination of three shots but the cuts are barely noticeable. From the wonderfully choreographed musical numbers to the farcical chaos of the film, it's all staged well and works well. 

Funny line after funny line are whipped out left right and center by a fantastic cast as the entire film becomes outright farce. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, the bickering and Albert's hysterics aside, make for a genuinely loving couple that shines through all the insanity. Gene Hackman more that holds his own with the comedic talents of both Williams and Lane, playing what at the time had to be a parody of the Right Wing conservatives, but these days seems rather accurate. I also enjoyed the little quirks of his character, like in times of stress Kevin doesn't start drinking rather he wants candy, specifically chocolates. Dianne Wiest plays the voice of reason of the Keeley household, trying to keep things calm in times of crisis. Even then she too has her own wonderful comedic moments. Hank Azaria is hysterical as Albert and Armand's housekeeper. He's a foreigner from some undetermined country (where his father was the shaman of his tribe and his mother was the high priestess, apparently). Damn near stealing every scene he is in, he is hysterical throughout the entire film. Dan Futterman has taken a lot of flack for his role as Val and that aspect is probably the most dated thing about the film, but his arc is nicely realized as he comes to love and respect, as well as stand up for, his parents, Armand and Albert, for who they are.     


Overall, The Birdcage remains a fantastic comedy that has an all star cast behind it. The script by Elaine May is solid gold, with one fantastic line after another and plenty of funny comic set pieces, including a couple where you can tell the cast members are trying desperately not to laugh and ruin the take. It may be a bit dated at times, but it still remains one of my all time favorite comedies nonetheless.  

Psycho Beach Party

Psycho Beach Party is easily going to be the most obscure movie I review on this blog. It's a shamelessly campy spoof of both 60's surfer movies and 80's slasher flicks. The film juggles the two while effectively capturing the style and esthetics of both. 

The film tells the story of Chicklet (played by Lauren Ambrose), who travels to the beach with two of her friends, Berdine (played by Danni Wheeler) and Marvel Ann (played by Amy Adams) and becomes enamored a group of surfer boys, including college psychology dropout Starkat (played by Nicholas Brendon). She desperately wants to learn how to surf. The group turns down teaching her, citing surfing as strictly a man's domain. Not accepting defeat, she seeks out their leader Kanaka (played by Thomas Gibson). The thing is Chicklet is suffering from her multiple personalities. The switch is triggered when she sees polka dots. One of the times this happens is in Kanaka's shack and he's exposed to her alter ego, Ann Bowman, who announces herself as, "Dominatrix, Empress of the Planet Earth!" Kanaka agrees to teach Chicklet to surf mainly because he's excited by her Ann Bowman personality.

While this is going on, there are a series of murders are happening with the only thing tying them together is all the victims had some sort of physical defect. Investigating the murders is Captain Monica Stark (played by Charles Busch), who has several run ins with the surfers since the murders seem to keep happening to people around or associated with their group. Meanwhile, Chicklet is freaking out over her blackouts and wondering if she's the one slaughtering everyone. She's also developing feelings for Starkat, who only views her as "one of the boys," preferring the company of Marvel Ann. 

This film has a very distinct and very campy sense of humor that was infused into the film by screenwriter, and legendary drag performer, Charles Busch, based on his stage play of the same name. In the original run of the play, Busch played Chicklet, but once it came time for the film to be made it was quite clear he was far too old for the role and created the role of Monica Stark to play instead. He and Robert Lee King perfectly capture the spirit of the old 60's beach movies, complete with the incredibly fake rear projection effects of the actors "surfing". Then to add in the element of the 80's slasher films and the whodunit mystery associated with that makes for an amusing dichotomy between two radically different genres. 

For a reasonably low budget film, this movie has a pretty impressive cast. Lauren Ambrose is fantastic as Chicklet, rocking each of her multiple personalities to great comic effect, while effortlessly transitioning from one to another. Nicholas Brendon does well as Starkat, but for the most part is playing the straight man to the madness around him. There's Nick Cornish and Andrew Levitas as Yo-Yo and Provoloney, two guys who it is obvious they are completely into each other to everyone else but them (they're not the brightest bulbs in the box). Charles Busch is great as Monica Stark, playing up the stereotypical 60's cop while trading barbs with former lover Kanaka. And then there is Thomas Gibson as Kanaka. I just want to show this movie to anyone who only knows Thomas Gibson as Hotchner on Criminal Minds and watch their brain slowly explode. He's hysterical as the cool beach cat Kanaka, frequently rhyming his words. When he finds out about Chicklet's alternate personality, Ann Bowman, he becomes obsessed with her and figuring out how to control bringing out this alternate personality.

Overall, Psycho Beach Party isn't going to be for everyone but for the people who can get into it's campy and silly rhythm, it's going to be a fun time. It playfully spoofs two very different types of films while bringing them together to create something very unique and at times quite funny.

Were the World Mine

Were the World Mine is an ambitious movie made on a small budget that while rough around the edges and significantly less than subtle with it's overall message of tolerance and acceptance, it still manages to work on sheer charm alone. 

Timothy (played by Tanner Cohen) is a bullied and demoralized gay student at an all boys school just trying to get through each day until graduation. He frequently escapes the drudgery of high school into lavish, musical fantasy, frequently featuring his rugby stud crush Jonathon (played by Nathaniel David Becker). When his eccentric drama teacher, Mrs. Tebbit (played by Wendy Robie), casts Timothy as Puck in A Midsummer's Night Dream, things begin to change. As he is practicing his lines one day, he unlocks a recipe to create the play's "Love in Idleness" flower, a purple pansy that contains a powerful love potion. He decides to use it on his crush Jonathon the next day at school and it works perfectly. When Jonathon's teammates react negatively to their newfound affection, Timothy proceeds to use it on the rest of the team, with each affected member falling instantly in love with another boy, with Mrs. Tebbit in the background knowing all the well what is going on and secretly making sure the first person each homophobic boy sees is another boy. He even doses the equally intolerant Rugby coach for good measure, determined to make those that tormented him walk in his shoes for awhile.

The film has a lot of ambition in what it wants to do on a limited indie movie budget, yet manages to pull it off, although not without some nitpicks. The film itself is wonderfully shot and directed by cinematographer Kira Kelly and director Tom Gustafson, especially the musical numbers themselves (and damn if this movie certainly knows who it's target audience is and caters to them wonderfully). The two lead roles are wonderfully played by Tanner Cohen and Wendy Robie. Nathaniel David Becker likewise did well as Timothy's love interest. The music of the film is fantastic as it takes lines directly from Shakespeare's play to make up the lyrics to many of the songs, especially the title song. They're very well captured and the choreography matches it wonderfully.

However, the film is not perfect. The writing in the film is fairly straight-forward and even at times predictable. It follows the usual beats a story of this type would, with a gay twist. The main character, Timothy, learns the hard way that making someone love you unconditionally doesn't work as well as one would think. I thought it was a nice touch that the drama teacher was his unwitting partner in crime though, setting the events of the film into motion. The biggest flaw of the film was that is keeps pounding in it's message of acceptance and tolerance repeatedly throughout the film in the most obvious and almost obnoxious way rather than let it work it's way through the story in a more organic way. Furthermore, aside from our main character Timothy, the characters are terribly one dimensional. Some are developed a little bit, like Timothy's mom and his two friends, but others like the rugby team that bully Timothy are very one note characters that only exist to be homophobic caricatures and never feel like actual characters. Even Jonathan, Timothy's love interest, is rather underdeveloped. Aside from being cute and being nicer to him than the others, why exactly is Timothy so taken with him? Who knows, maybe that's enough but I wish there was more to it so the payoff would be richer at the end.

Still, for what it is it works for me besides it's flaws. The music is great and the story is intriguing and holds your attention. There is a certain undeniable charm to the film and what they managed to pull off on a small budget. Tanner Cohen is great in the lead role as is Wendy Robie. I just wish they had given the script a couple more passes and added a little more finesse to it. Right now it's just good, but it could've been great.       

Remembering Anton Yelchin

I'm surprised how deeply hearing the passing of Anton Yelchin has impacted me, but yet at the same time I'm not. He was insanely talented with a unique screen presence that will never be duplicated. He often exuded a presence of kindness and perhaps an unexpected tenderness to his roles. Yet, underneath that was a wild and infectious energy that equally defined many of his film roles. I frequently throw around that I'm a fan of someone on this blog and while that is still true, it's even truer in this case. I was really a fan of Anton Yelchin. 

Anton Yelchin had been acting since he was a young kid. He was the son of two Russian figure skaters who immigrated to the US when he was six months old. After discovering he was rubbish on the ice and other athletic aspirations didn't pan out, he tried acting, which seemed to fit him better. I remember first seeing him in the Steven Spielberg Mini-series Taken, which aired in the Sci-Fi channel in 2002 and wondering who this kid was, just being completely taken by his performance in it. Shortly after that, I saw him starring opposite Anthony Hopkins in the Stephen King adaptation, Hearts in Atlantis. From there, his career started to flourish with strong turns in films such as House of D and Fierce People. He really made an impression in the crime drama Alpha Dog as a young man, Zack, who is kidnapped by a drug dealer and his cronies in an attempt to recover a debt from his junkie brother. Poor Zack is too naive that he doesn't even realize he's been kidnapped until it's far too late, instead enjoying the edgy, cool new people he was hanging out with. Anton gave a fantastic performance in the film, showing the kind of tenderness and vulnerability that he would become known for.

It was his starring role as the titular character in Charlie Bartlett that was the next role for Anton and probably one that he is best known for. Playing a rebellious kid of a wealthy family, Charlie is enrolled in a local public school after being expelled from his private school. In no time, he finds himself as the school's resident therapist, even going so far to give out medications he manages to scam from a series of therapists he sees courtesy of his depressed and eccentric mother (played by Hope Davis). Naturally, this catches the attention of the school Principal (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and the attention only increases when Charlie starts dating the Principal's daughter (played by Kat Dennings). It was a great performance by Anton in the lead role as he showed how good he was as both a comedic and dramatic actor in a film that played out like a John Hughes film by way of Hal Ashby. 

From there, we move into what I at the time jokingly referred to as the summer of Anton Yelchin as he wound up co-starring in not one but two big budget blockbusters, Star Trek and Terminator Salvation. The first one to be released was Star Trek, a flashier and more action packed reboot of the classic series of films. Anton took over the role of Ensign Pavel Chekov. The role was a natural fit for the Russian born actor and was a high point of the film (as well as my personal favorite, with Simon Pegg's Scotty a close second). He would go on to reprise the role two more times in Star Trek Into Darkness and this summer's Star Trek Beyond. What made him so great in the role was that he made it wholly his own, taking small things from what Walter Koenig brought to the role from the Original series and films, but also created something new that frankly was nothing short of adorable. The second film that summer was Terminator Salvation, where he played a young Kyle Reese, the character originally played by Michael Biehn in the original film. He was one of the bright spots in a rather uneven film, wonderfully capturing both the strength and vulnerability that Biehn so memorably played in the first film. 

2011 was a big year for Anton with several very different movies coming out, each one perfectly showing his versatility as an actor. First up was Like Crazy, where he played one half of a romantic couple trying to overcome some pretty big hurdles to stay together, the biggest being that his girlfriend in the film, Anna (played by Felicity Jones), is a British student in the U.S whose visa runs out and has to return to Great Britain. The film was largely improvised, following a basic outline of the plot which gave the film a very grounded and natural feeling that helped it resonate with audiences. The second film was the Jodie Foster directed The Beaver, a quirky drama starring Mel Gibson as a clinically depressed father who finds a unique way of expressing himself through the use of a beaver puppet. Yelchin played his son Porter in the film. The final big film for him in 2011 was the remake of Fright Night, which I have previously reviewed on this blog, where he plays a Las Vegas resident high school student turned vampire hunter when he discovers his new next door neighbor is a bloodsucker.  

After that came his turn as the titular character in Odd Thomas. While the movie itself may be a little rough around the edges, I thoroughly enjoyed this one in a large part because of Anton's performance as Odd, a clairvoyant short order cook trying to save his town from evil forces. He gives the role just the right level of quirkiness but also plays the more heroic side of Odd quite well. It's an entertaining film that is well worth checking out. 

The following year, Anton starred in the Joe Dante comedy-horror film Burying the Ex, playing a B-movie obsessed young man who works in a costume and horror themed shop who finds himself in a horror movie of his own when his ex-girlfriend returns from the dead thinking they're still a couple. Meanwhile, he has already moved on to a new girl whom he has far more in common with. The film itself wasn't perfect, but it's easy to see why it appealed to a cinephile like me, especially one with an interest in the horror and fantasy genres. Anton Yelchin had a lot in common with his character, a consummate film lover and this no doubt informed and strengthened his performance in the film. I also suspect he largely took on the film to work with the legendary Joe Dante and I could hardly blame him.

This brings us, more or less, to his most recent film, Green Room, a film I have reviewed on this blog as well. I know I skipped over a lot of films and they are ones that I somehow missed. Anton was quite prolific in his film roles from 2011 onward. So, I clearly have some backtracking and catching up to do. Anyway, Green Room was an incredibly well acted and directed horror/thriller from this past spring. One of the big reasons this film worked so well and was so intense was because the actors kept the film well grounded. Yelchin's character, Pat, finds himself trying to be the voice of reason in a very unreasonable standoff between his punk band and a group of Neo-Nazi's trying to get into the Green Room they have barricaded themselves into. He does a great job portraying Pat's panic and terror as he tries desperately to find a way out of the situation with his and his band's lives. 

Throughout his career, Anton displayed incredible range as an actor as he turned in one memorable performance after another. Even if the film around him wasn't that great, he always was. I was devastated to find out that he had passed away yesterday in a freak automobile accident. But even beyond his acting, he always seemed like such a thoughtful, kind and soulful person. He brought such a unique presence to all his films that I always enjoyed seeing his latest one. Like I said before I was a big fan of his pretty much from the beginning. He left us with a large and diverse body of work and I would've loved to see what he did next as he continued to grow as an actor. My heart goes out to him, his family and his friends. He left us way, way too soon.

Rest in Peace, Anton.  
1989-2016

Pride

Pride comes in a proud tradition of British comedy-drama films such as The Full Monty, Brassed Off, Calendar Girls, and Billy Elliot among others that so expertly combine both comedic and dramatic elements to create a thoroughly entertaining, moving and inspiring film. 

Mark Ashton (played by Ben Schnetzer) is a young, gay, civil rights activist living in London circa 1984. Upon watching the news coverage of the beginning of the Coal Miners strike, he recognizes they have a common enemy in Margaret Thatcher and decides to start taking up donations to help the striking miners during the annual Gay Pride parade. He is able to recruit some of his friends to help. After collecting for the first day, they decide to form an official organization, L.G.S.M: Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. Other members include Mike Jackson (played by Joe Gilgun), Jonathan Blake (played by Dominic West) and his boyfriend Gethin Roberts (played by Andrew Scott) who own the gay bookshop who's backroom becomes the LGSM headquarters, the young and closeted Joe (played by George MacKay), Stella (played by Karina Fernandez) and Zoe (played by Jessie Cave). The group continues to gather donations throughout their London neighborhoods. When the National Union of Mineworkers turn down their donation due to public relations concerns, they decide to take their donations to Onllwyn, a small mining community in Wales. A representative for the Onllwyn miners, Dai Donovan (played by Paddy Considine) comes to London to meet with the LGSM members and accept the donation. He is genuinely touched by their donation and invites them to Onllwyn to meet the people they are helping. They accept the offer and the resulting culture clash ultimately leads to an unlikely but strong friendship between the two groups as the small mining community come to embrace their unexpected new friends. 

There is so much I loved about this film, it's hard to know where to start. The performances across the board are great. We have old pros like Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy as members of the mining community. Dominic West shines as the charming Jonathan Blake, whose dance routine in the Onllwyn union hall is both a show stopper and one leads to several of the miners secretly asking him for dance lessons. Andrew Scott is very touching as Gethin Roberts, who grew up in Wales but relocated to London when his family discovered he was gay and is feeling a bit uneasy being back. Jessica Gunning is impressive as Sian James, loving wife to one of the miner union leaders in Onllwyn who starts to find her own voice and confidence due to the influence of the LGSM members. I also have to single out Ben Schnetzer as Mark Ashton, the founder and leader of LGSM. He imbues Mark with so much life and charm. It really is a fantastic performance, one that impressed me even more when I found out Ben is actually an American (his British accent was flawless).    

The film was written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus, basing their film on a true story. The two do a great job balancing both the comedic and dramatic elements, shifting seamlessly between the two. There is an earnestness to the story that they achieve without being sappy or overly sentimental. It never feels like the movie is intentionally trying to be manipulative, but instead lets its characters tell the story and knows perfectly where to go for the laugh and when to be serious.   

Overall, Pride is a thoroughly entertaining and at times quite moving film filled with great performances by a group of great actors. It's a film I've really liked ever since it came out in 2014 (and did not get anywhere near the attention it deserved here in the States) and is well worth checking out. 

Warcraft

Before I begin this review, I want to state that my entire knowledge of the World of Warcraft franchise begins and ends with the South Park episode "Make Love Not Warcraft." So, yes I went into Warcraft a total noob, so be kind as I make my way through this review. Basically, a couple of my friends were going and I figured I enjoy fantasy movies, so why not? Besides, it has Dominic Cooper in it and that's always a selling point with me. 

Draenor, the home world of the Orcs is dying due to the use of fel magic by Orc warlock Gul'dan (played by Daniel Wu). Fel magic is a dark and evil force that gains it's power by draining the life out of others. He uses a large quantity of this magic to open a portal between their world and the world of Azeroth with the intent on invading and conquering it as the new home for Orcs. Among the initial war party to go through the portal are Durotan (played by Toby Kebbell), a chieftan of the Frostwolf clan, his pregnant wife Draka (Anna Galvin), and their friend Orgrim Doomhammer (played by Robert Kazinsky). Once there, the Orcs begin raiding nearby villages taking prisoners that Gul'dan intends to use to fuel his Fel magic so he can keep the portal open longer and the remaining Orcs can come through. Also among the Orcs is Garona Halforcen (played by Paula Patton), a half human, half orc woman who is not sure where she fits in. 

Meanwhile, in the Azeroth kingdom of Stormwind, military commander Anduin Lothar (played by Travis Fimmel) is looking over some of the fallen soldiers when he discovers a trespassing mage, Khadgar (played by Ben Schnetzer). Khadgar explains he was there investigating the presence of traces of fel magic. Khadgar convinces King Llane Wrynn (played by Dominic Cooper) to consult Medivh (played by Ben Foster), the Guardian mage of the kingdom. King Wrynn sends Anduin  and Khadgar to consult with Medivh in an attempt to offset the Orc invasion. Back at the Orc camp, Durotan has come to the realization that the reason their old world died was because of Gul'dan's continued use of the Fel magic and that the same thing will happen here unless he is stopped. Seeing the humans at the best chance to helping him accomplish this, he needs to figure out how to contact them and form an alliance, with Garona being the best possible person to help him do this. 

I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Warcraft. Yes, I went in with rather low expectations, but I found a rather entertaining fantasy adventure. Yes, the characters are rather one dimensional and each fall into their designated fantasy archetype (Hero, Fearless leader, apprentice wizard, older, wiser wizard, assorted canon fodder that might as well have "Dead Meat" tattooed on their forehead, etc.), but this is a fantasy adventure film, not a character drama so I'm not complaining too much. Duncan Jones, who previously directed the sci-fi films Moon and Source Code, does a decent job managing all the different plot lines so things are at least reasonably coherent. I was able to follow along fine and I've never played the games. Then again, I have some experience with the "High Fantasy" genre, so that may have helped. If you're not a fan of the genre, this may not be the place to start.  

The film is well cast, with the majority of the Orc actors performances being done through motion capture with the exception of Paula Patton. The performances are well captured and the actors behind the Orc characters were completely unrecognizable to me, which is all the more impressive. On the human side, the two characters that really stood out to me were the two mages. Casting Ben Foster as the older, wiser mage Medivh was an interesting choice. Typically in these types of movies that role goes to a much older actor, but instead contrasting the youthful good looks of Foster with the hidden pains of the character that Foster does a good job of portraying is something unique. He really shows how the character has aged internally and has grown weaker with age. Likewise, I really liked Ben Schnetzer as Khadgar, the young mage that at one point was destined to take over Medivh's role as Guardian but renounced his vows and left order that was teaching him. Of course, it may just be that I've been a fan of Schnetzer's since 2014's Pride (more on that one later) and seeing him in this type of role was fun for me. Travis Fimmel and Dominic Cooper do a decent job in their roles as well, but nothing that I haven't seen in these types of movies before. Likewise, Paula Patton does a good job with her role, letting her character's uncertainty about where she belongs play out well. 

There are a couple nitpicks though. The first is that the plotting of the film seems very rushed from one scene to another with little time given to developing any of the characters as we move pretty much from one action sequence to another. I've heard reports that roughly 40 minutes was cut from the film to meet a required two hour runtime from the studio. I'd be curious to see a director's cut of the film to see if it improves the narrative any. The other thing that stems from this has to do with a larger trend among blockbuster films these days and is only getting worse. The film has a solid beginning and middle but it only has part of an ending before meandering out to leave the door wide open for a sequel. It's gotten to the point where this has become extremely annoying. I miss the days when a film came to a satisfying conclusion and was a complete film unto itself. Especially since it is likely there won't be a Warcraft 2 based on the box-office performance of the first film. My other nitpick is a more minor one in that the entire film is played so deadly serious. I'm not saying the film needs to The Princess Bride silly, but some lighter touches throughout the film could've helped make the film more entertaining overall. 

Overall, Warcraft was a bit of a surprise for me. It's not a great movie by any means but it was a reasonably entertaining one with mostly decent effects, especially with the motion capture work on the Orcs. It's nothing groundbreaking but if you're a fan of the genre, you'll probably enjoy yourself.