Warcraft (2016)

The orcs in Warcraft are more human than the humans, and that’s the movie’s whole problem. Toby Kebbell’s Durotan is a chieftain with a new baby, a bad feeling and amazing motion-capture detail in every wrinkle, and he gives each scene weight. Then we’re back in Stormwind, where Travis Fimmel’s Lothar smirks, Ben Schnetzer’s Khadgar digs through dusty books and Ben Foster’s Medivh broods in a tower, and the energy drains away. Duncan Jones clearly loves this world. The armor is huge, the cities glow and the magic is very, very green. But the script assumes you’ve spent years playing the games, so names, portals and places come at you like a tutorial with the subtitles off. Paula Patton’s Garona is caught between both stories with not much to do. It made $47.4 million domestic and $439 million worldwide on a reported $160M. A 4.5 because the orc half deserved its own movie. $207.23 says you try a deep orc voice on your family and get banned from using it by Thursday.

What works: Toby Kebbell’s Durotan is a terrific motion-capture performance, and the orc side of the story has real emotion.

What doesn’t: The human characters are bland, and the script throws so much game lore at you that newcomers get lost early.

Who it’s for: Players who know the games by heart and want to see the orcs look this good on a big screen.