All right. Take a deep breath. The Warcraft full length cinematic trailer just dropped like a bomb, and the internet is going (appropriately so) ape. The trailer was released today at Blizzard’s epic, annual convention, Blizzcon, taking place in Anaheim, California (watchable on battle.net, virtual tickets selling at $39.99 USD). Director Duncan Jones, of previous Moon and Source Code fame, truly had his hands full living up to the hype behind the extensive world building Blizzard put into the Warcraft legacy. Not only is Warcraft a colossal fantasy world with lore almost as detailed as most history books on Rome, it has a fanbase that can only be described as legions. However, it appears the goosebump inducing trailer, at a satisfying length of 2 minutes and 13 seconds, is standing on its own two feet against the hype.
Right away, the trailer covers many plotline instantly recognizable to long time fans, and especially stresses an overarching theme that viewers new to the world of Azeroth can easily grasp: Humans vs. Orcs. (Players of popular MMO World of Warcraft will be intimately familiar with this). The Warcraft movie takes place pre-World of Warcraft, before the formation of both the Alliance and the infamous Horde, before the insurgent of the Draenei, the taint of the Sunwell, or wacky time traveling adventures (see: Warlords of Draenor) and the focus of this single film will remain contained on the huamn-orc conflict–just as the film’s namesake game did in the early 90s.
Legendary Pictures released a synopsis for the film, describing it as: “The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc 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, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home.”
Two sequels are already in talk to follow, however it is generally assumed that in order to make Warcraft into a trilogy, it will have to rake in enough money when it hits theaters this upcoming June–and Warcraft does not appear to have been a cheap movie to make! Did you see all of that stellar computer animation?
Overall, the trailer is a success, leaving us wanting more. Warcraft is set to come out June 10th, 2016, so mark your calendars, and keep your eyes peeled for pre-order ticket sales.