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HBO Max Users Have Days Left to Watch A Ridiculously Over-Hated Fantasy Movie (That Got Better With Time)
The HBO Max streaming library is constantly growing with new additions, but in order to make room for fresh titles, some have to get the boot. October has seen titles like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Gremlins join the streaming lineup, but another hidden gem on the streaming service is about to exit. At the end of the month, HBO Max is losing a 2010s fantasy movie that was unfairly treated by critics that video game fans need to watch.
Warcraft, director Duncan Jones’ 2016 action fantasy film based on Blizzard Entertainment’s video game series of the same name, is scheduled to leave HBO Max on October 31st. That means HBO Max subscribers have only a few days to watch a movie that, despite a poor critic consensus, is actually pretty decent. In the film, orc shaman Gul’dan uses dark magic to open a portal to the human realm of Azeroth, causing the two races to collide. Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, and Daniel Wu star.
Why You Should Watch Warcraft Before It Leaves HBO Max
Warcraft didn’t earn much love from critics at the time. The film, which grossed $439 million worldwide and for a time earned the title of the highest-grossing film based on a video game, only managed to earn a 29% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics slammed the film as an overstuffed and poorly paced video game adaptation with few redeeming qualities, and Vanity Fair scathingly wrote, “Having sat through this baffling movie’s grueling two hours, I can’t in good conscience even recommend it to Warcraft devotees. There’s nothing here for anyone –neither man nor orc.”
That poor reception may be enough to make you consider passing on Warcraft, but it shouldn’t. For all the faults lamented by critics, the movie is actually pretty good. The film is a beast when it comes to visual effects and world-building, the CGI orcs are incredibly realistic and the film succeeds at translating the aesthetic of the games to the big screen, making the world feel tangible and real. The movie is a visually stunning homage to the game’s universe and is easy to become engrossed in with a well-paced and action-packed story and plenty of fantastic battle scenes.
Warcraft has been met with a far more favorable reception over time and was generally well-liked by audiences. Its audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at 76%.
New Movies on HBO Max
The HBO Max streaming library has suffered some losses this month, but it’s also seen some great additions. While you fit in a final watch of Warcraft before its upcoming departure, you may want to add recent arrivals like 50 First Dates, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Beetlejuice, Gone Girl, Hereditary, and Practical Magic to your watchlist.
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