“Warcraft” has already made $300 million worldwide — emphasis on worldwide, as its domestic total is just shy of $25 million — though critics haven’t taken kindly to the video-game adaptation. Duncan Jones’ (“Moon,” “Source Code”) foray into Azeroth netted a 32 on Metacritic and a 27% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critical consensus notes that the film “has visual thrills to spare, but they — and director Duncan Jones’ distinctive gifts — are wasted on a sluggish and derivative adaptation of a bestselling game with little evident cinematic value.”
READ MORE: Review: ‘Warcraft’ Is The ‘Battlefield Earth’ Of The 21st Century
Indiewire’s David Ehrlich gave the film an F and referred to it as “the ‘Battlefield Earth’ of the 21st century.” Jones himself has taken note of the critical drubbing:
If u loved Warcraft,spread the word or better yet, bring someone new to see it!
If not. No worries, but please chill out. It’s just a movie.— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) June 11, 2016
That’s one of the mellower reactions a filmmaker has had to negative reviews, it’s worth pointing out, and a far cry from, say, a suggestion that reviewers shouldn’t be allowed to see movies in advance.
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