Warcraft 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Warcraft 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Based on Blizzard's wildly popular MMORPG 'World of Warcraft', the 2016 film 'Warcraft' returns to 4K UHD disc in this Limited Edition 10th Anniversary SteelBook courtesy of Universal. The features an impressive voice cast that includes Travis Fimmel ('Vikings', 'Dune: Propehcy'), Clancy Brown ('Justice League Unlimited'), and Ruth Negga ('Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'). Directed by Duncan Jones ('Moon', 'Source Code'), the film provides nonstop visual effects delights in service of a story that will resonate with fans of fantasy films whether they've logged innumerable hours playing the game or not. The new SteelBook features discs that are identical to those of the previous 4K UHD wide release and all legacy on-disc supplemental material has been brought forward to this release. No new material has been added. A Blu-ray disc and a Digital Code redeemable via Movies Anywhere are also included. For a discussion of this new SteelBook, please scroll down to the "Special Features and Extras" section.

Warcraft 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

To read a discussion of the 4K UHD video presentation, please follow this link.

Warcraft 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a discussion of the film's audio track, please follow this link.

Warcraft 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The cover of the new Warcraft: Limited Edition 10th Anniversary SteelBook 4K features Durotan in the center, with King Llane Wrynn to his left and the villainous Gul' dan to his right. Above the trio of characters, the film's title is found in it's typical font. The cover hints at the rich visual effects nature of the film. The greens of Gul' dan and the earthier tones associated with Durotan are especially dominant. The back cover sports a particularly ominous image, that of the Dark Portal, with an Orcish Horde assembled in front of it. The back is awash with an eerie green, with the warriors rendered with a high level of detail. Universal and Legendary's logos are found in the bottom left, while a product number is located in the bottom right corner. There are no embossed or debossed elements to be found on the exterior. The SteelBook has a glossy finish which adds some additional richness to the colors used, especially the greens. But, as is always the case when a glossy finish is involved, all due care should be used when removing and replacing discs so as to avoid pesky fingerprints.

Opening the SteelBook, the tabs on the left hold the Digital Code. On the right side, the 4K UHD disc and the Blu-ray disc are stagger-stacked, each on its own hub, with the 4K UHD disc on top. Removing all of the contents reveals two images rendered so as to appear as if they have been drawn on an IP and/or film-appropriate scroll or similar piece of parchment. On the left is a map of the Eastern Kingdoms. It's a busy drawing and nicely detailed, but not quite as plainly legible as I'd like it to be due to the fact that we're viewing it through the SteelBook's plastic insert. On the right we find the Alliance and Horde Crests. Both are much more chunky and bold, and are, as a result much clearer and easier to enjoy.

To read about this release's on-disc supplemental features, please follow this link.

Warcraft 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While the film doesn't redefine fantasy film making, it is certainly another solid entrant to the group of more entertaining movies adapted from video games, of which the Resident Evil franchise and the more recent Super Mario Bros. Movie stand as diametrically opposite highwater marks from my perspective. Still, as an unrepentant fan of fantasy films who has spent very little time with game on which it is based, I found a great deal here to enjoy. The new SteelBook sports some of the best exterior artwork I've seen in quite some time, but the discs found inside it don't show us anything we haven't seen before. Diehard fans of the film and/or the game will certainly want to grab copy at their earliest convenience, and to them, the Warcraft: Limited Edition 10th Anniversary SteelBook 4K comes strongly recommended.