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The Warcraft movie lore you missed in the new trailer

News
By GamesRadar Staff published 6 November 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

See where Warcraft began

See where Warcraft began

Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures just dropped a bomb: the first full trailer for the Warcraft feature film, set to come out in June 2016. If you haven't played the first three Warcraft games recently (and reread the manuals multiple times), there are going to be a ton of small details that fly over your head in the many gorgeous shots shown in the trailer. But fear not - we're here to help.

We've analyzed the trailer frame-by-frame, keeping an eye out for central characters and cameos from throughout Warcraft's early lore. If you want to go into the movie with completely fresh eyes, beware of spoilers; otherwise, here's all the info there is to glean from the trailer's two minutes of classic fantasy warfare.

Page 1 of 31
Page 1 of 31

"For years, our world has been at peace." You can just make out the force field protecting what looks to be the mage sanctuary of Dalaran (or it could be Medivh's tower, Karazhan) going by the faint blue ripples emanating from the central tower. This shot helps us grasp Blizzards world and the quiet landscape that's about to be disrupted.

Page 2 of 31
Page 2 of 31

The Cathedral of Light looks pristine as it juts from the city of Stormwind, which is just a teeeeeensy bit bigger here than it is in World of Warcraft.

Page 3 of 31
Page 3 of 31

This ominous circle of mages is likely the Kirin Tor, the elite sect devoted to research of all magic forces and spells in Azeroth. Theyre the first people youd want to consult on trouble brewing in the kingdom.

Page 4 of 31
Page 4 of 31

"But something is coming. I can feel it. Dark forces are upon us." Here's our first look at Travis Fimmel as the human protagonist Anduin Lothar (not to be confused with the young prince-turned-priest from modern Warcraft lore, and also not Marvels Thor). Yall had better heed this mans warning.

Page 5 of 31
Page 5 of 31

Alliance footsoldiers get jumped by an orc hitsquad, giving us a chance to check out their traditional full-body armor, complete with helmets that must be hellishly hard to see out of. This could be the moment when humans first encounter orcs in their territory, with a confused meeting exploding into violence. (Theres really not much negotiation going on in the Warcraft games.)

Page 6 of 31
Page 6 of 31

Anduin contemplates orc detritus in the wake of battle, and where this alien object could have come from.

Page 7 of 31
Page 7 of 31

"Find these beasts, or whatever they are." Here's Dominic Cooper as King Llane Wrynn, who clearly has some issues with bigotry against orcs. Word of their arrival has reached his bastion of royalty, and hes not reacting well at all.

Page 8 of 31
Page 8 of 31

"Our world is dying. There is nothing to go back to." Durotan (played by Toby Kebbell) is absolutely right about his home planet Draenor, which is literally falling apart. The green swirls in the background hint at demonic magic at work. The trailer switches sides here to show a sympathetic view of the orcs - its not an invasion, they just have nowhere else to live.

Page 9 of 31
Page 9 of 31

"If our people are to survive, we must make a home here." The amber hills of Westfall aren't far from the capital of Stormwind - are Durotan and Orgrim on the march or just trying to settle in peacefully? Either way, they dont have a choice but to settle, and their first encounters with humans will determine whether coexistence can ever be a thing. (Spoiler: Its not called PeaceCraft.)

Page 10 of 31
Page 10 of 31

Durotans son, Thrall, is the cutest thing imaginable. Its a little schmaltzy, but this scene, where Durotan and Draka both say "whatever happens," affirms the familial bonds keeping the refugee orcs together on their exodus.

Page 11 of 31
Page 11 of 31

This is Lady Taria Wrynne, King Llane's mother and an advisor on his council. She spends at least half her day advising people on the correct spelling of "Wrynne." No, not Rinn. Not Wrinh. Great, and my cup says "Rihin." This is why I never tip my elixir barista.

Page 12 of 31
Page 12 of 31

And here's King Llane Wrynn himself again, making an ultimatum to his allies. "If we do not unite, our world will perish." At this stage of the trailers story, were seeing humans react with paranoia and fear toward orcs, gathering support to wipe out what they see as an invasion.

Page 13 of 31
Page 13 of 31

Another shot of Stormwind, looking far more like the mighty kingdom it is than a hub city in a video game. The draw distance in this movie is amazing. You got that GTX Titan SLI setup, Duncan Jones?

Page 14 of 31
Page 14 of 31

Earth, wind, and fire heed this orc shaman's call - but it's all about those impressive lightning effects. In the games, Ner'zhul was one of the orcs' most powerful shamans, and it was he who was duped into turning his race into green-skinned, bloodthirsty monsters. Could this be his movie counterpart?

Page 15 of 31
Page 15 of 31

Garona (played by Paula Patton) is an important figure in Warcraft lore, acting both as honest emissary and untrustworthy assassin throughout her life. Her true parentage is half-orc, half-draenei, but it doesn't look like the movie will feature the latter. Maybe they'll just say she's part human for now.

Page 16 of 31
Page 16 of 31

Durotan is looking rather heroic, but it's what we see in the background that's interesting. That's the architecture of the Dark Portal, through which the orcs travel to reach Azeroth. It might be a trick of perspective, but it doesn't seem big enough to be the actual portal, however.

Page 17 of 31
Page 17 of 31

It looks like the orcs are settling in - the vines on the trees behind Orgrim suggest we're looking at Stranglethorn or what will eventually become the Swamp of Sorrows. "For orcs," he says, "there is no other life but war."

Page 18 of 31
Page 18 of 31

The mountainous landscape and dam in the foreground suggest that this could be Loch Modan. There aren't many such structures in the Eastern Kingdoms, but it also doesn't seem quite massive enough.

Page 19 of 31
Page 19 of 31

Ryan Robbins plays one of the few unannounced roles in the Warcraft film. It looks like his identity is being kept secret for now, but we know his stance on orcs: "They're beasts. They should all be destroyed." RUDE.

Page 20 of 31
Page 20 of 31

Here we see Gul'dan - the first orc warlock and a key player in overarching Warcraft lore - moments before he's Superman-punched by Durotan. Guldan may be one of the more prominent figures opposing Durotans bid for peaceful existence alongside man.

Page 21 of 31
Page 21 of 31

At first this seems like it might be a rallying war cry, but take a look around - people are sitting, and this appears to be well within the walls of a human city. And is that a funeral pyre we see in the foreground?

Page 22 of 31
Page 22 of 31

This orc grunt has a nice, pointy shield to go along with the traditional axe. Theres an exquisite level of detail in the battle scenes, right down to the lowly grunt. Really tempted to click on him a few hundred times right now.

Page 23 of 31
Page 23 of 31

It's tan-skins versus green-skins in this orc-on-orc battle. The green pigmentation is a side-effect of warlock fel magic, meaning that Durotan is likely going up against Gul'dan's goons in this canyon fight scene.

Page 24 of 31
Page 24 of 31

Little baby Thrall is happily oblivious to the fact that he's about to take a trip down the river, so he can be a safe distance away from his parents.

Page 25 of 31
Page 25 of 31

A good look at Draka, Durotan's wife and Thrall's mother. We won't spoil what happens to her in the games, but you don't make that look because something super good is happening.

Page 26 of 31
Page 26 of 31

Here's Durotan wearing his traditional wolfshead garb, the symbol of his leadership over the Frostwolf clan.

Page 27 of 31
Page 27 of 31

That red tower you see in the background is a classic orc design, exactly like the defensive structures you can build in Warcraft 3.

Page 28 of 31
Page 28 of 31

There's that pesky portal again - the only question is, at what point does this battle happen? Are we looking at the climactic final showdown, or something else? It looks like Anduin is swooping down on his gryphon to land a decisive blow.

Page 29 of 31
Page 29 of 31

These two orc grunts are about to get absolutely wrecked by that gryphon, which makes sense since they can't attack air units. Those are the rules, fellas.

Page 30 of 31
Page 30 of 31

And with that, the trailer ends. We'll have to wait until June 2016 to see the full story; until then, let your imagination run wild about how glorious Warcraft will look on the silver screen.

Page 31 of 31
Page 31 of 31
GamesRadar Staff
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GamesRadar+ was first founded in 1999, and since then has been dedicated to delivering video game-related news, reviews, previews, features, and more. Since late 2014, the website has been the online home of Total Film, SFX, Edge, and PLAY magazines, with comics site Newsarama joining the fold in 2020. Our aim as the global GamesRadar Staff team is to take you closer to the games, movies, TV shows, and comics that you love. We want to upgrade your downtime, and help you make the most of your time, money, and skills. We always aim to entertain, inform, and inspire through our mix of content - which includes news, reviews, features, tips, buying guides, and videos.

After the teaser trailer for Warcraft: The Beginning was released earlier this week, we've now got our greedy little hands on the first full-length trailer for the game-inspired movie. Fans will be pleased to see there's plenty of recognisable details from the series to enjoy, as well as a more balanced storyline which explains the direction of the film.

Watch the trailer below...

“Our world is dying, there’s nothing to go back to." Explains Durotan. "If our people are to survive, we must make our home here.” And so kicks off one hell of a disagreement between humans and orcs. Not much sign of any other races in the trailer, but could Jones be keeping them quiet for now? Here's hoping that's the case.

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Directed by Duncan Jones and starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell and Ben Schnetzer, Warcraft: The Beginning opens in UK cinemas on June 3 2016 and the US on June 10 2016.

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