In the world of film, blockbusters adapted from novels are ubiquitous. And over the past few decades, comic book movies such as Deadpool (2016) and Ant-Man (2015) have gained huge popularity among moviegoers.

在电影界，改编自小说的大片数不胜数。近年来，《死侍》（2016）、《蚁人》（2015）等漫画改编电影也吸引了大批观众。

But films based on video games have yet to garner the same level of prestige. They often feel lazy or have weak character development. Notable attempts like Super Mario Bros (1993) and Tomb Raider (2001) have all flopped.

但是，基于游戏改编的影片却始终未能收获同样的好评。它们往往结构松散或是人物性格发展缺乏说服力。比如《超级玛丽》（1993）和《古墓丽影》（2001）都是备受关注的尝试，却均以失败告终。

But unlike its predecessors, the Warcraft movie has defied viewers’ expectations. In China, it broke multiple box office records, winning over both ardent fans and casual moviegoers.

然而不同以往的是，电影《魔兽》就颠覆了观众的预期。它在中国上映后打破了多项票房纪录，赢得了热血玩家的推崇，也获得了普通观影者的好评。

What makes Warcraft stand out is the way British director Duncan Jones presents a clash of civilizations with heroes and villains on both sides, rather than a conventional story about good against evil.

让《魔兽》脱颖而出的原因是，影片导演邓肯•琼斯展现了两种不同文明的碰撞，双方都有英雄和反派角色，而不仅仅是情节老套的“善与恶”的交锋。

Warcraft draws its plot from the real-time strategy game Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, where an orc horde flees to the human world to escape famine, and the humans defend their home from the orcs.

《魔兽》电影改编自即时战略游戏《魔兽争霸：人类与兽人》，讲述兽族部落来到人类世界逃避饥荒，人类为了保护家园，抵抗兽族入侵的故事。

In Warcraft, the orcs are not just mindless villains. There are characters like Durotan, who sacrifices himself while fighting with evil warlock Gul’dan to protect his clan. On the human side, there are villains like Medivh who is controlled by an evil spirit. Other characters, like the knight Anduin, inhabit morally ambiguous territory: Anduin must look for ways to protect the world of Azeroth from the orc menace.

在《魔兽》中，兽人并不只是头脑简单的坏蛋，也有一些角色比如杜隆坦，为了保护自己的部落，不惜牺牲自己与邪恶的巫师古尔丹决斗。人类方面也有反面角色，比如被邪灵附体的麦迪文。其他角色如骑士安度因·洛萨也是一个道德模糊的人物，他必须找到保护艾泽拉斯大陆免遭兽族侵略的方法。

“The protagonists on each side are noble and empathetic,” Jones told The Guardian. “They have reasons for doing what they’re doing that we understand. Both the humans and the orcs represent rich cultures in their own right, with people you care about and people who are obnoxious.”

“两个阵营的主要人物都高尚且富有同情心。”导演琼斯告诉《卫报》，“他们的举动我们完全能理解，一切都顺理成章。人类和兽人都代表了各自丰富的文化，两个阵营中都有让你在乎或憎恶的角色。”

Duncan’s creative storytelling enables regular moviegoers to feel that the game’s virtual characters have hearts. Though critics panned Warcraft, saying it crammed a large cast and a dense plot into two short hours, even casual viewers are still able to get the gist of the story.

导演邓肯富有创造力的故事线，让非玩家的普通观众也能感受到游戏虚拟人物的真情实感。即使也有一些负面影评认为该片将大阵容和密集的情节放在短短两个小时里太过填鸭，但实际上，就算是普通观众仍旧可以看懂影片的主旨。

Hardcore players, meanwhile, will be gratified to see their favorite Warcraft characters brought to life. “People spend more time in [Warcraft] than in the places they live. It actually is like their hometown,” Duncan told The Guardian.

而看到自己喜爱的《魔兽》游戏角色在银幕上栩栩如生，游戏铁杆玩家表示心满意足。“玩家在‘魔兽世界’中花费的时间比他们现实生活中的还要长。魔兽世界其实就像是他们的故乡。”邓肯对《卫报》说。

The movie Warcraft is an honest attempt to recapture the finer qualities of its source material. “There’s a genuine sense of striving to get inside what made the Warcraft games beloved by 100 million participants, whether playing as humans or orcs, and tapping into what makes fantasy feel so personal, so real,” wrote IGN’s movie critic Leigh Singer.

电影《魔兽》是一次重塑原作精髓的诚意尝试。“影片确确实实做到了努力去挖掘为什么《魔兽》游戏受到上亿玩家拥戴的精髓，无论他们扮演的是人族还是兽族；以及为什么虚构世界能让人觉得如此真实和感同身受。”游戏娱乐媒体IGN影评人利•辛格写道。