WarCraft 3 Cinematics Study

1 - Introduction

I remember viewing the cinematics for the original WarCraft 2 and especially loved how the intro got me hyped up for the game. The war-thirsty orcs arriving in their ships, the booming drums of war, the humans getting their weapons drawn and ready, the narrator speaking about the great battles to come ... it made me really excited to play the game - I was just so amazed at how great the cinematics were at the time. My opinion of their quality has changed over the years, naturally, but despite not being realistic at all, and just cartoon-esque and fun interludes between acts in the game, they were great. Both ending cinematics for each race were terrific rewards for the player's efforts in finishing the game. All of the cinematics added an atmosphere to the game and - as players of ripped pirate games will whinge about - without them the whole experience is severely lacking.

Such cinematics are a common and important aspect of most Blizzard games. Over the years, they have continued their tradition-like usage of using them to make their worlds seem much more real and give us an idea of what they were like outside of the game environment itself. Even if WarCraft 3 has a fine in-game engine, the cinematics continued for it to show important events. Furthermore, the quality was outstanding and contributed to help us visualise the characters and events in the world more than ever.

What I'm going to take a look at in this article are the cinematics for WarCraft 3 and its expansion, The Frozen Throne, and pointing out parts like meanings in the subtext, points of interest, symbolisms and small details you may have not noticed before. Much of this is my own speculation and interpretation, and some points I do admit are quite abstract - but they are at least interesting to point out. A few comments are also from the cinematic DVD from my WarCraft 3 Collectors Edition, on which the lead cinematic artist and Chris Metzen did a commentary recording with some interesting notes and tidbits (Though I think there's not enough to make it worthwhile to get for yourself unless you want the Collectors Edition anyway). So take my words with a pinch of salt, as it were, as suggestions and not as absolute certainty. However, do bear in mind that when people are working for many long hours on artistic work, they tend to make things interesting by putting in little secrets and details - I know I sometimes do in mapwork.

Finally, there will definitely be spoilers here since I describe the events in the cinematics. So if you haven't completed either of the campaigns, do so first, though I am going in straight-forward order if you've only done a few.

Are you comfortable? Then let us begin.

1.2 - Subtitles

Originally I typed them all out myself but, while this forced me to view the cinematics at a slower pace and observe details here and there, I found the text files of the subtitles are in the main MPQ files (war3.mpq and war3x.mpq). I had a few grammar-related typo's which I corrected, but my old processing’s are still the ones I used and may be wrong. In other words, if you want the 100%, definitely correct text for each cinematic then get them out of the text files instead of this document, as there is a small chance that they are not perfectly matching.

1.3 - Useless Fact

All of the cinematics, including the expansion ones (Except for the ending duel), are 193MB in total and 26 minutes and 11 seconds (1567 seconds) long.

1.4 - Links

I found two links of interest if you wish to know more about Blizzard's cinematic team's creations.

A brief article on Blizzard's cinematics, from before WarCraft 3.
http://www.cdmag.com/articles/031/008/blizzard_feature.html

A Gamespy interview with Blizzard's Cinematic Director Nick Carpenter, as part of a feature on cinematics in games which is fairly interesting.
http://www.gamespy.com/interviews/december00/aog5/

1.5 - Watching the Cinematics

There are easier ways to view the cinematics rather than going into the game. Simply load one of the programs below and then the warcraft 3\Movies files into them. Listing:

TutorialIn - Tutorial Introduction, "The Prophecy".
TutorialOp - Tutorial Opening, "Thrall's Vision".
HumanOp - Human Introduction, "The Warning".
HumanEd - Human Ending, "Arthas' Betrayal".
UndeadEd - Undead Ending, "The Destruction of Dalaran".
OrcEd - Orc Ending, "The Death of Hellscream".
NightElfEd - Night Elf Ending, "Eternity's End".

IntroX - Expansion Introduction, "The Awakening".
OutroX - Expansion Ending, "The Ascension".


I used version 9 of Media Player which I'm sure allows you to play the cinematics, but I also recommend BSPlayer as you can just drag the movies straight into it, which is much quicker rather than going through File-Open and to the directory. Thanks to Thrill for suggesting BSPlayer. It also allowed me to take screenshots too.

BSPlayer homepage.
Windows Media Player homepage.

2 - Reign of Chaos Cinematics

Whereas WarCraft 2 and StarCraft had more 'general' cinematics that were not always completely relevant to the plot or featured the main characters (And the same with Brood War to a lesser extent), WarCraft 3 did not. Blizzard opted for fewer yet longer and even more amazingly detailed cinematics than their previous games than ever before to enhance the story. Since the game revolved around the heroes and their actions in both story and gameplay, I suppose that it was logical for them to do so.

2.1 - WarCraft 3 Introduction: 'The Prophecy'

Running time: 2:15 (Includes Blizzard and WarCraft III logo segments)
Description: An orcish standard waves in the wind and is revealed to be a reflection in a puddle. A voice speaks of the orc-human war continuing to this day, as an orc and human bitterly fight in an open, grassy field. After trading blows, they are interrupted by the arrival of a thunderous green meteorite - it rises and appears to be an Infernal of the Burning Legion. It roars as we cut out and fade back in to the puddle once more, with the bloodied corpses of the two previous fighters in it.

Commentary: Originally the first cinematic released as a preview for the game, "The Prophecy" was a fantastic and chilling preview of what was going to happen to the WarCraft universe - with the arrival of the dreaded Burning Legion, as well as a sign of how Blizzard's cinematics had progressed since Brood War and Diablo II. It was eventually used as the introduction to the game, but *only* for that as the campaign was (probably) still under development and so there were no specific details that could be put in it yet.

Even though the orcs and humans never allied until the last part of the game's campaign, the cinematic's warning about their urgent need of having to 'unite or die' was very unsettling for sure. It's just a shame that the plot of them uniting was done fairly weakly and not particularly explored in the game, and then partially undone for World of WarCraft which focuses on the Horde and Alliance's near state of war and animosity between one another.

Throughout many of the Blizzard cinematics, not just WarCraft 3's, the artists have a knack for really controlling what you see and hear to create suspense, much as you expect from any director of major movies. They frequently fade in and out, especially to shocking images and the fade-in to the corpses of the orc and human is a perfect example - it really adds to the tragic feel of what is coming about to the world of Azeroth. It doesn't use huge armies to simulate it - just a battling pair of hatred-fuelled enemies, and a single, if deadly, minion of the Legion.

A metaphor for the coming conflict used here is a storm. These are used in many other instances of story-telling as they are very suitable for depicting the end of a period of calmness and the arrival of violence or conflict. The one in this cinematic is no exception - we begin with the calm shot of a puddle, and soon after the fight is taking place in a windy and wet area before becoming a thunderously noisy storm. Other examples are all over games and movies - see 3D Realm's Max Payne, of which the first game majorly uses a bitter winter storm to achieve this, and compares it several times to Ragnarock, the end of the world in Norse mythology.

There is definitely a strong atmosphere throughout the cinematic - the ominous, always blowing wind and sudden shots into the fight, and back to silence while the narrator speaks, especially adds to the effect. The music heightens and swiftly becomes tense after the Infernal lands and rises from its crater... and then immediately cuts, like in other Blizzard movies, before the beast screams in an excellent cutoff point.

Did you notice...
-The orc roars as the thunder and lightning begins? The effect is that it's as if he created it from his warcry.
-The two little fish swimming in the puddle at the end?
-The fire in the Inferal's crater is the traditional red and orange colour? As opposed to the white-green of the Infernal’s, though that could just be that his own 'temperature' is immensely higher and hotter.
-The orcs blood is not the standard red? It clearly shows darker blood, possibly green as you would presume for orcs. Such blood is the common conception as seen in most fantasy universes such as the Warhammer one by Games Workshop. I think this cinematic is the only time we see it - probably because it would look out of place. In all of the WarCraft games orcs always sport red blood whenever they die, so it is presumably to avoid complicating art effects in the game engines (Or consistency).
-The narrator is the same as the one for Diablo 2 (i.e. Marius), one Frank Gorshin, who was actually the Riddler in the original Batman TV series(!). See http://www.frankgorshin.com/ if you don't believe me - the bottom of the index page has a listing of his work.

2.2 - Tutorial Campaign Introduction: 'Thrall's Vision'

Running time: 2:53
Description: Medivh speaks to Thrall of the current situation through a dream - in which an orcish army charges towards a human one, as Infernals begin crashing down overhead. We cut out as the forces collide to Thrall waking up in a cold sweat. Medivh instructs Thrall to find him.

Extended Description:
A quick fade-in to sunny clouds shows the 'Blizzard Entertainment presents...' text, followed by a fadeout to blackness as Medivh speaks.
"The sands of time have run out, son of Durotan..." followed by a brief shot of uneven terrain, before cutting back out to darkness (This style repeats for the rest of the following).
"The cries of war echo upon the winds..." followed by plain grass and daffodil seeds floating.
"The remnants of the past scar the land..." - a crow picking at dirt for seeds.
"Which is besieged, once again... by conflict." - Sudden shot of orcs charging.
The crow looks about, a music beat begins.
Shot back to a Kodo rider banging his drums as the orcs continue charging. Back to the raven picking again. A close up shot of the drummer, and then back to the raven, as some of its flock begin flying away and it does so too. An orcish catapult comes screaming over the hill. WE cut further back and see the entire army - hundreds wide - charging forward. An orc slips and falls under the strain of running.
A human figure arises onto a rock overlooking the area.
"Heroes arise to challenge fate... and lead their bretheren to battle."
The figure signals for his army to advance and they do so, as human warriors begin running behind him.
Cut once again to a larger view, as the human army is also massive.
"As mortal armies rush blindly toward their doom ..." A shot of Thrall pausing amidst his charging army.
"...The Burning Shadw comes to consume us all."
Shot of the sky, as a single Infernal begins raging down. Shot back to the overall area of the armies, as more Infernals begin landing. Just as they and the two armies collide, we fadeout in whiteness.
Medivh stands in the cold rain, turns and points a finger to the camera.
"YOU must rally the Horde and lead your people to their destiny!"
An orc, Thrall, suddenly wakes up, shocked.
"Seek me out..."
Solemn music. A crow flies away outside his hut.

Commentary: An excellent cinematic and start for the prelude tutorial campaign featuring the orcs. It's another dire warning of the scale of the possible carnage involved, should the Horde remain in Lordaeron.

According to the Blizzard DVD commentary, the main colour used was orange to make it seem much more like a 'dream', which I can see works quite well.

I'm unsure whether the bird at the beginning is actually a raven or a crow. If a raven, it is possibly Medivh, but it is black and could be either. If it IS a raven and thus Medivh, it serves little relevance anyhow, unless Medivh was trying to get Thrall's attention - that the raven meant something, perhaps such as picking at the dirt was a metaphor to him searching the earth for Thrall? Or, more likely, it was just used to signal the disturbing of the peace as the orcish horde made its charge over the lands.


Did you notice...
-The birds flying over the orcish army? As depicted throughout some of Warhammer: Dark Omen, crows pick apart and eat corpses like vultures tend to. To quote Morgan at the campaigns start "The crows never go hungry.". Crows are rumoured to have followed armies in medieval wars - because it meant a constant meal! Crows picking at human corpses were also used in the original Diablo introduction, as a startling view of a bird picking out a human's eyeball. A Blizzard obsession? Probably not, it's just a shocking image to create a sense of nausea.
-The human leader on the rock looks nearly identical to the one from The Warning? Could just be standard armour ... or time saved instead of creating another model. :P
-As he finishes speaking at the end, the camera shakes as Medivh's figure changes into - if you look very closely - a raven!
-The crow actually appears on Thrall's windowsill as he wakes up, before flying away in the exterior shot of his hut.
-Kodo rider? Surely this is happening in Lordaeron? I'm not sure how that inconsistency happened. I suppose the orcs needed some sort of drummer for effect of their going-to-war status and I suppose it is just a dream after all.

2.3 - Human Introduction: 'The Warning'

Running time: 3:36
Description: Medivh travels as a raven throughout many lands to the Capital City of Lordaeron. As councillors from various nations argue over the threats to the human lands - namely the renewed Horde and plague in the northern lands - the raven lands in the room and transforms into Medivh. Medivh attempts to persuade King Terenas to abandon the kingdom and travel to the West. The King sternly argues back, adamant that humanity should remain in its own lands to face any threat, and orders Medivh to leave. Guards partially escort him, and he clearly gives up on any further attempts to persuade him, and leaves.
"Their fate is now their own."

Extended Description:
We descend from a great height to being over some snowy mountains down below. The view moves more straight and a raven flies by. We fade over to a desert canyon, as it continues flying. We fade over again to Lordaeron's Capital City.

"We've received reports that the orcs are regrouping." a man speaks. "Certainly the recent attacks against the internment camps are evidence enough."
"Agreed ... the Horde IS on the move!"
"This is absurd. My nation will not standby and watch as the Horde masses on our very doorstep!"
(Dalaran councillor) "The orcs are not our primary concern here. How many times must I repeat myself?"
We look to the King, sat on his throne, listening but not looking at the debating people. He is clearly quite stressed or tired, being over 70 years old.
The Dalaran spokesman continues with "King Terenas, you must heed my warning. This plague that has gripped the northlands could have dire ramifications."
Various people are heard arguing about the throneroom.
"Plague? You wizards are just being paranoid!" someone says.
Terenas watches the raven encircle in the room. Uneasy music begins.
"Let's keep all this in perspective. Even if this plague does pose a threat to us, what are you proposing that we do?"
Terenas studies the now landed bird.
"It is simple. As I have said, the Kirin Tor are already prepared to place the villages under 'strict' quarantine."
Terenas suddenly speaks up and faces the Dalaran speaker.
"I will NOT institute quarantine without proof of your claims, ambassador. The people of Lordaeron have suffered enough without becoming prisoners in their own lands."
He turns back to the raven, which now magically transforms through green mist into a man.
"Yet prisoners they are, good King."
Sudden shot of Terenas' suspicous eyes.
"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?"
"Humanity is in peril! The tides of darkness have come again, and the whole world is poised upon the brink of war."
The Dalaran councillor appears unamused and calls "Enough of this! Guards, remove this madman!"
"Hear me! The only hope for your people is to travel West, to the forgotten lands of Kalimdor!"
There is huge outrage by the politicians.
"Travel West?! Are you mad?" speaks the Dalaran ambassador once more.
"Hold ambassador. I don't know who you are or what you believe, but this is not the time for rambling prophets! Our lands ARE beset by conflict, but it shall be WE who decide how best to protect our people, not YOU! Now begone!"
"I failed humanity once before, and I will not do so again. If you can not take up this cup, I shall find another who will."
He turns and begins walking away. The guards remain vigilant.
Chilling string music plays as Medivh finishes narrating.
"A warning has been given. Their fate is now their own."

Commentary: As part of the way Blizzard twists its races about compared to the normal cliché of each (Orcs are more noble than brutal, humans are usually more arrogant than bold, night elves are more peaceful than vicious), it was about time Blizzard showed the downside of some of the humans with their sheer arrogance. That's not completely true with Terenas (And naturally it only applies to some members of the race), as he does give a valid argument, but it's partially correct nonetheless. It was only Garithos and Admiral Proudmoore in the expansion pack that we saw how much they could be so.

Not all of the texts of the various ambassadors is in the subtitles, but I could make it out on repeated listening - it does actually relate to the plot. Even if the viewer can't hear it (Though obviously they had to be speaking about *something*), it's good detail.

"If you can not take up this cup, I shall find another who will." - I'm not sure about the meaning of cup here. Obviously it's a metaphor for the task, but why the word cup? I'm not sure what it signifies. It's just something you drink from - perhaps there's a risk a drink is poisoned?

According to the DVD commentary, the throneroom's floor was originally going to be one large texture, but it didn't look right. What was the alternative? The artists constructed a model for each individual brick instead!

Did you notice...
-The ravens position on screen during the transition from cold mountain to desert remains roughly the same?
-Lake Lordaemere runs right up near to the Capital City? This is as seen in the orc ending level of the original WarCraft 2.
-Terenas robe is white - the colour of Lordaeron in WC2. This is almost surprising detail as Blizzard have been quite inconsistent in other aspects between games before (Such as the colour of the Bleeding Hollow between WC2 and its expansion).
-Obviously, this is the same courtroom as seen in the human ending. It is interesting to note that the campaign both begins and ends in it.
Also, the plague that was ignored by Terenas is eventually what lead to what Arthas changed to and subsequently did to his father - all through the Undead. He had a chance to avoid that fate.
-We can also see the outdoor area Arthas walked through (where he gets showered with rose petals). There are several arches and room for people or guards on the walls to watch people enter the throneroom.
-The area of green grass and plants we see in front of the castle room may be the gardens we see Arthas at the start of the expansion Undead campaign?
-The ants moving on the ground as the raven flies over slabs before reaching the throneroom? It's a lovely little detail, probably done to show some more motion in the shot.
-There are six areas (Pulpits, even), three on either side of the throne, where ambassadors speak. After Medivh transforms, we can see another two behind him - though these may be some of the same. However, we can see all of them in total in the overall view when Terenas addresses Medivh - there appear to in fact be eight. Possibly six for the human nations (Lordaeron wouldn't need one) and one each for elves and dwarves?
-There is some sort of model of Capital city behind Terenas on his throne? Either that or money, or candles - it's unfortunately blurry.
-All of the ambassadors are wearing red? (Probably so the artists only had to create one model)
-As commented on the cinematic DVD, the voice actor for King Terenas sadly died a short time after voicing his part.

2.4 - Human Ending: 'Arthas' Betrayal'

Running time: 2:30
Description: Victorious bells ring to the arrival of Arthas after his campaign in Northrend. People celebrate his arrival by showering him with rose petals as he reaches the throneroom. He kneels before his father and tells him he has taken care of everything. He then proceeds to kill him with Frostmourne. Terenas bloodied crown falls to the floor, and Arthas announces that a new empire has arrived.

Extended Description:

We see bells ringing gloriously as a cloaked figure flanked by two figures walks by. Outside the door to the throneroom, dozens of people drop rose petals upon the prince, happy upon his return and victories against the undead. Arthas studies one of the petals, smudging it in his hand. He thrusts open the large doors with great force and walks into the middle of the room and kneels down, his sword in hand.

"Ah, my son." greets Terenas to his son.

"You no longer need to sacrifice for your people. You no longer need to bear the weight of your crown." speaks Arthas, nearly under his breath as if he's talking to himself.

"I've taken care ... of everything."

Arthas removes his hood and moves up to his father. His two accomplices move to the side, presumably taking care of the guards.

"What is this? What are you doing, my son?"

"Succeeding you, father..."

Terenas is barely able to groan as the sword finishes its work at his neck, as Arthas pulls the sword out and the body falls down. The crown falls down the steps to the floor, bloodied and slightly broken. We see the bells once more - this time more slower, as if declaring death and doom. Arthas speaks as they solemnly ring.
"This kingdom shall fall, and from the ashes shall arise a new order that will shake the very foundations of the world."
We suddenly fade out.


Commentary: The use of music here is done extremely well throughout this cinematic - far more than any of the others in my opinion.
We have victorious, happy music to begin with - as if celebrating the players success against the undead, but then it suddenly cuts out and becomes quite tense when we come to the throneroom, to give the impression that something is not right (And we know it). Indeed, Arthas has been victorious but, as we saw throughout the human campaign, was done so at a great cost, climaxing with his acquisition of the blade Frostmourne. The music fadesout to create some suspense as Arthas enters and kneels down. It quickly picks up to become tense as Arthas gets up and approaches his father. It again fades out - partially so we can hear the two people speak - as Arthas informs his father of his succession. As the bloodied crown settles upon the floor, a quick drumbeat rolls as we fadein to the bells once more.

Arthas opening the huge doors dramatically reminds me of Aragorn opening the doors in Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

According to the DVD commentary, the use of shadows for Arthas killing his father was a nod to the famous Alfred Hitchcock style of such. It works very well - obscuring the watchers view and making them *imagine* the full shapes of the ruthless scene.


Did you notice...
-The segment of music used around the tenth second - a human choir singing gloriously - seems, though I'm not absolutely certain, to be the *same* the one as used when Medivh flies over Lordaeron? Cheap Blizzard. ;)
-The birds nest in the bell tower?
-One of the guards in the background, as Arthas kneels, moves about to the door? I'm not sure why this was even done. Perhaps both left the room, explaining why Arthas was able to do his murdering undisturbed, or was simply added detail.
-Arthas' minions are presumably followers of the Cult of the Damned.

2.5 - Undead Ending: 'The Destruction of Dalaran'

Running time: 2:03
Description: We see a shape drawn in some sand, as a mosquito flies over it, as if looking. We pan out to see the shape is part of a complex set of symbols. Archimonde speaks in his native demonic language. We see Dalaran from afar and some of its towers up-close. Archimonde makes a handprint in the symbol, picks up the sand and drops it. The dust forms into a figure of the city. He clutches the middle of one of the towers. There is a pause as nothing happens, as we switch back to the city. Suddenly, one of the towers does indeed break apart in the exact same manner. Archimonde shouts a small roar and smashes the entire model city in one sweep. We hear much breaking and fadeout to darkness. We fade back in to the symbol he made as he finishes speaking some more, before we fadeout.

Archimonde's voice is in demonic, but is translated in the subtitles:
Let this scar signify the first blow against the mortal world.
From this seal shall arise the doom of men,
who, in their arrogance, sought to wield our fire as their own.
Blindly they built their kingdoms
upon stolen knowledge and conceit.
Now they shall be consumed by
the very flame they sought to control.
Let the echoes of doom resound across this wretched world,
that all who live may hear them and despair.


Commentary: There is little of which I feel I can say about this cinematic. It is probably my least favourite due to the lack of action. Its main purpose is to show off the full power of Archimonde, the big bad guy of the plot. After a tense (Well, depending on your skill) level defending his summoning into the world, it is a fair reward to know how much it was worth it.

Speaking of Dalaran, there were various inconsistencies in WC2 about it - it was located South West of its position in WC3 according to the WC2 manuals map. Then, as someone reminded me, the city was actually destroyed in WC2 when the Horde pressed North. It is explained that the Kirin Tor reconstructed the city using the 'Eye of Dalaran' in the WC2 Expansion, so I presumed that they moved the whole city (Those crafty wizards can do wonders!). The ruins still remained, since it was fought over in The Frozen Throne due to its vaults of various magical artifacts.

Archimonde's speech reminds us of where magic (No, not me) apparently comes from and why it's questionable that so many people in Azeroth use it. Apparently when magic in WarCraft is used it comes from the Twisting Nether, since it is the very *lifeforce* of demons.

Given that possibility, I once thought, during WC's development time after reading on the Blizzard website, that a possible 'moral' or part of the story in WarCraft 3 would be that magic users would eventually sacrifice their talent to save the world - since casting magic lures the demons and thus it would stop the Legion ever returning, hence the Night Elves banning it after the Great Sundering.
It would have been the usual 'temptation' part of stories, like the ring in Lord of the Rings, as is touched upon in the Blood Elf campaign in Frozen Throne (With their addiction to, ahem, magic). Of course, the world of WarCraft would be far more boring without magic (Plus there would be no threat of the Burning Legion) and would make the demons more ... well, 'understandable' - that we know they have a reason for fighting, their survival, that all of the races are arrogant for taking it away. And what's a story without bad guys? I think the direction of that aspect has changed towards making them simply hate all life and want to destroy all of creation and thus keep them firmly as the nefarious villains.

Did you notice...
-Archimonde has a sort of Klingon-esque forehead?
-Dalaran's entrances appear to only be accessible by bridges?
-The hill-like environment and sunset is similar to Lordaeron in "The Warning"? (Perhaps recycled models and textures, perhaps just the way many cities are created)

2.6 - Orc Ending: 'The Death of Hellscream'

Running time: 3:55
Description: Thrall and Grom look for Mannoroth in the canyon. He appears and they fight, but Thrall is knocked unconscious. Grom gets up and gets a hit into Mannoroth's gut, destroying the demon, but the blast knocks Grom back and he dies, though does so knowing he saved his entire race.


Extended Description: We fade-in to find Thrall and Grom exploring the canyon where Mannoroth, the corruptor of the orcish race, is apparently lurking. He speaks, unseen, and his voice echoes all over the canyon.
"Heh heh heh... So predictable."
"I knew you would come. And I see you've brought the mighty Hellscream! Mwhehehehehe!"

We see a shot of his spiked tale as it begins moving. With a clash, he steps in from behind the two orcs.
"His blood is mine, as is your whole, misbegotten race!"
Thrall, clearly angry, screams and slams his warhammer into the floor. The music escalates. Thrall's warhammer glows white, as he twists back and then suddenly throws it towards Mannoroth. In the last second it approaches him, he shields himself with his arm. A wind blows, as Thrall and Grom look on. We see Mannoroth's wing with a tiny tear, swing back away from his front.
We see a shot of him, the rest of him completely unhurt.
"A worthy effort, but futile!" he cries, as he suddenly charges forwards with great speed and slams his double sided weapon into the ground between the duo, smashing up rocks. Thrall is knocked aside, slams against a wall and appears unconscious.
Mannoroth laughs. Grom gets up off the floor onto one knee, shaken, and slowly picks up his axe, while slowing looking up at the demon.
"The boy believed you could be saved, but he didn't know what burns within your soul."
Grom looks down at the ground.
" when in your heart, you know we are the same."
With a cry, Grom screams in defiance and in a second is charging at Mannoroth. The demon spins his weapon round to block his swiping axe, but Grom cleaves straight through it and at the same time slashes the stomach of the beast, his axe stuck in it. Mannoroth cries in agony. As he slumps down, we see Grom standing a few metres before him, just as the demon explodes in an immense explosion of flame. Grom's figure pushes against it, but his feet are gradually pushed back continuously, as the camera cuts out.
We fade in to find Grom falling down backwards, breathing slowly as if hurt. Thrall slowly walks over, holding his right arm and kneels down to the side of his friend. Grom lifts his head up slightly.
"Thrall... the blood haze has lifted. The demons fire has burnt out in my veins. " He coughs hard. "I have ... freed myself..."
His head returns down.
"No, old friend,. You've freed us all." speaks Thrall, as he looks up and screams in honour of his fallen friend.


Commentary: Definitely one of the best cinematics - mainly since it's simply brilliant action.

Thrall's cry at the end is of a custom orc tradition, as detailed in Lord of the Clans. When orcs commit themselves to a task (Such as Durotan deciding to return to the Horde), they scream as loud as possible to signal their bonding to their action. Other clan members then approach them to discover what is happening, and may issue their own cries if they are to do likewise. For Thrall here, it is probably in respect, or sadness, at Grom's death. A lack of sound here would simply make the scene more of lament and sorrow, instead of an honourable death.

Despite enduring massive burns from Mannoroth's death, Grom's hair is not burnt. The reason, according to the artist’s commentary, is that singed hair was difficult to do, and a bald Grom obviously would look silly!

There's in fact ten seconds at the end for the audio to fadeout. That's quite a long time in my opinion, but it is needed to really solemnise the scene and shows how much Blizzard wanted to do so. Also, one of the lovely touches is that the fire in Grom's eyes disappears as he dies - he's free of demonic taint at long last. It's actually the first and final time Thrall sees him so - like Luke seeing his fathers face when he takes off his mask in Return of the Jedi. Both are quite sad moments, yet contain some degree of redemption, as both Grom and Vader die as they have helped stop the 'wrong' they originally caused - Grom allowing the orcs to get tainted and driven by demons, Vader through turning to the dark side and helping Palpatine create the Galactic Empire. Both die as they turned against the person who was a major part in their fall, though in the end it costs them their lives, but they gladly do so.
Still, it seems a typical moment for fantasy\sci-fi films - the character has went back on their evil ways, dies for it but are able to briefly live as they once were when 'normal' and allows us to see them so for a few moments.

Did you notice...
-Mannoroth shaved his beard for the cinematic? :D His in-game model has one, but he doesn't here. I'm presuming either a lapse in communication between the artists, or a change to make him look older (Being the leader of the Pit Lords and all) but it was too late to change his cinematic model.
-The Doomhammer - named after the former orc WarChief Orgrim Doomhammer - is possibly destroyed? Or was it cast aside? Or does Thrall have an infinite supply of them (Like magically summoned weapons in D&D)? It's of little matter. The Blizzard 'Art of WarCraft' book has the text of 'The Doomhammer' for the 3D render picture of Thrall's hammer, even if the symbol on the side is of the Frostwolf clan. Perhaps Thrall had it carved on, or it wasn't considered by the designers, since I doubt Doomhammer had it like that through his years in power... unless Durotan gave it to him (But Blizzard never suggested so, I did :P).

2.7 - Night Elf Ending: 'Eternity's End'

Running time: 2:41
Description: An enlarged Archimonde climbs Mount Hyjal and grabs onto the World Tree with his hands, as Furion watches from afar on a ledge. The Arch Druid raises the Horn of Cenarius and blows into it. The wind blows about the trees, as a few wisps appear. These turn into dozens as they race towards the World Tree. Before long there are hundreds encircling Archimonde as he focuses on the tree. He lets go of the it in near-horror as the wisps rush about his form, quickening in speed. Archimonde groans and clutches his stomach, but the thousands of wisps continue, and his body seems to burns a white-blue colour. From afar, we suddenly see an explosion come from the tree. The demon disappears in a sudden disintegration, and fire rips loose across the land over the trees, which are instantly incinerated. As the blue mist of his form evaporates, a shining explosion comes from the tree as we fadeout in whiteness. We fade-in to an approach of the bottom of the World Tree, as its roots grow once more from it.
At this point, Medivh speaks:
"The roots will heal in time as will the entire world."
We see the massive surviving army of the three united races.
"The sacrifices have been made. Just as the orcs, humans, and night elves discarded their old hatreds and stood united against a common foe, so did nature herself rise up to banish the shadow... forever."
We pan back to Medivh, watching the armies of the combined races, as he turns around.
"As for me, I came back to ensure there would be a future, to teach the world that it no longer needed guardians. The hope for future generations has always resided in mortal hands. And now that my task is done, I will take my place amongst the legends of the past.
Fadeout.

Commentary: I had no idea it was the actual army of the races that we saw at the end, but thought it was the recuperating trees. This is one of the few points I think Blizzard slipped up on for detail, though after animating all of the other scenes I'm not amazingly surprised - modelling an entire army couldn't have been easy especially just as the artists thought they had nearly finished working on the project!

I have read forum posts by people who don't think there was much of a meaning to the ending - that Medivh should have fought Archimonde or something instead, since he is a Guardian with godlike powers. I suppose such people enjoy their Saturday morning cartoons too (And skip all dialogue in The Matrix to watch the fighting), where the bad guy is beaten by the good hero in a huge, colourful fight with lots of beams of energy and explosions. Sheesh.

No, Medivh did things differently - he made the races unite to save themselves because they didn't really need him to save them. Such an ending is very strong to me - much like Star Wars (With Vader's redemption - it's never too late to change, no matter what), or Lord of the Rings (The smallest of people can change the world), WarCraft teaches us that mortal hands are powerful. In our world, the myth of extra-strong heroes has existed for centuries, from Hercules to Superman and continuing into modern-day celebrities, all of whom are seen as infallible yet are actually just as prone to flaws as we. And for fictional heroes too - even Superman, with all of his amazing powers, couldn't save his parents.
It's gratifying to hear that we don't need such superheroes or a single type of individual to lead us - but that together we, the people, have the ability to 'save' and change our world. We don't need huge important people, we just need ourselves, together. Even though I'm digressing even more, I think that there is possibly a link to a democracy here - it's a style of government that gives the people power, instead of relying on one person or a ruling cabinet of people to keep things right.
Since we can, if we unite.


Did you notice...

-The sound for the Horn of Cenarius is the same as the in-game one?
-Archimonde explodes like Mannoroth? Do all these demons do so when they die? :P
-Did Medivh know this would happen? Surely he did. Though the Order of Tirisfall was started by night elves and humans (I think), Medivh was at some point in contact with them, by my reckoning. His morphing into a raven is apparently through a night elven artifact, according to one of the DVD commentary's, and he does know all about Kalimdor.

3 - The Frozen Throne Cinematics

Despite the expansion pack only having two cinematics, both are fairly long, if not majorly eventful, though with quality just as great as in Reign of Chaos'.

3.1 - Introduction Cinematic: 'The Awakening'

Running time: 3:08
Description: The Night Elf-demon hybrid Illidan stands in the raining environment, brooding over how he was called a betrayer, yet says he was actually the one betrayed. He calls forth the Naga from the sea and they emerge onto the beach.

Extended Description: We see blackness and hear thuds, as the 'Blizzard Entertainment presents' text, in blue, appears and then disappears.
The recognisable voice of Illidan Stormrage speaks "'Betrayer.'"
"In truth, it was I who was betrayed."
We cut in to see Illidan, now permanently half-demon, brooding. Loud horn music plays.
"Still I am hunted. Still I am hated." He raises his hand. "Now, my blind eyes see what others cannot."
Lightning crackles.
"That sometimes the hand of fate must be forced." The sea before him rages thunderously. We see the waves crashing up and down, then we descend into the water. We see the side of something and suddenly an eyelid opens and we see the huge eye staring.
A naga swims upwards and we see it emerging onto the beach, hissing as it looks at the lights ahead. Another appears, but the first one cackles in annoyance and the second moves back slightly, bowed.
"Now, go forth." Illidan speaks as they begin slithering forwards.
The camera fades out.
"Unleash the tides of doom."
We see Illidan's face once more as the music builds and climaxes. "Upon all those who would oppose us."
A sudden fadeout.


Commentary: I'm sure the artists were wanting to try new effects and environments, as they seem to do so for each new cinematic for Blizzard games. They had the opportunity to do the sea and waves and did so excellently. I have never seen water animated so perfectly - the turbulent waves are excellently done as the Naga emerge. And the sounds correspond to the music and sound, as the waves rise and fall - such detail is brilliant! :)

Other than that, this is another cinematic I can't say comment much on.
Before the Frozen Throne came out, it was known that (Due to the obvious title), Illidan would be doing something with the Lich King (Though I thought he would be racing to merge with him, to gain power like he did with the Skull of Gul'dan in WC3), but this was all cast aside (And certainly not possible to guess) when Blizzard created the Naga, the ancient remnants of Queen Azshura, and made them join the Demon Hunter.

Surely the part with the Naga's eye opening is a Godzilla (The movie) reference - the part in the film where we see nothing, then realise it's an eye lid as it opens and we see the big, staring eye straight in our direction.


Did you notice...
-The small orange lights far ahead of the Naga when the first emerges onto the beach? Probably one of the trashed fishing villages Maiev passes through in the first level.
-The original introduction cinematic for WarCraft 3 also had a storm as its focus? Once again, there's that metaphor of a storm, heralding conflict!

3.2 - Cinematic: 'A Long Time Coming'

Running time: N/A
Description: As Arthas approaches the entrance to the Frozen Throne, Illidan shouts and tells him not to. They then engage in a fierce duel, trading attacks and locking their weapons. Frostmourne wins through over Illidan's Demon Hunter blades and is struck down.

Commentary: This is the duel scene before the actual cinematic and what absolutely amazed many of us, before such a stunning ending, was the fact it was done in-game (Even though it's actually a single, animated model, it was surprising to see).

Though there is not much to say about it, I would like to point out that we DON'T actually see Illidan die - only lying, bleeding in the snow. It is plausible he could die, but it is not certain. The Human (Or Blood Elf, practically) campaign spent a great deal of time setting up Illidan and the Blood Elves in Outland and the taking over of the Black Citadel.
Update: According to confirmation in the WarCraft RPG manual for Monsters Manual, Illidan is definitely alive - he escaped back to Outland. I'm mentioning this because some people seemed absolutely certain that he was killed due to a little blood.

Did you notice...
-Arthas isn't on his steed for once. Obviously, but it's about time!

3.3 - Undead Ending Cinematic: 'The Ascension'

Running time: 3:06
Description: As Arthas walks up the massive stairway that spirals around the Frozen Throne, he hears or thinks back on voices from long ago - such as Uther, Muradin and Medivh.
As he casts eyes upon the Lich King in his icy prison, Ner'zhul urges him to go on and free him, to 'return the blade', Frostmourne, and complete the circle. He strikes the icy casket and the chamber shakes apart around him. Ner'zhul's helmet rolls onto the floor. Arthas picks it up and places it on his head - a voice speaks that they are now one. As the figure sits defiantly upon the Frozen Throne, the camera moves far back to the shores of the surrounding area, with the tower-like structure in view. Fadeout.


Commentary: The second FT cinematic is an excellent conclusion to the story, even without a fight scene or any sense of great 'drama', it is a very suiting and solemn ending.

Extended Description \ Commentary: Arthas walking up the spiral path to the top of the Frozen Throne has some music that (seconds 4 to 25) is like the horn that is so recognisable from the Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack, 'The Great River' coming to mind. Perhaps it's even a reference, as it gives me the effect of a long journey, just like the scene where the Fellowship travel down the river, as well as when people are thinking about the tragedy that has occurred to them (The Fellowship, especially Frodo, and Arthas).

As he goes, he hears the voices of people from months ago that tried to persuade him from his trodden path of darkness. Three people are clear in the whispers from the moments such when as Uther is outraged at Arthas' plans to 'purge' Straltholme of undead corruption by killing the people, Muradin asking what was wrong with him and how he dared lie to his men and kill the mercenaries that fought for him and, finally, Medivh of when he told Jaina all Arthas would find in Northrend would be death. Despite their warnings, Arthas continued his obsessed quest for vengeance, which has lead him here, to the Frozen Throne, on his path of damnation.

All the voices are from the time he began walking down his questionable, darker path when he made shocking decisions - all in an attempt to save his people, but all it did was eventually damn both them and himself. The voices are either Arthas remembering what they said or the spirits of those people - all of whom are apparently deceased, by the way, and two by his own hand - who are speaking to him. Whichever, they are there as he completes his passage to undeath and are an excellent touch by the movie creators.

The first time I saw it, the sudden violence of Arthas striking the Throne made me think that he was DESTROYING the Lich King instead! It would have been a great surprise, for he had been a puppet all along, yet the drama - both the music and swiftness of his movement - were simply for the effect of the prince smashing the ice that had held the Lich King captive for ages. There's even a slown-down as Arthas shouts and attacks.
A few weeks later, I then showed this cinematic to a friend - who isn't into WarCraft at all - and he said something along the lines of Arthas saying 'F**k you!' to the voice speaking to him. So it did have that sort of effect to another person ... but when I take a second look at it - it would make no sense for Arthas to destroy the Lich king. He no longer had a soul and had dedicated himself to Ner'zhul, even as much as receiving his undead powers from him.

As Arthas leans down to pick up the helm of Ner'zhul, whispers continue - perhaps a reference to Frodo's temptation by the ring in Lord of the Rings. He places it on his head and a voice speaks again - but this time it's much clearer. I'm not sure whether it's a mixture of their voices, but it's at least an uncoarse version of Ner'zhul.

The cinematic is the finality of Arthas' path. The actions he choose have taken him here, from when he began his merciless purge of Stralthome (The first major point where he began his descent), to when he finally crossed the line and picked up Frostmourne and killed his father, to the merging with the Lich King himself. Whether Arthas is now even alive or is a sort of merged entity is unknown, though do note that the Lich King said they are as one.

The feeling of solemness in the ending brings about the manifestation of Arthas' actions. There's a pure choir-like voice sung, of innocence and tragedy, as we back away at the end - which reminds me of the scenes where heroes die in the movie of 'Lord of the Rings' and other movies. It is heavenly, nearly. Even though the scene is quite light with the snow, dark clouds form overhead (A possible warning that it's not over?). Bats or birds, some sort of flying creatures, circle the peak of the tower.
All of those effects - the smooth camera, solemness of the new 'Arthas' on his throne, the gentle music ... It's all as if it is complementing the tale of Arthas throughout WarCraft III, and the great tragedy of which it is.

Did you notice...
-I only thought about this on a later viewing - but notice the ocean. It's calm. Perhaps, and this is a *major* guess, even a parallel to the turbulent introduction cinematic of a turbulent ocean when Illidan summons the Naga. The enemies have been fought and the world is now without any massive conflict, at least for now (And as World of WarCraft takes place several years later when no major events have occurred...)
-The actual game began with a storm, and now it appears to have ended, at least temporarily. Again, this is definitely abstract and I doubt was planned. Obviously the plot will go from calm to conflict and back again, I suppose.
-The Lich King's helmet is similar to Sauron's from Lord of the Ring's. The helmet hitting the floor in this particular cinematic HAS to be a reference, I say - it looks the same and hits the floor in a similarly heavy way.