Posts with tag faces-of-cataclysm

Your regular host, Mr. Michael Gray, is out today. He probably has a good reason -- he usually does. You're stuck with me for Moviewatch today. But fear not, Moviewatchers, for I bring you Faces of Cataclysm, Chapter III: The Return of the Highborne by epic machinamator Melvenor.

Melvenor is one of the last epic machinamators who takes the lore of World of Warcraft and adds bits of flair, acting, and depth to tell pieces of Warcraft's story. His most recent Cataclysm movie is all about the return of the Highborne to Night Elven society and the pains they must endure to win back the trust of their Kaldorei brothers and sisters. On his way to meet with the Night Elves in Silvermoon Refuge, a Highborne conjurer is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Epic machinima is a hard sell for me, at times. Melvenor's work, however, feels like it has just the right amount of quality, substance, and skill that makes his epic machinima work. The camera work is great, the voice acting is superb, and the video itself looks wonderful, cleaned up with a bit of After Effects. If you haven't seen Melvenor's work yet, you owe yourself a few minutes to do so.

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Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.

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SPOILER WARNING: This video has spoilers about Cataclysm. This review has spoilers about the video. This spoiler warning has spoilers about both.

Melvenor is pretty well-known to the fans who love "big book" lore. He creates movies intrinsically tied to the lore of World of Warcraft, putting his own artistic vision and deep effort into the videos. Sons of Grim Batol is the first chapter in his Faces of Cataclysm series, which sets up a pretty exciting followup for later episodes.

My favorite bit came when the dwarves, confronted with the unconquerable might of a lone, shirtless troll, drolly shoot him down. I know this kind of deadpan slapstick isn't exactly bleeding-edge humor, but it still tickles my funny bone.

I love Melvenor's stuff, so here's hoping for a relatively swift second chapter to the Faces of Cataclysm series.

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Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.

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