Comic-Con: Warcraft Sizzle Reel Shown

Surprise first look shown to fans.

The big reveal at today's Legendary Pictures panel was a proof of concept sizzle reel for the Warcraft movie. And it was sweet. Director Duncan Jones and Legendary's boss and the film's producer Thomas Tull made a quick appearance to show the footage.
At first, it wasn't clear what film the footage we were watching was from. It almost had a sci-fi western feel, sort of like a fantasy version of the silent, tense opening of Once Upon a Time in the West. We see a warrior waiting anxiously in a desert landscape. The storm sky has hints of electric green crackling in parts of it.

The warrior finds a shield from the skeleton of a warrior's corpse, a hint that many have come to this spot to duel someone -- or something -- and lost. It doesn't take long for us to see (a bit) of who/what he's waiting to confront.
A green-hued, hulking (no pun intended) monster stalks into the edge of the frame. He is yards away from the warrior and then starts to move quickly toward his prey. Boom. End of sizzle reel.
We never get a straight-on look at the ogre, but it actually worked better to create a sense of doom and tension. It, like Warcraft itself, forced you to use your imagination. It was fantastic looking and had a tone and a feel of an otherworldly spaghetti western. The crowd loved it.
Duncan Jones confirmed that Warcraft begins filming early next year.