THE GREAT WALL MOVIE REVIEW MOVIE
To keep them out, and to protect the mainland from their onslaught, that, the movie says, was the real reason behind the Wall’s erection. The whole thing revolves around the fantastic idea that every 60 years, a horde of mythical beasts known as the Tao Tei attack China. Their quest for a mysterious item known as ‘black powder’ lands them at the foot of The Great Wall, where they are immediately arrested for trespassing.Īt the centre of this movie, Zhang’s first in the English language, is a knockout of a concept. Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal (you remember him, and the unfortunate fate of his eyes, from Game of Thrones) play a couple of mercenaries of hazy nationality who find themselves in medieval China.
It is the only thing that elevates The Great Wall from an ambitious, yet clichéd action film into what turned out to be a surprisingly intricate, visually breathtaking monster movie: Director Zhang Yimou.Īlso, yes it’s a monster movie. We need more lean, un-self-important throwback movies like THE GREAT WALL and I recommend it.The similarities, heavy as they may be – they’re both historical fantasies set in a far-eastern land, they’re both distributed by the same studio, and both films star a famous Hollywood actor as a (and this is problematic) white saviour character – are rather harmless, and thankfully very superficial. THE GREAT WALL could easily have been the kind of overblown epic with a bloated running time, but it wisely wraps things up around the 95-minute mark. A couple dozen of them may have been equally effective, but the filmmakers have the good sense not only to build to a satisfying climax, but to know when to end. The Tao Tei are basically toothy, horse-sized lizard-dogs and I’m not sure they need tens of thousands of these critters. Willem Dafoe is underused as an imprisoned Englishman, and the creature design is a tad underwhelming. Some of the dialog is predictably clunky (“Kill the queen or we all die!”), but Damon and Pascal play off each other well. It’s the type of visually stunning action sequence that, as he has shown us in films such as HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGGERS, become Zhang’s calling card. The 3D works beautifully in a battle near the end that takes place on a fleet of white hot-air balloons. He well-exploits the gimmick, not just with the expected battleaxes and arrows flung toward the camera, but the eye-popping antics of a blue-clad division of soldiers who bungee jump off the Wall to battle the creatures below.
The sound design is also a treat for the ears whether it’s the percussive thunder of war drums, or the clinking of chains and swords, or the otherworldly howls of the Tao Teu. Plot wise, it owes debts to ALIENS and WORLD WAR Z and STARSHIPS TROOPERS and every dragon drama ever made, but visually, Zhang brings his own bold vision in terms of action, set design and use of color, especially in the costumes. THE GREAT WALL is fast-paced, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is on balance, terrifically entertaining.