The Great Wall (2017) - Theatrical Review

Director: Zhang Yimou

Cast: Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Pedro Pascal

Country: China / United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 120 min

The Great Wall is the latest film from Chinese director Zhang Yimou, whose acclaimed dramas and martial arts epics include Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and The Curse of the Golden Flower. However, what separates his latest historical epic from his previous efforts is that it is a Chinese/American co-production starring Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), mostly in the English language, and with lots of computer generated monster effects. Therefore, it straddles the line between Chinese costume epic and American effects blockbuster for an awesome blend of genres and cultures primed to please multiple audiences alike.

Let's get this out of the way, The Great Wall is not a 'great' movie. It moves at a rushed pace, features lots of underdeveloped characters, and hardly invests the viewer in its story. However, it's also a gung-ho and no nonsense epic that wears its crazy monster mayhem and colorful battle armor on its sleeve. It's a visual feast for the eyes that taps into that same purely cinematic splendor that made Mad Max: Fury Road so memorable. Unfortunately, it's lack of a compelling narrative holds it back from the greatness of Fury Road and places it more so into the camp of Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim, another flawed but hugely creative and passionate affair.

Jason Bourne goes into battle.

Yimou's feature carries a simple plot and message with it that makes it out to be very much like a classical Chinese legend. William (Matt Damon) and his friend Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are in search of black powder in China during the Song dynasty (which according to Wikipedia occurred during the years 960 to 1279). After an encounter with an unidentifiable monster, the duo are captured by The Nameless Order, a specific division of the Imperial Army meant to dispatch China of the Tao Tei, ravenous monsters bent on death and devastation. While the two locate the black powder that they have been in search of, William finds himself struggling with his own greed for escape and the powder and the moralistic inclination to stay and fight against the Tao Tei lest they breach the Great Wall and make their way to the rest of the world.

The first thing that I have to address is the controversy surrounding this film, which is completely uninformed and ignorant. Before The Great Wall's release in America, audiences immediately began declaring it a "white savior" tale where a white male helps out a group of uninformed and disadvantaged Chinese soldiers. They also didn't like that a white male actor was placed front and center to a Chinese historical epic. However, all of those decriers are likely to never see the film, and therefore likely to never realize their rushed judgements, because the film is not white washing history or promoting white males as the saviors of these people.

First off, Damon's inclusion in the film is a business move, plain and simple. Foreign countries co-produce films with America in order to fuel their film with the stars and budget necessary to please both countries and to maximize box office receipts. Therefore, by making The Great Wall with Universal and Legendary Pictures, The Great Wall is as much an American film as it is a Chinese film. Second, Damon's character is not a white savior to the Nameless Order. He is not the hero that they have been waiting for, as he is also a flawed man who learns about greed and self-betterment from the Chinese. His skills come in handy and make him a great ally for the Nameless Order, but their sense of team work and resources are also essential in the fight against the Tao Tei. If anything, Damon's character was a lesser man before he met the Chinese, and through his time with them, makes him a better one in the end.

World War Z, much?

Yimou promotes a very positive and universal message through the meeting of a white mercenary and a Chinese army. And yet, the ignorant critics who decry the film as racist and backwards who desire a more equal and racially diverse world, can't quite see the racial equality and progressiveness within the film. The main Commander of the army is even played by a Chinese woman for goodness sakes, and yet people can only latch onto the fact that a white male is the lead of the picture. It seems that The Great Wall's critics need to learn the same lesson that Damon's character does, as they are just as ignorant as he was.

From a blockbuster entertainment stand point, The Great Wall hugely delivers. Yimou crafts some jaw dropping battle sequences thanks to some impeccable cinematography and first rate special effects that thankfully avoid ever looking artificial. The battle sequences also operate on more than just an entertainment level, but also on a storytelling level, as he showcases a sense of honor, dedication, and team work within the Chinese army that speaks volumes about their race and battle sensibilities. The incredible array of colorful battle armors and gorgeous sets gives the film that distinct Yimou flavor that separates it from other indistinguishable historical epics. One look at a shot of several soldiers standing next to one another might remind the viewer of the Power Rangers thanks to their rainbow like colors.

The varied selection of battle tactics also makes the action sequences that much more enjoyable, as the Nameless Order uses not only arrows and flaming balls of fire, but even whistling arrows, paint drenched hooks, and scissor blades that protrude from the wall. If I had to decry the action sequences for anything, it would be that there is not only not enough of them, but also a bizarre reversal on the typical expectation of a historical epic in that the fights play in reverse order, with the largest upfront and the smallest last. Nevertheless, I was in pure cinematic bliss when a giant monster battle landed a mere fifteen minutes into the movie.

"Power Rangers, unite!"

Unfortunately, the biggest flaw of the picture is its pacing, which results in a non-engaging story and some poorly developed characters. Yimou presents a canvas of characters who are all especially one-noted, which thereby robs the film of any rewarding character arcs beyond Damon's lead. He also spends no time introducing said characters, as Damon's mercenaries are introduced mid-chase scene and the Nameless Order essentially introduced through the film's first battle. I was at least happy to see Andy Lau (God of Gamblers, Infernal Affairs) appear within the film and to have such as significant part as well, as he is one of my favorite Chinese actors. If anyone comes out the worst, it's none other than Damon, as his line delivery is especially bad, whether it be his inabilities as an actor or Yimou's direction of him, which results in an odd accent choice that sounds somewhat Irish.

Overall, I wouldn't say that I didn't feel somewhat invested with the characters by the film's end, but the rushed pace of the picture definitely hindered me from being as invested as I could have been. It's worth noting that both Edward Zwick (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back) and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, The Bourne Legacy) worked on the script in some capacity, with Zwick's name being especially notable, since he previously directed the "East meets West" historical epic, The Last Samurai in 2003, which also featured a white male lead. All in all, do not come expecting a cavalcade of memorable and diverse characters along the lines of the Lord of the Rings pictures, as every one comes as simple as can be.

As I stated before, I would rank The Great Wall right alongside Pacific Rim, as both pictures carry the exact same pros and cons. Each has a fairly simplistic story that doesn't engage the viewer very much. They both have a large selection of characters too, who are all very one noted and simplistic as well. However, both films feature fully realized worlds and incredible action sequences thanks to their incredible art design and creature effects. At the end of the day, one could describe both international blockbusters as live action animes thanks to their non-existent subtlety but visually lush worlds.

This image is my attack on the film's ignorant decriers.

Whenever big budget fantasy epics like The Great Wall are released in America to IMAX screens, they rarely do business, as American audiences are less likely to turn out for films of said nature because they are too wild and creative for their tastes. American audiences simply don't turn out for Chinese co-productions or Chinese productions in general anymore. Therefore, whenever ambitious effects blockbusters like these come out, I make it an effort to see them in the theater, or at least upon an IMAX screen as I did this past week. I can definitely confirm that the IMAX 3D experience amplifies one's enjoyment of a film of this nature, as the colorful visuals and lush environments pop off of the screen in a way that home entertainment can't replicate. I'm not vouching for 3D here, but The Great Wall translated to 3D quite well, as I never felt like I was getting a headache.

It's an unfortunate truth that The Great Wall will probably be forgotten by the end of the year, let alone by next month, but I for one recommend it. Visually ambitious feasts like these don't come along very often, and I think that films of said nature fuel the mind more so than your dime a dozen American blockbuster. If you ask me, a flawed one of these is infinitely more entertaining and creative than a bland by the numbers production. The feature's character work and story telling leaves much to be desired, but the lush world building and unforgettable visuals make it a memorable experience in the end. If anything, this international co-production deserves Oscar nominations come next year, as its costuming, production design, and visual effects can't be ignored.

Rating: 6.5/10 - 'The Good Wall' would be a more apt title. Not one of Yimou's most valiant efforts, but a commendable one at best.