Director:Â Zhang Yimou
Cast: Matt Damon,  Pedro Pascal,  Tian Jing,  Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau,  Numan Acar
Rating: 12A
Running Time: 103 mins
Release Date: February 17th, 2017
Matt Damon‘s new film since the award-winning THE MARTIAN and the rejuvenating fifth instalment in the franchise, JASON BOURNE, finds him trying to create a legacy between the US and Chinese film markets by shooting a film in China, starring a couple of Hollywood actors; unfortunately without using the strengths of either of the cinema giants. Bringing Zhang Yimou into the director’s chair made sense with his impressive visual style, hard-hitting fight sequences and his representation of honor and war in his films, especially of HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS. But here it’s wasted on lousy CGI, a weak plot and stilted chemistry between Damon and the rest of the unforgettable cast.
Focused around a “legend” of The Great Wall of China in which a meteor struck Earth creating a race of beasts that come out of hiding every 60 years and try to attack the nearest city before growing stronger, a large army named the Nameless Order fight back their persistence using the impressive wall, their acrobatic feats and use of substance called “black powder”.
Damon, playing an Irish (questionable) solider named William and his best friend Pero (Pedro Pascal from Game of Thrones), stumble across this wall after searching a baron desert for this mysterious “black powder” only to find themselves in a middle of an ancient war. Queue an over-turning possible-villain to loveable hero in the space of 60 minutes through slow motion archery, quick quips about the army’s strength in numbers (and being women) and a makeover scene ending with an actual applause, and you can the gist of what THE GREAT WALL presents. Throw in a poor sub-plot with Willem Dafoe and cold chemistry between William and the Commander of the Nameless Order, Lin Mae (played by Jing Tian), and you can see why this film landed in such an awkward release window where within a week or two it’ll be forgotten.
It’s the kind of film that my Mum would love due to its simplicity in story, not terrible but not great, where you wouldn’t go out of your way to watch it but if landed on the right time on a Saturday night at home, you might give it a watch. It doesn’t make you want more and nor does it make you seek the work of anyone involved. I don’t think many will wish for a sequel or a franchise, so will turn into a throwaway role for Damon, that perhaps doesn’t have the spark they were looking for to create a strong bond of financial success between the two largest film industries in the world. I would hope, learning their lesson from THE GREAT WALL, a combination of both doesn’t necessarily have to be so simple, just look at what films are a success in China and the US as of late to find that a mid-tier action-adventure film with sometimes beautiful choreography and visuals (apart from the computer generated monsters, the Tao Tei), won’t fit both markets, perhaps only be a success in China, as the big blockbuster epics have great successes. Here’s to hoping the likes of Stephen Chow and Ryan Gosling crossover soon!
Verdict
