Review of The Great Wall (2016) by Winston S — 03 Jun 2017

I watched this movie and went in with low expectations but I was entertained by it because I knew not to take it seriously. This is movie is simply a fantasy action movie and it's strength lies with it being solely that. As someone who is Chinese I was worried this was going to be a White savior movie but it wasn't. To the people whom aren't seeing it because they think this is what the film is about is doing a disservice to seeing Asian films reaching a wider market. It's a disservice to all the Chinese actors, the film crew and Dir Zhang Yimou.

The Great Wall fits in the Wuxia genre of films and that isn't something that Westerners are going to completely understand and enjoy so to me it makes sense for them to make it a fantasy and to cast a Hollywood actor just to make it more accessible to them. People need to understand that this movie was to give people who don't watch these sorts of films a taste and to get them more interested so it opens up the market in Asia to make more films for the Western market. The movie was designed to please those sensibilities.

By refusing and prejudging this movie as a simply White Savior movie and not seeing this, your ruining the chances for more Asian movies to be made for an audience that isn't Asian.

This movie was also pretty progressive in the fact that the co-hero was a very capable female general whom Damon's character needs help. Her looking past her prejudgments of his character being a simple barbarian westerner could be a metaphor about looking past the judgement of this movie, that the Western and Asian market can work together.

Now as for acting and story well it's a simply popcorn movie, check your brain at the door and enjoy the action. The 3D effects where cool to watch, the cgi monsters where neat and based on actual Chinese mythology which is a plus in my books. If you like these sorts of movies I say give it a shot but don't think negatively because you want to act like some offended sjw.?