Review of The Great Wall (2016) by Brett B — 21 Feb 2017

I was not expecting to like THE GREAT WALL as much as I did. There are problematic elements, surely, and it's far from a game changer, but it is a sweeping fantasy adventure, full of color and scale, and it's entertaining (with a few exceptions) from beginning to end.

The tale involves William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal), a pair of traders/mercenaries in ancient China on a quest to find the mythical (to them) "black powder." After being attacked in the night by a strange creature, the duo find themselves swept up in a battle between the Nameless Order, a group of soldiers defending the Great Wall, and the Tao Tei, a horde of ravenous monsters. William and Tovar find themselves (reluctantly, at first) aiding the likes of Lin Mae (Tian Jing) and Wang (Andy Lau) in the fight against the seemingly unstoppable creatures, while fellow westerner Ballard (Willem Dafoe) plots and schemes in the background. Intrigue and battles ensue!

On the most basic level, THE GREAT WALL is constantly compelling from a visual standpoint, and its overall design aesthetic is absolutely unimpeachable. The Chinese locales are strikingly photographed, and the Great Wall itself - though often brought to life through CGI - feels appropriately imposing and impressive. The production design is very strong, as well, particularly during some incredibly beautiful moments during the third act which use color in a rather remarkable way. The costumes are perhaps the most wonderful element of the design of the film, being both incredibly detailed and fanciful in just the right way. It's early in 2017, but this is surely your front-runner for Best Costumes at the Oscars next year. The approach for the look of the monsters is also strong; there's some sketchy computer animation at points, but the beasts themselves have a fun and fresh look.

Director Yimou Zhang handles the story's requisite action with no small amount of flair. The first major battle sequence - and the elaborate buildup to it - is legitimately phenomenal and exciting adventure cinema, hitting all the right thrilling beats. When 2017 is over, this scene will surely remain one of the best setpieces of the year. Zhang also manages to bring style to some of the quieter moments, too, including a gorgeously rendered funeral ceremony that goes a long way towards adding needed humanity to the story. And while the third act has some problems (more on that below), there are specific beats found there that are truly imaginative.

A shout-out to composer Ramin Djawadi is also required; though he's been doing great work on television recently (his GAME OF THRONES scores are an essential component of that show), his theatrical work has often felt a bit lacking. With THE GREAT WALL, it feels like he's starting to come into his own, cinematically. It's very much a modern action score, with lots of propulsion and percussion, but there's a distinctly fantastical element at play, too, along with at least one very strong, hummable theme which pays respects to the Chinese setting of the movie.

Where the movie stumbles is in the realm of its characters. The screenplay seems content to give Damon's character the most obvious arc imaginable, the sort of thing we've seen many times before where the hardened, cynical guy who's only in it for the money grows a conscience (of sorts) and finds something to live and fight for. It's pretty pedestrian stuff on a script level, but Damon sells it as best he can (even with a delightfully unplaceable accent). There are a few stabs at giving Tian Jing's Lin Mae some depth, and she's certainly the most compelling person in the story, but it's mostly utilitarian and functional stuff. The actors themselves are certainly likable and enjoyable to watch, but that's more to do with their own personal charm than anything found on the script page; Damon and Pascal, for example, have a terrific dynamic (I'd happily sign up for an ongoing series about these two getting into fantastical mischief).

One can also feel the hand of studio interference hovering over the film, as well, particularly in the third act. The finale is absolutely cut to the bone, and you can actually sense that sizable chunks of material were either excised or dramatically shifted around. For example, geographical continuity and the progression of the sequence's throughline are made frustratingly irrelevant and arbitrary, with characters appearing, disappearing, and reappearing wherever the movie needs them to be, regardless of how implausible it would be for them to get there based on where we last saw them. THE GREAT WALL has enjoyed an international release for several months at this point, and I'm not sure if the version of the film playing in China, for example, is a different cut than the one U.S. audiences are seeing, but it wouldn't surprise me if that's the case. I get the sense - based on nothing but the slapdash third act editing and a hunch - that the third act may play out a bit differently for international audiences than it does for us here in the States.

Flaws and all, I'm glad THE GREAT WALL exists. I'm glad a bright, massive, expensive creature feature has made its way to the screen in a way that feels idiosyncratic and unique, and which has style to spare. You will see few - if any - other movies this year that are as visually enjoyable and engaging as this one is.