Review of The Great Wall (2016) by Greg C — 18 Feb 2017
What was the last movie you saw that didn't star at least one American, Brit, or and Aussie who acted like an American? I am a big fan of Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower).
With the Great Wall, I was thrown off by the opening scene of desperados fleeing a warring band in the expanses of Northern China. It wasn't sumptuously beautiful. That is until about 15 mins in, when we are introduced to the Wall.
It is a vibrant character in this movie. The Yimou grandeur kicks in and takes us on an intriguing ride. The Great Wall is done really well for what it is, which is a hero vs. monsters flick (think Alien).
As such this one is more fun than it is deep. The monsters in this case are a metaphor for the demons visited upon society due to past hubris. I am just saying the movie is working on a few levels, but the primary one is fighting monsters.
The in camera practical effects, use of hundreds to thousands of extras, famous wire work, drone work, and CG are all first rate. The romantic chemistry is rather boiler plate but didn't detract from the film.
The GW feels like something out of the 1950s from the Cecil B. DeMille playbook. Those other Yimou films I mentioned above are in Chinese and subtitled, which may have added a bit to their mystique for me.
But I am pretty sure that HoFD is stunning no matter what your native language is. The GW seems to be targeted at an international English speaking audience. Did it need a western movie star and English language script in order to get the box office and distribution? Well,.
.. have you seen any other Yimou movies?
This review of The Great Wall (2016) was written by Greg C on 18 Feb 2017.
The Great Wall has generally received mixed reviews.
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