[yasr_overall_rating]
European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.
“What if there was a movie in which the Great Wall was built to keep out a massive group of violent aliens that invade China every 60 years? And what if it was directed by one of the nation’s most well-respected visionary filmmakers? And what if Matt Damon is there? That is how I imagine the pitch for “The Great Wall” must have gone down, and if it sounds like a blatant cash-grab designed to make big bucks in the two biggest film markets, that’s because it is. But thankfully, the film contains a few of the dazzling action sequences audiences have come to expect from Zhang Yimou (the director behind such sensational martial arts spectacles such as “Hero,” “Raise the Red Lantern,” and “House of Flying Daggers,” as well as the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics), which makes the film tolerable, if not exactly enjoyable.
William (Damon, with a wonky Irish accent) spent his childhood training to be a warrior and now spends his time fighting for food and, when he’s lucky, money. He is an exceptionally skilled archer, although he appears to be an all-around excellent fighter. When we first meet him, he is traveling with a group of about 20 other mercenaries; they are seeking “black powder” (gunpowder) some miles north of the Great Wall, and are on the run from some bandits when out of nowhere, they are attacked by a strange, vicious monster that looks like a dog combined with one of the Xenomorphs from “Alien.” He kills the creature, cutting off one of its limbs in the process, but the only other survivor is a Spaniard named Tovar (Pedro Pascal).
The continue on, taking the arm with them, and soon find themselves at the Great Wall, being taken prisoners by a group of Chinese soldiers. He shows them the arm, but they are hesitant to believe their explanation of how they came to attain it. It turns out that the beast he faced, belongs to a species known as the Tao Tei. Every 60 years they rise; they are believed to be sent by the gods as punishment for the evil actions of a greedy emperor. The Chinese soldiers are actually the Nameless Order, a secret military sect created for the sole purpose of fighting the Tao Tei. It isn’t long before the Tao Tei arrive at the wall and William is able to immediately impress the Nameless Order with his skills.
Only a couple of the people at the wall are able to communicate in English with William and Tovar. There’s Commander Lin (Jing Tian), who, much like William, learned to fight from a very young age. He suggests that they have lived similar lives, but as someone who was trained with the one goal of defending her country, she is reluctant to agree with his assessment. There is also Sir Ballard (Willem Dafoe), a westerner who 25 years previously was also captured while seeking the black powder. It isn’t long before he and Tovar begin to plan their escape, but they are unable to convince William to help them, as he has decided that he should stay at the wall and use his talents to help The Nameless Order defend their country.
The little character development that transpires is completely surface level, which is unfortunate for Damon, who is usually a welcome and charismatic presence in action films, and Pascal, who proved to be a capable actor in “Game of Thrones.” The Chinese actors are all talented as well, but unfortunately, “The Great Wall” doesn’t allow any of them to leave any kind of lasting impression. Dafoe is barely even worth mentioning, his character is mostly irrelevant.
Where the film doesn’t completely fail is in the action scenes. One of the more entertaining sequences involves members of The Nameless Order fighting off the Tao Tei by tying themselves to harnesses and sort of bungee jumping into the sea of monsters with long spears. The synchronicity in the stunt work and some beautiful cinematography make just a few of the frames in the film a real treat to look at. The CGI work is decent but inconsistent. When William attempts to capture one individual Tao Tei, the film manages to make you believe that Damon and the creature are occupying the same physical space, and the resulting battle is fairly intense. When the Tao Tei are shown in hordes, the effect is much less convincing and the film ends up looking like the equivalent of a middle-budget zombie flick.
In the end, “The Great Wall” isn’t much more than a generic monster movie blockbuster. It’s unfortunate that Yimou’s English language debut couldn’t be something more substantial. Hopefully, he will someday get a chance to make a better impression on mainstream American audiences. Until then, let’s hope that his stunning filmography continues to be discovered by film-lovers all over the world.
In theaters Friday, February 17th
