Movie Review: The Great Wall

There are many stories and legends surrounding "The Great Wall of China" and it has often been the subject of many films. It was only a matter of time before critically acclaimed director Zhang Yimou, takes it on, while putting his own unique flare for colors and breath taking sequences. 

Adding monster mythology amidst a historical backdrop, "The Great Wall" becomes humanity's last hope, protecting the world from the "Tao Tei" -a horde of ravenous green monsters which attach every sixty years. Devouring and destroying everything in its path. 

The Nameless Order is a secret society whose members have dedicated their lives in fighting the "Tao Tei". Zhang Yimou transfers his signature love and use of colors on the armor and weapons of the "The Nameless Order". I personally enjoyed the different military techniques used in the movie (being a bit of a History / war geek myself). 

Much of the controversy surrounding the film comes at the casting of Matt Damon in the film, with accusations of white-washing. Damon was cast as William Garin a mercenary in search of black powder (gun powder) alongside Pedro Pascal who plays-Pero Tovar. Critics of the film have said that Damon's casting follows the 'white savior complex' -when in fact there are also a number of different characters in the film. Such as Jing Tian (Commander Lin), Andy Lau (Strategist Wang) and Lu Han (Peng Yong) and Damon's character is not necessarily the 'hero' of the movie but rather helps in the plot. He is also 'schooled' on some ancient Chinese principles by the feisty Lin. 

Zhang Yimou had said that, "for the first time a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled is being made at tentpole scale for a worldwide audience. I believe that this is a trend that should be embraced in the industry." He was also quoted at saying how amazed he was at the scale of people of different races (with so many translators), were working together. How I wish that people could see that in the film. Instead of just blindly accusing it as being "white washed". (God knows we need broader minds, these days). 

"The Great Wall" is an honest to goodness epic historical fiction action-adventure film, kudos to Legendary for the awesome job on those "Tao Tei" -those are some frightening monsters indeed. It is a thrilling action-adventure that will have you at the edge of your seat. I will have to agree on some critics on the cardboard characters in the film. Jing Tian was a bit awkward to watch as Commander Lin (but still beautiful) - especially her scenes with Matt Damon. Was not really a fan of Damon in this one, I enjoyed Pedro Pascal's performance more. Even if he was the comic relief in the film, he did so well that the audiences just loved him. Shout out to fans of K-Pop, Lu Han is a former member of the of the South Korean-Chinese boy group EXO. He plays an underappreciated (yet brave) soldier in the Nameless Order. If you are a fan, you wouldn't want to miss his Hollywood debut on the big screen.  

7.5 out of 10. "The Great Wall" delivers as promised. I love that Zhang Yimou tried a new formula, which is very different from his past works. He did not repeat any of his past tricks or techniques, even using new ones to keep you at the edge of your seat. 

MOVIES: HK SUPERSTAR ANDY LAU, A WAR STRATEGIST IN “THE GREAT WALL”

After starring in Zhang Yimou's dazzling, award-winning romantic adventure House of Flying Daggers in 2004, Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau now reunites with the director for Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures' epic fantasy The Great Wall.

Lau is one of Hong Kong’s most commercially successful film actors, performing in more than 140 projects since the 1980s. Voted the No. 1 box-office star of Hong Kong for decades, he truly deserves the moniker of superstar of the Chinese cinema.

In the filml, when a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within The Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of our world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts, intent on devouring the world, besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront this unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

Lau plays Strategist Wang, perhaps the smartest guy in the movie. “He’s got these incredible inventions and is the brains behind The Nameless Order,” remarks co-star Matt Damon. “He’s somebody that my character, William, cottons to, and has a great deal of respect for.”

MOVIES: MATT DAMON’S QUEST FOR RICHES TURNS INTO HEROISM IN “THE GREAT WALL”

American superstar Matt Damon plays William Garin, a battle-scarred mercenary and master archer taken captive by a secret army of elite warriors to confront wave after wave of marauding beasts, in Universal Pictures’ new epic, fantasy adventure The Great Wall from director Zhang Yimou.

Once he saw the creative leader behind The Great Wall, it wasn’t difficult to get Damon aboard. “Zhang Yimou is one of the greatest filmmakers on the planet,” raves the actor. “He paints on this spectacularly large canvas, and does it in a way like nobody else. The way he uses colors, the sweeping scale of what he does. You can look at a Zhang Yimou movie without putting his name on it, and (you) would immediately know that it’s one of his. I’ve wanted to work with him for a long time and I finally got that chance.”

Damon describes the story as “historical fantasy. It’s similar to the way Game of Thrones feels like it takes place in the Middle Ages. Even though we know there weren’t White Walkers or dragons. Likewise, ours is not quite The Great Wall that exists today.

MOVIES: GAME OF THRONES” STAR PEDRO PASCAL IS BOUND TO “THE GREAT WALL"

Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal (Netflix’s Narcos, HBO’s Game of Thrones) stars in Universal Pictures' new fantasy adventure The Great Wall as Pero Tovar, a tough, sword-wielding Spaniard who has become a brother-in-arms to Matt Damon's William Garin.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, the epic film tells the story of Garin, a battle-scarred mercenary in China and master archer taken captive by a secret army of elite warriors known as The Nameless Order. In a vast military outpost called the Fortress City, they fight to protect humanity from supernatural forces upon one of the greatest defensive structures ever built: The Great Wall.

Damon describes William Garin and sidekick Pero Tovar as “mercenaries, basically. We’re the modern day version of the elite Blackwater-type guys who’ve been paid to come to Northern China to steal this Black Powder that we’ve heard about. We know that we could do very interesting things with it in the West if we could just get our hands on it.”

Pascal was also the only actor the filmmakers sought for William’s “soul mate,” as producer Peter Loehr labels the character. “Tovar’s origins are Spanish, and we wanted to be true to that when casting,” Loehr states about their interest in actor Pascal, a Chilean by birth raised in the U.S. who speaks fluent Spanish. “We started to look at actors that fit that profile. At the time, we were fortunate that Game of Thrones was at the point of its season when Pedro’s character was about to get crushed. We presented that to Zhang Yimou; it was a show he had also been enjoying, so he knew exactly who Pedro was and loved him for the role.” 

MOVIES: FAMED ASIAN DIRECTOR ZHANG YIMOU TAKES YOU TO “THE GREAT WALL”

One of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) directs the Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures' action-fantasy The Great Wall, marking his first English-language production and the largest film ever shot entirely in China.

In the film, when a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within The Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of our world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts, intent on devouring the world, besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront this unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

Zhang Yimou is one of the planet’s most celebrated filmmakers. Among his two dozen feature credits, he directed the first Chinese production to earn a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award® nomination, Ju Dou (1990), with two more nominations for Raise the Red Lantern (1991) and Hero (2002).

Among many career triumphs, he won global accolades for his magnificent staging of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympiad, a feat that fan and fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg called “the grandest spectacle of the New Millennium from this creative genius.” That accomplishment landed Zhang as runner-up for Time magazine’s 2008 Person of the Year.

Producer Charles Roven raves, “The Great Wall has all the visual splendor and spectacle of an extravagant film, and it is shot amazingly by one of the most iconic filmmakers working today. His visuals are stunning, the colors that he uses are incredible, and the shots that he designs—whether they’re regular 24 frames or slow-motion—are art.”

Movies: FANTASY ADVENTURE IMAGINES WHAT LIES BENEATH “THE GREAT WALL”

Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, along with China Film Co., Ltd. and Le Vision Pictures, present The Great Wall, an epic action-adventure depicting a monstrous threat hidden for centuries behind one of the greatest manmade wonders of the world.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, The Great Wall stars Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau.

Set in an alternate vision of ancient China (circa 1100 A.D., during the Song Dynasty), the story imagines that The Wall was built to defend against a mythical Chinese creature called the Tao Tei (historical spelling, “Taotie”), a malignant species and gargoyle-like figure from Chinese mythology that rises every 60 years from the heart of the Jade Mountain to attack in vast, swarming armies and feed on humankind.

“I remember being told when I was young that the magnificent Great Wall of China was the only manmade object one could see from space,” says producer and Legendary CEO Thomas Tull. “True or not, I never forgot that, and when I set out to create a company known for its monster movies, I wanted to make one that combined my love of the genre set against this magnificent structure.

“I always wondered what was so important and compelling to have a country build a structure that big, that incredible,” Tull continues. “At Legendary, we like monsters, so my geeky brain went to work on the idea of a country building this wall to keep monsters out.”

Movies: NEW TRAILER OF “THE GREAT WALL” REVEALS STRUCTURE'S SECRET

Global superstar Matt Damon leads humanity’s greatest fight for survival in the fantasy, action-adventure The Great Wall, from Legendary and Universal Pictures. Check out the new trailer athttps://youtu.be/vUGGeMTT_JQ and watch the film when it opens in Philippine cinemas on January 25, 2016.

In the film, when a mercenary warrior (Damon) is imprisoned within The Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of our world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts, intent on devouring the world, besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront this unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

Directed by one of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero, House of Flying Daggers), the action-fantasy marks his first English-language production and the largest film ever shot entirely in China. To create The Great Wall, Yimou has assembled a formidable cast and filmmaking team that represents the best of East and West in a unique global production that delivers unmissable spectacle on the grandest scale.

Also starring Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau, the thrilling adventure comes from an original screenplay by the writing duo Carlo Bernard & Doug Miro (Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, The Bourne Legacy). It is based on a story by Max BrooksS (World War Z) and Edward Zwick & Marhsall Herskovitz (The Last Samurai).

The film is produced by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull (Godzilla, Jurassic World), Charles Roven (American Hustle, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy), Jon Jashni (Pacific Rim, Warcraft) and Legendary East CEO Peter Loehr.

“The Great Wall is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Movies: EPIC BATTLE ERUPTS IN “THE GREAT WALL” FIRST TRAILER

Am a big fan of "Hero" looking forward to seeing Zhang Yimou's latest release!

Universal Pictures and Legendary have unveiled the first trailer for the epic adventure “The Great Wall” starring Matt Damon, and due in Philippine cinemas on January 2017.

The trailer may be viewed at http://youtu.be/vu_NKqX4D9w.

Starring global superstar Matt Damon and directed by one of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (“Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers”), “The Great Wall” tells the story of an elite force making a valiant stand for humanity on the world’s most iconic structure.

The first English-language production for Yimou is also the largest film ever shot entirely in China. “The Great Wall” also stars Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau.

“The Great Wall is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.