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Despite its critics, ‘The Great Wall’ thoroughly entertaining
Helmed by celebrated Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), The Great Wall is Yimou’s first English-language film and was shot entirely in China. It takes the audience on a fantasy adventure to one of the most iconic places on Earth.
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Matt Damon as William in "The Great Wall." (thegreatwallmovie.com/File)
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elmed by celebrated Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), The Great Wall is Yimou’s first English-language film and was shot entirely in China. It takes the audience on a fantasy adventure to one of the most iconic places on Earth.
Starring Matt Damon, Andy Lau, Jin Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Lu Han, The Great Wall begins with a scene in which a mercenary soldier William (Damon), Tovar (Pascal) and their three companions are chased down by Khitan bandits in a desert. Originating from Europe, the group travel in search of black powder. One night, the three companions are killed by a mysterious creature, whose claw is successfully cut off by William.
The next day, William and Tovar come across the Great Wall and are later surrounded by Chinese soldiers from the Nameless Order led by General Shao (Zhang Hanyu). Taken as prisoners, the two are about to be locked down when suddenly an announcement warns of Taotie monsters coming to attack the wall. Both William and Tovar witness the way the Chinese soldiers fight the beasts using archers, and see how female soldiers “sacrifice” themselves by jumping off the wall to fight the beasts. They learn from Strategist Wang (Andy Lau) that the Taotie arise every 60 years to remind the Chinese of greed.
(Read also: 'Ballerina' entertaining, visually beautiful, but lacks focus)
William and Tovar meet Sir Ballard (Willem Dafoe), a European who becomes a language teacher. He informs them that the army possesses a large amount of black powder. As time goes by, William often interacts with Commander Lin who is later appointed as General. However, although William wants to help the army fight the monsters, Tovar urges him to stick with their original plan. Alongside Sir Ballard, they make plans to escape from the Great Wall but are disrupted by another battle. Meanwhile, Strategist Wang and General Lin find out that the Taotie are getting closer to the city, putting the existence of the mankind in danger.
Many argue that The Great Wall is just another “whitewash” movie where Damon portrays a hero who saves the Chinese from the monsters. Some also think the film resembles Peter Jackson’s trilogy The Lord of the Rings for its battles and use of mythical creatures.
Despite all the critics, The Great Wall is enjoyable to watch. And William is not the sole hero in this film. During his adventure, he learns about Chinese principles of trust and struggle on the battlefield, and the role of the Nameless Order army is also crucial in fighting the Taotie. Moreover, the battle scenes are visually captivating, especially when screened in IMAX, and the beauty of Chinese culture is appropriately highlighted. Though the film’s storyline is rather predictable, it offers several twists that will surprise the audience. (kes)
