The Great Wall

While some were incorrectly labeling “The Great Wall” as an example of Hollywood Whitewashing, I saw the potential in this Chinese/American Production. I like the idea of big-budget foreign films crossing over. Other countries’ customs, sensibilities, and approaches mean more variety at the box office. Unfortunately, “The Great Wall” is no better, nor worse than your standard plot-light, $100 million+, effects-driven summer blowout.

Set during China’s Song dynasty, mercenaries William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) arrive at the Great Wall of China, astounded to find it armed to the teeth. Captured, they learn that the wall was built to ward off a legion of monsters who attack every 60 years.

"The Great Wall" is nothing to get excited about either way. The production is top-notch, with special effects packed in nearly every scene and hundreds of extras. The film looks good thanks to elaborate costumes and a distinctly Chinese aesthetic. The action is decent, with several scenes including wuxia-like acrobatics (I’m thinking particularly of Jing Tian’s Commander Lin) Other than that, there’s little, if anything, in this picture that you haven’t seen before.

While I did enjoy this film more than last year’s “Independence Day: Resurgence”, they're both examples of computer SFX run amock. The temptation, it seems, is to create not one monster but an army so big it'll blow the audience away. Unfortunately, this creates problems story-wise. Even with the Wall's elaborate defenses, the odds seem insurmountable. It makes the battle of Helm’s Deep look like a one-on-one fight. In a film like this, our characters do not win because they have the skills or develop the knowledge required to; they win because the writers say so. This is one of those “kill the queen and the rest will fall movies”. It’s lazy writing. I keep thinking back to “Independence Day”, where taking out the mother ship merely weakened the rest of the saucers and gave our heroes a chance at triumphing, or a picture like “Transformers” where the alien invasion comprised of 8 Decepticons. Those are flawed pictures but at least the ending felt satisfying.

“The Great Wall” boasts some unique visuals thanks to the picture’s setting, the 3D is well utilized and the money spent is apparent. Matt Damon has at least one scene where he speaks in a weird accent (not sure what happened there) but for the most part, everyone delivers perfectly adequate performances. The more I see Jing Tian on-screen, the more I enjoy her. That's all the praise “The Great Wall” earns. The story just isn’t new, or that compelling; it’s just an excuse to show ancient Chinese warriors killing mindless beasts. “The Great Wall” is not the dawn of a new age in foreign filmmaking I was hoping for. (3D theatrical version on the big screen, February 18, 2017)