THE GREAT WALL
Theatrical release: January 11, 2017
Duration: 1h44
Director: Yimou Zhang
Main actors: Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal
Synopsis: Between courage and terror, humanity and monstrosity, there is a frontier that must never give way. William Garin, a mercenary imprisoned in the dungeons of the Great Wall of China, discovers the secret function of the most colossal wonder of the world. The building trembles under the incessant attacks of monstrous creatures, whose relentlessness is matched only by their thirst to annihilate the human species in its entirety. He then joins his jailers, an elite faction of the Chinese army, in a final confrontation for the survival of humanity. It is by fighting this immeasurable force that he will find his true vocation: heroism.
Film almost entirely produced by the Chinese, the only distinction that can be made with Hollywood cinema is the presence of Matt Damon and the Universal logo at the very beginning of the film which is there to justify the distribution of the film in the United States and in Europe.
The film takes up one of the legends that revolve around the Great Wall of China.
We can clearly feel Chinese culture poking its nose out in the film through its costumes and also the staging, but not only that.
Some influences to note though: Lord of the Rings and World War Z and maybe others I haven't mentioned.
The scenario is not very complicated, if not a "crazy" scenario, but we let ourselves be carried away by the story without asking ourselves a thousand questions at the end of the screening.
The film is just a big blockbuster like the others, a little bland for my taste. However, the visual aspect remains very successful.
So to sum up, a must-see for Heroic Fantasy fans, Matt Damon fans, those who like special effects, and without judging those who like this film.
After all, this is just a personal opinion.
