The Great Wall (2016)

First of all this is a movie about fighting monsters - not a fact based historical epic. So don't take it that seriously and you'll have an okay time. The great wall is the center of a fight against some invading dragon dinosaur like creatures.

There have been criticisms of having a white hero in the lead role. But it's just a monster movie so take it easy. There should have been more of the "saving" done by Chinese characters but to be fair they did make the white people look scruffy and the Chinese ones pretty/handsome. Matt Damon does look kind of short and puffy here compared to the Chinese cast. Liked Pedro Pascal the excellent detective Pena from Narcos as Matt's partner in crime. Tian Jing is a feisty enough female commander. So all is fair race wise in this war.

Overall there is a good balance between East and West. A Western screenplay by Max Brooks keeps things going quickly without the irritating self sacrifice and slow dialog of the recent Jackie Chan Adrien Brody movie. Director Zhang Yimou is known for extravaganzas and sometimes the action does look circus acrobat like. But it's not too bad - the excessive slow motion deaths and explosions that plague some Chinese movies isn't such a problem here.

Fmovies: When I was little, in Romania, I saw about three Chinese films, all made in that imbecile communist period, very very hard to see. This Chinese production (also with some American, Australian and Canadian help) is not even close to what were those idiotic propaganda films. As I said in the review for "Kong: Skull Island", "Kong: Skull Island" and "The Great Wall" they have something in common. And I do not mean only the actress Jing Tian, present in both and Legendary Entertainment, as one of the producing companies for both films. I refer in particular the monsters and the "very special"(I mean, very good) special effects. They look very well in both movies. I liked Matt Damon more in "Jason Bourne" and "The Martian" but he's OK here too. The whole film is OK. Tian Jing is distinguished and sweet.

I just saw it in Romania in a good 3d cinema. The movie tells a legend. And it tells it so beautifully! The cinematography is breathtaking and for all the duration I was more than a movie spectator, I felt part of that legend, a character from that story, present among the troops defending the wall. If a movie succeeds in delivering such an experience, the rest is not important anymore.

In this point, I don t care anymore about plot holes or historical inaccuracies, because I came to cinema to see a fantasy, a Chinese legend with monsters and heroes. And there I was, in a war story, set in a different world, filled with amazing elements of the old Chinese culture, surrounded by exceptional warriors, beautiful landscapes and bloodthirsty monsters. I am very saddened to see the negativity among critics and public surrounding this movie. Complaining about historical inaccuracies or being racist about the mix of races is so misplaced. I hope people will go see it and ignore the bad criticism and prejudices about it.

The Great Wall fmovies. If you don't have any expectations, this film might surprise you a bit. I really liked the special effects, even if I started laughing when I first saw the antagonists.

Most scenes between battles were quite awkward, full of clichés. Yet, once the battle begins, any cliché this film might have is really fun to watch and not at all annoying.

What I hated the most was the unfortunate English accent... used during the Song dynasty (960-1279).

Overall, the plot is quite linear and simple and is centered around one important moment. Character development was welcoming, but not impressive and definitely not unexpected. The best part was not fulfilling the love sub-plot, even though I half expected this and I would have been really disappointed if it had happened.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable film with better 3D effects than I expected and many other films, so give it a try. But be open minded and admire what is to be admired.

Wasn't expecting to enjoy this film but I was rapt soon in, fabulous acting and brilliant images, what a feast for the eyes and an adventure that dragged you along, (so not my normally my kind of thing) but amazing and recommended to everyone, the visuals are amazing, very stunning film

As a constant film goer I was really impressed with this film. It was entertaining. The story worked well. The acting was great. And the effects were really impressive. I watched it on a big screen in Bangkok and enjoyed the experience. The sound was equally impressive.

I just can't understand why the really negative reviews abound. Some are cursing it for having foreign actors. Others about the political situation etc. And the poor director is even getting a caning.

The story is about a legend. And it was wonderful to just sit back and let someone tell a story. I nearly didn't go because of all the bad reviews but I am glad I went and made up my own mind.

Go and see it.