The great wall � ancient historical thriller
Bakang Israel | Friday March 3, 2017 15:07
The greatest barricade
One of February’s most anticipated blockbusters, after Resident Evil & Fifty Shades now an ancient fable about one of the greatest wonders of earth The Great Wall of China finally descended into theaters and conquered inquisitive thoughts in the minds of enthusiasts as it served gratifying closure this past weekend. This week’s featured film joins other films which are or have been inspired by heritages from places across the globe the list is endless it includes blockbusters like Gods of Egypt, Exodus Gods & Kings as well as The Mummy all gratifying Egypt, others like Anaconda praised the Amazon etc. Well The Great Wall is a an electrifying epic starring Matt Damon from (Jason Bourne, Bourne Identity) and he again plays a very influential role as the protagonist skilled archer character William a mercenary who is on the hunt for treasures across the world. In this tale, fear and safety are the main catalysts of joy in the cinema as the story unwinds catapulting fear all over cinema to create a glimmer for the major film star. “When his quest takes him to China from Spain a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within the Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts 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 the unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force”. This film is of those rare moments where the eastern Chinese film industry meets up with Hollywood western dynasty to create a mouthwatering action piece. It joins the likes of Rush Hour/ Skiptrace by Jackie Chan, The last Samurai (Tom Cruise), Kick-Boxer (Jean Claude Van Damme as well as most recently Ghost In The Shell starring Scarlett Johanson that have seen eastern and western film stars converging for the same project. Apparently the film is super crisp because the director Zhang Yimou is renowned as a decorated Chinese film specialist who is synonymous for eye catching screenplays. Well the film looks good on paper as well as it has stars form Game Of Thrones, Pacific Rim Uprising (2018), Kong Skull Island (2017) and The Justice League (2017) amongst others.
Action
From an explosive trailer the main delicacy is also tasty to the viewer’s expectation, first of all the film is complimented by the setting. The Great Wall is an epic war thriller it rewrites history for the younger generations it takes us enthusiasts on a time travel machine showing the events of 1500 BC explaining to the world why an 11,000 kilometers mega wall was constructed. I give it a thumbs up for authenticity as the plot narrates real live events though spiced up with a bit of fixation to captivate the market. One of the first innovations of security, The Great Wall monument is still one of the greatest barricades ever formed by men, as the structure has withstood the test of time. The great wall tapped into themes of survival, greed, humanity and history whilst teleporting us far back in time. Nonetheless what this film also served is the fact it has lavish costume effect the characters in this tale are dressed artistically. We see warriors dressed in intimidating fashion that seduces the action expectation for this film. For instance the nameless order troops including Commander Lin Mae rock colorful suits each with a different designation of battle. Supplementary to that the attire also complimented the stunts as for instance the blues hooded soldiers masterminded the gladiator attacks with spears whilst the red hooded troops demonstrated the sharp shooting archery skills. The inflated action from this mega blockbuster is very spontaneous it proved to be worth every penny paid for. I for one loved the fact that Matt Damon could transform into an ancient legendary figure showcasing versatility from urban lifestyle (Bourne Identity) oriented roles. His exploits were almost reminiscent to Russell Crowe’s 2004 Gladiator escapades. I must say the film also shares the same delightful theme as trendy modern hit TV series Game Of Thrones which also entices audiences with its irresistible epic war theme. The antagonist flavor of the film is the fear of beasts known as the TAO TEI, these goblin like monsters brought about a reign of terror to the cinema and they were super clever giving humans all kinds of problems. As such that was a very innovative concept by the creators thrusting the protagonist against a mammoth challenge. The 3D aspect of the film is also worth writing home about as it was another dimension of this thriller which is very entertaining, imagine watching the film then an archer shoots an arrow at a nemesis then it glides as if is coming straight at your seat now the target is you (watching people in a seat next to mine flinching was just the tip of the iceberg, the funny part is that yours truly also skewed a bit). To sum it all up the film looks appealing because of great visual works, it has cool special effects and thematic elements that create a very delightful atmosphere to be feasted upon by the imagination. The great wall also has a bit of wit engraved along the lines as it sizzled the attending crowd with the manner in which it was very easy to be a prisoner back in the past. You could try walk past a village then be captured.
Movie: The Great Wall
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller
Duration: 1 hour 44 mins
Age Restriction: PG 13
Release Date: 17 February 2017
Director: Zhang Yimou
Main Stars: Matt Damon, Tiang Jing, Pedro Pascal, William Defoe
Interesting movie quotes
Willeam_ Let me fight with you.
Commander Lin Mae_ We must protect the secret of the wall the visitors must not leave.
Reception
Just like fashion which always repeats itself yet with positive results each time, this blast from the past has been well received. According to box office The Great Wall comes from a $150 million dollar production budget. It premiered 3 rd on this week’s box office chart with premiere weekend sales of $18 million before being boosted by a huge overall worldwide gross of $244 million dollars all in a space of 1 week.
According to box office this
Top five movies in the world this week.
1. The Lego Batman movie
2. Fifty Shades Darker
3. The Great Wall
4. John Wick: Chapter two
5. Fist Fight
Ratings
The movie is what we hoped for in expectation, 8/10 there is always room for improvement.