'The Great Wall' A Review

The Great Wall is a period fantasy set in the Song dynasty China. A group of European mercenaries are in China searching for gun powder and get picked off until the two remaining William(Matt Damon) and Pero(Pedro Pascal) are captured by the Nameless Order, a large military contingent manning the Great Wall. During their interrogation by Commander Lin Mae(Jing Tian) the wall is attacked by a horde of Tao Tei, large monster-lizards which attempt to invade every 60 years. William and Pero are conflicted, they can either follow their greed or join the Nameless Order in their fight for the greater good.

Damon gives a bizarre uneven performance, shifting questionable accents a couple times per scenes, is he Irish, English, Scottish, also what year is it? He's tonally kind of all over the map, sincere to jocular to reserved martyrdom all inauthentically. Pascal fairs a bit better but the camaraderie and humor of his and Damon's relationship seems out of place in the film. Tian, the Chinese strategist played by Andy Lau, and the other military commanders all fair better seeming to fit appropriately within the story.

The visuals are the real star of the film- rich, grand, and vibrant. Each regiment decked out in striking colorful armor with medieval battlescapes a plenty. The monster-lizards are a bit derivative, Avatar-esk, but competently done and scary. Other than the decadent optics what is striking isn't the story exactly more the theme, the personification and celebration of collective Chinese identity in service of duty, honor, and personal sacrifice. This, ultimately, is what the changes the Damon character and, seemingly, is what the film is about.

Luscious and sprawling CGI, an interesting message, a somewhat goofy narrative.

Rent It.