TheReviewMonk
The Great Wall backdrop
3 February 2017English103 min

The Great Wall

5.011 reviews
CriticsMixed

Bayesian avg · 11 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

6.33 ratings
Users

User Score · avg of 3 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Zhang Yimou DirectorDoug Miro ScreenplayTony Gilroy ScreenplayMax Brooks StoryEdward Zwick StoryMarshall Herskovitz StoryRamin Djawadi MusicStuart Dryburgh CinematographyZhao Xiaoding Cinematography

The Great Wall is a 2016 epic historical fiction action-adventure monster film directed by Zhang Yimou and written by Tony Gilroy, Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Max Brooks, Edward Zwick, and Marshall Herskovitz. The film stars Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau.

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for The Great Wall skews negative to mixed, with most reviewers finding it a visually impressive but hollow spectacle. The film's large-scale action sequences and 3D visuals drew the most consistent praise, with several critics acknowledging its entertainment value as a one-time watch. However, reviewers widely faulted its thin writing, underdeveloped characters, and the central casting of a white protagonist saving the day for China, with some critics going further to label it a propaganda piece that reduces Chinese characters to robotic archetypes.

11 reviews · 3 positive · 3 mixed · 2 negative

Praised: large-scale visuals and actionCriticised: thin writing, hollow characters

AI-generated summary of 11 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (11)

Rohan Naahar· Hindustan Times
7.0
"...it's a fairly run-of-the-mill fantasy epic with 3 spectacular action scenes that more than make up for one very muted Matt Damon."
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Renuka Vyavahare· Times Of India
6.0
"The Great Wall doesn't have a single dull moment, thanks to the visuals in 3D. But if you seek something deeper, beyond the spectacle of fantasy war movie tropes, this one's quite forgettable."
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Bryan Durham· DNA India
6.0
"As a monster flick of epic proportions, it is dwarfed by its own ambition, never quite reaching full potential, but is entertaining nevertheless. A one-time watch."
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Johnson Thomas· Mid-Day
5.0
"...the writing doesn't allow for much attachment. And having a white man save the day for the Chinese is certainly not pluralism the way we'd like to see it."
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IANS· Sify
4.0
"Overall, the film is an affectless, effect laden extravaganza."
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Sumeet Kaur· Deccan Chronicle
4.0
"The Great Wall is unable to offer a coherent system within which the monsters should exist."
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Subhash K Jha· SKJBollywoodNews
3.0
"If you are in the mood for Chinese feud try Kung Fu Yoga instead.At least Jackie Chan doesn't take himself seriously."
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Shalini Langer· Indian Express
3.0
"The film is an excuse to showcase the expertise of ancient China when it comes to warfare, to the "barbarian" West."
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Udita Jhunjhunwala· Scroll.in
"Then there's Damon, as a medieval Jon Snow. You can only surmise that there must have been a fat pay cheque for the Oscar-nominated actor to be a part of something so undercooked and soulless."
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Mihir Fadnavis· Firstpost
"The truly frustrating aspect of the film is how it feels like a propaganda piece. The white men in the film have some layers to their personalities, but none of the Chinese characters in the film are real humans – they are robotically fatalist and patriotic and would in fact do anything for their country including giving up their lives."
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BookMyShow Team· BookMyShow
"If you enjoy cinema with crazy action and mind-blowing stunts, you should not miss this one. The Great Wall gives you some of the best battle sequences and the well-performed war strategies are worth a watch."
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Cast & Crew

Cast

Details

Release Date
3 February 2017
Runtime
103 min
Language
English

User Ratings & Reviews

Users6.33 ratings

3 ratings from the community

Community Reviews (1)

AJJul 2017

feels it is a new world ,heroine jingtian is beautiful

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