Written by: Carlo Bernard & Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy (screenplay), Max Brooks and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz (story)
Directed by: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal
Rating: PG-13
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot
European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.
Verdict
The action and set pieces work best when unencumbered by the 'story.' It's a cheesy movie with a big budget, but I can't imagine it was ever meant for more. The first twenty minutes are what a typical movie takes ninety minutes to build. The rest of the movie is a step down in adrenaline, and never quite recovers.
I don't know if Damon was the best choice for the role, but he's not bad. I would have liked to see Pascal in the role. It's obvious Damon is the big name needed to serve as a tent pole for marketing.
It depends.
Review
I thought this was The Last Samurai (2003) set in China. Boy was I wrong. Somehow I missed this included monsters, and they give this a definitive boost, much like the pseudo-factual Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012).
The monsters made me much more excited for this. It's over the top action and the movie has just started. The costumes are amazing. At this point, I don't know what's going on, but it's fun and crazy.
There are color coded platoons, with one set of warriors bungee jumping off the wall to stab the lizard beasts with spears, and another platoon is comprised of archers firing arrows. Damon was shackled, though they didn't have time to imprison him so he's on the wall watching this unfold. This is the kind of scene that happens at the end of the movie, and we're getting it as an introduction. It's pure craziness, and Damon is freed and goes straight Superman on a lizard. He's also better than Robin Hood with a bow. This helps him find favor from his captors.
This works best when non-stop action is on the screen. I don't know why Willem Dafoe is in this movie. He's been a prisoner for years, and is now spurred on by the new prisoners to steal gun powder and escape. Matt Damon is too heroic to bring any kind of harm to the Great Wall so he changes his mind about the theft. It's rare that the story can be more mindless than the action. It's quite the achievement.
We eventually get an explanation for the monsters, but it isn't very satisfying. They only appear every sixty years, and they don't have a real purpose other than to look cool in a movie. This builds in more than a few redeeming character moments for Damon and side characters. Commander Lin and Damon whose character's name is William, not that it matters, frequently discuss trust. You know the ends is going to be a situation where they have to release their mistrust.
There's a big battle at the end, but it loses some of the magic from the first battle because it's just Matt Damon. The setting is great but the action is master archer Damon having to fire the perfect arrow and end the battle.
The first twenty minute are the best twenty minutes. It was enough to carry me through the rest of the movie. It's an inventive concept that could use more polishing. While using a big name actor is a great box office draw, Damon never felt right as the lead. Damon always plays a hero, so while the movie made us think he was going to steal gun powder there was no tension because Damon doesn't play characters like that. As usual, I rarely like endings that tie things up with a bow. This was a movie that was begging for an open ended conclusion. It would completely tie in with the cheese factor of the movie.
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