The Great Wall (Matt Damon, dir. Zhang Yimou)

[Kenny West]

Saw this in 3D.

Visually it was dope. The colors, the score, and so many scenes you know were added to visually amaze and it did a damn good job. I can't remember the last time 3D felt really worth it over the entire movie. I was satisfied with just a couple cool scenes like the micro world in ant man or the astral planes in doctor strange. But this had hella scenes like that. The balloons scene

Also I don't really get the hate for damon in the movie. It's not like the egypt movie where he's playing a native character, he's playing an actual white dude doing white dude shyt, (he was a scumbag merc that came to china for resources looking to get rich) it's all kept in context well. The culture/ideology clash is plays into the films theme as well.

Story wise it was very bare bones, outside of the comedy moments everything is kept strictly on the plot. The ball got rolling and never really stopped it was almost too fast. It probably should have been longer cause they developed practically none of the characters and didn't really do that much with the world.Glad they didn't force a romance in here at all it was all about honor and faith.

I'll watch it again. It was cool.

Of course it isn't. It's quite clearly a movie for The Chinese unless you're blind . The look and trailer blatantly resembles their fantasy films than Hollywood's. . It will do rubbish in The west but make a bucketload in China (all that matters).

congrats you were right

 

[Jello Biafra]

Also I don't really get the hate for damon in the movie. It's not like the egypt movie where he's playing a native character, he's playing an actual white dude doing white dude shyt, (he was a scumbag merc that came to china for resources looking to get rich) it's all kept in context well. The culture/ideology clash is plays into the films theme as well.

Yeah all of the uproar over Damon in this movie has been overblown.
Most people didn't even know what they were supposed to be mad about since the majority of the criticism was claiming "whitewashing" when Damon is playing a white guy not an Asian character that they made white to fit his casting.
At worst it is a case of "White Savior" but even that is not completely true.

 

[thekingsmen]

Yeah all of the uproar over Damon in this movie has been overblown.
Most people didn't even know what they were supposed to be mad about since the majority of the criticism was claiming "whitewashing" when Damon is playing a white guy not an Asian character that they made white to fit his casting.
At worst it is a case of "White Savior" but even that is not completely true.

The critics are destroying this film but I believe it's a political ploy about the West's viewpoint on China

 

[2 Up 2 Down]

Can't wait to check this out on over the weekend

 

[Kenny West]

The critics are destroying this film but I believe it's a political ploy about the West's viewpoint on China

You might be on to something there. The movie makes a point to draw themes from the culture clash of Damon and the Chinese. He had talked to the girl about how he fought for different countries and he only trusts himself. And he's later amazed at the chinese faith in each other, unity and teamwork. They don't really waste any scenes so it kinda sticks out how they drive that home.

The way china was presented in the film was kind of a ego boost too. Damon and other white men come to china searching for gunpowder to make a quick buck or fight a war for greed, all the while the chinese were using the gunpowder fighting monsters born from that same greed alone. They were quietly fighting alone to save the world which made the westerners wars over power seem petty in comparison. Hence the whole "This is the first war I've seen worth fighting" speech

 

[42 Monks]

I posted it somewhere else, but this was better than Bourne, independence day 2, and xmen apocalypse.

I was ready to throw my popcorn at the screen the moment white savior shyt started but it never happened. Hell, they actually undercut the fukk out of Damon pretty regularly.

This was good - could've been longer. Worth a matinee definitely.

 

[O.T.I.S.]

I actually change my mind about the movie


I was all in for giving this movie shyt but it was actually pretty good. Very different and typically asian film but just had American actors.

But like someone said earlier, it was no white savior type bullshyt. It had its moments but mostly everyone had a moment I guess.

So it wasn't bad. Probably best to watch it in theaters in 3D

 

[42 Monks]

Biggest knock is the complete lack of chemistry between Damon and Jing. Its understandable a bit, but still its pretty jarring

Also, people got fukked up in this movie I was kinda shocked it avoided a R rating

 

[Kenny West]

The only white savior part was when he started playing matador with the monster Me and my girl started cracking up soon as that shyt happened it was like some cheesy 90s action movie shyt

 

[42 Monks]

The only white savior part was when he started playing matador with the monster Me and my girl started cracking up soon as that shyt happened it was like some cheesy 90s action movie shyt

Later though

Spoiler

"he had a magnet? No fukking wonder. Ain't no cac that real "

 

[Leviathan]

 

[SirBiatch]

I walked into this movie expecting total shyt and ended up walking out like "I thought critics said this was trash. This is one of the best films I've seen in a while."
Almost missed this bytch in theaters, too. And movies like this are what theaters are made for.

Movie has some obvious flaws (Matt Damon), but it's great overall. Yimou is a visual genius. The action is straight up the best I've seen on screen since the recent Rurouni Kenshin movies. That is how you shoot action. The actual concept is not as bad as the trailer makes it seem. The creatures themselves are scary. Whoever designed them shyts should get some kinda award.

This film was totally worth my dollar.

Of course it isn't. It's quite clearly a movie for The Chinese unless you're blind . The look and trailer blatantly resembles their fantasy films than Hollywood's. . It will do rubbish in The west but make a bucketload in China (all that matters).

Isn't this what precisely happened?

saw this trailer in the theater and just laughed....the movie looks like it might be cool, except for the fact that the savior is matt damon....nothing against him, he just shouldnt be the savior of the great wall, just like tom cruise shouldnt have been the last samurai, all the whites in that exodus movie, all the whites in gods of Egypt, etc...but hollywood will hollywood....what's makes it worst: they know the shyt they doing is fukked up, that's why they try to make the white savior have some physical qualities of the people they saving, i.e. darkening the skin a lil, using makeup to change the eye bone shape/structure, what they do with the hair, etc...

yep

better second trailer

this is a much better trailer. Would've seen the movie earlier if I had seen it

That's a terrible review, is the action good? Cgi looks shytty, is it coo? Dope creatures? Wtf dude lol

Action is the best I've seen in quite some time

I saw it today and I was pleasantly surprised with it. The biggest problem the movie has is that it's way too rushed. It clocks in at around 105 minutes which is at least 30 minutes shorter than it should've been at the least. There are so many plot points and developments brushed over that it hurts, because say what you will about the inclusion of a bunch of white characters, Zhang Yimou is the fukking man. The movie is fukking gorgeous as hell and features some of the best art direction and production design on either side of the ocean. It captures the scale beautifully and the fight scenes look fantastic and really make good use of the 3D as well. It actually makes me want to go back and watch some of his other stuff again because I'd almost forgotten that he is this damn good. The only blemish is how obvious it is at times that they didn't shoot half the scenes with Matt Damon at location with the rest of the production.

Damon and the Spanish breh weren't that bad though. They actually have decent chemistry and most of their lines are simple, to the point and funny. There's only one bad moment really when they are told to clean themselves up (they are dirty with thick beards) and it literally cuts to them walking into the room cleanly shaven with their hair done and everything. Again, it's just a shame the movie never gives itself time to breathe. It could've expanded on so many things so easily that it feels like a missed opportunity at every corner. The same thing happened with Warcraft last year, which means either Universal or Wanda is fukking up big time.

yep

Biggest knock is the complete lack of chemistry between Damon and Jing. Its understandable a bit, but still its pretty jarring

Also, people got fukked up in this movie I was kinda shocked it avoided a R rating

so true

 

[Dwolf]

This was a cool lil action flick.

Biggest knock is the complete lack of chemistry between Damon and Jing. Its understandable a bit, but still its pretty jarring

Also, people got fukked up in this movie I was kinda shocked it avoided a R rating

So glad they didnt hook up.
Just left it at mutual respect for each other.

 

[O.T.I.S.]

I actually watched it again last night

still pretty good

 

[Figaro]

This film has some stupid elements, like Damon accent & those bungee jump kills

But yo this film is was pretty dope, kept me entertained from start to finish

fukk the critics