The Great Wall 2016 HDR10

The Great Wall was erected to protect the Celestial Empire from any threats, but even the most courageous defenders did not face such an enemy. If the invasion is not stopped, the world will be destroyed.

Do you know that...
"Great Wall" became the most expensive film shot in China. Only some scenes were filmed in New Zealand.
Hollywood debut Andy Lau, a Hong Kong singer, actor and producer.
Music for the film was written by James Horner, but on June 22, 2015, he died tragically at the age of 61.

The Great Wall 4k hdr

The Great Wall is a remarkable film in many respects. The budget of $ 150 million makes "Wall" the most expensive project (albeit joint) in the history of cinematography of the Celestial Empire. The director of the painting and the main inspiration was made by Zhang Yimou, famous for the "House of Flying Daggers" and the stunning opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In the lead role Matt Damon, and on the secondary - the unmatched Willem Defoe, the owner of off-scale charisma by Pedro Pascal and several promising Chinese actors. Critics and journalists called special effects in the "Great Wall" one of the best films in the last few years before the premiere. But the application for the epic is remarkable primarily for missed opportunities, sluggish script, cardboard action and a lack of exciting events, clearly expected from the film about the attack of the army of monsters.

The mercenary William (Matt Damon) undertakes a risky journey to China in search of "black powder" - a legendary substance that "turns the air into fire." Together with partner Goods (Pascal), William stumbles upon an unimaginably huge wall, protected by the "Nameless Order." Their mission is to protect China (and the world) from Tao Tei - the hideous four-legged cthule-shaped creatures.

The general message and plot is simple and represents an exciting but banal adventure. Unfortunately, some plot moves look, at least, strange in the bad sense of the word. Heroes commit frankly stupid acts, individual situations are illogical and strained. Scenes change too fast. I do not know if it was originally intended, but the dynamic change of scenes goes against the narrative - too much remains behind the scenes. Although, I do not exclude that some moments were simply cut out for various reasons during the final installation. Strange decision: in my opinion the narrative turned out to be too ragged. I also noticed that the action sags considerably every time the script tries to reveal the relations of partners (William and Tovar), primarily because of the ill-considered character of both adventurers.

From the point of view of special effects, the "Great Wall" was certainly a success. This is one of those films that you need to watch either on a large screen or in the best possible quality. Operatorial reception in the form of shakecam does not spoil, oddly enough, the general impression, although from it you quickly get tired. Dynamics and the frequent change of foreshortening for the visualization of adventures is more important than ever. Music is also a strong point of the picture. The compositions of Ramin Javadi, known for the soundtrack to "The Game of Thrones", are organically woven into the narrative, add color and complement what is happening on the screen.

By acting and characters. The writers did not pay enough attention to the characters, as I believe. The heroes were not given the identity, they follow the archetypes (brave hero, comic partner, battle-baba and even a cowardly guy who relocated himself and saved the team). Virtually none of the hero has a clear prehistory. So, for example, all that is known about William is that he ... fought here and there. A minor character in the performance of Willem Dafoe seems to play a big role for the plot, but until the end it is unclear who he is, how he got on the wall and other details. Even the antagonists turned out to be faceless. Who are Tao Tei? Demons? Alien? Is that their queen with a stretch refers to the memorable monsters. As for the acting ... Matt Damon plays the hero, in the image of which he built his career. William is full of bravado, he solves problems that he himself creates. I think he is the best decoration of the film from the cast.

Fortunately, this film is not about the heroes of Damon, Defoe and Pascal. In fact, the film works when the focus is not the adventurer William, but rather the whole group under his command. In the end, this is a story about assimilation, during which the hero realizes the mistakes of the past and fits into the society of utilitarian ideas. So Zhang Yimou mixed the Chinese action movie and the excessively cartoonish riot of CGI. Alas, there is a wall between Hollywood and Chinese cinematic traditions, which is not so easy to destroy.