The Matt Damon-starrer “The Great Wall” failed to impress critics in the U.S. where the Chinese-American collaboration film opened recently. Similar to bad reviews in China where the movie premiered on Feb. 17, American critics likewise were not impressed by the Zhang Yimou movie.
Jake Coyle, film writer of Herald Extra, noted that “The Great Wall” was just a poor monster movie which indicates a corporate-driven global moviemaking effort by Legendary Entertainment. Despite being directed by an acclaimed Chinese filmmaker, the movie even failed in being an artifact.
Bad Reviews
Coyle blamed the film’s failure to its coming from the “thinly sketched conceit” of Thomas Tull, the ex-CEO of Legendary Entertainment. He found the film not being well-stitched together and its characters as cardboard cut-outs, while its pacing is frantic.
The critic found it ironic that Yimou, the director, used to be associated with quality films such as the “House of Flying Daggers” and “Hero.” He also directed the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, but it appears that Yimou’s art-house days gave way to a cozier relationship with Beijing, resulting in the quality of “The Great Wall” suffering.
The movie is about William Garin (Matt Damon), an Irish mercenary who is in search of a “black powder” at the Gobi Desert. He and Tovar (Pedro Pascal), his Spanish partner, were captured by the Nameless Order, a group of elite warriors, which have a fortress along the Great Wall of China. From prisoners, they become warriors after they showed they could fight well. But images of the Great Wall were just computer-generated.
Failed to Please Target Audiences
Coyle concluded that “The Great Wall” was just a “bloated, half-baked blockbuster.” Forbes contributor Scott Mendelson attributed the failure of the movie to targeting the American and Chinese audience, but it unfortunately failed to please both. However, box-office wise, the movie made $171 million in China alone despite the bad reviews and would likely earn $300 million globally. It only means Legendary is laughing its way to the bank while critics fume.