Movie Review: The Great Wall

The Great Wall: When a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within the Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront the unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 out of 5)

I've always been a fan of historical movies and dramas since I was small. I guess traditional and historical cultures (along with their beautiful unique attires) really intrigues me. I found out about the production of The Great Wall back when I was still a fan of Luhan (no don't remind me of that time). I was excited to see yet another possible good historical movie being made. It was true in a certain way, though.

During the Song dynasty, a few miles north of the Great Wall, William, Tovar, and three other survivors from a European mercenary group searching for black powder are pursued by Khitan bandits. A lot of chases and mystery deaths before Will and Tovar ended up in front of the Great Wall of China. They were captured as they don't belong there, and before long, some monsters called Tao Tei started to attack the wall. Tao Tei were monsters that were sent to them supposedly from hell as a reminder for what their late King's greediness had caused.

Oh god I hate the monsters, they reminded me too much of lizards. And these ones were huge and a lot more disgusting and too vicious. The fight between the warriors and the Tao Teis went amazingly, in both good and bad ways. The warriors were well prepared with their weapons and attacks, and I was certainly in awe. Especially the female warriors in blue uniforms, especially General Lin. I could say that these blue warriors were the bravest as they fight the closest to the monsters. Despite the preparation though, the lost a lot of warriors but the Tao Teis retreated back for a while. Somehow, Will ended up siding with the Chinese, much to Tovar's frustration as he wanted to flee with the black powder that they got with the help of Ballard.

I think two of the biggest matters they portrayed in the movie are trust (xìnrèn) and the greediness that humans have. The Chinese soldiers trusted each other with their lives, fighting till their last breath to protect each other. And because of irresponsible greediness, other people had to suffer over it. Greediness is never ending, and it leads to destruction.

All in all, I enjoyed The Great Wall. Will and Lin's interactions were great as they cooperated well together with Strategist Wang, and it was nice to see Peng Yong trying his best despite being seen as a weak soldier. This is probably not the best historical movie I've watched, but nothing is really dreadful about it. If you enjoy historical movies, do watch The Great Wall too!

Till next time ♡ Love, Maira