‘Wall’ poses huge hurdles
“The Great Wall” has nothing to do with Donald J. Trump. This lavish ChineseAmerican CG-laden 3-D coproduction stars Matt Damon as William, some sort of Song Dynasty-era (960-1279 A.D.) Celt (judging from his accent), a scarred soldier of fortune who, along with buddy Tovar (the talented and likable Pedro Pascal, “Game of Thrones,” “Narcos”), is captured near the Great Wall by forces assembled there to resist an attempted invasion of the kingdom by a vast horde of reptilian taoties, creatures suggesting a cross between the xenomorphs of the “Alien” films and Chinese lions.
The taoties are led by an even larger queen who is in telepathic contact with her monstrous minions, who feed her. The Chinese army officially known as the Nameless Order is led by the noble Gen. Shao (Hanyu Zhang) and his chief strategist Wang (Andy Lau, “Infernal Affairs”). Also among those Shang leads into battle are blue-armored women warriors under Cmdr. Lin Mae (Tian Jing). These women warriors dive from the battlements on the ends of ropes with long spears to attack the swarming taoties climbing the Wall and often end up as swinging human shish kebabs.
These warriors also often evoke the athleticism of Chinese dance troupes and the amazing acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil. Also used by the Chinese to repel the taoties are flaming balls impressively catapulted through the air, giant bows resembling anti-aircraft guns and, as a last resort, dynamite-like bombs made from the mysterious “black powder” for which William and Tovar search.
Directed by Chinese master Zhang Yimou (“Raise the Red Lantern,” “House of Flying Daggers”), “The Great Wall” is a visually lavish evocation of such works as HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and the “Lord of the Rings” films, but with little of the other works’ sense of majesty or wonder.
Damon reminded me at times of Orlando Bloom’s Legolas and may be too old for the romance with Cmdr. Lin. He has the usual charisma. But the dialogue is dull and expository, and he cannot shine. Punched-up buddy scenes between him and Tovar are a saving grace.
Willem Dafoe seems like a fugitive from Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” as a captive Englishman.
The introductory pageantry of “The Great Wall” will remind some of the work Zhang did as director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Chinese Olympics.
The problem with “The Great Wall,” which was shot in Qingdao and other locations on the mainland, is not the visuals. It is the screenplay attributed to Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro (“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”) and four others, including veterans Tony Gilroy, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It is bad in spite of borrowing liberally from the 1950 Henry Hathaway cult classic “The Black Rose” (stream it!). “Forget what you have seen,” Lin Mae advises William. I’m afraid I will.