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The Great Wall

Play trailer 2:21 Poster for The Great Wall PG-13 2017 1h 44m Adventure Action Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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36% Tomatometer 236 Reviews 42% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
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.
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The Great Wall

The Great Wall

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Critics Consensus

For a Yimou Zhang film featuring Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe battling ancient monsters, The Great Wall is neither as exciting nor as entertainingly bonkers as one might hope.

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Critics Reviews

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Kambole Campbell One Room With A View 08/25/2018
2/5
A sometimes entertaining, but otherwise forgettable two hours, The Great Wall sounds cool on paper, but feels more like a business deal than a complete film. Go to Full Review
Scott Tobias Uproxx 10/10/2017
The Great Wall gives one of the world's great visual filmmakers $150 million and an army of extras at his disposal, and he turns a monument into a playground. Go to Full Review
Christopher Orr The Atlantic 03/27/2017
Zhang's moments of visual splendor-a battalion of hot-air balloonists, the queen-monster and her royal guard of fan-frilled monstrosities-are weighed down by a script and performances almost dutiful in their dullness. Go to Full Review
Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson 10/14/2024
3/5
Visually splendid from top to bottom, this epic adventure squeaks by on its looks and spares no expense to make sure of that. Go to Full Review
Victoria Luxford City AM 02/21/2022
2/5
With a ponytail and dodgy accent, Damon fits awkwardly into the mix, putting in one of the most uneven performances of his career. The fact a Western actor is leading an Asian film should be uncomfortable, but in a film this bad, its hard to care. Go to Full Review
Drew Dietsch FANDOM 12/29/2021
2/5
The Great Wall is the equivalent of a well-made toy movie. It's a feast for the imagination, but your heart and brain will check out after a while. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Sandra J @sandranj4 3d It was awesome. A tad cheesy at times but the plot & good actors made up for that. Really liked the story & effects. Thank you for not putting a bunch of sexual innuendo crap or porn in it. 👏👏 We’ve added this to our family’s favorites. See more Mary F @RT70986907 Aug 24 So with the hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers, the astonishing weaponry, the juggernaut of black powder, and the Great Wall itself, China apparently needed the white guy movie star to save it. Ooof. The film gets a wildly strong start from the stunning visuals alone. While it's a masterpiece of color and imagination, the thin script will have you checking the time to see how far there is to go once the ennui sets in. And that's a shame. A massive effort like this deserved better. See more Michael M @cosmac Aug 24 Not sure why all the low marks! Is it because people expect more from this level of gifted actors? I thought it was an entertaining adventure flick with some great one liners! In line with other similar sketchy heros see the light and save the day type of movies! It was good entertainment from very talented leads. Thumbs Up! and I don't care what Matt Damon's daughter thinks! ;) See more TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch Aug 22 The Great Wall is a surprisingly entertaining action film that keeps the story moving and gives you plenty to stay invested in. With Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal leading the cast, the movie has enough star power and energy to carry its larger-than-life concept. The action is easily one of the biggest strengths. The battles, creatures, and massive scale give the film a strong visual presence, while the war storyline keeps things moving instead of allowing the movie to become stagnant. I also liked how the story continued developing rather than simply throwing action sequences together without purpose. Matt Damon does a good job holding his character together and keeping the audience invested, while Pedro Pascal brings his own energy and personality to the film. Their performances help balance the larger spectacle and give the story some grounding. Is The Great Wall perfect? Absolutely not. There are moments where the story could have been stronger and certain elements. See more David H @rivrocks Aug 21 I liked it. I might have made some production changes. I feel like someone should have known the audience a little better. Still a decent action movie. See more Frans B @FransB Jul 7 Brilliant! Well written and captivating story. The sheer scale of the production is mind boggling, epic proportions indeed. Animal Logic and Base FX provided critical set extensions, building digital additions onto physical wall sets, extending cliff faces, and rendering chaotic aerial scenes featuring burning hot-air balloons. The Third Floor managed extensive previsualization to map out the camera movements and complex geometry required for battles between real actors and thousands of digital monsters. Easy to see why this movie grossed twice the value of the production budget globally, it was a HUGE success. Amazing cinematography, GCI and visual effects. Stellar cast all excels in character, with Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal adding swagger, flair and charisma. Lots of action of any imaginable kind, drama, suspense, rapid pace, wonder, amazement, fantasy, battles, emotion, intrigue and epic events. Riveting and very entertaining See more Read all reviews
The Great Wall

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The Great Wall

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Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
Director
Yimou Zhang
Producer
Thomas Tull, Charles Roven, Jon Jashni, Peter Loehr
Screenwriter
Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Tony Gilroy
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Atlas Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Fantasy Action Violence)
Genre
Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 17, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 9, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$45.1M
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos
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