This leads to numerous, enormous battles, where all sorts of premodern Chinese armaments wreak havoc on blankets of onrushing Tao Tei – curiously designed with eyes in their shoulders and a hierarchy of physical characteristics denoting ranking in relation to the queen (reminiscent of the behemoths of “Pacific Rim”).
The Wall itself is alive with mechanical devices that catapult flaming boulders, cut the monsters in half with giant shear-like blades, and house archers or foot soldiers wielding polearms. Almost laughably, however, it’s the bright blue uniforms of the Crane Corps that get the harshest attention, as the squadron is composed entirely of female warriors, who bungee-jump into the thick of the invading creatures (which swarm like the alien insects from “Starship Troopers”) to suffer the first casualties. Like something out of “Ran,” the myriad troops of the Great Wall are divided into vivid colors to designate their posts. The general and his soldiers have waited and prepared for 60 years for another siege by the hellions, which must not be allowed to pass the Great Wall into the countryside and the capital of Bianliang, where plentiful humans would provide a copious meal for the queen of the Tao Tei to breed a world-devouring army of minions. General Shao (Hanyu Zhang) knows of the creature, called the Tao Tei – part of a horde of ravenous aliens birthed from a meteor impact. But before they can rest their eyes upon the fanciful stuff, they’re attacked by a reptilian beast, forcing them to push toward the Great Wall, where they surrender to Commander Lin Mae (Tian Jing) rather than face the many marauders in the wilderness or the mysterious dragon-like monstrosity. In the course of the film, the technologically advanced fortifications and defense systems resemble pure fantasy more than anything historical.Īfter riding for six months, William (Matt Damon), Tovar (Pedro Pascal), and a handful of surviving mercenaries trek across the unforgiving deserts of Northern China, in search of the elusive black powder – which few have ever lived to tell about. And it also has very little to do with the Great Wall itself, which serves as little more than a basic setting adorned with unrecognizable sets. It’s winding structure has protected its people from many dangers, both real and legendary. He Great Wall of China is one of the world’s most enduring wonders, at 1,700 years old and stretching approximately 5,500 miles. Release Date: February 17th, 2017 MPAA Rating: PG-13ĭirector: Yimou Zhang Actors: Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Tian Jing, Andy Lau, Hanyu Zhang, Lu Han, Kenny Lin T Genre: Adventure and Fantasy Running Time: 1 hr.