By Renee’ Collins
Rating: 1 (Out of 5 Reels)
European mercenaries, William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal), searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures (IMDB).
After viewing the trailer for this film, most would think that the first person they thought of when they hear the words “The Great Wall” would not be Matt Damon. They would be correct but his involvement in the plot line as a non-Chinese person is easy to explain, he is a mercenary. Having seen Damon in several films over the years this film reviewer thinks of him as a great actor. However, his talents are somewhat wasted here mainly because of the writing. Willem Dafoe has a supporting role in this film and cannot bring the writing out of the doldrums.
This film is visually stunning and the use of color is brilliant. It is also in 3D, which is wholly unneeded and unwarranted. The computer-generated monsters are the nemesis of the film in this Chinese legend. This films downfall is the shallow writing, mediocre acting, and excessive extended long scenic shots that do not help the storytelling. Within the first few minutes of this film, most will realize this and begin to get bored.
Escaping boredom at a matinee is the only recommendation that suggested for this film. In fact, waiting for it to arrive on cable would probably be better.