Jump to content

Great Wall


Recommended Posts

Saw this today , I like those big production Chinese movies so for me this was a definate 

 

good stuffs - big production Chinese movie, lots of real soldiers rather than cgi , the first opening battles scenes are amazing in detail and beautifully filmed . Banging soundtrack lots of drumming n stuff, but also some nice vocal/chant stuff. Acting is okay to good, the Chinese stars do well and all look suitability stern and Ernest. MD does his best. The cgi is mostly pretty good, I'd say some serious computer power here. The story is pretty straght forward.

 

bad stuff - some of the dialogue is a little dodgy , there is that Chinese propaganda "be all you can for your country and make sacrifices for the same" under lying in the dialogue. Gets a little flakey in parts towards the end. The editing is a little choppy it seems short for a Chinese big production so I wonder if an directors cut DVDs/Blu-Ray is on the cards. 

 

Generally tho a good movie if you are fan especially if you liked the big battles from LotR and hobbit, red hill , even starship troopers. 

 

3.9 stars 

 

Edited by cafe67
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites



1 hour ago, Jliang70 said:

When you see it was directed by Zhang YImou, you know the movie is rubbish.  

Why is that?  I thought the movie was good or is he considered the Michael Bay  of China ? 

Edited by cafe67
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, cafe67 said:

Why is that?  I thought the movie was good or is he considered the Michael Bay  of China ? 

 

The reason I don't like his movies was very simple, most of his movies these days reflect a desire to please western movie viewers,  just look at the Great Wall, it was built some three thousand years ago to defend China from Hungs, Mongols, Khitans, Jurgens and Manchus, there are literally millions of story can be told of the Great Wall that reflect its thousand years of history,  cultural impacts of the wall and the human story around the wall.   I don't know why Zhang needed to gather a group of western screen play writers making up a story  like the one in this 'Great Wall' movie.   For someone who has deep rooted understand of Chinese culture Zhang he should be ashamed making this type of movie, he needs to tell a chinese story not one but taylor made for western audience.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Jliang70 said:

 

The reason I don't like his movies was very simple, most of his movies these days reflect a desire to please western movie viewers,  just look at the Great Wall, it was built some three thousand years ago to defend China from Hungs, Mongols, Khitans, Jurgens and Manchus, there are literally millions of story can be told of the Great Wall that reflect its thousand years of history,  cultural impacts of the wall and the human story around the wall.   I don't know why Zhang needed to gather a group of western screen play writers making up a story  like the one in this 'Great Wall' movie.   For someone who has deep rooted understand of Chinese culture Zhang he should be ashamed making this type of movie, he needs to tell a chinese story not one but taylor made for western audience.

... which would probably not be popular in mainstream western society. It's a blockbuster, not an arthouse movie.

 

I thought the trailer looked pretty cheesey despite an obviously huge budget. I think I'll wait till it's in the JB, 2 for $20 tables.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



On 25 February 2017 at 11:28 AM, blybo said:

... which would probably not be popular in mainstream western society. It's a blockbuster, not an arthouse movie.

 

I thought the trailer looked pretty cheesey despite an obviously huge budget. I think I'll wait till it's in the JB, 2 for $20 tables.

It is bigger and better than what the trailer would show/imply 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 25/02/2017 at 1:50 PM, Jliang70 said:

For someone who has deep rooted understand of Chinese culture Zhang he should be ashamed making this type of movie, he needs to tell a chinese story not one but taylor made for western audience.

Seems to me that this movie was trying to get the western audience interested, the studios don't really care where the money comes in from, it appears to have flopped in that regard. It's on my low priority list to watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

I watched this and was not overly impressed by any part of it.

 

The CGI and settings were not new.

 

There was detail that defied any logic.

 

SPOILER ALERT

Spoiler

- defense against a massed (swarming) enemy does not require precision counters.  Women bungy jumping with two lances in hand?!  Really? Perhaps boiling oil and area denial tactics?

- hot air balloons with an extremely high failure rate as Plan Z?  How about use those smoke signals (drums, mirrors,...) and alert a garrison closer to the capital?

- If the Tao Tei scouts can scale the wall at night without detection, why not a Tao Tei commando unit?  It would have been "game over" ever so quickly.

- If you have gun powder weapons, why not use them against the initial swarm?  Perhaps ballista or catapult with powder charged grapeshot ordinance?

- The Tao Tei take recover the dead as they recycle the flesh.  Taint the carcasses?

 

 

I love a ripping yarn but at least try to tell a plausible tale.

 

 

Edited by MultiplexMan
Spoiler alert
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

WTF is Matt Damien doing in a Chinese movie like this?   my daughter asked :D

Movies are meant to be enjoyed, loose yourself for a few ours in a fantasy world, defy logic scenes are there to tell tale....

Loved this movie, it all fits in at the end,  I like these typical westernised Influence Chinese films, love the saturated colours too.

 

"why did the Chinese build the Great Wall?"   Or to answer my daughter's question....

 

To keep very scary rabbits out!   :D

Edited by Addicted to music
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • 4 weeks later...
On 25/02/2017 at 2:28 PM, blybo said:

... which would probably not be popular in mainstream western society. It's a blockbuster, not an arthouse movie.

 

I thought the trailer looked pretty cheesey despite an obviously huge budget. I think I'll wait till it's in the JB, 2 for $20 tables.

I ponied up and lashed out, it was down to $16 last week. 

 

Wasnt a bad movie I thought. Good bit of eye candy, story was a bit wishy washy.

Story wise for me, a good movie has a good ending. Many end with no real ending. This one was ok in that respect I thought. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well Zhang made Raise the Red Lantern with the delicious Gong Li (where is she now?), one of my all time faves, so he can be forgiven for chasing a dollar or three. 

Jliang70, makes me wonder what you must think about Ridley Scott and his recent efforts... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a great movie

there were a lot of great Chinese films at that time

themed around colour from memory

A lot featured Gong Li

were they all made buy Zhang because nonsense like The Wall is a long way down from them

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I enjoyed this one also, sounded stupidly good too. I will get this on 4K once I get my new Telly. 

Also watch the ghost in the shell  today, now that was crap. 

Edited by Sime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3 September 2017 at 7:17 AM, keyse1 said:

That is a great movie

there were a lot of great Chinese films at that time

themed around colour from memory

A lot featured Gong Li

were they all made buy Zhang because nonsense like The Wall is a long way down from them

 

Hero with Jet Li , was colour themed 

Link to comment
Share on other sites



5 hours ago, Addicted to music said:

the house of flying daggers is my favourite movie of all times.  I love that echo game scene.  Superb colour and sound, great to watch.

 

 

 

just watched this (again) last week for the umpteenth time! Am a big fan of subbed kung fooey films

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...
To Top