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The Great Wall (film)

January 30, 2023

The Great Wall (Chinese: 长城) is a 2016 monster film directed by Zhang Yimou, with a screenplay by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy, from a story by Max Brooks, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. An American and Chinese co-production starring Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, and Andy Lau, the plot centers around two European mercenary warriors (Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal) imprisoned by imperial Chinese forces within the Great Wall of China after arriving in search of gunpowder, eventually joining forces with the Chinese to help combat an alien threat. The Great Wall is Zhang's first English-language film.[5]

The Great Wall
United States theatrical release poster
Simplified长城
MandarinCháng Chéng
Directed byZhang Yimou
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
Music byRamin Djawadi
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • December 6, 2016 (2016-12-06) (Beijing)
  • December 16, 2016 (2016-12-16) (China)
  • February 17, 2017 (2017-02-17) (United States)
  • April 14, 2017 (2017-04-14) (Japan)
Running time
103 minutes[3]
Countries
Languages
  • English
  • Mandarin
Budget$150 million[4]
Box office$334.9 million[3]

Principal photography for the film began on March 30, 2015, in Qingdao, China, and it premiered in Beijing on December 6, 2016. It was released by China Film Group in China on December 16, 2016, the United States on February 17 by Universal Pictures, and in Japan on April 14 by Toho-Towa. The film received mostly mixed reviews from critics, but received some praise for its action sequences.[6] Although it grossed $335 million worldwide, the film was still considered a box office bomb due to its high production and marketing costs, with losses as high as $75 million.

Plot

European mercenaries, including Irishman William Garin and Spaniard Pedro Tovar, travel to China during the reign of Renzong Emperor, searching for the secret to gunpowder. A few miles north of the Great Wall, they are attacked by a monster. Only Garin and Tovar survive; they sever the monster's arm and bring it with them. Upon reaching the Wall, they are taken prisoner by the Nameless Order. Led by General Shao and Strategist Wang, the Nameless Order exists to combat Tao Tie, alien monsters that arrived from a meteorite and attack once every sixty years.[7] The Order's commanders are surprised by the monsters' first assault, which has come one week early.

Shortly after, a horde of Tao Tie assails the Wall. Both sides sustain heavy losses before the monsters' queen aborts the attack. During the battle, Garin and Tovar are freed by Ballard, another European who came east twenty-five years earlier; detained, he now serves as an English and Latin teacher. Garin and Tovar display amazing battle skills. Saving the life of young warrior Peng Yong, they slay two monsters, earning them the Order's respect. The three Europeans secretly plan to steal gunpowder and flee during the next monster attack.

That night, two Tao Tie reach the top of the Wall. General Shao is killed, placing Commander Lin in charge of the Nameless Order. Around this time, an envoy from the capital arrives with an ancient scroll that suggests that the monsters are pacified by magnets. Wang believes the stone Garin carries enabled him to slay the Tao Tie he encountered. To test the hypothesis, Garin suggests they capture a Tao Tie alive and agrees to help. This delays the escape plans, angering Tovar, who nevertheless assists Garin despite Ballard's protests.

While a new fight with the Tao Tie starts, the Westerners capture a monster and prove the theory. However, the Imperial envoy claims the creature and takes it to the capital to present to the Emperor.

It is revealed that the previous attacks had been a distraction so that the Tao Tie could dig a tunnel at the base of the Wall. While Lin investigates, Tovar and Ballard steal black powder and escape, knocking Garin unconscious for trying to stop them. Garin is arrested by the Nameless Order for his apparent betrayal and is locked up in the Wall. Some distance away, Ballard betrays and abandons Tovar. Ballard is later captured by bandits, who accidentally ignite the powder, killing the Westerner and themselves. At the capital, the envoy presents the captive Tao Tie to the Emperor. The creature awakens and reveals its position to its queen, who signals the Tao Tie to attack.

The Order rushes to the capital. Lin orders the use of hot-air balloons and sets Garin free before leaving. Wang tells him to warn the outside world, but Garin boards the last balloon with Peng and Wang. They arrive just in time to save Lin from being devoured. They land in the Emperor's palace, where Wang proposes killing the queen by tying explosives to the captured Tao Tie and giving it meat to be delivered to the queen. While approaching the site, a horde of Tao Tie attack the band, and Peng sacrifices himself to save the others.

After releasing the Tao Tie, Lin and Garin climb a tower so that Garin can detonate the explosives with an arrow. Wang sacrifices himself to buy time for Lin and Garin to reach the upper floors. Two of Garin's arrows are deflected by the Tao Tie queen's bodyguards, but Garin throws the magnet into the horde, creating a gap in the shields, allowing Lin's spear to get through. The queen is killed, and the rest of the horde is paralyzed. With the threat eliminated, Garin is allowed to return home and elects to take Tovar (whom the Nameless Order recaptured) with him instead of a reward of black powder, much to Tovar's annoyance.

Cast

  • Matt Damon as William Garin (威廉·加林), a European mercenary.
  • Jing Tian as Commander Lin Mae (林梅; Lín Méi), the leader of the Crane Troop
  • Pedro Pascal as Pero Tovar (佩罗· 托瓦尔), a European mercenary.
  • Willem Dafoe as Sir Ballard (巴拉德), a European adventurer-turned-teacher in China.
  • Andy Lau as Strategist Wang (王军师), the Strategist and War Counselor for the Nameless Order.
  • Zhang Hanyu as General Shao (邵殿帅), the leader of the Bear Troop and General of the Nameless Order.
  • Lu Han as Peng Yong (彭勇), a soldier in the Bear Troop.
  • Eddie Peng as Commander Wu (吴将军), head of the Tiger Troop.
  • Kenny Lin as Commander Chen (陈将军), head of the Eagle Troop.
  • Karry Wang as The Emperor
  • Zheng Kai as Shen (沈)
  • Huang Xuan as Commander Deng (邓将军), head of the Deer Troop.
  • Cheney Chen as Commander of the Imperial Guard
  • Numan Acar as Najid

Production

The company and I have been preparing for Great Wall for a long time. It is an action blockbuster. The reason I took the Great Wall project is that there have been requests in the last 10 or 20 years. Now the production is big enough and really appealing. And, very importantly, it has Chinese elements in it.

Zhang Yimou, director[8]

Principal photography began on March 30, 2015, on location in Qingdao.[9] It is the most expensive film ever shot entirely in China.[10][11]

Three walls were built during production as they could not shoot on the actual Great Wall.[12] During the filmmaking, the director said the most impressive part for him was the presence of so many translators to handle communication, as he assembled an international crew for the filming. More than 100 on-set translators worked with the various cast and crew members.[13]

Music

Main article: The Great Wall (soundtrack)

The film's score is composed by Ramin Djawadi.[14] The first track called "Nameless Order" was released on December 14, 2016.[15]

Release

The Great Wall was released in China on December 16, 2016. It was released on February 17, 2017 in the United States by Universal Pictures in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D.[16] In the Philippines, the film was released by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures Philippines on January 25, 2017.[17]

Marketing

The Great Wall released its first trailer in July 2016. The trailer shows views of the Great Wall in fog, thousands of soldiers on a battlefield ready for war, and a mysterious monster, as well as the roster views of the cast, including Matt Damon and Andy Lau.[18][12]

A song from Wang Leehom and Tan Weiwei was released on November 15, 2016, to promote The Great Wall. "Bridge of Fate" was composed and produced by Wang Leehom, with lyrics written by Vincent Fang, a longtime collaborator of singer-songwriter Jay Chou. Female rocker Tan Weiwei joined Wang for a duet, but with two different vocal styles. Wang sang pop, while Tan performed a traditional Qinqiang – a folk Chinese opera style from Shaanxi Province.[19]

Chinese pop diva Jane Zhang released another new English song, Battle Field, and its promotional music video, for The Great Wall on November 22, 2016. The song was composed by King Logan and Maroon 5's keyboardist PJ Morton and written by Josiah "JoJo" Martin and Jane Zhang. It was produced by Timbaland.[20]

Universal Pictures and Legendary Entertainment debuted eight character posters of the film on November 17, 2016. All in all, Legendary spent $110–120 million on promotion and advertising worldwide.[21]

Legendary Pictures made a strategic decision to work with Chinese talent and investors and altered their production plan to better cater to Chinese audiences. The Great Wall, funded by Legendary, China Film Group, and Universal Pictures was an attempt at a joint production between Chinese and American talent.[22] The film was directed by a big-time Chinese director, Zhang Yimou, and starred Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe alongside Chinese film stars in an attempt to capture Chinese audiences. Although the film was considered to be a box office failure in China, the intent was clear and compelling.[23] Other film studios such as Pixar have been making these minor adjustments to appeal to international audiences for years.[24]

The film was released for digital download on May 9, 2017, and on DVD, Blu-ray on May 23, 2017.[25]

Reception

Box office

The Great Wall grossed $45.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $289.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $334.9 million, against a production budget of $150 million.[3]

In China, The Great Wall opened on December 16, 2016 and made $24.3 million on its first day and $67.4 million in its opening weekend. In the second weekend, it grossed $26.1 million.[26] The film went on to gross $170.9 million at the Chinese box office,[27] which is considered a disappointment.[28]

In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside A Cure for Wellness and Fist Fight, and was projected to gross $17–19 million from about 3,200 theaters in its opening weekend.[29] The film made $970,000 at 2,470 theaters from Thursday night previews, and $5.9 million on its first day.[30] It went on to open to $18.1 million, finishing third at the box office, behind holdovers The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker,[6] and eventually grossing $45.2 million.[3] The film joined Terminator Genisys, Warcraft and fellow 2017 release xXx: Return of Xander Cage as the only Hollywood films to earn $100 million in China without making $100 million in the United States.[31]

In March 2017, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film was likely to lose about $75 million due to its underwhelming performance theatrically, as its performance in most major markets, including the United States and Canada, was disappointing. The loss incurred by all four studios varied, with Universal Pictures, which funded about 25% of the film's $150 million production budget, losing around $10 million. The rest of the investors, Legendary Entertainment, China Film Group and Le Vision Pictures, will have an equal loss. Universal also covered almost all of the film's global marketing expenses of more than $80 million, so the studio will incur an even heavier loss. Ancillary revenues from home entertainment sales and TV rights, may offset some of the losses.[28] In March 2018, Deadline Hollywood calculated the film lost the studio $74.5 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.[32]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has an approval rating of 35% based on 234 reviews, and an average rating of 4.90/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "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."[33] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 42 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[34] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[6]

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, writing for The A.V. Club, gave the film a B− on an A to F scale, saying: "There is no logical reason for the film to climax in a tower of stained glass that paints Lin Mae and William in psychedelic Suspiria lighting, but boy does it look gorgeous in 3-D."[35] Simon Abrams, a contributor for RogerEbert.com, gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, summarizing: "The Great Wall is unlike any American blockbuster you've seen, a conservative movie with action set pieces that are actually inventive and thrilling enough to be worthwhile. See it on as big a screen as you can."[36]

Clarence Tsui, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, gave the film a negative review, saying: "The Great Wall is easily the least interesting and involving blockbuster of the respective careers of both its director and star."[37]

In 2021 Matt Damon said his daughter had mocked him for the movie. She made a point of calling it "The Wall", and when Damon corrects her with "The Great Wall", she remarks that there was nothing great about it.[38][39]

Controversies

White protagonist in an East Asian setting

Because some of the characters, including a main character played by Matt Damon, are white in a film set in medieval China, the film was accused of whitewashing and using the white savior narrative prior to its release.[40][41][42] Ann Hornaday, chief film critic for The Washington Post, wrote that "early concerns about Damon playing a 'white savior' in the film turn out to be unfounded: his character, a mercenary soldier, is heroic, but also clearly a foil for the superior principles and courage of his Chinese allies."[43] Jonathan Kim, in a review for the Huffington Post, writes that "having seen The Great Wall, I can say that ... on the charge of The Great Wall insulting the Chinese and promoting white superiority, I say: Not Guilty. The question of whether The Great Wall is a white savior movie is a bit trickier, but I'm still going to say Not Guilty. ... On the charge of whitewashing, I say: Not Guilty."[44] Deadline Hollywood noted that audience surveys by PostTrak indicated that Asians were turning out to see the film and constituted its second largest demographic group at 26% (behind Caucasians at 43%).[45]

Director Zhang said that Damon was not playing a role that was intended for a Chinese actor. He criticized detractors for not being "armed with the facts" and stated that "In many ways The Great Wall is the opposite of what is being suggested. For the first time, a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled, is being made at tentpole scale for a world audience. I believe that is a trend that should be embraced by our industry."[46]

Chinese critical response

The film's largest investor, the Wanda Group (owner of Legendary Pictures) has a good relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. As of July 2017, users of film review website Douban rated The Great Wall 4.9 out of 10. On Maoyan, another film review aggregator, the "professional score" is 4.9 out of 10.[47][48] On December 28, 2016, the Communist Party's official media outlet People's Daily published an article on its website severely criticizing Douban and Maoyan for doing harm to the Chinese movie industry with their bad reviews.[49] On the same day, Maoyan took down its "professional score" of 4.9 for The Great Wall but kept the high "audience score" of 8.4 out of 10.[47] However, another article was published later in the evening from the same People's Daily and it commented the Chinese movie industry should accept people have the right to leave even one-star reviews.[50] After the second article was published, many questioned People's Daily, they have since published two commentaries on the same day and they were in stark contrast, which one was their opinion. The editorial board responded the second article published later was newspaper's opinion on the matter, People's Daily overseas edition restated it the next day.[51][52]

References

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  6. ^ a b c Anthony D'Alessandro (February 20, 2017). "Another Holiday Weekend Where Holdovers Reign & New Studio Releases Tank: Presidents' Day B.O." Deadline Hollywood.
  7. ^ Truffaut-Wong, Olivia (February 16, 2017). "What Are The Tao Tie In 'The Great Wall'? These Mythical Monsters Are Hungry". Bustle. from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Coonan, Clifford (June 11, 2014). "Zhang Yimou Reveals Details of Legendary's China Co-Production 'Great Wall'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  9. ^ "Zhang Yimou officially entered the "Great Wall " crew set up on location in Qingdao". iduobo.com. March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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  13. ^ Rui, Zhang (November 17, 2016). "Zhang Yimou's new vehicle to export Chinese culture". China.org. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  14. ^ "Ramin Djawadi to Score 'The Great Wall'". Film Music Reporter. August 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  15. ^ Redfearn, Dominique (December 14, 2016). "Listen to Ramin Djawadi's 'Nameless Order,' First Song From 'The Great Wall' Soundtrack: Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
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  19. ^ "Theme song released for 'The Great Wall'". Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  20. ^ "Jane Zhang sings for 'The Great Wall'". Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  21. ^ "Moviegoers Likely To Spend Less George Washingtons Over Presidents Day Weekend: Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. February 15, 2017.
  22. ^ "Matt Damon's 'The Great Wall' to Lose $75 Million; Future U.S.-China Productions in Doubt". The Hollywood Reporter. March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
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  24. ^ "9 Movies That Were Changed for International Audiences". mentalfloss.com. August 21, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
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  27. ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (February 21, 2017). "The Great Wall Is Matt Damon's Worst Wide Release Box Office Opening Weekend Since 2011". IGN. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
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  29. ^ "Matt Damon's 'Great Wall' poised for soft U.S. opening against 'Lego Batman' and 'Fifty Shades'". Los Angeles Times. February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
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  31. ^ Scott Mendelson (June 8, 2016). "Box Office: 'Warcraft' Snags Jaw-Dropping $46 Million Opening Day In China". Forbes. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
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  37. ^ Tsui, Clarence (December 15, 2016). "'The Great Wall' ('Chang Cheng'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  38. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 27, 2021). "Matt Damon Says Daughter Still Gives Him Flack About 'The Great Wall'". The Hollywood Reporter.
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  40. ^ Wong, Julie Carrie (July 29, 2016). "Asian Americans decry 'whitewashed' Great Wall film starring Matt Damon". The Guardian. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  41. ^ "The Great Wall: Is Matt Damon 'whitewashing' or good business?". BBC. July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
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  43. ^ Hornaday, Ann (February 16, 2017). "Perspective | 'The Great Wall,' Matt Damon and Hollywood's delicate dance with China". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  44. ^ "No, 'The Great Wall' Isn't Racist Whitewashing". HuffPost. February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  45. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 20, 2017). "Holdovers Reign Over Presidents Day Weekend, But Why Did The New Releases Tank?". Deadline Hollywood. despite reports that the media blasted it for whitewashing, Asians repped the pic's second-biggest demo
  46. ^ Calvario, Liz (August 4, 2016). "The Great Wall Director Addresses Matt Damon Whitewashing Controversy". Indiewire. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  47. ^ a b "遭人民日报批评后 猫眼专业影评人评分下线". 网易. December 28, 2016.
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  50. ^ "人民日报：中国电影要有容得下"一星"的肚量". 网易. December 28, 2016.
  51. ^ "路線之爭？人民日報批豆瓣評分傷害國產電影 旋即又唱反調". 香港01. December 29, 2016.
  52. ^ "人民日报海外版：自信国度应该容下无数个豆瓣". 网易. December 29, 2016.

External links

  • Official website
  • The Great Wall at IMDb

January 30, 2023
great, wall, film, great, wall, chinese, 长城, 2016, monster, film, directed, zhang, yimou, with, screenplay, carlo, bernard, doug, miro, tony, gilroy, from, story, brooks, edward, zwick, marshall, herskovitz, american, chinese, production, starring, matt, damon. The Great Wall Chinese 长城 is a 2016 monster film directed by Zhang Yimou with a screenplay by Carlo Bernard Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy from a story by Max Brooks Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz An American and Chinese co production starring Matt Damon Jing Tian Pedro Pascal Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau the plot centers around two European mercenary warriors Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal imprisoned by imperial Chinese forces within the Great Wall of China after arriving in search of gunpowder eventually joining forces with the Chinese to help combat an alien threat The Great Wall is Zhang s first English language film 5 The Great WallUnited States theatrical release posterSimplified长城MandarinChang ChengDirected byZhang YimouScreenplay byCarlo Bernard Doug Miro Tony GilroyStory byMax Brooks Edward Zwick Marshall HerskovitzProduced byThomas Tull Charles Roven Jon Jashni Peter LoehrStarringMatt Damon Jing Tian Pedro Pascal Willem Dafoe Andy LauCinematographyStuart Dryburgh Zhao XiaodingEdited byMary Jo Markey Craig WoodMusic byRamin DjawadiProductioncompaniesLegendary Pictures Legendary East Atlas Entertainment China Film Group Le Vision Pictures Dentsu 1 Fuji TV 1 Distributed byChina Film Group China 2 Universal Pictures United States Toho Towa Japan Release datesDecember 6 2016 2016 12 06 Beijing December 16 2016 2016 12 16 China February 17 2017 2017 02 17 United States April 14 2017 2017 04 14 Japan Running time103 minutes 3 CountriesChina 1 United States 1 Japan 1 LanguagesEnglish MandarinBudget 150 million 4 Box office 334 9 million 3 Principal photography for the film began on March 30 2015 in Qingdao China and it premiered in Beijing on December 6 2016 It was released by China Film Group in China on December 16 2016 the United States on February 17 by Universal Pictures and in Japan on April 14 by Toho Towa The film received mostly mixed reviews from critics but received some praise for its action sequences 6 Although it grossed 335 million worldwide the film was still considered a box office bomb due to its high production and marketing costs with losses as high as 75 million Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Music 4 Release 4 1 Marketing 5 Reception 5 1 Box office 5 2 Critical response 6 Controversies 6 1 White protagonist in an East Asian setting 6 2 Chinese critical response 7 References 8 External linksPlot EditEuropean mercenaries including Irishman William Garin and Spaniard Pedro Tovar travel to China during the reign of Renzong Emperor searching for the secret to gunpowder A few miles north of the Great Wall they are attacked by a monster Only Garin and Tovar survive they sever the monster s arm and bring it with them Upon reaching the Wall they are taken prisoner by the Nameless Order Led by General Shao and Strategist Wang the Nameless Order exists to combat Tao Tie alien monsters that arrived from a meteorite and attack once every sixty years 7 The Order s commanders are surprised by the monsters first assault which has come one week early Shortly after a horde of Tao Tie assails the Wall Both sides sustain heavy losses before the monsters queen aborts the attack During the battle Garin and Tovar are freed by Ballard another European who came east twenty five years earlier detained he now serves as an English and Latin teacher Garin and Tovar display amazing battle skills Saving the life of young warrior Peng Yong they slay two monsters earning them the Order s respect The three Europeans secretly plan to steal gunpowder and flee during the next monster attack That night two Tao Tie reach the top of the Wall General Shao is killed placing Commander Lin in charge of the Nameless Order Around this time an envoy from the capital arrives with an ancient scroll that suggests that the monsters are pacified by magnets Wang believes the stone Garin carries enabled him to slay the Tao Tie he encountered To test the hypothesis Garin suggests they capture a Tao Tie alive and agrees to help This delays the escape plans angering Tovar who nevertheless assists Garin despite Ballard s protests While a new fight with the Tao Tie starts the Westerners capture a monster and prove the theory However the Imperial envoy claims the creature and takes it to the capital to present to the Emperor It is revealed that the previous attacks had been a distraction so that the Tao Tie could dig a tunnel at the base of the Wall While Lin investigates Tovar and Ballard steal black powder and escape knocking Garin unconscious for trying to stop them Garin is arrested by the Nameless Order for his apparent betrayal and is locked up in the Wall Some distance away Ballard betrays and abandons Tovar Ballard is later captured by bandits who accidentally ignite the powder killing the Westerner and themselves At the capital the envoy presents the captive Tao Tie to the Emperor The creature awakens and reveals its position to its queen who signals the Tao Tie to attack The Order rushes to the capital Lin orders the use of hot air balloons and sets Garin free before leaving Wang tells him to warn the outside world but Garin boards the last balloon with Peng and Wang They arrive just in time to save Lin from being devoured They land in the Emperor s palace where Wang proposes killing the queen by tying explosives to the captured Tao Tie and giving it meat to be delivered to the queen While approaching the site a horde of Tao Tie attack the band and Peng sacrifices himself to save the others After releasing the Tao Tie Lin and Garin climb a tower so that Garin can detonate the explosives with an arrow Wang sacrifices himself to buy time for Lin and Garin to reach the upper floors Two of Garin s arrows are deflected by the Tao Tie queen s bodyguards but Garin throws the magnet into the horde creating a gap in the shields allowing Lin s spear to get through The queen is killed and the rest of the horde is paralyzed With the threat eliminated Garin is allowed to return home and elects to take Tovar whom the Nameless Order recaptured with him instead of a reward of black powder much to Tovar s annoyance Cast EditMatt Damon as William Garin 威廉 加林 a European mercenary Jing Tian as Commander Lin Mae 林梅 Lin Mei the leader of the Crane Troop Pedro Pascal as Pero Tovar 佩罗 托瓦尔 a European mercenary Willem Dafoe as Sir Ballard 巴拉德 a European adventurer turned teacher in China Andy Lau as Strategist Wang 王军师 the Strategist and War Counselor for the Nameless Order Zhang Hanyu as General Shao 邵殿帅 the leader of the Bear Troop and General of the Nameless Order Lu Han as Peng Yong 彭勇 a soldier in the Bear Troop Eddie Peng as Commander Wu 吴将军 head of the Tiger Troop Kenny Lin as Commander Chen 陈将军 head of the Eagle Troop Karry Wang as The Emperor Zheng Kai as Shen 沈 Huang Xuan as Commander Deng 邓将军 head of the Deer Troop Cheney Chen as Commander of the Imperial Guard Numan Acar as NajidProduction EditThe company and I have been preparing for Great Wall for a long time It is an action blockbuster The reason I took the Great Wall project is that there have been requests in the last 10 or 20 years Now the production is big enough and really appealing And very importantly it has Chinese elements in it Zhang Yimou director 8 Principal photography began on March 30 2015 on location in Qingdao 9 It is the most expensive film ever shot entirely in China 10 11 Three walls were built during production as they could not shoot on the actual Great Wall 12 During the filmmaking the director said the most impressive part for him was the presence of so many translators to handle communication as he assembled an international crew for the filming More than 100 on set translators worked with the various cast and crew members 13 Music Edit Main article The Great Wall soundtrack The film s score is composed by Ramin Djawadi 14 The first track called Nameless Order was released on December 14 2016 15 Release EditThe Great Wall was released in China on December 16 2016 It was released on February 17 2017 in the United States by Universal Pictures in 3D 2D and IMAX 3D 16 In the Philippines the film was released by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures Philippines on January 25 2017 17 Marketing Edit The Great Wall released its first trailer in July 2016 The trailer shows views of the Great Wall in fog thousands of soldiers on a battlefield ready for war and a mysterious monster as well as the roster views of the cast including Matt Damon and Andy Lau 18 12 A song from Wang Leehom and Tan Weiwei was released on November 15 2016 to promote The Great Wall Bridge of Fate was composed and produced by Wang Leehom with lyrics written by Vincent Fang a longtime collaborator of singer songwriter Jay Chou Female rocker Tan Weiwei joined Wang for a duet but with two different vocal styles Wang sang pop while Tan performed a traditional Qinqiang a folk Chinese opera style from Shaanxi Province 19 Chinese pop diva Jane Zhang released another new English song Battle Field and its promotional music video for The Great Wall on November 22 2016 The song was composed by King Logan and Maroon 5 s keyboardist PJ Morton and written by Josiah JoJo Martin and Jane Zhang It was produced by Timbaland 20 Universal Pictures and Legendary Entertainment debuted eight character posters of the film on November 17 2016 All in all Legendary spent 110 120 million on promotion and advertising worldwide 21 Legendary Pictures made a strategic decision to work with Chinese talent and investors and altered their production plan to better cater to Chinese audiences The Great Wall funded by Legendary China Film Group and Universal Pictures was an attempt at a joint production between Chinese and American talent 22 The film was directed by a big time Chinese director Zhang Yimou and starred Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe alongside Chinese film stars in an attempt to capture Chinese audiences Although the film was considered to be a box office failure in China the intent was clear and compelling 23 Other film studios such as Pixar have been making these minor adjustments to appeal to international audiences for years 24 The film was released for digital download on May 9 2017 and on DVD Blu ray on May 23 2017 25 Reception EditBox office Edit The Great Wall grossed 45 5 million in the United States and Canada and 289 4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of 334 9 million against a production budget of 150 million 3 In China The Great Wall opened on December 16 2016 and made 24 3 million on its first day and 67 4 million in its opening weekend In the second weekend it grossed 26 1 million 26 The film went on to gross 170 9 million at the Chinese box office 27 which is considered a disappointment 28 In the United States and Canada the film opened alongside A Cure for Wellness and Fist Fight and was projected to gross 17 19 million from about 3 200 theaters in its opening weekend 29 The film made 970 000 at 2 470 theaters from Thursday night previews and 5 9 million on its first day 30 It went on to open to 18 1 million finishing third at the box office behind holdovers The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker 6 and eventually grossing 45 2 million 3 The film joined Terminator Genisys Warcraft and fellow 2017 release xXx Return of Xander Cage as the only Hollywood films to earn 100 million in China without making 100 million in the United States 31 In March 2017 The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film was likely to lose about 75 million due to its underwhelming performance theatrically as its performance in most major markets including the United States and Canada was disappointing The loss incurred by all four studios varied with Universal Pictures which funded about 25 of the film s 150 million production budget losing around 10 million The rest of the investors Legendary Entertainment China Film Group and Le Vision Pictures will have an equal loss Universal also covered almost all of the film s global marketing expenses of more than 80 million so the studio will incur an even heavier loss Ancillary revenues from home entertainment sales and TV rights may offset some of the losses 28 In March 2018 Deadline Hollywood calculated the film lost the studio 74 5 million when factoring together all expenses and revenues 32 Critical response Edit On Rotten Tomatoes a review aggregator the film has an approval rating of 35 based on 234 reviews and an average rating of 4 90 10 The website s critical consensus reads 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 33 On Metacritic the film has a score of 42 out of 100 based on 40 critics indicating mixed or average reviews 34 Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of B on an A to F scale 6 Ignatiy Vishnevetsky writing for The A V Club gave the film a B on an A to F scale saying There is no logical reason for the film to climax in a tower of stained glass that paints Lin Mae and William in psychedelic Suspiria lighting but boy does it look gorgeous in 3 D 35 Simon Abrams a contributor for RogerEbert com gave the film 3 out of 4 stars summarizing The Great Wall is unlike any American blockbuster you ve seen a conservative movie with action set pieces that are actually inventive and thrilling enough to be worthwhile See it on as big a screen as you can 36 Clarence Tsui writing for The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review saying The Great Wall is easily the least interesting and involving blockbuster of the respective careers of both its director and star 37 In 2021 Matt Damon said his daughter had mocked him for the movie She made a point of calling it The Wall and when Damon corrects her with The Great Wall she remarks that there was nothing great about it 38 39 Controversies EditWhite protagonist in an East Asian setting Edit Because some of the characters including a main character played by Matt Damon are white in a film set in medieval China the film was accused of whitewashing and using the white savior narrative prior to its release 40 41 42 Ann Hornaday chief film critic for The Washington Post wrote that early concerns about Damon playing a white savior in the film turn out to be unfounded his character a mercenary soldier is heroic but also clearly a foil for the superior principles and courage of his Chinese allies 43 Jonathan Kim in a review for the Huffington Post writes that having seen The Great Wall I can say that on the charge of The Great Wall insulting the Chinese and promoting white superiority I say Not Guilty The question of whether The Great Wall is a white savior movie is a bit trickier but I m still going to say Not Guilty On the charge of whitewashing I say Not Guilty 44 Deadline Hollywood noted that audience surveys by PostTrak indicated that Asians were turning out to see the film and constituted its second largest demographic group at 26 behind Caucasians at 43 45 Director Zhang said that Damon was not playing a role that was intended for a Chinese actor He criticized detractors for not being armed with the facts and stated that In many ways The Great Wall is the opposite of what is being suggested For the first time a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled is being made at tentpole scale for a world audience I believe that is a trend that should be embraced by our industry 46 Chinese critical response Edit The film s largest investor the Wanda Group owner of Legendary Pictures has a good relationship with the Chinese Communist Party As of July 2017 users of film review website Douban rated The Great Wall 4 9 out of 10 On Maoyan another film review aggregator the professional score is 4 9 out of 10 47 48 On December 28 2016 the Communist Party s official media outlet People s Daily published an article on its website severely criticizing Douban and Maoyan for doing harm to the Chinese movie industry with their bad reviews 49 On the same day Maoyan took down its professional score of 4 9 for The Great Wall but kept the high audience score of 8 4 out of 10 47 However another article was published later in the evening from the same People s Daily and it commented the Chinese movie industry should accept people have the right to leave even one star reviews 50 After the second article was published many questioned People s Daily they have since published two commentaries on the same day and they were in stark contrast which one was their opinion The editorial board responded the second article published later was newspaper s opinion on the matter People s Daily overseas edition restated it the next day 51 52 References Edit a b c d e The Great Wall 2016 British Film Institute Retrieved August 12 2018 长城 2016 cbooo cn in Chinese Retrieved October 30 2015 a b c d The Great Wall 2017 Box Office Mojo Retrieved April 19 2017 Patrick Brzeski December 15 2016 The Great Wall Why the Stakes Are Sky High for Matt Damon s 150M Chinese Epic The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved December 15 2016 Haar Kara February 16 2017 The Great Wall Premiere Matt Damon Jumped at the Chance to Work With Zhang Yimou The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved July 14 2017 a b c Anthony D Alessandro February 20 2017 Another Holiday Weekend Where Holdovers Reign amp New Studio Releases Tank Presidents Day B O Deadline Hollywood Truffaut Wong Olivia February 16 2017 What Are The Tao Tie In The Great Wall These Mythical Monsters Are Hungry Bustle Archived from the original on June 25 2020 Retrieved June 25 2020 Coonan Clifford June 11 2014 Zhang Yimou Reveals Details of Legendary s China Co Production Great Wall The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved September 21 2014 Zhang Yimou officially entered the Great Wall crew set up on location in Qingdao iduobo com March 25 2015 Retrieved March 31 2015 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link Ford Rebecca December 12 2014 Universal Pushes King Kong Film to 2017 Dates Great Wall Movie for 2016 The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved December 13 2014 Frater Patrick November 6 2014 Legendary Confirms Budget Hike and Language for Zhang Yimou s Great Wall Variety Retrieved March 31 2015 a b Rui Zhang October 11 2016 Zhang Yimou reveals secrets of The Great Wall China org Retrieved October 11 2016 Rui Zhang November 17 2016 Zhang Yimou s new vehicle to export Chinese culture China org Retrieved November 17 2016 Ramin Djawadi to Score The Great Wall Film Music Reporter August 18 2015 Retrieved November 18 2016 Redfearn Dominique December 14 2016 Listen to Ramin Djawadi s Nameless Order First Song From The Great Wall Soundtrack Exclusive Premiere Billboard Retrieved December 14 2016 Zhang Yimou s new vehicle to export Chinese culture China org cn November 17 2016 Retrieved November 17 2016 InqPOP December 21 2017 The Great Wall displays character posters for main cast InqPOP INQUIRER net Retrieved May 24 2020 First sneak peek at Zhang Yimou s Great Wall Retrieved July 29 2016 Theme song released for The Great Wall Retrieved November 17 2016 Jane Zhang sings for The Great Wall Retrieved November 22 2016 Moviegoers Likely To Spend Less George Washingtons Over Presidents Day Weekend Box Office Preview Deadline Hollywood February 15 2017 Matt Damon s The Great Wall to Lose 75 Million Future U S China Productions in Doubt The Hollywood Reporter March 2 2017 Retrieved March 30 2019 The Great Wall Why the Stakes Are Sky High for Matt Damon s 150M China Epic The Hollywood Reporter December 15 2016 Retrieved March 30 2019 9 Movies That Were Changed for International Audiences mentalfloss com August 21 2015 Retrieved March 30 2019 The Great Wall 2016 DVDs Release Dates Retrieved November 19 2019 Frater Patrick December 25 2016 China Box Office Tomorrow and Tigers Climb Over Great Wall Variety Retrieved December 26 2016 Dornbush Jonathon February 21 2017 The Great Wall Is Matt Damon s Worst Wide Release Box Office Opening Weekend Since 2011 IGN Retrieved December 30 2022 a b Pamela McClintock Stephen Galloway March 2 2017 Matt Damon s The Great Wall to Lose 75 Million Future U S China Productions in Doubt The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved April 2 2022 Matt Damon s Great Wall poised for soft U S opening against Lego Batman and Fifty Shades Los Angeles Times February 14 2017 Retrieved February 14 2017 McNary Dave February 17 2017 Box Office Matt Damon s Great Wall Topples Fist Fight Cure for Wellness on Thursday Variety Retrieved December 30 2022 Scott Mendelson June 8 2016 Box Office Warcraft Snags Jaw Dropping 46 Million Opening Day In China Forbes Retrieved June 8 2016 D Alessandro Anthony March 29 2018 What Were The Biggest Bombs At The 2017 B O Deadline s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament Deadline Hollywood Retrieved March 29 2018 The Great Wall 2017 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved January 3 2021 The Great Wall Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved February 17 2017 Vishnevetsky Ignatiy February 16 2017 The Great Wall is a stupidly awesome eyeful The A V Club The Onion Retrieved February 18 2017 Abrams Simon THE GREAT WALL 2017 RogerEbert com Ebert Digital LLC Retrieved February 18 2017 Tsui Clarence December 15 2016 The Great Wall Chang Cheng Film Review The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved February 15 2017 Parker Ryan July 27 2021 Matt Damon Says Daughter Still Gives Him Flack About The Great Wall The Hollywood Reporter Episode 1247 Matt Damon WTF with Marc Maron Podcast Podcast Retrieved August 10 2021 Wong Julie Carrie July 29 2016 Asian Americans decry whitewashed Great Wall film starring Matt Damon The Guardian Retrieved July 31 2016 The Great Wall Is Matt Damon whitewashing or good business BBC July 29 2016 Retrieved July 31 2016 Volodzko David Matt Damon Film Sparks New Round of Whitewashing Controversy The Diplomat Retrieved December 15 2016 Hornaday Ann February 16 2017 Perspective The Great Wall Matt Damon and Hollywood s delicate dance with China Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved December 30 2022 No The Great Wall Isn t Racist Whitewashing HuffPost February 17 2017 Retrieved December 30 2022 D Alessandro Anthony February 20 2017 Holdovers Reign Over Presidents Day Weekend But Why Did The New Releases Tank Deadline Hollywood despite reports that the media blasted it for whitewashing Asians repped the pic s second biggest demo Calvario Liz August 4 2016 The Great Wall Director Addresses Matt Damon Whitewashing Controversy Indiewire Retrieved December 15 2016 a b 遭人民日报批评后 猫眼专业影评人评分下线 网易 December 28 2016 万达豪赌 长城 背后 票房飘红 股价大跌 中国经济网 December 27 2016 人民日报批豆瓣猫眼 恶评伤害国产电影 网易 December 28 2016 人民日报 中国电影要有容得下 一星 的肚量 网易 December 28 2016 路線之爭 人民日報批豆瓣評分傷害國產電影 旋即又唱反調 香港01 December 29 2016 人民日报海外版 自信国度应该容下无数个豆瓣 网易 December 29 2016 External links EditOfficial website The Great Wall at IMDb Portals China United States Japan Film 2010s Speculative fiction 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