Matt Damon has done pretty well of late. The Martian was hailed as a resounding success in 2015 as was Interstellar the year before that so it’s a little surprising to see him in a Chinese film. Set in Imperial China with a nearly all Chinese cast and directed by Zhang Yimou (whose previous films include Hero and House of Flagging Daggers) you’d be forgiven for expecting this to be a Martial Arts film if you were to take it at face value. However, as anyone who’s seen the film’s trailers can attest to, this isn’t your usual modern day Kung Fu flick.
The premise of the film is based on a legend that Aliens (called The Tao Tei) from a meteor crash-landed in the mountains bordering China thousands of years ago and awake to attack every 60 years as penance for a previous Emperor’s greed. I know, it’s a bit “out-there” but in the context of not being a traditional Asian film it certainly ticks the box! The Wall was built to prevent them from entering China and a special force known as The Nameless Order are the ones tasked with repelling the assault. On a search for “black powder” (gunpowder), Western mercenaries William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) manage to kill one of the Tao Tei and stumble across The Wall and the Nameless Order. Faced with not being allowed to leave and with the attack imminent, both get swept up in the Order’s task of stopping the Aliens.
As far as plot lines go, this is something more in keeping with other Monster films such as Starship Troopers or Pitch Black but the setting and context, although a little silly, gives the film a certain USP compared with previous style of those films. Damon channels his inner Liam Neeson with a gruff irish lilt to the character of William that is likeable enough and offset by the grumpy and cynical Pascal. It’s an entertaining partnership that provides good chemistry and some good laughs from the script. The setting of the Chinese Mountains looks absolutely gorgeous and the CGI sweeps of the Great Wall through the rugged terrain certainly draw the eye. Zhang Hanyu as General Shao, Andy Lau as Strategist Wang and Jing Tian as Commander Lin support as members of the Nameless Order with Willem Dafoe featuring as Ballard, another Westerner who has been there for 25 years.
The Tao Tei attacking the wall is a scene reminiscent of the battle of Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and would definitely serve as excellent demo content for home cinema as swords clash against claws and arrows zip through the air. The action though is the highlight of the film as little time has been taken to explore the characters or their reasons for why they are as they are. The film’s emphasis on scary monsters though can be forgiven as it manages what it sets out to do; make you marvel at the fight scenes and crunch some popcorn. It’s ridden with clichés but avoids some of the big ones so it doesn’t feel completely predictable or too long with its 1 hour 45 minute runtime.
Overall, it’s the type of film you don’t mind watching when you’re browsing through the movie channels or streaming apps. Just don’t expect to care much about the characters or for it to feel anything as epic as other Alien army films like Edge of Tomorrow.
Author: Steve, Bristol store
