The Great Wall

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2:21

The Great Wall

PG-13

2017

1h 44m

Adventure

Action

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

237 Reviews

42%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within the Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront the unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Kambole Campbell

One Room With A View

08/25/2018

2/5

A sometimes entertaining, but otherwise forgettable two hours, The Great Wall sounds cool on paper, but feels more like a business deal than a complete film.

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Scott Tobias

Uproxx

10/10/2017

The Great Wall gives one of the world's great visual filmmakers $150 million and an army of extras at his disposal, and he turns a monument into a playground.

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Christopher Orr

The Atlantic

03/27/2017

Zhang's moments of visual splendor-a battalion of hot-air balloonists, the queen-monster and her royal guard of fan-frilled monstrosities-are weighed down by a script and performances almost dutiful in their dullness.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

10/14/2024

3/5

Visually splendid from top to bottom, this epic adventure squeaks by on its looks and spares no expense to make sure of that.

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Victoria Luxford

City AM

02/21/2022

2/5

With a ponytail and dodgy accent, Damon fits awkwardly into the mix, putting in one of the most uneven performances of his career. The fact a Western actor is leading an Asian film should be uncomfortable, but in a film this bad, its hard to care.

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Drew Dietsch

FANDOM

12/29/2021

2/5

The Great Wall is the equivalent of a well-made toy movie. It's a feast for the imagination, but your heart and brain will check out after a while.

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Bridgett C.

@RT32167745 3d

This movie had an amazing story. I love anything supernatural so big production value for a supernatural movie impresses me so much. But the most striking thing about the movie is the color! The colors are mesmerizing!!!

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Martin A

@RT50231421 Apr 20

I'm not sure why this movie has been getting so much hate. Very enjoyable film with great visuals and action from start to finish. Didn't need "romance" to work. There is something special about Chinese filmmaking and I've grown to like their films. Currently available free on Amazon prime as well. Give this a shot you won't regret it.

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Bobby E

@RT23212962 Apr 18

Don't listen to the critics . Very creative movie making here . Fun to watch . Crazy CGI work . Enjoy

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Ibrick T

@Ibrick Apr 15

One of the reasons I take the critics reviews with a pinch of salt. This is a very unique storyline, great cast, action and adventure.

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heart P

@RT54435521 Apr 12

I don’t care what all the other reviewers are saying, I love this movie. Visually it was stunning. I love the action and the cinematography is beautiful. It was exciting to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a reminder to me that I should not look at reviews before watching a movie. I would not have watched this movie if I had read the reviews first.

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Fred K

@Sailer Apr 7

Overall, I thought the movie was good. There was a potential for it to be better. The development of the growing respect and relationship between Matt Damon and the Commander suggested that they could have become a couple. His riding away in the end left me with the feeling that he was just a mercenary with no loyalty except to himself. That said, I found the visuals impressive.

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Yimou Zhang

Director

Matt Damon

William Garin

Jing Tian

Commander Lin Mae

Pedro Pascal

Pero Tovar

Willem Dafoe

Ballard

Andy Lau

Strategist Wang

The Great Wall: Official Clip - Death Blades and Harpoons

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - Close Combat

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - Archery Test

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - The Cadet's Sacrifice

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - Fighting Blind

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - Nighttime Trap

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - The First Attack

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - Learning to Trust

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - Balloon Attack

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The Great Wall: Official Clip - Killing the Queen

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The Great Wall: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within the Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront the unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Producer: Thomas Tull, Charles Roven, Jon Jashni, Peter Loehr
Screenwriter: Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Tony Gilroy
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Atlas Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Fantasy Action Violence)
Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 17, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 9, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $45.1M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos