"The Great Wall" Is Seriously Underrated

While the biggest American/Chinese co-production to date didn't go over well with the critics, The Great Wall is really an amazing blend of history and legend and is a visual treat, as well as one of the most original movies I've seen in a long while. 

Set in Medieval China, the mercenaries named William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) travel from the West to steal the rumored gunpowder weapons, but instead discover the secret on the other side of the vast barrier, as hordes of monsters from the Chinese mythology lay siege to the wall and are caught in an ancient war between the elite military warriors of The Nameless Order and an army of demons. The movie was filmed in China (though the government refused to grant permission to film at the Great Wall itself) and has incredibly stunning and realistic animation (except for the small intro at the beginning where they had to very quickly animate the wall for lack of permission), and was the work of many gifted Chinese talents. 

Critics at Firstpost remarked that "the stuff in between the action scenes disappoint," and  The Guardian said not to "expect any complex plotting." But really some of the best parts are between the action (in almost any good movie), as you learn about that character's lives and thoughts, with the mercenaries caring for nothing but themselves and finding that they must work for something bigger than themselves for the good of all, and a complex plot isn't necessary to hold your attention, with the fantastic acting and very impressive animation and choreography, the story is in itself is more than enough to keep your interest (plus, there are still great plot twists anyway).

This really is a very underrated movie made with a lot of talent and skill and is great entertainment for anybody.

Rory P.