The Great Wall

Filmed entirely in China, this action-adventure-fantasy epic was directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), who also orchestrated the opening and closing ceremonies of Beijing's 2008 Summer Olympic Games. According to a 12th-century legend, European mercenary William Garin (Matt Damon) and his sidekick Tovar (Pedro Pascal) went searching in the Gobi Desert for “black powder” (gunpowder) that would change the future of war. When they're taken prisoner by the Nameless Order, headed by General Shao (Zhang Hanyu), strategist Wang (Andy Lau), and Commander Lin (Jing Tian), they discover that the Great Wall was not erected to protect against foreign invaders, but to serve as a fortress against hordes of ravenous, dinosaur-like creatures—the mythical Tao Tei—which attack every 60 years. The Industrial Light & Magic-created pageantry here is awesome: the massive formations of the elite military garrison are color-coded, with crimson archers wielding massive crossbows, and a bright blue Crane Corps of spear-toting, female aerialists, secured by cables, bungee-jumping down the wall to stab the reptiles. Lurking within the wall is another Western captive, Ballard (Willem Dafoe), who helps Tovar plan an escape. Garin will eventually acknowledge the Chinese army's altruism with its principled culture of “trust,” celebrating the cohesive unit over capitalism and individuality. Unfortunately, while visually captivating, the film has a very straightforward plot featuring little or no character development and the dialogue is bizarrely peppered with contemporary phrases. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Man vs. Monster” production featurette (10 min.), deleted and extended scenes (7 min.), and behind-the-scenes segments on “Designing a Spectacular World” (4 min.), “Matt Damon in China” with the star (3 min.), “Working with Director Zhang Yimou” (3 min.), “Visual Effects” (3 min.), and “Weapons of War” (3 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing epic.] (S. Granger)