sign in
register
Watch
Apple TV Google Play Movies Vudu
+4
The Great Wall
Apple TV Google Play Movies Vudu
+4
JustWatch
Remove ads

The Great Wall

2016
Fantasy
Action
1h 43m
European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures
Directed by:
Yimou Zhang Yimou Zhang
Written by:
Max Brooks Edward Zwick Edward Zwick Tony Gilroy Tony Gilroy Carlo Bernard
+3 more
Starring:
Willem Dafoe Willem Dafoe Matt Damon Matt Damon Andy Lau Andy Lau Numan Acar Pilou Asbæk Pilou Asbæk Eddie Peng Hanyu Zhang Han Lu Pedro Pascal Pedro Pascal Kenny Lin Johnny Cicco Karry Wang
More
Genres:
Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Mystery
Countries:
Australia, China, Hong Kong, USA
Languages:
English, Spanish, Mandarin
imdb More information at IMDb
See title update history
Suggest an edit
Show Less
Your probable score
?

The Great Wall

2016
Fantasy
Action
1h 43m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 23.55% from 858 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(858)
Compact view
clear
Compact view
Show
Sort
jackryan2014JackRyan2014
Rated 24 Feb 2017
40
25th
Very silly but it wasn't terrible watching it. This has some inventive actions scenes and I liked the colourful visual style, especially the armour of the various soldiers. The dialogue was middling, Damon was merely okay and the pacing was a bit off as although the film is only 2 hours at times it felt longer. If I had a choice between the typical big dumb American Blockbuster and this film I can do worse than watching a Chinese version of the battle of Helms Deep from LOTR: The Two Towers
Rated 24 Feb 2017
paxtonPaxton
Rated 22 Feb 2017
43
13th
Crouching Tiger, Will Hunting
Rated 22 Feb 2017
twincinematwincinema
Rated 31 Mar 2020
30
11th
"Is that Willem Dafoe? No. It can't be. Wait, I think it is. Nah, wait. Why would he be in this? Oh! It is him!" It is great that they didn't wake Matt Damon and allowed him to sleepwalk through the entire film.
Rated 31 Mar 2020
sirstuckeySirStuckey
Rated 29 May 2017
60
36th
The beginning feels like a slightly worse version of the Battle for Helms deep if the orcs were monsters. I was enjoying it a fair amount but the third act just goes way too overboard with the unrealistic action. Where as previous unrealistic action was fun this was just laborious. Also the pseudo-romance was tepid and dragged the film. I honestly liked it way more than I expected, but I wish they would have just kept it contained within the boundaries of the wall itself.
Rated 29 May 2017
guy_piranhaguy piranha
Rated 14 Apr 2017
15
2nd
The budget would've been spent best on building a huge wall around the people responsible for this crap. It's so laughably bad, it's almost funny again. Almost.
Rated 14 Apr 2017
mwgerbmwgerb
Rated 04 Dec 2017
48
40th
Not great, but not nearly as bad as the negative press made it out to be. The action visuals alone are enough to make it a watch.
Rated 04 Dec 2017
darrenDarren
Rated 22 Feb 2017
40
15th
That Kaleidoscope shot at the end when they're going up the tower was breathtaking. One of the best shots I've seen. The rest was not good
Rated 22 Feb 2017
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 27 Feb 2017
44
18th
I have a suspicion that at no stage in the film's lifecycle was it ever given an opportunity to be an entertainment. Functionally it's no dumber - or smarter - than bottom-tier Chinese blockbusters. But for a Prestige picture, it lacks the majesty of Red Cliff and the pageantry of Yimou's other works - the only people invested in this film, it seems, were the financiers. it's a lifeless endeavor that doesn't tear down walls - it builds them.
Rated 27 Feb 2017
td888td888
Rated 18 Mar 2017
50
41st
I'll admit I have a guilty pleasure for these kind of movies. Take a bit of Starship Troopers, Aliens and the battle of Helm's Deep, together with some ancient Chinese history, shake it up and you end up with this mumbo jumbo. The visuals and the battle scenes are entertaining, the rest is just filler. I wonder how Dafoe, Damon and Oberyn ended up in this cocktail but it does give it something extra to watch the filler.
Rated 18 Mar 2017
frederikaFrederikA
Rated 17 Feb 2017
40
18th
I like to congratulate China for doubling down on Hollywood's recent Chinese pandering, by tying Matt Damon to this incoherent, overblown cliché-feast and flinging the whole thing back at the West, in all it's wonderful primary colors... The 12yo boys in the cinema seemed to enjoy themselves though, but for all I know, they could have been childhood friends of the scriptwriter.
Rated 17 Feb 2017
citizenxCitizenX
Rated 19 Mar 2017
5
1st
its march and i can easily and truthfully say that this will be the worst movie of the year
Rated 19 Mar 2017
mspraguemsprague
Rated 02 Jul 2017
50
9th
Standard Chinese drama but with a couple of white dudes as extras.
Rated 02 Jul 2017
luna6ixLuna6ix
Rated 31 May 2017
64
21st
"The Great Wall" is a bit of a paradox, it's thin script and lack of any sense make it a movie that banks on its audience's lack of intelligence, yet in both the Chinese and the US markets it includes subtitles because it's in two languages. So the people have to be dumb enough to not notice that the story sucks, but bright enough to be able to read and watch at the same time. That's a small target. At any rate, I look forward to more Hollywood movies targeted at China, there's potential there.
Rated 31 May 2017
xenophuleXenophule
Rated 04 Jun 2017
7
32nd
Watch: Big Screeen for the action, Netflix if you miss it there | Great Wall is directed by the guy who did Hero and House of Flying Daggers, and it shows. It's super Kung Fu-Fantasy action with really fun concepts and fantasy armor. They do the whole white-guy-in-an-Asian-movie part well as Matt Damon is a white guy traveling to the East to find "black powder" and winds up fighting for them. Surprisingly fun action scenes, pretty visuals, and an easy to follow plot.
Rated 04 Jun 2017
lookjabbaLookJabba...
Rated 15 Jan 2017
2
7th
The Great Wall epitomises why January is the worst time of year for new releases. Judging by the marketing I didn't expect much from a Chinese cast lead by Matt Damon in a film about The Great Wall defending itself against poor CG Monsters. Why is Matt Damon in this film? He gives a lifeless performance by his standards and his star quality doesn't elevate the experience whatsoever. There's a complete lack of development or story telling and this is nothing more than a 90 minute long set piece.
Rated 15 Jan 2017
fenixdownfenixdown
Rated 01 Jun 2017
48
8th
It is creative and visually interesting. Unfortunately, the editing is very poor, the action is boring, and all the characters are pretty lame.
Rated 01 Jun 2017
ytadelYtadel
Rated 04 Feb 2018
4
43rd
Essentially the Battle of Helm's Deep and the siege of Gondor clapped together into one movie with much more thinly-sketched characters we don't particularly care about. At points Zhang Yimou is able to find his typically interesting majestic visuals and brilliant use of bold primary colors; at other points (notably when the monsters are onscreen) it comes off as an above-average Playstation 3 cutscene. That said, I kinda had fun I guess? This would probably be a blast to watch drunk.
Rated 04 Feb 2018
quinlanljQuinlanLJ
Rated 22 Jul 2017
52
15th
The Great Wall is a forgetable but gorgeous fantasy film that has a certain MMORPG vibe to it. By far the best part of the film are it's beuatiful visuals and amazing soundtrack. Sadly it's accompanied by sub-par acting and very weak screenwriting that make it a painful watch at times.
Rated 22 Jul 2017
mrarnmrarn
Rated 15 May 2017
55
70th
"The Great Wall" is a fantasy film filled with action. If you are looking for any realism then this movie will be a disappointment. Strap in and enjoy the ride, just don't look for anything but fighting with some plot filler to move the action along.
Rated 15 May 2017
hadleyreisHadleyreis
Rated 09 Aug 2017
35
11th
Why wasn't Dame Matton in this film?
Rated 09 Aug 2017
ribcageribcage
Rated 18 Jul 2017
66
48th
The moment lau and damon were onscreen together felt like some sort of epic crossover event. In fact the relationship between Hollywood and Chinese film is probably more interesting than this movie itself. In any case, i rank it in there by Gods of Egypt or Warcraft as an action movie that just gets by on brain-off entertainment. The first battle on the wall was exciting but the other action setpieces only moderately so. The armor colors were super vibrant and a visual treat.
Rated 18 Jul 2017
chrispalmChrisPalm
Rated 09 Jun 2017
68
18th
What? Why? Career suicide?
Rated 09 Jun 2017
speedmarqueSpeedMarque
Rated 18 Feb 2018
40
27th
Not as bad as expected. Mindless entertainment easily watched and forgotten.
Rated 18 Feb 2018
kito1kito1
Rated 20 Mar 2017
50
24th
Really good action movie. It has face-melting epicness, some actually funny dialogue, and excellent faction design. The big problems are the hasty editing and the bland score - and of course some parts towards the end. Overall has some rough parts, but it's not bad.
Rated 20 Mar 2017
fayqenaymeFayqeNayme
Rated 27 Mar 2017
75
38th
Not a horrible movie, the thing that killed me about the movie, was the horrible accent that Matt Damon's character had, I swear that his voice changed accent thoughout the whole thing.
Rated 27 Mar 2017
hellboy76hellboy76
Rated 16 Dec 2017
55
19th
Man, this was fucking goofy. Matt Damon talks in a weird voice and hangs out with Oberyn Martell while fighting hordes of lizards on the Great Wall. I just can't get over the thought of that premise.
Rated 16 Dec 2017
stewballStewball
Rated 17 Feb 2017
50
14th
Basically just another monster movie with some flashy visuals.
Rated 17 Feb 2017
fthdfth.d
Rated 10 May 2017
15
5th
next next yapa yapa anca bitti :/
Rated 10 May 2017
moopermooper
Rated 14 Apr 2017
55
26th
Generic action movie with nice visuals. At times feels very patronizing with white guys shoved into the movie just to make it more appealing to the western audience. Expected it to be way worse than it actually was.
Rated 14 Apr 2017
seethruskinSeethruskin
Rated 06 Mar 2017
3
24th
That tower shot godamn
Rated 06 Mar 2017
daphnlDaph_NL
Rated 24 Oct 2017
38
13th
Damon did this with two fingers up his nose. It feels like he is not even trying. Aside from that this story is so unbelievable that you just get frustrated more and more with each step it takes. 38/100.
Rated 24 Oct 2017
hotsakehotsake
Rated 09 Oct 2017
65
63rd
This movie feels exactly like it is, a Hollywood story directed my a Chinese art house director. The films ends up being both better and weaker than it could've been. I didn't really feel like there was any White washing here. Overall all this was a big, loud mostly empty Summer blockbuster popcorn flick nothing more, nothing less.
Rated 09 Oct 2017
orcunyondemorcunyondem
Rated 30 Apr 2017
56
39th
Don't expect much.
Rated 30 Apr 2017
jay545jay545
Rated 30 Dec 2017
66
25th
Obviously a massive budget film, some brilliant action scenes but often severely lacking in character development. I was disappointed with the ending but the mostly an alright film.
Rated 30 Dec 2017
amazedemonamazedemon
Rated 15 May 2017
64
51st
Plot-wise, The Great Wall is like 'The 13th Warrior' meets 'Edge of Tomorrow', and I moderately enjoyed it. Visually the film is fun, with its primary coloured troops, CG (del Toro inspired) monsters and epic-esque battle sequences and choreography. Under 2 hours, plot and character development are glossed over, but with this film that may have been a good thing. The weakest aspect is the script, which is basic and the exposition clunky. The sound editing isn't as immersive as it needed to be.
Rated 15 May 2017
sagesledgeSageSledge
Rated 25 Aug 2017
70
45th
Though it is distressing how little our English-speaking heroes seem to matter in what is ostensibly a Chinese action movie that just so happens to star Matt Damon, "The Great Wall" succeeds at being just that: overblown, silly, and a suitably foreign action outing that leaves little real impact when all's said and done, but excels in the moment, providing just enough thrills, intrigue, and lizard-massacring fun to rise above it's deeply ridiculous premise.
Rated 25 Aug 2017
synthonosynthono
Rated 07 Feb 2020
75
29th
I want to play this game why won't it let me?
Rated 07 Feb 2020
naurunauru
Rated 01 Jul 2017
72
81st
Visually magnificent. Looking forward to more Chinese films with truly blockbuster budgets. Fantastic soundtrack, beautiful sets and costumes, solid acting from nearly everyone (except Matt Damon, who is surprisingly lacklustre in this role), and of course breathtaking cinematography that rivals or outshines Lawrence of Arabia.
Rated 01 Jul 2017
nothingsgoodNothingsGood
Rated 17 Feb 2017
40
34th
Fire your editor. And Matt Damon.
Rated 17 Feb 2017
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 21 Apr 2017
50
33rd
Not that bad, specially if you consider that this kind of works as a siege film on epic scale -- with a lot of misfires regarding how the script evolves. Last 30min or so really make it joyful watchable, with some good CGI and absurd character development you would expect. Maybe too short and half-baked, but it could have been a brilliant mess if it accepted its convoluted potential.
Rated 21 Apr 2017
alanstrangalanstrang
Rated 05 Jun 2017
35
15th
Is this a Chinese film? Is this really a Chinese film? Or are we in the middle of the cinematographic imperialization?
Rated 05 Jun 2017
dunetailsdunetails
Rated 25 Apr 2017
20
11th
How can a Chinese produced movie STILL roll out the white saviour trope?
Rated 25 Apr 2017
dyannethorneDyanneThorne
Rated 02 Nov 2017
31
14th
Even to my very, very, very, exceedingly low standards this is a very dumb plot. And a nice example that economic and political power can't easily be converted to cultural dominance. But it sure looked nice.
Rated 02 Nov 2017
whatismynamewhatismyname
Rated 18 Feb 2017
50
20th
Too much
Rated 18 Feb 2017
catnipCatnip
Rated 14 Jan 2017
30
15th
Another "white man is the only one who can save an entire nation" movie, this time with weird alien monsters that attack the great wall of china and comically bad dressed generals that basically just look like a manga fans wet dreams.
Rated 14 Jan 2017
caocaocaocao
Rated 20 Feb 2023
65
33rd
I'm scoring this much higher than I anticipated. Consider it a victim of lowered expectations.
Rated 20 Feb 2023
roonay3kroonay3k
Rated 02 May 2017
20
7th
What a stinking piece of garbage!
Rated 02 May 2017
punqPUNQ
Rated 21 Apr 2017
30
33rd
The Chinese influence is dragging Hollywood further down he crapper. Where is the heart? This is just a bunch of wacky ideas with no root in anything. Pointless to the core. Sprinkle it with color, lazy CGI (though, sometimes good), a couple of well known actors and you apparently you have a blockbuster for release. I know that's the usual formula, but this was a bigger waste than normal.
Rated 21 Apr 2017
chmulcr0nchmul_cr0n
Rated 18 May 2017
55
21st
Spoiler alert: Sorry, but the part where they actually think he robbed them was just too stupid.
Rated 18 May 2017
ofterdingenOfterdingen
Rated 21 Feb 2017
60
51st
It's strange to see Matt Damon in a Dwayne Johnson movie. Otherwise a highly entertaining mess.
Rated 21 Feb 2017
ikkegoemikkeikkegoemikke
Rated 15 Jun 2017
59
50th
A bit ridiculous and enjoyable at the same time My new review here : http://bit.ly/2tpc15l
Rated 15 Jun 2017
corbadCorbad
Rated 03 May 2019
55
22nd
A few creative design choices and the occasional fun action sequence save this from being unwatchable. The pacing, plot, and characterization are very weak. Altogether a decent popcorn flick.
Rated 03 May 2019
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 28 Dec 2020
63
24th
The sheer, strange novelty of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS being invaded by I AM LEGEND makes this a lot of fun initially; Yimou's typically distinctive and overpowering colour design complements an ethnically wobbly, but fun bit of heroism from Damon. Winds down as it goes on, becoming bogged down in a dry "history" of the invaders, and begins to take itself too seriously. Still enjoyable in spurts, especially during Yimou's quite wonderful handling of "Hollywood" scenes of carnage and chaos.
Rated 28 Dec 2020
elmakebabielmakebabi
Rated 27 Jan 2019
55
30th
Why so much hate? It's ok for what it is. So cliche but entertaining plus good visuals...
Rated 27 Jan 2019
bookhouseboybookhouseboy
Rated 10 Dec 2017
37
44th
#17#, exp3, rw3, popcorn, story, actors, director Zhang!/3
Rated 10 Dec 2017
zulfisaidzulfisaid
Rated 15 Apr 2019
70
23rd
elenceli
Rated 15 Apr 2019
kaan_kavusanKaan Kavusan
Rated 26 Jan 2017
35
8th
Yönetmene 'Hayırdır Zhang abi çok para kazandın mı? Beylikdüzü'ne apartmanı dikmişindir' deme arzusu yaratan bir film. 'CGI şöleni' de yapayın da yapayı
Rated 26 Jan 2017
lonewolf2003Lonewolf2003
Rated 18 Nov 2020
30
1st
Until after the first big fight I was still liking it. I liked the massiveness of the battle plus the design of the creatures and the Chinese army. But than the movie stumbles more and more; with all the attention given to the bland Caucasians heroes and none to the more interesting looking Chinese ones. The plot isn't developed further but remains extremely shallow. The last hour is horrible edited with extreme time jumps that takes out any coherency and suspense that was left out of the it.
Rated 18 Nov 2020
drtfx7drtfx7
Rated 25 May 2021
20
0th
Absolutely hated it. Maybe I would've liked it a bit if I didn't know who directed it beforehand. As crappy as a cross-culture movie can get.
Rated 25 May 2021
radumsmnradumsmn
Rated 05 May 2020
59
20th
Yikes
Rated 05 May 2020
cappliesCAPPLIES
Rated 02 Sep 2023
6
29th
Absolutely terrible. One of the worst stories I've ever seen. God, what sort of acting is this? Plot? I hardly knew her. Honestly, I had fun watching it. It's got some great visuals, and I didn't hate Matt Damon as much as everyone else. Is it Zhang Yimou's finest hour? No. But it's a stupid little East-meets-West film about Chinese soldiers defending the Great Wall against alien barbarians. Perhaps we should lower our expectations?
Rated 02 Sep 2023
tipartipar
Rated 24 Nov 2019
50
37th
I can see the whole thing or not, I got the impression that I will not miss a great movie.
Rated 24 Nov 2019
duderDuder
Rated 24 Nov 2018
40
3rd
My guess on the writing room: There's was a checklist of Writing Basics 101 on the wall, written probably in around the 90's, and three of the 4 writers were just there to tick off which clichés were implemented. How such talent signed on to act in it after reading this is beyond me.. Sad that Brooks stooped so low..
Rated 24 Nov 2018
bktanbktan
Rated 04 Jun 2019
40
11th
There isn't much here. Watched: 31-May-2019
Rated 04 Jun 2019
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 26 Nov 2019
35
13th
Passes the time.
Rated 26 Nov 2019
egregiusEgregius
Rated 23 Jul 2023
44
6th
Sometimes I just wanna watch a completely over-the-top fantasy movie, with colourfull armours, ridiculous wall-diving spearwomen action shots, and giant kettle drums being played with nunchucks. Problem is that these kind of movies need to have some quality and progression to the ridiculousness, other than just testing your suspension of disbelief more. Positive examples: Duel to the Death, RRR, Bahuubali 2. Negative example: The Great Wall. The kaleidoscopic temple was cool though.
Rated 23 Jul 2023
vandelay1Vandelay1
Rated 26 Aug 2019
41
39th
watchable
Rated 26 Aug 2019
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 18 Mar 2019
10
5th
Come see our ingratiating money-grubbing CGI-drenched blockbuster extravaganza... it's a CRITIQUE OF GREED lol! Really, I feel bad for all the GPUs that died in the making of this horrendous trash, along with Zhang Yimou's integrity as a serious filmmaker.
Rated 18 Mar 2019
exirelExirel
Rated 25 Jan 2020
6
59th
I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters to me.
Rated 25 Jan 2020
forehead1forehead1
Rated 25 May 2023
50
47th
A bit of a fried egg chilli-chutney sandwich this one: All the elements are wrong - cheap CGI, poorly-constructed story, awkward mash-up of history/fantasy, random plot devices, dodgy accents, disappointing climax… but somehow it (almost) works, being just about watchable, even if you’d never recommend it or choose to sit through it again. I was rolling my eyes come the credits but for whatever reason still couldn’t say I completely hated the experience.
Rated 25 May 2023
vv238vv238
Rated 31 Jan 2020
26
22nd
For such an expensive film, everything looks terrible. For such a Chinese film, it has all the same Hollywood tropes. For such a wide cast, all the acting is terrible. If the Chinese are going to come in and take over Hollywood, can't they make something that doesn't rip off what has been done a dozen times before and a dozen times better?
Rated 31 Jan 2020

Collections

Loading ...

Similar Titles

Loading ...

Statistics

Loading ...

Trailer

Loading ...