The Great Wall (film)

The Great Wall (simplified Chinese: 长城; traditional Chinese: 長城) is a 2016 monster film directed by Zhang Yimou, with a screenplay by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy, from a story by Max Brooks, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. An American and Chinese co-production starring Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, and Andy Lau, the plot centers on two European mercenary warriors (Damon and Pascal) imprisoned by imperial Chinese forces within the Great Wall of China after arriving in search of gunpowder, eventually joining forces with the Chinese to help combat an alien threat. The Great Wall is Zhang's first English-language film.

Principal photography for the film began on March 30, 2015, in Qingdao, China, and it premiered in Beijing on December 6, 2016. It was released by China Film Group in China on December 16, 2016, the United States on February 17, 2017, by Universal Pictures, and in Japan on April 14, 2017, by Toho-Towa. The film, which received mixed reviews from critics, grossed $334.9 million worldwide and was considered a box-office bomb for losing up to $75 million.

Plot

During the reign of Emperor Renzong, a group of European mercenaries travels to China, searching for gunpowder. A few miles north of the Great Wall, they are attacked by a monster. Only Irishman William Garin and Spaniard Pero Tovar survive. They sever its arm and bring it with them.

Upon reaching the Wall, they are taken prisoner by the Nameless Order, led by General Shao and Strategist Wang. The Nameless Order exists to combat Tao Tei, alien monsters that arrived from a meteorite and attack once every sixty years. The Order's commanders are surprised by the monsters' first assault, which has come one week early.

Shortly after, a horde of Tao Tei assail the Wall. During the battle, Garin and Tovar are freed by Ballard, an Englishman who came east twenty-five years earlier and has stayed ever since. Garin and Tovar display amazing battle skills, saving the life of young warrior Peng Yong and slaying two monsters, which earns them the Order's respect. Both sides sustain heavy losses before the monsters' queen aborts the attack. The three Europeans secretly plan to steal gunpowder and flee during the next monster attack.

That night, two Tao Tei reach the top of the Wall. General Shao is killed so he places Commander Lin in charge of the Nameless Order. An envoy from the capital arrives with an ancient scroll that suggests that the monsters are pacified by magnets. Wang believes the magnetic stone Garin carries enabled him to slay the Tao Tei he encountered. To test the hypothesis, he suggests they capture a Tao Tei alive and agrees to help. This delays the escape plans, angering Tovar, who nevertheless agrees to assist Garin.

In a new fight with the Tao Tei, the Westerners capture a monster and prove the theory. However, the Imperial envoy claims the creature and takes it to the capital to present to the Emperor.

It is revealed that the previous attacks had been a distraction so that the Tao Tei could dig a tunnel at the base of the Wall. While Lin investigates, Tovar and Ballard steal black powder and escape, knocking Garin unconscious for trying to stop them. Garin is arrested and jailed for his apparent betrayal.

Some distance away, Tovar is abandoned by Ballard, who is killed when he is captured by bandits who accidentally ignite the powder. At the capital, the envoy presents the captive Tao Tei to the Emperor. The creature awakens and reveals its position to its queen, who signals the Tao Tei to attack.

Lin orders the use of hot-air balloons to rush to warn the capital and sets Garin free before embarking. Wang tells him to warn the outside world, but he boards the last balloon with Peng and Wang. They arrive just in time to save Lin from being devoured. Wang proposes a plan to kill the queen by tying explosives to the captured Tao Tei and giving it meat to be delivered to the queen. En route, a horde of Tao Tei attack the band, and Peng sacrifices himself to save the others.

After releasing the captive Tao Tei, Lin and Garin climb a tower so that he can detonate the explosives with an explosive arrow. Two of Garin's arrows are deflected by the Tao Tei queen's bodyguards, and Wang sacrifices himself to buy time for Lin and Garin to reach the upper floors.

In a last gasp, Garin throws the magnet into the horde, creating a gap in the shields for Lin's spear carrying their last explosive to get through. The queen is killed, and the rest of the horde dies. Garin is allowed to return home and elects to take Tovar with him instead of a reward of black powder, much to Tovar's annoyance.

Cast

Production

Filming

Principal photography began on March 30, 2015, on location in Qingdao. The filming wrapped on July 23, 2015. As of 2015 it was the most expensive film ever shot entirely in China.

Three walls were built during production as they could not shoot on the actual Great Wall. During the filmmaking, the director said the most impressive part for him was the presence of so many translators to handle communication, as he assembled an international crew for the filming. More than 100 on-set translators worked with the various cast and crew members.

Music

The film's score is composed by Ramin Djawadi. The first track called "Nameless Order" was released on December 14, 2016.

Release

The Great Wall was released in China on December 16, 2016. It was released on February 17, 2017, in the United States by Universal Pictures. In the Philippines, the film was released by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures Philippines on January 25, 2017.

Marketing

The Great Wall released its first trailer in July 2016. The trailer shows views of the Great Wall in fog, thousands of soldiers on a battlefield ready for war, and a mysterious monster, as well as the roster views of the cast, including Matt Damon and Andy Lau.

A song from Wang Leehom and Tan Weiwei was released on November 15, 2016, to promote The Great Wall. "Bridge of Fate" was composed and produced by Wang Leehom, with lyrics written by Vincent Fang, a longtime collaborator of singer-songwriter Jay Chou. Female rocker Tan Weiwei joined Wang for a duet, but with two different vocal styles. Wang sang pop, while Tan performed a traditional Qinqiang – a folk Chinese opera style from Shaanxi Province.

Chinese pop diva Jane Zhang released another new English song, Battle Field, and its promotional music video, for The Great Wall on November 22, 2016. The song was composed by King Logan and Maroon 5's keyboardist PJ Morton and written by Josiah "JoJo" Martin and Jane Zhang. It was produced by Timbaland.

Universal Pictures and Legendary Entertainment debuted eight character posters of the film on November 17, 2016. All in all, Legendary spent $110–120 million on promotion and advertising worldwide.

Legendary Pictures made a strategic decision to work with Chinese talent and investors and altered their production plan to better cater to Chinese audiences. The Great Wall, funded by Legendary, China Film Group, and Universal Pictures was an attempt at a joint production between Chinese and American talent. The film was directed by a big-time Chinese director, Zhang Yimou, and starred Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe alongside Chinese film stars in an attempt to capture Chinese audiences. Although the film was considered to be a box office failure in China, the intent was clear and compelling. Other film studios such as Pixar have been making these minor adjustments to appeal to international audiences for years.

The film was released for digital download on May 9, 2017, and on DVD, Blu-ray on May 23, 2017.

Reception

Box office

The Great Wall grossed $45.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $289.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $334.9 million, against a production budget of $150 million.

In China, The Great Wall opened on December 16, 2016, and made $24.3 million on its first day and $67.4 million in its opening weekend. In the second weekend, it grossed $26.1 million. The film went on to gross $170.9 million at the Chinese box office, which is considered a disappointment.

In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside A Cure for Wellness and Fist Fight, and was projected to gross $17–19 million from about 3,200 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $970,000 at 2,470 theaters from Thursday night previews, and $5.9 million on its first day. It went on to open to $18.1 million, finishing third at the box office, behind holdovers The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker, and eventually grossing $45.2 million. The film joined Terminator Genisys, Warcraft and fellow 2017 release xXx: Return of Xander Cage as the only Hollywood films to earn $100 million in China without making $100 million in the United States.