Summary

• The Great Wall is now streaming on Netflix, offering viewers a chance to see the Hollywood-China action thriller.
• Despite star power and top-notch creative team, Matt Damon admitted the film was a disaster.
• Accusations of whitewashing and white superiority plagued The Great Wall, overshadowing its intended cultural showcase.

The controversial Chinese-set war movie, The Great Wall, featuring Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, and Willem Dafoe, is now streaming on Netflix. Releasing in February 2017, The Great Wall opened to negative reviews from critics across the board. The joint Hollywood-China action thriller was also rejected by audiences, grossing only $334.9 million at the box office on a $150 million production budget. The Great Wall was a box office bomb, losing around $75 million, making it both a critical and commercial failure. However, it could get a new lease of life on Netflix, where more audiences can discover the film.

The Great Wall cast includes veteran Hollywood actors alongside Chinese and Hong Kong stars Jing Tian and Andy Lau. Its creative team is equally impressive: the film was helmed by Zhang Yimou, known for the acclaimed 2002 film Hero, which rendered him a leading figure in Chinese cinema. The script, meanwhile, was co-written by Tony Gilroy, who has writing credits in the Bourne franchise, Michael Clayton, and the Star Wars series Andor. Despite that, even star Matt Damon admitted The Great War was a disaster. However, it is gaining a resurgence in popularity thanks to Netflix.

The Great Wall Is Now Streaming On Netflix

It Is A Monster Film Set In Medieval China

Now streaming on Netflix, The Great Wall is set during the reign of the Renzong Emperor in medieval China. It follows the journey of a group of European mercenaries seeking gunpowder. After a harrowing encounter with a monstrous creature near the Great Wall, only two survivors, William Garin (Dafoe) and Pero Tovar (Damon), find themselves captured by the Nameless Order, a secretive military faction tasked with defending against a mysterious threat. As tensions escalate and alliances shift, Garin and Tovar become embroiled in the Order's efforts to confront this otherworldly menace.

Amidst the chaos of battles and betrayals, Garin and his companions uncover crucial information about the enemy's weaknesses. With bravery and ingenuity, they devise a daring plan to thwart the impending danger. Their journey culminates in a climactic showdown where they must confront the source of the threat and secure victory against overwhelming odds. In the aftermath, Garin and Tovar face pivotal choices that determine their fates, highlighting the bonds forged in the crucible of conflict.

Why The Great Wall's Reviews Were So Bad (Despite The Good Cast)

Critics Were Disappointed By Its Formulaic Plot

Despite its stellar international star cast, The Great Wall's reviews were largely negative. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 35%, based on over 230 reviews, and an audience score of 42%. On Metacritic, the film achieved a score of 42 out of 100, signaling mixed or average reviews, while its IMDb score is 5.9/10. The reviews largely criticized the film's simplistic, predictable, and formulaic plot, which derailed its grand spectacle and compelling action set pieces. The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, called it disappointing and weightless, decrying its "sheer lack of logic."

The New York Times, similarly, found it to be a "painless, overstuffed spectacle" with a "threadbare story." Critics praised The Great Wall's costume and production design, but the film did not deliver the soul, thrill, or emotional pay off many hoped it would, especially given the cast and creative team behind it. Its reviews could have been so bad because of the high expectations and hype around it, without which it may have passed off as just another mediocre blockbuster film. The Great Wall was no doubt not one of Matt Damon's best movies in his sprawling career.

The Great Wall's Controversies Explained

It Was Accused Of Whitewashing and Promoting White Superiority

Before its release, the film faced accusations of whitewashing and perpetuating the white savior narrative due to the inclusion of white characters in a medieval Chinese setting. Ann Hornaday, chief film critic for The Washington Post, refuted these concerns, stating that Damon's character is "less an out-and-out hero than a foil for ideas of national identity and cultural chauvinism that China is obviously eager to export for global consumption." In other words, he was not so much a white savior as he was a complement to the superior principles and bravery demonstrated by his Chinese allies.

In The Huffington Post, Jonathan Kim similarly defended The Great Wall from accusations of whitewashing, promoting white superiority, and insulting the Chinese. He deemed the film "not guilty" on all these counts, and found the criticism unfounded. Director Zhang, too, criticized the detractors for their lack of understanding of the film's context. For him, The Great Wall represents a significant step towards showcasing Chinese culture to a global audience, with the extensive Chinese cast as evidence of its commitment to authenticity and inclusivity. This controversy largely subsided once the film was released, though that did not save its unfortunate fate.