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Great Wall, The (12A)

Great Wall, The (12A)

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.

The critical consensus

The Great Wall is a surprisingly primitive and clunky affair.

**(*)(*)(*)Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent, 15/02/2017

Matt Damon heads up this thin but thrilling fantasy epic from acclaimed director Zhang Yimou.

***(*)(*)Angie Errigo, The List, 16/02/2017

Matt Damon stars in a laborious historical fantasy, doing battle with CGI monsters in order to steal gunpowder from Imperial China.

**(*)(*)(*)Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 16/02/2017

There are plenty of fun CGI monster-skewering scenes, but a clunky plot, rigid script and equally stiff acting make this a crumbling disappointment, if not quite a disaster.

**(*)(*)(*)Jamie Fullerton, Empire Online, 16/02/2017

The country’s most expensive co-production to date is a visual treat, complete with a grizzled Matt Damon, but don’t expect any complex plotting.

**(*)(*)(*)Simran Hans, The Observer, 19/02/2017

What follows is a silly CGI frenzy as Damon joins forces with his captors and learns that there’s nobility in fighting for a higher cause. That helps the film get around the thorny white-saviour issue of his casting in a Chinese-set epic, but not the sub-Lord of the Rings-style tedium that results.

**(*)(*)(*)Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 23/02/2017

Where and when?

General release. Check local listings for show times.

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