6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.
Starring: Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Pedro PascalAction | 100% |
Adventure | 75% |
Fantasy | 46% |
Thriller | 13% |
Martial arts | 12% |
Period | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The Great Wall isn't revisionist history, it's just dumb fantasy. The film, which posits that China's Great Wall -- one of the seven wonders of the world -- was not built to keep invading humans out but rather invading monsters out, offers nearly nonstop human vs monster mayhem centered around China's hallmark landmark. The scaly green foes, who send their queen into the middle of every battle and protect her with a reptilian-type Testudo Formation, attack en masse and are repelled by defenders along the wall. They're also vulnerable to...magnets. It's an exercise in imagination and creativity, but the movie proper offers anything but. Made up of the same old, same old in terms of acrobatic action scenes and nonsensical scenarios, Director Zhang Yimou's (Coming Home) film can't escape its vacuous story, even with its barrage of visuals meant to blind more forgiving audiences from the emptiness around them.
Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
This one really shines on UHD. For as good as the movie looks on 1080p Blu-ray, this 2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation of
The Great Wall, sourced from a 4K digital intermediate, is much better. Color depth and density are
noticeably improved right of the bat. The clay- and beige-colored earthy terrains seen early in the film offer a quick tell-tale sign of the upgrade.
Saturation is much improved, and there's significantly more punch and vibrancy and nuance to the colors without betraying the essential appearance of
each shade or the basic textural integrity of any given scene or location. Here, it's easy to see that terrain sharpness and detail, even at distance, are
much greater on the UHD as well. Black levels are a little brighter, but here offering, at times, an opportunity to reveal more detail. The dark, blue and
gray-dominant scene inside the wall in chapter two isn't as dense on the Blu-ray, but the trade-off is much more visible detail on the dark armor. The
finer points and most intricate lines and creases shine on the UHD. They're very complex on the Blu-ray, too, but this takes things to another level, and
that's not to even mention the tangible increase in minute depth between the protruding decorations and the furthest pieces of background material.
For this one, however, it ultimately comes back around to the color. The increase in depth and tonal accuracy is stunning. Every shade benefits, from
the most dazzling blues to the most barren, earthy hue. Detail enjoys a fair uptick in sharpness and definition but the color makes this UHD what it is,
definitely one of the best on the market and a reference point for HDR excellence.
The Great Wall's UHD release features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and it's a good one. For much of the film, overhead elements are more complimentary than they are obvious, but several moments, and two standout, take place later in the movie. In one scene, Matt Damon's character yells "above you!" and, sure enough, the sound seems to emanate from the ceiling. In another, the creatures seem to scurry right above the heroes; the top layer is filled with their various maneuverings, making for one of the most intense and direct overhead elements yet in an Atmos soundtrack. Otherwise, the top end serves to support the rest of the track. Chaotic battle scenes spring to life with countless examples of whoosh, swish, zip, and zoom. Arrows pierce every inch of the stage. Enflamed projectiles sling through the listening area. Every speaker is engaged, and the top layer adds space to the excitement. Both multidirectional and discrete effects litter the stage in every battle scene, and Universal's track is pinpoint and very fun. Music is well defined, stretching the stage in every direction and making full, but not overbearing, use of the surround channels. Coverage and clarity are complete. Dialogue is firm, well positioned in the front-center, and both detailed and well prioritized. Reverberation is exacting as allowed. This is a tremendous, first-class listen from Universal.
The Great Wall contains deleted and extended scenes and half a dozen brief featurettes, all on the included Blu-ray disc. No extras appear
on the UHD disc. A
UV/iTunes
digital copy code is
included with purchase.
The Great Wall is more sophomoric than it is serious. True, not every film can be a dark, gritty, unbearable slice of (make-believe) wartime devastation, but this one just feels too contrived, over-the-top, dependent more on empty and needless spectacle than story. Of course, when the story is "monsters attacking China's Great Wall," there's not much to go on there, anyway. It should find favor with a forgiving audience, and it is decent time killing entertainment. It does its thing very well, but don't just leave the brain at the door, leave it tucked away in a safety deposit box, just to be sure. Universal's UHD release of The Great Wall is a showcase for HDR and the improvements the format brings over Blu-ray without sacrificing the image's base integrity. Detailing is stronger, too, but unlike the colors it's more a step forward than it is a leap. The Atmos audio is equally splendid. Supplements are mostly fluffy filler. Recommended.
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