Carlo Bernard

Bland, as would be expected, but surprisingly, a lot _less_ bland than one might suppose. The story is trite, of course, going through all the expected motions and little else, but there is a lively joy in the (literal) on-screen magic here that adds quite a bit of personality. Glimmers of humour and jokes with just a touch more life to them than films like this typically have helps, and even the by-the-numbers love interest plotline manages to charm me into caring. Molina's moustache-twirling condescensions also adds a lot of presence in spite of on paper being a dull stereotype of a character. Rewatched this about a decade after it first came out, and was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't bored at any point, even on second viewing.

Though they missed a huge trick by not re-using the score from the Fantasia cartoon during the protagonist's final winning move. That would have been so simple, and yet added a lot.… (mehr)

This monsters at the Great Wall movie is a lot of fun for several reasons. First, at one hour and 43 minutes, it doesn't drag on endlessly like so many action pictures these days. Something is happening pretty much all the time. Second, the actors are good, although the Western ones are certainly not convincing as coming from the era of the Crusades, which seems to be about the right timeframe. Third, the special effects are imaginative and well-done without overwhelming the plotline. Fourth, there is no artificial love story introduced. Instead, we have to settle for the looks between Matt Damon and Jing Tian, which is how it should be. It isn't quite the level of tension that Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis generated in Witness, but for a silly action picture, it isn't bad. Fifth, the plot basically makes sense, at least if we accept it on its own terms. Which isn't to say it isn't ridiculous, but at least we aren't scratching our heads at the end wondering what happened.

Some may lament that Zhang Yimou, who was once a very serious filmmaker, is now doing stuff like this, but I think it is encouraging to see any film that promotes the idea that Chinese and Westerners can cooperate for the greater good.… (mehr)