Author:
Simulacrum
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Date:
5/2/2018 9:40:13 AM
Subject:
Atomic Blonde and The Great Wall
As you know, I don't get to the movies very often. I prefer to take potluck with DirecTV. I realize that this is a primitive cable-slave sucker move, but I care not.
Of late, I've seen a couple of pretty good options, namely Atomic Blonde with Charlize Theron, and The Great Wall with Matt Damon.
Atomic Blonde is an interesting spy movie which overcomes the usual idiocies associated with graphic novels. Set in Berlin during the fall of the Soviet regime, it mixes Bourne action with a little Le Carre and some late Bond. The plot is surprisingly complex. The fact that it's unbelievable doesn't detract too much. The highlight is a lengthy fight scene that's very much worth seeing, with some nice choreography and clever CG/cut blending. Critics complained a bit because the soundtrack isn't a parade of top-40 '80s hits, but I think it's fine. Charlize Theron (whose last name I finally figured out has the accent on the first syllable) does a good job, but the character would be more fitting as a male. Basically, she's the Daniel Craig James Bond giving and taking a lot of physical punishment, which would suit a man a bit better. Not being sexist; just saying. I liked the movie, but a better female/action/spy thing is
Unlocked
with Noomi Rapace.
The Great Wall I liked quite a lot. The creature effects were decent, but I really liked the scenery CG more. The wall is appropriately awe-inspiring and everything looks fairly real. All this takes a back seat to the army of the Nameless Order, which is one of the best realizations of a big complicated military assembly I've seen, infinitely better than the crap in Lord of the Rings. Also, the cinematography and music were first-rate.
The movie was panned largely because the SJW's couldn't live with the idea that a Chinese film needed to "whitewash" itself with a Caucasian star. So it's another example of useless critics not paying attention to the plot. The European characters are in this region because they're after "black powder." I fail to see how an all-Chinese cast would account for their presence. Maybe the reviewers were objecting because Matt Damon helped save the capital city Bianliang. Apparently, they missed the big Chinese insurgence party, led by Commander Lin Mae, the other principal character in the movie. Maybe the reviewers objected to the idea that a Chinese cast needed a big bankable Caucasian movie star to sell tickets. I suspect if you asked the Chinese cast and all the venture capitalists whether this was a problem, you'd probably hear few complaints.
If the critics could take a 20-minute time out from being stupid, I imagine they would be able to see that this is a really good epic fantasy popcorn movie with excellent performances and a fun, worthwhile story. I consider it re-watchable.
Also, Jing Tian as Commander Mae is cute as a button. Added value.
