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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Great Wall (2016) in Movies

Jul 12, 2019

The Great Wall (2016)

2016 | Action, Drama, Mystery

5.8

(27 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Universal Studios and Legendary’s latest monster film is from the brilliant mind of Zhang Yimou. I must say that though this was a Yimou film I was not really intrigued with the trailer and almost skipped it however I’m glad that I didn’t!

William (Matt Damon) and Toval (Pedro Pascal) are mercenaries trying to make it rich. They are on a mission in China on the lookout for legendary exploding black powder. Instead they find a huge Great Wall and are mystified as to why it was built and what it is trying to keep out. The Tao Tei, are prehistoric looking monsters who are a danger to all of humanity and the only thing stopping them is the wall. William is a skilled archer and Toval a witty fighter. With their help they might be able to save humanity from the onslaught of the Tao Tei.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and found it extremely entertaining. The action and unexpected humor is what sold it for me. The casting of Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal was brilliantly thought out and kept the audience laughing with the duos chemistry and how well they played off of each other.

Despite all of the controversy about having Matt Damon as the lead in a Chinese film is crazy and I think Zhang has made the right choice in doing so. To be successful in the American film industry sometimes you have to use a big star to bring in big results. Though the story and script are basic and easy to follow the action, scenery, costumes and humor are fantastic and what makes the film great. This film should definitely be viewed with the 3D option as it fully immerses the audience into and becomes a part of the story. A lot of CGI was used and though normally I am not a fan of a lot of CGI, it works with the film rather than against it. I would definitely recommend this film but the monsters might be too much for kids to handle in 3D.

Kudos

Becs (244 KP) rated 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four in Books

Oct 2, 2019

1984 by George Orwell, one of my favorite literary classic novels to this date! This was a monster to get through but once I finished, I was able to take the novel as a whole and learn from it. And man, what a loaded punch it throws at you. George Orwell is a favorite of mine and his writing style is just exactly what I expect from an author from his era.

1984 is about a government that controls everything a citizen of Oceania does, says, etc. If you rebel, you get kidnapped, tortured and then broken down to the point where they are able to rebuild you into the ideal citizen. That’s pretty much exactly what happens in this 328-page novel. But trust me when I say, this is worth a read through!

Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Literary Classic

Reading Level: High School +

Interests: Dystopian worlds, politics, science fiction, totalitarian systems.

Difficulty Reading: Like putting butter on a soft piece of bread. Not kidding, 1984 was difficult to read but the meaning behind it is what counts.

Promise: Dystopian, Sci-Fi world with a totalitarian system that runs your life until you are no longer a rebellious individual and instead under their complete control. A bit like being a slave.

Favorite Quotes: “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”

What Will You Gain: Knowledge on what the world could turn into when the government decides to rule over all a certain way. Where everything you do is controlled and if you do anything differently or that goes against what the government says, you end up dead.

Aesthetics: The entirety of the novel. The cover. How Orwell pretty much has the real world mixed in with a fantasy world. I mean, you just have to read it to know.

“The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.”