The Great Wall Review: 6 Ups & 5 Downs
2. It's Well-Paced & Doesn't Outstay Its Welcome
Epics of this sort can so often clock in at bloated 130-150 minutes run-times as they begin to buy into their own import while forgetting how crucial good pacing is.
The Great Wall, on the other hand, is a lean 103 minutes long, and considering that the closing credits comprise more than 10 minutes of this total, it ends up being a 90-minute sprint that doesn't waste any time.
As mentioned, plot and character are minimal concerns here and the film very quickly gets to the dizzy action, which is well-placed throughout and ensures the pic never gets bogged down in overt talkiness.
There are many reasons to criticise The Great Wall, but at least it knows exactly what sort of experience it's offering, and gets in and out in an extremely reasonable amount of time.