The Great Wall Review: 6 Ups & 5 Downs

5. (Mostly) Great Visuals

This is a gorgeous looking movie for the most part. Yes, the CGI monsters could look better and there are some purposefully goofy moments with questionable visual effects, but for the overwhelming majority, Yimou has made a terrific visual feast that he can certainly be proud of on a visceral level.

The film has a huge scale, but the gigantic expanses and huge armies never really feel blatantly digitised, and the compositing in particular, where characters are stood atop a giant fortress yet in reality are surely on a green-screen soundstage, are uncommonly convincing.

Strong style has always been one of Yimou's greatest gifts, and bar some occasionally cringe-worthy slow-motion moments, he nails a magnificent look for his film.

The 3D is also pretty solid for the most part, with Yimou indulging in a ton of hilarious fly-in-your-face effects for maximum goofiness.