Few things stir an audience as much as a rousing battle sequence, something evidenced in the gloriously enjoyable The Great Wall, coming to Digital, 4k Ultra HD, 3D Blu-Ray™, Blu-Ray™, DVD and On Demand from June 12th. In Zhang Yimou’s English language feature debut, Matt Damon fights hordes of scaly dragon-like creatures who are threatening to wear down the eponymous wall’s unparalleled defences and sweep across feudal China in a murderous rage. Incredible set design and explosive action sequences pepper a gloriously colourful and inventive 100+ minutes, all the time reminding audiences of the power of a fantastic cinematic battle. In honour of The Great Wall’s release, we take a look at some of the best battle scenes out there. Take aim!
The Great Wall: Final Battle
The Setup: There is a huge amount to admire in The Great Wall, not least of which is the scale and magnificence of the fight sequences. This is never better illustrated than in the triumphant final battle, taking place inside the royal city, as dragon-like alien creatures, telepathically linked to the Queen, threaten to overwhelm a populous woefully under-prepared.
The Battle: Matt Damon, having pitched into the fight against the dragons at the Great Wall of China (following an attack of conscious midway through robbing the place of its gunpowder) jumps onto a hot air balloon and flies to the rescue of the royal city, chasing the Wall’s imperial guard and mastering balloon flight years before Da Vinci had the idea. We cannot tell you how amazing this is. Next, Damon employs a potentially lethal decoy mission to lure the Queen into position, just as a myriad of the scaly green critters eat the upper hand as they gain it. Honestly, a combination of winning production design, inventive creatures and some genuinely thrilling wire work combine to make this an air-punching final battle in a film set to become a classic.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
