Explicit subversion of the white saviour trope everyone was afraid of (tricks you into thinking they won’t at first, keep watching)
Really gorgeous visuals courtesy of Zhang Yimou
Female soldiers (!!!) at the forefront of battle and being the face of the army
“(Soldier, in Mandarin) [snickers] Can they even pull him up? Men are too heavy.” “(Matt Damon) what did she say” “(General Lin) [bland smile] She said, ‘men have so much to teach us’.” “(Matt Damon) …i don’t think that’s what she said”
A Good and Pure Young Soldier on the Wall who is Trying His Best
Matt Damon awkwardly trying to mimic the bows to be polite, failing miserably every single time
Interesting contrast and development of Matt Damon and General Lin as two similar, but different types of warriors-from-childhood (mercenary and soldier)
Surprisingly funny banter
Everybody speaking the languages they should be speaking at appropriate moments
Dumb action-movie blockbuster fun (seriously don’t go in there expecting a narrative masterpiece but enjoy the ride)
Actual Hero is not Matt Damon, but General Lin, this lady, and I would frankly die for her:
Like seriously, I’m so glad that I decided to give it a chance after seeing Zhang was directing it. It’s not a perfect movie but it’s huge fun, and probably the first time I’ve seen the white saviour trope just subverted completely. If nothing else, watch it for General Lin, played by Jian Tian…who’s also going to be in Pacific Rim: Uprising.
THEY PULLED A FURY ROAD
YES! I was going to go see this today but then my car died. Maybe I can catch it on the cheapskate Tuesday.
