The Great Wall
Seen it?2015 | 75 min | Documentary
Weeknight Watchearly ratingWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
It was a solid box office hit, but middling reviews (35% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a lukewarm 41% audience score held it back. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- A natural pick for anyone who likes learning something new. You'll come away knowing something you didn't.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 15 min. Short enough for a weeknight.
- What might put you off
- It's in German, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.
‘The Great Wall has been completed at its most southerly point.’ So begins Kafka’s short story ‘At the Building of the Great Wall of China’, and so, at Europe’s heavily militarised south-eastern frontier, begins this film. In the shadow of its own narratives of freedom, Europe has been quietly building its own great wall. Like its famous Chinese precursor, this wall has been piecemeal in construction, diverse in form and dubious in utility. Gradually cohering across the continent, this system of enclosure and exclusion is urged upon a populace seemingly willing to accept its necessity and to contribute to its building.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsBelow par
35% on Rotten Tomatoes, 42 on Metacritic
- AudiencesBelow par
Our audience score: 41%
- AwardsNot counted
Awards data unavailable, so this isn't counted
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$335 million worldwide
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 237K people sought it out in the past year, and interest is climbing
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Tadhg O'Sullivan
- Nicola CreightonReader (voice)