STACK #149 Mar 2017

REVIEWS CINEMA

THE GREAT WALL

ALSO SCREENING IN MARCH

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Zhang Yimou CAST: Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Jing Tian RATING: M

The movie that Warcraft should have been.

The Great Wall of China was more than just a fortification to keep out desert raiders, it was also built to protect the world from something worse... That's according to this hugely entertaining big budget fantasy adventure, in which Western mercenaries William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal from GoT ) side with Commander Lin (Jing Tian) and her Eastern army to prevent an invasion by a horde of legendary beasts known as Taotie, which appear every 60 years to feed and resemble the dogs from Ghostbusters , only with more teeth. Having witnessed the ferocity of the creatures first hand during an initial attack, Tovar (understandably) wants to get the hell out of there

but William has finally found a cause worth fighting for, and his archery skills plus a magnetic rock in his possession could tip the balance of this war. Essentially a castle under siege scenario (in this case a Wall), The Great Wall could easily be written off as just another generic CGI-stuffed Hollywood blockbuster full of recycled battle scenes from The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones . But this Chinese-US co-production has got a lot more going for it, not least its Eastern flavour. Damon (who's a little wooden here) might be the headlining star but this is a Zhang Yimou film, and if you've ever seen Hero and/or House of Flying Daggers you'll know you're in for an exciting ride executed with artistic flair, extravagant production design and costumes, panoramic widescreen shots, colourful pageantry, and plenty of slow motion arrows. The battle scenes are grand and frequent, the pacing is brisk, the monsters are cool, and Willem Dafoe pops up as an added bonus. And if you see this in an IMAX theatre you'll be ducking for cover from some terrific 3D sequences. The Great Wall is the movie that Warcraft should have been and delivers nothing more or less than its simple pitch: Matt Damon fighting monsters on the Great Wall of China. What's not to like? Scott Hocking other women – and three times as hard as the men – to prove their worth. As Russia continues to triumph over the US in the space race, NASA becomes desperate to take control and plans to conduct an immediate response. In order to successfully send astronaut John Glenn into space, Johnson is moved into the Space Task Group, Jackson is encouraged to pursue an engineering degree, and Vaughn continues the battle to become supervisor. Through it all they face tyrannical discrimination and one foot forward sends them five steps back. This prejudice towards gender and race won't just make you angry, it will make you feel ashamed. But you'll be damn well rooting for and applauding these girls for the entirety of this feel-good drama. The smooth storytelling is complemented by an outstanding music score from Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams and Benjamin Wakkfusch, which really makes this affecting dramatisation soar. The headlining stars are not hidden in our world by any means – Henson is an Oscar nominee, Spencer an Oscar winner, and Monáe a chart-topping musician and emerging actress. Their committed and heartfelt performances give the real hidden figures a new voice in this magnificently inspiring film. Savannah Douglas

The third solo outing for the Wolverine is also (supposedly) the swan song for Hugh Jackman as the surly superhero. While caring for the elderly Prof X (Patrick Stewart), Logan must also play guardian to a young female mutant with whom he has a lot in common. After a couple of lacklustre Wolverine films, will this be third time lucky? We'll find out on March 3 . LOGAN

HIDDEN FIGURES

A tale as old as time is given a fresh live- action makeover, but Disney's 1991 animated classic will be hard to beat. Emma Watson is Belle and Dan Stevens is the Beast – be their guest on March 23 . BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Theodore Melfi CAST: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer RATING: PG

A magnificently inspiring true story.

A majority of the time, films function simply as entertainment. However, there are times when you walk out of the cinema feeling like a different person, as though the movie has changed something inside you for the better. Hidden Figures is one of those films and it will blow you away. It's the incredible true story of mathematician Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), aspiring engineer Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), and unofficial supervisor Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer). These three outrageously smart women are hidden in the segregated department of NASA, working twice as hard as the

LIFE

Alien meets Gravity when the crew of the International Space Station make first contact in this slick looking sci-fi thriller. Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds star. March 23 .

In this live-action version of the celebrated anime series, Scarlett Johansson is at her sexy, badass best as Major, a one of a kind cyborg cyber-crime fighter on the trail of a nefarious computer hacker. March 30 . GHOST IN THE SHELL

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