'The Great Wall' Exclusive Clip: Throwing the Monsters a Fireball

From Raise the Red Lantern to Curse of the Golden Flower, you can always count on color being a major character in a Zhang Yimou film. And the Chinese auteur brings the same eye for bold, vibrant hues to his latest film, The Great Wall. Opening in U.S. theaters on Feb. 17, this mega-budgeted East-meets-West blockbuster pits Matt Damon and Tian Jing against a horde of mythical monsters, with the titular wonder of the world standing in their way. Yahoo Movies is premiering an exclusive clip from the film’s first big battle sequence (watch it above), which gives a sense of The Great Wall‘s scope, as well as Yimou’s colorful flair for choreographing action.

Related: Matt Damon on ‘The Great Wall’ Whitewashing Accusations, ‘Avatar’ Comparisons, and Making a ‘Grand Creature Feature for the World’

At this point in the story, Damon’s visiting mercenary, William, and his sidekick Tovar (Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal) are captives of the Nameless Order, the army tasked with defending the Great Wall against invaders. Having come to China in search of “black powder” (a.k.a., gunpowder), the duo instead find themselves face to face with a monstrous species known as the Taotie, who emerge from their mountain lair at six decade intervals to lay waste to the surrounding countryside.

Related: Academy Award Winner Matt Damon Knows That Labeling Him as ‘Academy Award Winner Matt Damon’ in Trailers Is Slightly Misleading

Now on the attack, the creatures make up for lost time by throwing themselves at the Great Wall again and again, as the Nameless Order uses a complex array of weapons to fend them off. Jing — who will confront an even bigger adversary in Kong: Skull Island next month — is a commander in this fighting force, which clads its soldiers in color-coded armor that ranges from deep blues and fiery reds to royal purples and sunny yellows. Live or die, these warriors will all earn their red badge of courage by the time the fighting is done.

‘The Great Wall’: Watch a trailer:


Read more:
* ‘Kong: Skull Island’ Scene: John Goodman Gives Samuel L. Jackson the Monstrous Lowdown (Exclusive)
* Why ‘Star Wars’ Hates Handrails: Finally We Know Why People Keep Plummeting to Their Death
* ‘Fast & Furious 6’ Co-Star Luke Evans on the Future of Owen Shaw and Helen Mirren’s Role