“May we live in interesting times,” my Chinese friends sometimes say, a cautionary expression capturing the deep and unpredictable furrows that history has carved on the “Central Kingdom” over 5,000 years. The United States, by contrast, is a young nation, bequeathed an Empire by the British only seven decades ago. And Americans are suddenly feeling the weight of our imperial history and the tumult of Deep State-driven “interesting times,” as four decades of neoliberal imperial policies (thanks Clintons and Obamas) whipsaw the troubled US economy, our dying two party political system, and the Planet herself.

Into this unique historical moment arrives “the Great Wall,” a highly anticipated US/China joint action adventure featuring the usually solid Matt Damon and an entire cast and crew of Chinese luminaries, choreographed by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (the same director who gave the world the astonishing spectacle that was the 2008 Beijing Olympics open ceremonies). I know what you are thinking. Not a great time to make a movie about a WALL of any sort, given current political realities. And you would be right. “The Great Wall” is mostly a snore fest, marked by mediocre acting, the complete absence of a coherent plot, childish special FX, and an absurd premise. Organized around the threat to China from mythical “Taotie” beasties – think “Alien’s” razor-toothed creature meets dragon meets a beehive-like superorganism – Yimou’s film deliver a few unique action moments, but they come in the first 20 minutes of the film, and if they feel somewhat like Beijing’s 2008 opening ceremonies – all colors, flags, drums, and symbolic pageantry – well, you know why.

Perhaps more interesting than “The Great Wall” itself is the politics surrounding the film. Hollywood is salivating over prospective ticket sales of an emerging China market of 1.5 billion potential moviegoers, while China, with an impressive filmic cultural tradition of its own, seeks a more global audience for its talented directors and actors. I spoke with my young Chinese friend Yucheng Mou, who is studying here in Vermont at Saint Michael’s College,  to get his “take” on “The Great Wall.” Here’s what he told me.

1) The film’s heroine is played by actress Jing Tian. Chinese audiences don’t like her – seeing her as a lousy actress who has become famous only with strong financial support from wealthy Chinese backers. Here moves have been disappointing – all big investments that boasted major leagues stars such as Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), Chow Yun-Fat (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), and Andy Lau. Audiences do not like her because it is so easy for her to get those rare opportunities that other great Chinese actresses cannot get, and she does not act very well.

2) Even though “The Great Wall” is not highly rated in China, it is still very popular. Why? First, Zhang Yi Mou (known for Hero, nominated the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) is considered the best director in China (besides Ang Lee). Chinese audiences love his work and believe that he could have done a great job bringing western technology to illustrate Chinese traditional elements in a Hollywood movie. Second, this movie’s cast are famous actors from China and Asia, and they attract different generations of Chinese audience from teenagers to older folks. Although their dialogue is limited, Chinese fans are still willing to buy tickets to support them. Third, the monster, Taotie, is an interesting signature in this movie, because Taotie has been mentioned in a 4th century BC traditional Chinese text, “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” and in Chinese culture, it has the same influence as Greek mythology in the western world.

3) The big problem with “The Great Wall”? The plot is too predictable – U.S. screenwriters did a terrible job scripting the largest investment of China-U.S. co-production in movie history.  Many Chinese audiences, including myself, were expecting this movie might boost Chinese culture and film industry in Hollywood, but this film did not hit the mark.

There you have it – straight from one Chinese film buff’s mouth. And by the way, don’t miss the Twitter fun as Chinese social media users “snark” on white American actor Matt Damon for “saving” China. Visit the #ThankYouMattDamon hash tag in the Twitterverse and enjoy the ride.