The Great Wall: Rise of the Sky Serpent (2025)
Genre: Action | Fantasy | Adventure
Starring: Matt Damon, Liu Dehua, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen
Five years after the defeat of the Tao Tei, peace has returned to the northern provinces of China. The Great Wall stands tall once again, no longer just a symbol of separation, but a monument to the bravery and unity of nations. William Garin (Matt Damon), having returned to the East to serve as a military advisor, now lives a quiet life training new recruits. But deep within the mountains beyond the wall, a new threat awakens—one that makes the Tao Tei look like mere shadows.
A legendary creature long believed to be a myth—the Sky Serpent, or Tiānlóng—rises from the heart of a volcanic storm. The ancient scrolls of the Nameless Order once whispered of it: a dragon born of thunder, guardian of balance, and now corrupted by dark celestial energy. Its return means that the wall must be defended not just from below, but from the sky itself.
As the Sky Serpent begins its reign of terror, entire battalions vanish without a trace, cities fall into ruin, and the skies darken for days. The Nameless Order, now under the command of General Lin Mae (Zhang Ziyi), calls for help from all corners of the known world. They seek not just warriors—but thinkers, alchemists, and monks—anyone who might understand the creature’s origin and purpose.
William Garin, reluctant at first, is pulled back into the fray after a mysterious prophecy carved in jade reveals his role in the coming battle. Together with Lin Mae, strategist Commander Wu (Donnie Yen), and a new character—an eccentric astronomer named Master Hu, they must uncover an ancient celestial map hidden in the ruins of the Forbidden Temple.
Meanwhile, political unrest brews in the imperial court. Some believe the Great Wall has outlived its purpose. Others believe the Sky Serpent is divine punishment for mankind’s arrogance. With internal conflict threatening to break the alliance, Garin and Lin must fight not only the beast in the skies but the doubt within their own ranks.
Unlike the mindless Tao Tei, the Sky Serpent is intelligent. It strikes with precision, controlling storms and commanding smaller winged beasts. It cannot be killed with arrows or fire alone. Its power stems from a meteor that fell centuries ago—a shard of the "Celestial Star," hidden beneath the mountain temple.
The key to defeating it lies in understanding the balance of the five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—and aligning them through an ancient mechanism built into the wall’s deepest chamber, a secret known only to the original architects.
In a heart-stopping final battle, the Nameless Order lures the Sky Serpent to the Wall during a solar eclipse. Using giant rotating mirrors and energy-conducting towers, they create a prism of elemental power meant to trap the beast. Garin rides atop an air-glider, shooting fire-laced harpoons, while Lin Mae leads the charge on the ground.
The sequence culminates in Garin sacrificing his glider to distract the Sky Serpent long enough for Lin Mae to activate the Prism Core. Light floods the battlefield. The Sky Serpent disintegrates into stardust, its roar echoing across the mountains.
As peace returns once more, Lin Mae is named Grand Protector of the Wall. Garin, injured but alive, chooses to stay in China, no longer a foreigner but a brother in arms. The Wall, cracked but still standing, glows faintly under the starlight—no longer just a barrier, but a bridge between cultures, between earth and sky.
"Legends rise. Walls endure. The sky remembers."
