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Jin Yong's works have always been the most popular works by adaptors, and basically a new version of the work will be put on the screen every two years, especially the "Dragon Babu" trilogy and "The Legend of Deer and Ding". But no matter which version of "Heaven and Dragon Slayer", it can never be compared with Jet Li's "Heaven and Dragon Slayer: The Demon Sect Master".
"Heaven and Dragon Slayer: The Demon Sect Master" was co-written and directed (adapted) by Wang Jing and Sammo Hung and starring Jet Li, Qiu Shuzhen, etc., and was released in December 1993. It is Jet Li's fifth work after "Fang Shiyu Series", "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng", and "Huang Feihong: The Lion King".
However, the box office of this film after its release was only 11.85 million Hong Kong dollars, which is not only lower than "Fang Shiyu", "Huang Feihong", and even "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng", which also caused the sequel of this film to be delayed. In 2022, the rebooted version of "Heaven and Dragon Slayer" was pushed to the hot search because the quality was too bad and the actors were too ugly.
In addition, 202,000 people scored 7.9 on Douban, and only 4,100 people scored a pitiful 6.4 on IMDB, which is the bottom of Jet Li's movies in the same period.
However, looking at this movie now, although it is a little simple in terms of story and core, its almost subversive adaptation of Zhang Wuji played by Jet Li made Luo Xue like it very much, and he also saw the real human reaction for the first time from a romantic martial arts story. It's a little scary, but it's more in line with the rules of the world.
In other versions, "Sage Zhang Wuji", under the backdrop of this film, is extremely ridiculous and ridiculous, full of hypocrisy and floating, and not real at all.
The following is a serious spoiler, it is recommended that friends who have not watched it go to the movie first, and then watch the falling snow! (It is recommended to watch the Cantonese version, and now I will watch the Mandarin version, the subtitles are not correct, and I feel a lot worse)
1, the most real Zhang Wuji
Whether it is in terms of story, core, performance, and action presentation, "Heaven and Dragon Slayer: The Demon Sect Master" is actually not excellent. Because of this, the film did not receive anything at the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards the following year, and it was not even nominated for Best Action Direction.
But the film's presentation of Zhang Wuji's ambition and desire gives this film a real and charming human charm. The older I get, the more I like the director's subversive adaptation.
Just imagine, when you watched your parents being forced to death when you were a child, and you yourself were seriously injured and became an incurable disease, dragging your tired body every day and spending millions of dollars a year on others, and when other people's children were disgusted with you in every way, you would be like Zhang Wuji in the drama version of "Heaven and Dragon Slayer" like a "saint" to let go of hatred and take the initiative to save your enemy. When you have the opportunity to have power, you can shirk it in every possible way? Or is it like Zhang Wuji in this film, using his wisdom to climb up step by step, and keep moving forward for revenge?
It is precisely because Zhang Wuji began to desperately desire ability and power after experiencing tragedy and pain that this movie is full of a sense of reality that no other movie has.
For example, in the face of the five major factions killing Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, Yin Susu's education of the young Zhang Wuji was not to forget hatred and live a good life, but to directly say "You will avenge your father when you grow up, and you will not let them escape", which is extremely true. After all, in the face of killing her husband and forcing herself to commit suicide, and her son has the background of Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang faction and the support of the white-eyed eagle king, whether it is hatred or strength, why not take revenge?
Therefore, Yin Susu's sentence of wanting Zhang Wuji to take revenge in the future seems extremely true and full of convincing magic.
Zhang Wuji said after deceiving the fire foreman Tuo's "Jiuyang True Scripture" martial arts: "I have a deep hatred of blood, how can I not want to learn? In just one sentence, the real reality will be presented, and the hypocrisy of those who always insist on not wanting to learn and being forced to learn will be exposed. After all, he "held everything in his heart for eight years, let others bully, let others laugh and scold", who would want to live like this all the time?
I still remember when I watched this film for the first time when I was a child, I didn't like it very much, because the director designed Zhang Wuji as a scheming protagonist, which is completely different from the traditional heroes who take their family and country as their own responsibility. But now that I look at it, I like it very much! If you don't suffer from others, don't really persuade others to be kind. If you endure the sufferings of others, no one may be good!
The death of his parents and the bullying he has been subjected to since childhood will inevitably affect a person's mind, so Zhang Wuji's desire for power and strength seems logical. On the other hand, those who are still pure in heart and have no desires or desires are either saints or naked hypocrisy.
is like the very classic line in "Parasite", not "rich but very kind", but "rich so kind", I have not experienced real misery, so I will always judge others on the moral high ground.
Yi Xiaochuan has not experienced the tragedy of Gao Yao, so he is "very clear and high, very remarkable", and can wantonly accuse Gao Yao of constantly pursuing power after becoming Zhao Gao. But when he lost Yushu, why didn't he become a saint? Because he has experienced it, he knows the cruelty and truth.
Therefore, Zhang Wuji's pursuit of power becomes reasonable and more in line with real human nature. In one fell swoop, he shattered the stone carving engraved with the Great Shift of the Qiankun Movement Exercise (I had the impression that Xiao Zhao was painting his portrait when he looked at the VCD, and he thought that Xiao Zhao was stealing the exercises. There is no such paragraph in the online version), in fact, it is to keep his unique power and ability, although selfish but in line with the logic of reality.
And his dialogue with Zhu Yuanzhang is the essence of this film: "Yesterday on the main hall, although the sect leader kept refusing, but in your eyes, the subordinates saw that the sect leader was actually willing, Ming sect disciples are all over the world, constantly revolting against the imperial court, and they are strong." The sect leader has a deep blood feud, and as the leader of the Ming Sect, not only has the opportunity to take revenge, but it is not impossible for him to overthrow the imperial court and ascend the throne. ”
In this film, Zhang Wuji is not a simple hero, he will be moved by Zhou Zhiruo's sexual innuendo, and while he is merciful to Xiao Zhao, he will immediately like Zhao Min, he longs for more powerful power, and also longs for greater power, and even takes the initiative to destroy the "Great Shift" exercise in order to prevent others from stealing his ability and power.
Therefore, compared with all previous Jin Yong adaptations, this film has achieved the ultimate in the true expression of human nature, and even compared with other martial arts films, this film is more real and cruel, dissecting the most real side of human nature for the audience to see.
In addition, there is a very interesting character in this film, that is, Song Qingshu. When I first read it, I thought Song Qingshu was a bad person, but now it seems that it is not so simple.
Song Qingshu thinks that Zhang Wuji "You don't know anything except pat yourself, my master will send you internal forces every day to help you resist cold poison, if those internal forces lose to me, I will already become a martial arts master." It seems to be an extremely selfish idea, and there is a sense of despicability that does not suffer from widowhood but unevenness, as if Zhang Sanfeng will give Zhang Wuji no internal force.
But imagine that you live in a chaebol family controlled by your grandfather. Originally, your grandfather doted on you very much, and his family property was probably left to you, but now your grandfather has to give 1 million every day to save your cousin's life, and your cousin has spent 8 years in a row but has not done well, and has begun to drag down the family wealth, and even grandpa has stopped spoiling you since then. Your family affection is gone, your power is gone, and your life will be affected.
So, are you going to hate your cousin? Or do you give everything you have to help your cousin like a saint?
2. Mediocre movies
Hong Kong movies in the 80s and 90s are the most blooming era, and if action movies in this era want to stand out, they must be new, strange and deadly.
For example, in "Police Story", Jackie Chan not only drove down the mountain, but also climbed the speeding bus with his bare hands, and even jumped in the mall in the end. As a result, Jackie Chan's movies have become the guarantee of the box office, even if the story is not strong, at least one of its action scenes is dangerous enough, funny enough, and ingenious enough.
"Huang Feihong 1" designed the bamboo ladder battle, "Huang Feihong 2" designed two battles of Table Mountain and cloth sticks, and there are also blindfold battles in "Fang Shiyu 2". Even if it was also not nominated, and it was also relatively mediocre, "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng" at least designed the Arhat Array to increase the sense of novelty, and there was also a battle between Junbao and Tianbao on the wooden thorn net to increase the thrill.
However, there is no novel or dangerous action design in "Heaven and Dragon Slayer: The Demon Sect Master", although there are also hard bridges and hard horses, fierce and ferocious, but there is still a certain gap with top action movies. And because it uses a larger screen and a clearer computer to watch, the tightrope in the movie can also be seen, which really affects the viewing experience. The only thing to be thankful for is that there are many fewer wire goofs in this film than in "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng".
In addition, the whole movie is actually full of a sense of haste of industrial integration, and the lack of internal driving force to promote the development of the story will lead to the film itself not having depth in the ideological core and not being delicate enough in the presentation of the story.
For example, in "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng", Luo Xue praised its story structure, and achieved the neatness and rigor of a scale ruler in the lifting and turning. On the one hand, Dong Tianbao connects the main line of the whole story, and on the other hand, Zhang Junbao leads the development of the main story, both of which are indispensable.
But in Demon Master, all the story impetus is a coincidence! There happened to be a fire foreman Tuo jumping off the cliff, Zhang Wuji happened to be rescued by Xiao Zhao when he was bullied, and he happened to fall to the fire foreman Tuo, just deceived Jiuyang Shengong, and when he went to Mingjiao, he happened to be chased and killed, and he happened to learn to move again.
Therefore, the driving force of the story of "Demon Sect Master" is actually a coincidence, whether it is Xiao Zhao or Zhang Wuji, they are all the most superficial illusions, and they are not convincing. On the contrary, Zhang Wuji was bullied, and he always wanted to gain strength to take revenge is a very good internal driving force, but the director did not explain it in depth.
As a result, the development of Zhang Wuji's story depends on coincidence, and after the coincidence, it is a sudden ambition.
For example, why did Zhang Wuji and Zhu Yuanzhang have a conversation about ambition? Did this dialogue affect the development of the main story? Zhang Wuji wanted revenge, but because he wanted to become the supreme martial arts and confront the imperial court, he finally gave up revenge and did not slaughter the masters of the six major factions in Guangmingding.
So the question is, Zhang Wuji's goal has always been to avenge his parents, why did he become the supreme martial arts and confront the imperial court?
Therefore, the story of "The Demon Sect Master" is inexplicable, and the characters are also extremely facial, bad guys are bad guys, good guys are good guys, and there is no personality change like Dong Tianbao. Including Xiao Zhao and Zhao Min, they are actually very tool people, but Zhou Zhiruo still has a different sense of amazement.
Overall, this film is very decent in terms of story, core, character image, and action design, and it can even be said to be simple, there is nothing that can make people shine, but it can't be called a masterpiece! Only the design of Zhang Wuji's cunning, lustful, greedy for power, and selfishness is very consistent with Zhang Wuji's life experience, freeing a benevolent Zhang Wuji from the shackles of hypocrisy, and presenting the most real and logical Zhang Wuji. This is highly praised!
Okay, let's talk about it here today, I think what Luo Xue said still makes some sense, so please turn it to a comment, just give one, I want to understand a movie from different dimensions, if you want to watch a good movie, please pay attention to Luo Xue, thank you!
Thank you for your rewards, compared to a few yuan, Luoxue is more pleased that my ideas and my cognition can be affirmed by you. In the vast sea of people, it is a rare happiness in life to be appreciated by you. I can't say thank you, but I can only say thank you!
Recommended in the last issue: "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng" action design garbage, why is it still called a masterpiece?
Last Recommendation: One of the best Chinese-language action movies in film history, violently crushing "Once Upon a Time Series"!