ForewordAs an art form, film has always been an important object for people to appreciate and discuss. Whether it is a Hollywood blockbuster or a domestic independent film, each work represents the creative concept of the director and screenwriter, reflecting the characteristics of the times in society. In recent years, with the continuous development of domestic films, the mainland film market has shown a vigorous trend, and more and more audiences have paid attention to and commented on the quality of domestic films. In this context, it is particularly necessary and important to conduct in-depth analysis and discussion of some domestic film works that have been controversial recently.
Part 1: In recent years, some controversial works have appeared in the domestic film market, such as "The Nineteenth Generation of Ancestors", "Havoc in Tianzhu", "Fierce Insects Crossing the River" and so on. These films sparked widespread discussion and criticism after their release, and the audience raised many questions and questions about these works.
"Ancestors of the Nineteenth Generation" is a comedy film with family affection as the main line, directed by Guo Degang. The main problem with the film is the lack of a gratifying love story and charismatic characterization. The heroine played by Ma Su, although she has a lot of personality in appearance, the portrayal of the inner drama is slightly thin and lacks enough appeal. In stark contrast, although the actor Zhang Yi played a seemingly ordinary role in the film, he still won the love of the audience with his superb acting skills. This imbalance in character design makes it difficult to fully stimulate the charm of the characters throughout the movie.
"Havoc in Tianzhu" is a comedy film based on Journey to the West, directed by director Ning Hao. This work is considered to be a "illogical, aesthetically vulgar" farce, which is inappropriate for the use of Journey to the West IP. The exaggerated plot settings and shoddy special effects in the film make the whole movie far away from the audience's expectations for the Journey to the West story and superficial entertainment. This kind of "tampering" and "tarnishing" of classic IP will undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction among the audience and weaken the appeal of the movie.
"Fierce Insects Crossing the River" is a comedy starring Xiao Shenyang, directed by director Zhang Hongmin. The film is considered to lack cinematic texture and sketch completion, and the performance of the leading actor Xiao Shenyang did not meet the audience's expectations. The film has obvious problems in rhythm control, plot setting, etc., which makes it difficult to bring a truly joyful experience to the audience. This approach of "using actors to drive the film" often ignores the shaping of the film as a whole, resulting in the lack of cinematic sense in the work.
In addition to the above-mentioned comedy works, in recent years, there have also been some domestic film works with ancient costumes and fantasy as the theme, such as "The Origin of Turandot's Curse", "Tianji Fuchun Mountain Residence" and so on. These works are quite ambitious in their choice of subject matter, but they have caused widespread controversy in their actual presentation.
"The Origin of the Turandot Curse" is a fantasy film set in an ancient mythology, directed by director Zhang Yimou. The overall feeling of this work is that it is an "ordinary big bad movie", and it failed to resonate with the audience from the subject matter to the plot. The film seems to be too deliberate and blunt in shaping mythology and creating a fantasy atmosphere, lacking due tension and appeal. This kind of "high-input, low-output" creative mode will undoubtedly make the audience feel disappointed and tired.
"Tianji Fuchun Mountain Residence" is a work that integrates historical legends and martial arts elements, co-directed by directors Zhang Yimou and Liu Ye. This film combines big investment, star cast, and high-budget special effects, but it presents a "chaotic" work. The loss of control of the director and editing makes the whole work lack the logic and plot tension it should have, and it is difficult for the audience to immerse themselves in it. This phenomenon of "big production, small quality" will undoubtedly make the audience worry about the future of domestic films.
In addition to the above-mentioned comedy and fantasy works, in recent years, there have also been some domestic films adapted from online IP, such as "Love Apartment", "Legend of the Gods" and so on. In the process of adaptation, these works seem to ignore the characteristics of film as an art form, resulting in the lack of cinematic sense that the works deserve.
The movie version of "Love Apartment" is considered to be "not too cinematic", but the final barrage scene resonated with the audience and made people feel that "youth is gone". Although this approach of "online dramas on the big screen" can attract some audiences who are familiar with the original work, it is difficult to truly meet the aesthetic needs of movie audiences. This model of "driving movies with IP" seems to ignore the characteristics of film as an independent art form, and it is difficult to really resonate with the audience.
"Legend of the Gods" is a fantasy film set in classical mythology, but according to viewers, "there are hardly any cinematic elements". This work seems to cater more to the actor's fans and curiosity psychology, and lacks enough cinematic texture. This practice of "driving movies with traffic" will undoubtedly make audiences feel disappointed and tired, and they will not be able to truly meet their expectations for movies.
In addition to the above-mentioned controversial works, in recent years, there have also been some domestic films that try to break through the traditional narrative mode, such as "Li Mao Plays the Prince", "Shanghai Fortress", "Human Comedy" and so on. When these works try new ways of creation, they also arouse some doubts and criticisms from the audience.
"Li Mao Plays the Prince" is a comedy set in a historical legend, directed by director Chen Guoxing. The character design and plot arrangement of this work seem to be too deliberate and blunt to convince the audience completely. The film focuses too much on creating a "comedic atmosphere" and ignores the integrity of the characterization and plot logic, which will undoubtedly disappoint the audience.
"Shanghai Fortress" is an action film set in science fiction, directed by director Wei Qing. The work is fast-paced, informative, and lacks enough foreshadowing and gestation time, making it difficult for the audience to fully immerse themselves. This kind of "fast and slow" narrative can create a certain sense of tension, but at the same time, it will also make the audience feel headaches and discomfort.
"The Human Comedy" is a work that attempts to integrate elements of comedy and social reality, directed by director Rao Xiaozhi. The film's title has the word "comedy", but in reality, it's hard for viewers to find a real place to laugh out loud. The plot of the film is mediocre, lacking enough creativity and tension to resonate with the audience. This approach of "title comedy with mediocre content" will undoubtedly disappoint and deceive the audience.
ConclusionIn general, these controversial works that have appeared in the domestic film market in recent years reflect some problems and dilemmas in the creation process of domestic films. From the perspective of character building, plot logic, rhythm control and other aspects, these works have different degrees of defects and problems. The existence of these problems will undoubtedly affect the audience's evaluation and expectations of domestic films, and also bring certain challenges to the future development of the domestic film industry.
Therefore, in the future creative practice, domestic film practitioners need to pay more attention to the characteristics of film as an art form, pay attention to the three-dimensional shaping of characters, the rationality of plot settings, and the fluency of rhythm control. Only through continuous reflection and innovation can domestic films truly win the recognition and praise of the audience and inject new vitality into the future development of China's film industry.
In some controversial works that have appeared in the domestic film market in recent years, we can see some problems and dilemmas in the creation process of domestic films. These problems are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1. The character creation is not full and vivid enough. Taking "Nineteen Generations of Ancestors" as an example, although the heroine Ma Su has a lot of personality in appearance, the portrayal of the inner drama is slightly thin and lacks enough appeal. In contrast, the actor Zhang Yi won the love of the audience with his superb acting skills, highlighting the imbalance in the character design.
2. The plot design is not reasonable. For example, "Havoc in Tianzhu" is considered to be an illogical and aesthetically vulgar farce, which is inappropriate for the use of Journey to the West IP. The exaggerated plot settings and shoddy special effects make the whole movie far away from the audience's expectations for the Journey to the West story and superficial entertainment.
3. The rhythm is not smooth enough. Taking "Fierce Insects Across the River" as an example, this movie has obvious problems in rhythm control, plot setting, etc., which is difficult to bring the audience a truly joyful experience. This kind of actor-driven approach to the film often ignores the shaping of the film as a whole, resulting in a lack of cinematic sense in the work.
4. Tampering with and defiling of classic IPs. For example, "The Origin of the Curse of Turandot" is too deliberate and blunt in shaping mythological colors and creating a fantasy atmosphere, lacking due tension and appeal. This kind of high-input, low-output creative mode will undoubtedly make the audience feel disappointed and tired.
5. Adapting the network IP ignores the characteristics of the movie. For example, the movie version of "Love Apartment" is considered to lack a sense of cinema, but the final barrage scene resonates with the audience. This kind of online drama on the big screen is difficult to really meet the aesthetic needs of movie audiences.
6. Pursue traffic and ignore the quality of the movie. For example, "Legend of the Gods" has almost no movie elements, catering more to actors, fans and curiosity, and lacks sufficient film texture. This kind of practice of driving movies with traffic will undoubtedly make the audience feel disappointed and tired.
Overall, these controversial works reflect some of the problems and dilemmas that exist in the creative process of domestic films. In the future creative practice, domestic film practitioners need to pay more attention to the characteristics of film as an art form, pay attention to the three-dimensional shaping of characters, the rationality of plot setting, and the fluency of rhythm control. Only through continuous reflection and innovation can domestic films truly win the recognition and praise of the audience and inject new vitality into the future development of China's film industry.