China Entertainment 1997

May 2nd, Sunday

Chen Mao (appeared in Chapter 406) sent his children to school and drove to his usual breakfast shop.

Two cabbage meat buns + two leek vegetarian buns, and a bowl of salted tofu finally calmed down the body after staying up all night.

Chen Mao, who was still a senior movie fan and amateur film critic at the time, became a full-time film critic as early as three years ago as his account [Mao Chengcheng] became more and more famous on the blog. Professional paper media also invites articles.

Unfortunately, Weibo was launched in 2008 and replaced blogs in a short period of time, becoming the most popular social platform.

During this period, Chen Mao, who had always used blogs as his main platform, was slow to respond, or he was reluctant to give up the millions of fans he had finally accumulated on his blog.

The Internet is changing rapidly, and the traffic of emerging platforms is even greater.

It didn’t matter that Chen Mao was slow to respond. After he shifted his career focus from blogging to Weibo, the territory was almost divided. He went from being a top film critic on blogs to a second-tier film critic on Weibo.

Fortunately, the commercialization of Weibo is much stronger than that of blogs in the past. Even if you are a second-tier V, your income has not dropped much compared to the blog period.

Chen Mao's mentality is still good. He has been playing on the Internet for several years. He knows that this thing has its ups and downs. Only by staying calm can he not be troubled by the traffic.

Of course, Chen Mao has this confidence mainly because of his high fan loyalty.

Traffic is easy to get, but iron powder is hard to find.

As long as he can consolidate his fundamentals, he has hope of slowly growing bigger. Even if he can't make it to the top, he can still have a place in the industry.

There are a lot of new movies released in May. Chen Mao has to watch them one by one and write reviews for them one by one. He also recommends any good TV series nowadays. He also occasionally writes articles for the media. Currently, he has to do two things day and night. Week.

But there is no way, I have to eat properly.

After breakfast, Chen Mao drove home. His wife had already gone to work. She was the head nurse, and sometimes her work was more irregular than him.

After taking a shower, Chen Mao dove into bed to catch up on his sleep, sleeping until 1 p.m. before waking up.

After casually heating up the leftovers to make up for his meal, Chen Mao went to the cinema to watch the newly released "Sword Rain".

As a key movie in May, or even a key movie this year, Chen Mao's KPI this month points to it.

Today is the premiere and it is Sunday. Tickets are quite hard to get. The most recent show was almost all sold out. Chen Mao could only buy tickets for the next show.

Sitting on the sofa outside the theater when the movie started, Chen Mao was still a little bit embarrassed.

Looking back on those days, he was also a well-known figure on the Internet and one of the most popular film critics on blogs.

When "Xiu Chun Knife" was released, the crew specially invited him to attend the premiere, with all food, accommodation and travel expenses included. Afterwards, the main creators such as Cao Xuan and Gao Yuanyuan personally entertained them... film critics like them, signed various autographs and took photos.

Times have changed, and now he just wants to go to "Sword Rain", and people may not even know who he is.

The sadness of a has-been Internet celebrity...

After waiting for half an hour, he was finally allowed to enter. Chen Mao put aside his depression, entered the theater, and started watching the movie.

The beginning of the movie introduces the body of Moro + the male protagonist who killed the family with Black Stone.

There is a plot in the original movie that has puzzled many viewers, that is, the male protagonist in the back is so awesome that he is almost invincible in a single fight, but he was wiped out at the beginning.

In fact, it is shown in the plot that the male protagonist faces the three masters Xiao Yu, Lei Bin, and Caishi alone, and he also has to protect his father and family.

Outnumbered and outnumbered, he still has to concentrate on saving people. No matter how good the hero's martial arts skills are, this kind of scene still has to be beaten.

However, because this section is short and does not give enough hints, some viewers will be confused. The Fanxing version of "Sword Rain" has an extra half-minute of scenes, mainly to show that the male protagonist can fight, but is forced by the situation. Defeated.

The beginning can be regarded as explaining the background and foreshadowing the rest of the story. It is not too complicated, but it still makes Chen Mao's eyes shine.

What surprised him was not the plot, but the fighting scenes, which were cool, sharp, and extremely beautiful.

Chen Mao has not seen such a beautiful martial arts style fighting scene for a long time.

The Zhang family was destroyed, and Xiao Yu took Moro's body and disappeared. The next scene showed Zeng Jing, played by Zeng Li, renting a house and setting up a stall with her mother-in-law, played by Li Mingqi.

The Empress of the West Palace, who is dressed in a coarse ancient costume, is not very beautiful, but her appearance is beautiful, and she has the feeling of a virtuous and elegant ancient woman.

The two female students in front of Chen Mao called them beautiful, and Chen Mao couldn't help but nod in agreement.

What many people don't know is that Chen Mao is a loyal fan of Zeng Li and has written several articles about Amway Zeng Li.

Chen Mao vaguely remembered that the first time he met Zeng Li was Yin Susu in the 2003 version of "The Legend of Heaven and the Dragon Slayer" starring Cao Xuan. The image of the beautiful, cold and infatuated demon witch made him quite amazed at the time.

Many people debate whether Alyssa Chia's Zhao Min or Gao Yuanyuan's Zhou Zhiruo is more beautiful in the 2003 version of "The Legend of Heaven and the Dragon". In Chen Mao's heart, Yin Susu, played by Zeng Li, is the most beautiful woman in the show.

It's a pity that after Zeng Li, he didn't act in many works, but he left a deep impression on people.

The most famous one is Ding Baiying's "stunning sword" in "Xiu Chun Dao 2", which is still a classic scene of martial arts actresses.

It’s even so classic that when Chen Mao and many film critics talk about actresses’ fighting scenes, especially in the past ten years, Zeng Li’s name always comes up, which shows how deeply this character impressed them.

Li Mochou in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" is also quite outstanding. Apart from the male and female protagonists Xiao Longnu and Yang Guo in the whole drama, maybe Da Mi Mi's Guo Xiang can't compare to her.

In last year's "Detective Dee: The Tongtian Empire", Zeng Li played the role of Wu Zetian. She was unpredictable and majestic. She ranked high among all major versions of Wu Zetian.

In Chen Mao's heart, Zeng Li's business skills are very strong, his business is smooth, and his conditions are very good. He is a rare big Qingyi in the industry.

If you are more ambitious, even if you are not able to reach the level of a four-dan double soldier, you can easily join the ranks. Especially in subjects such as ancient costumes and martial arts, you are likely to form a personal brand.

However, what makes him and some Zeng Li fans hate the fact that Zeng Li really has no ambition for his acting career.

Almost every time his career makes some progress, he will enter a period of silence, and rarely make public appearances, nor does he accept media interviews or participate in programs.

The only way for many fans to know her is through Weibo, but it is difficult to say that she is updated diligently.

The only good thing is that although filming is not his heart, Zeng Li has never given up filming, especially in the past two years, he has been producing films.

Especially in "Sword Rain", she is a rare heroine, and Cao Xuan plays a supporting role for her. She is definitely a top resource in the industry.

Many fans of Zeng Li are excited and looking forward to the rise of their idol. Zeng Li is almost 35 years old this year, and it’s time for him to become famous...

Chen Mao thought the same way. He hoped that Zeng Li would film more movies while he was still young, otherwise it would be inappropriate for him to do many roles when he gets older.

Talking back to the plot of "Sword Rain", when Zeng Li first appeared, Chen Mao was still a little unsure whether this character was Xiao Yu or a new character.

When the plot flashes back later, the audience will understand what is going on.

After the Zhang family was wiped out, Xiaoyu met the monk Lu Zhu. The two were entangled all the way, and eventually fell in love with each other. In the end, Lu Zhu sacrificed himself to enlighten Xiaoyu and let her give up the way of killing.

In fact, this scene is quite interesting, but the most outstanding characters are not Xiaoyu and Lu Zhu, but an old monk.

The latter is played by You Benchang, the actor of the classic Jigong. You Lao has a profound command of lines, a long charm, and a Zen feel. It is a pleasure to listen to it.

"Before Ananda, a disciple of the Buddha, became a monk, he saw a girl on the road and fell in love with her from then on. The Lord Buddha asked him how much he liked that girl.

Ananda replied: I would like to turn into a stone bridge and be exposed to the wind for five hundred years, the sun for five hundred years, and the rain for five hundred years, but only if this girl can walk across the bridge..."

This passage is particularly famous, and it is also the most outstanding line in the entire movie. It contains both infatuation and Zen philosophy.

Especially the interpretation by You Lao's profound line skills is even more memorable.

Chen Mao felt that the lines were well written. Lu Zhu and the old monk did not appear much, but the characters immediately stood up and added a bit of depth to the movie.

In the next plot, Xiaoyu was influenced by Lu Zhu and decided to live a good life, so she changed her appearance and wandered into the market, and then met Cao Xuan.

With his unpretentious hairstyle and clothes, two small mustaches, hunched back, and erratic eyes, he looked like a cowardly little postman.

Looking at that familiar face, all viewers knew that this character was not that simple.

How to put it this way, because the male protagonist of the original "Sword Rain" was played by a Korean, many people did not know him at all, and their expectations for the character were not high. The surprise in the subsequent twist was enhanced.

But now that Cao Xuan is playing the role, he is too well-known, and the audience instinctively feels that this character is fishy.

Not to mention that he was pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, but this character is really a pig, and many viewers probably thought he could fight back.

Sometimes, this can be regarded as one of the disadvantages of an actor being too popular. It is not conducive to portraying some special characters, and occasionally it will destroy the original positioning of the character.

According to the plot arrangement, the male protagonist's true identity should be revealed in the middle and late stages of the movie, but as soon as Cao Xuan showed up, some smart viewers began to speculate, and even guessed that the male protagonist was the young master who was killed at the beginning.

After all, Xiaoyu's change of appearance has confirmed the existence of the art of disguise. If she can change it, others can also change it.

When the hero suggested that Ah Sheng and the heroine were getting closer due to various accidents, Chen Mao became more and more determined in his conjecture and even wrote it down directly in his notebook.

"A union with secrets, the Chinese martial arts version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

But guess it, you can guess it, but this setting is still very attractive, especially the final showdown to reveal the identity or pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, which can really poke the audience's excitement.

This routine is not outdated even in 2022. There are similar books by Youdian and Moulu - the male and female protagonists hide each other's status as bosses and get married, and then show off their power outside and pretend to be cowardly to each other at home.

After that, the hero and heroine, who completely became little people in the market, met and fell in love with each other on the street. The two lonely people chose to rely on each other and finally got married.

This scene was very touching, especially the scene where the two of them were hiding from the rain and having an emotional moment under the eaves. It looked particularly sweet and made people forget about Lu Zhu from before.

Some viewers even hope that it will end here and let the male and female protagonists live a normal life.

But it is obviously impossible for the movie to develop like this. Soon after, Xiaoyu's identity is revealed, and Blackstone sends people to hunt him down.

Fan Xiaopang's Ye Chanqing's comments on Xiao Yu and Zhang Asheng also contributed to the biggest laugh in the movie so far.

An ugly country woman.

A useless and incompetent street guy.

We don’t know whether the character Ye Chanqing is blind, or whether the director forcibly instills the character’s positioning into the audience.

But looking at Zeng Li and Cao Xuan in the movie, even if they have deliberately reduced and suppressed their appearance, they are really far from ordinary or ugly.

The scene where the male protagonist reveals his identity and sharpens his sword to defeat the enemy is the climax of the whole movie and arouses the passion of the audience.

Cao Xuan, who used to be a coward, sat calmly sharpening his sword with a stern look in his eyes and his amazing martial arts skills. The great contrast and the refreshing feeling of revealing his identity and being slapped in the face made the audience cheer.

On the contrary, it was the final battle that made the audience feel a little frustrated. The male protagonist was "waiting to die" throughout the whole process, and the powerful and coaxing villain King Wheel was killed by the female protagonist. It always felt that it was not satisfying enough.

But Chen Mao felt differently.

Before watching the movie, he thought it was a martial arts movie. After watching most of it, he realized it was a love movie, but the final ending showed him the shadow of an anti-heroic martial arts movie.

What is an anti-hero? It means that the plot does not have the indomitable hero created by martial arts movies, or even a positive character in the traditional sense.

The most representative one is Gu Long's martial arts novels. It is difficult to say that the movie "Sword Rain" was not influenced by Gu Long's martial arts.

Regardless of whether they are the male protagonist or the villain, they all have their own shortcomings. Everyone is just a common being in the world, and their goals are often very personal, and may even seem ridiculous to outsiders.

For example, Xiaoyu just wants to live quietly, while everything Chakravartin does is just for the sake of his descendants.

"Sword Rain" has many martial arts elements, such as fighting for treasures, revenge, love, and rivers and lakes. It should be a hearty story, but in the end it always makes people feel a bit sad.

Chen Mao left the theater, returned home and began to write a review of "Sword Rain", and then systematically graded and summarized it according to the old rules.

[Fighting Scene]: 5 stars, cool and sharp, with careful moves. This is the martial arts action scene that surprised me the most after the "Xiu Chun Dao" series in recent years.

[Fu Hua Dao]: 5 stars, almost no faults, especially the weapons, which are very distinctive and fit the character.

[Scene environment]: 4 and a half stars. The scene in the market was beautiful, especially the rain scene. It looked very comfortable.

[Actor]: 5 stars, almost all the actors are good, no one is holding back, Zeng Li and Cao Xuan especially performed well, Fan Xiaopang is also very good

Special praise should be given to Zeng Li. His performance as a first-time leader is perfect.

[Plot]: 4 stars, some plots were guessed, and some parts were handled a little poorly.

[Music Editing]: 4 stars, above the standard

[Intention]: 4 and a half stars, quite cologne-like, I personally like it better

【……】：……

At the end of the film review, Chen Mao gave "Sword Rain" a score of 8.2 according to the scoring standards of Time.com. The overall evaluation is——

There have been few martial arts masterpieces in recent years, and "Xiu Chun Dao" has its own advantages and is equally comparable. If you like martial arts themes, don't miss it!

This evaluation is still very high. After all, "Xiuchundao" can be said to be the best martial arts movie after "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". It has received many praises and is recognized as a classic masterpiece by Cao Xuan and Xu Laoguai.

Chen Mao compared "Sword Rain" and "Xiu Chun Dao", claiming that there is no distinction between high and low, and it can definitely attract a large number of movie fans.

And this evaluation is destined to usher in a lot of controversy. After all, film aesthetics are also very subjective.

"Xiu Chun Dao" is preconceived and has a classic aura. The style of "Sword Rain" cannot be liked by everyone, and many people are bound to choke.

Chen Mao didn't care, and was even happy to see the results.

Controversy will only generate traffic. Chen Mao can't bear to face the kind of bad stunts that are deliberately intended to attract attention, but he is still willing to indulge in this kind of comparison within a reasonable range.

By the way, he also cheered for Zeng Li, his favorite actor. As a loyal fan, he contributed to Zeng Li.

………

Chen Mao was not the only one to give high scores to "Sword Rain". Many film critics or fans gave it good reviews.

The initial score of Mtime.com was 7.9, and it stabilized at around 8.1 two days later, with a slight upward trend. It is definitely a good performance in a popular movie.

"Ip Man 2", which was released a week ago, only received a score of 7.4. It cannot be said that its reputation was badly beaten by "Sword Rain", but it is definitely lagging behind.

In terms of box office performance, "Sword Rain" is not inferior to "Ip Man 2" at all.

Frankly speaking, many people said that "Sword Rain" became popular a few years later, but in fact, when the movie was released, it was already praised as a word-of-mouth masterpiece, and many film critics and media gave good reviews.

There are many reasons why "Sword Rain" was not a critical hit.

First, the movie style is more literary and artistic, and the plot rhythm is a bit slow. It is not a commercial movie that many people like.

Secondly, I was unlucky at the time and happened to hit "Detective Dee: The Empire of Heaven". The two movies had similar themes, so the box office was naturally underperformed.

Third, the box office appeal of the main creative lineup is extremely limited.

The male protagonist Zheng Woosung is a Korean actor. He may be very popular in Korea, but not many people in China know him and will not go to the theater to watch movies for him.

The heroine Yang Ziqiong has a very high status, and is even a rare international star among Chinese people, but her popularity is really not very strong, and she has no box office appeal.

The remaining actors are basically supporting actors. They can be the icing on the cake, but it is basically impossible to play the leading role alone.

To put it bluntly, the male and female protagonists cannot handle the box office, and the director is an "unknown person."

The lineup has almost no points to attract the audience, the movie style is more literary and artistic, and it has an unlucky schedule. Even if the reputation is not good, it is not to the point of turning the world around.

In this case, it would be strange if the movie "Original Time and Space" does not make a splash...

But now the situation is completely different. Although the movie style has not changed much, the schedule environment and starring lineup have indeed improved a lot.

Especially for the starring cast, Cao Xuan's box office appeal is several times that of the original creators combined.

Let alone "Ip Man 2" and "Iron Man 2" with different themes, even if they compete against "Detective Dee: The Empire of Heaven", they may not lose.

"A Rain of Swords" was released on May 2, easily taking in 30 million box office on the first day, over 100 million in the first week, and 150 million in ten days.

If this trend continues, I dare not say 300 million, but 250 million is still very promising.

This box office cannot compare with the ceiling of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff", but it can still be regarded as a hit.

This can be regarded as the first big hit movie in which Empress of the West Palace plays a female protagonist. Even though 70% of the box office credit goes to Cao Xuan, the success of "Sword Rain" still allowed Zeng Li to successfully enjoy what it means to be popular...