Many people attribute the Chinese in the film to the characteristics of the alliance, and believe that the Chinese in the alliance is a common language. Mandarin, like Japanese, is a metaphor for multiple cultural backgrounds in the film. This argument is either untenable, or it makes people feel that the director is deliberately mysterious. Under normal circumstances, "playing mystery" will reduce the ideological connotation of the work and derogatory meaning.
The movie is the final theater version of the episode "firefly", which is a concluding speech for the suspense left in the episode. It explains the reason behind the mystery of River, the secret hidden by the alliance, and is a typical work of liberalism under the conspiracy theory. "Firefly" is a TV series adapted from a historical novel. It pays close attention to the psychological history and changes of soldiers in war. It is a TV series with unique style and rich connotation. When it was broadcast, it was not sought after by critics, but it enjoyed a more important position among science fiction fans. Later DVD sales proved the value of the series, so this theatrical version was created. It seems that a new story is about to be told on the big screen, and the vitality of this story is still very strong.
In fact, Japanese has only symbolic value in the film without much ideological significance. A few Japanese symbols in the film just prove that the machines produced by the Yamato nation have penetrated into the social life of the universe at that time. Communication equipment and computer equipment are all "Japanese goods". But Mandarin is spoken by the characters in the film casually, which shows that Chinese culture has taken root in people's hearts. The name "Tranquility" of the main battleship in the film actually hints at the mental journey of the crew. Everyone is looking for the pure land in their hearts in troubled times. Ironically, the alliance—the symbol of centralization—also under the banner of "harmony" recruits its own fighters and expands its territory. They train the warriors for the "greater good", control their minds, and even want to completely eradicate the "fighting mind" through chemical means-this will eventually lead to the transfer of power. Eliminating people's "fighting minds" is actually a manifestation of a centralized and authoritarian idea, in order to achieve a certain purpose, to inculcate the will to others. This act of strangling human traits to reach agreement is something that liberals cannot tolerate. "Harmonious" people’s traits are as unforgivable as cutting off human limbs. It is a powerful and authoritarian idea that deprives people of their freedom. The crew of the "Tranquility" is a ronin who, for various reasons, resists this kind of centralized power and lives in the cracks of a centralized society. They have sheltered ports, looking for a way to make a living. Use the survival principle of avoiding misfortune to guide life: do not directly conflict with the alliance, but never allow the interference and intervention of the alliance. At the same time they also have their own way of dealing with the world: believing what they believe.
Believe what you believe. It may seem incoherent, but in fact, people can put their beliefs into action, which is the greatest freedom. It is not doing whatever you want, but purposefully and persistently, realizing what you want, and developing toward the path you want, without being controlled by the outside world. Walk your own way, not be controlled by others. This is the greatest feat that mankind can do. If there is really a God in this world, who really controls all things, then humans' control of their own destiny is to counteract the Almighty God. The West generally believes that life is sacred and inviolable. God gives life sacred and does not blaspheme this sacredness. Any unnatural end-of-life behavior will be questioned. Respect for the sacredness of life is a kind of respect for God. In this sense, suicidal behavior is a way to challenge God and seek freedom. People have the right to decide when the life given by God ends, which is a kind of freedom. Although this example is relatively extreme, it just shows that getting rid of outside control is a great freedom. The crew of the "Tranquility" are fighters pursuing this kind of freedom: they don't believe in the alliance's propaganda, do not accept the alliance's recruitment, save the lives trampled by the alliance, and fight for their freedom and belief. The movie highlights this theme, and gives the crew of the "Tranquility" the best opportunity to confront the Alliance-the Alliance's dirty conspiracy.
Conspiracy to manipulate people's minds, to inform people's coalition of life, under the guise of freedom and peace, conduct dirty experiments, and try to hide the truth after the experiment fails. The result of the failure is not only the death of a large number of civilians, but also the birth of a large number of monsters. This is another great irony. The alliance maintains "freedom" in the name of "science" and "justice", but in fact "justice" is just a slogan, "science" is just a means of governance, and "freedom" is just a slogan. It is a complete illusion. The "science" of the alliance has become a common crisis facing human society: Reavers. This Frankenstein-like monster represents the ethical questioning and fear of science. It is a monster created by "science" and the evil result of the Alliance's vain attempt to play the role of the creator of the world. Plan to use science to transform mankind, the result is either death or becoming the devil. In order to "not cause panic," the alliance chose to conceal this fact, which completely violated the "freedom" it preached. In order to conceal this fact, unscrupulous means completely violated the so-called "justice" and found a perfect excuse for "slaughter." The most ironic thing is that the killer of the Alliance, expressionless and unrepentant, slaughtered the people who had revealed the "secret" of the enemy and us, and then blatantly revealed their "crimes", using the "seven sins". Come find a basis for your behavior. As everyone knows, this kind of reckless punishment and crime violated the "Ten Commandments": "There must be no other gods besides me." Punishment is determined by the doomsday judgment. The crime of trespassing is an act of blasphemy, but it has also become a sinner. The killer’s description of "greater good" is equivalent to a yearning for heaven. Fortunately, he knows that "greater good" has no place of his own in a society, which adds a little bit of tragedy to the character of the killer. .
The final decisive battle well demonstrated the purpose of "a soldier who defeats others without a fight". Captain Mal did not get rid of the Alliance's killer because of "anger", but traded "freedom" for trust: he showed the truth to the killer, and gave the killer the "freedom" of decision. In the end, the truth defeated the lie, and the killer's conscience saved the entire ship's life.
The film is a film with rich connotations. Like most successful science fiction films, it includes various questions and considerations about "belief", "value", and "justice". Of course, there are also a lot of comedy elements and romantic spirit, such as the science fiction version of "Pirates of the Caribbean".
The plot of the film is compact, the picture is beautiful, the performance of the actors is also in place, and the editing style is sharp and simple. The action element occupies a considerable position among them, which staged the "Hongkou Dojo" kicking hall-style one-to-many fighting plot. Summer Glau, the actor of the mysterious and psychic female River, also received rigorous martial arts training. She bravely entered the animal herd, holding a double axe in her hand, surrounded by dead bodies, and the blood-covered wall behind her has almost become a classic of Suo Nu.
Not being dazzled by the gorgeous special effects, insisting on telling a complete story is a rare feature of modern science fiction films.
It can also bring some serious themes, which can be described as a masterpiece.
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