The biggest dark horse in summer, let me blow up Nezha!

Coralie 2022-01-24 08:04:30

On July 13th, after watching the screenings, I felt very strongly that Xiao Nezha would be the savior of this summer file that was bleak and unacceptable due to various reasons. It not only presents a picture of advanced technology based on rich imagination, but also tells a wonderful growth story that is enough to impress audiences of all ages.

The story of Nezha is already well-known in China, so what the film creators did is by no means a simple reenactment and renovation. They rejuvenated this ancient myth with new vitality and made the audience realize that it is on a deeper spiritual level. , We have always shared some simple truths with our ancestors.


one

The core of the tragedy is the most touching part of Nezha's story. When I was a child when I didn't perceive death, when reading/seeing Nezha suffocating myself, I don't know how many people took a deep breath and fell into deep fear at the same time. In "Nezha's Demon Boy" (hereafter referred to as "Nezha"), there is also a "must die" plot setting: because Nezha is the reincarnation of the magic pill, he is born forever and full of evil, and he will be in the sky at the age of 3 The arrival left him to pieces and his soul flew away. So, when the established ending cannot be changed, how do we choose to live a lifetime? To what extent are we responsible for consequences that were not caused by our own fault? The story of Nezha closely revolves around these two issues. This is why the film is easy to watch, but very heavy in retrospect.

Fate is the main theme of the film. Just imagine, if a child is born and is cursed and imprisoned because of his origin, what does this mean for him? Even though he was friendly, the people around him still speculated about him with the greatest malice and avoided him; it was other children who could throw dirty things and rotten eggs at him wantonly and didn't believe that he would do anything good. This is Nezha's gloomy childhood: after discovering that everyone had given up on him, he decided to give up on himself.

"I am a little monster, carefree and at ease, killing people without blinking, eating people without salt." Nezha, who has been so blinded by the world, used double depravity to avenge those who have no good intentions. At this time, he had already determined that he was born as a devil.

Nezha's transformation happened the moment he really understood his father Li Jing. At first, he found out that his father and master let him practice in retreat just to delay the day of his death, so as to prevent him from griefing and angering the world. Later, he knew that his father was willing to bear the thunder for him and loved him more than his own life. As a result, he was finally able to understand his father's good intentions: cultivation and elimination of demons, all in order to allow him to be remembered as a hero in the future, not as a monster. At that moment, he suddenly realized that human destiny is created by objective conditions and subjective actions . Even though his nature is evil, he still has a choice for good. This is his new understanding of his own destiny.

So far, the film has completed the answer to the first question through Nezha's change from "recognizing fate" to "recognizing destiny". Obviously, the creators believe that no child is destined to be abandoned; even if the whole world abandons you, please don't give up yourself. This is a truth that will be said to be very boring and preaching if you are not careful, but "Ne Zha" has been very successful. This is largely due to the unique concept of good and evil constructed by the film. system.


two

Profound artistic creation can often restore the complexity of the real world to the greatest extent. The audience is no longer the children who were content to appreciate the face-painted struggle between the pros and the villains. Therefore, only by transcending good and evil and exploring why good and evil arise and why they oppose each other in a higher dimension can a story become more full and moving. The exciting thing is that Nezha did it. The creators further explained the theme of the film by recreating the long prince Ao Bing who died of a cramp by Nezha in the mythology: people are determined by nature and growth environment , and the latter often plays a more important role in many cases. big.

In the new version, Ao Bing is a good student with his own halo as soon as he appears. He is kind-hearted, hard-working, and sensible. Fortunately, he got the other half of the powerful Hunyuan Orb-the Spirit Orb, which symbolizes goodness. Unfortunately, he did not have a good father like Nezha. From beginning to end, he was used as a tool for Dragon Clan revival. He had to bear the honor and future of the entire family, and his father never thought whether this was something he could bear. This is a hurdle that he couldn't step through when he made the crazy move of freezing Chentangguan and killing everyone: He should complete his father and master's entrustment. This is right; but reason reminds him, Everything was wrong from the beginning.

The film has a very clever design. Before Ao Bing set off, the father and all the elders of the dragon clan tore off the hardest dragon scales on their bodies and made him an impenetrable ten thousand dragon armor. When Nezha was punished by the sky thunder, Ao Bing stepped forward and sacrificed Wanlongjia to block part of him. Therefore, this piece of equipment that was originally used to complete the dragon mission was finally used by Ao Bing to protect his inner goodness. Therefore, even though all Chentangguan people were almost killed, Ao Bing still gained the favor of the audience. His comparison with Nezha’s nature shows that even the most good can go astray; and even the most evil can be influenced by love. At the same time, his awakening at the last moment reflects that the kindness of human nature is never extinguished, but it will experience tests.

From "The Return of the Great Sage" to "The White Snake: Origin" and then to "Nezha", the outstanding domestic animations that have emerged in recent years have been responding to an expectation: Can China produce cinema animations suitable for all ages? How to make cartoons get rid of the long-standing "low" and "young" labels? Several works of word-of-mouth and box office win-win tell us that domestic animation needs to upgrade not only the production technology, but also the production concept. At this stage, choosing a classic IP for the old drama and the new story may be the most appropriate way. Familiar animated protagonists help to open up a larger market. On this basis, "Nezha" not only allows the audience to see the foreshadowing of the development of a sequel, but also the easter eggs of Jiang Ziya at the end, as well as a surprise glimpse of its blueprint for creating the Fengshen universe series. I think "Nezha" may be the opening of a new and important page in the history of Chinese animation development.


three

Foucault said: The important thing is not the age of mythology, but the age of mythology. Returning to the theme of the film, in addition to the two themes of "denial of fate" and "good and evil", "Nezha" also contains thinking about the family. We see that behind the actions of the two protagonists, they are actually being promoted by the family. Just like when faced with a limited lifespan, Nezha’s mother suggested that Nezha should go to visit the mountains and play in order to spend this life happily; while Nezha’s father believed that a limited life had to realize its own meaning. Not in vain. Dragon King is at the other extreme. He requires his son to execute the life planned for him perfectly.

It is the same to love children, but every parent has a different way. From this perspective, "Nezha" is like a work dressed in a mythical cloak, intended to arouse the audience's thinking about parent-child relationship. If it is said that American superheroes are represented by the mission concept of “the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility”, then for the creation of an oriental hero, how to balance the expectations of the family and the ethics of the realization of personal values may be more appropriate. Issues that fit the local cultural context.

The self-identity influenced by our parents may follow us throughout our lives. But the film tells us that it does not determine our lives. When a person truly grows up, he recognizes the limitations of his parents. Just as Nezha didn't let his father suffer the sky thunder for himself, Ao Bing also let go of the obsession that his father had imposed on him. Independence, formation of things

Our own judgment and following our own heart rather than the arrangement of our parents is the first stop on our journey of life.

At this point, there seems to be an answer to the second question raised at the beginning of this article.

Nezha was the reincarnation of the magic pill. It was not his fault. To be wiped out in the sky, he accepted this fate frankly and chose to bear it alone;

It wasn't Ao Bing's fault that Nezha suffered the Heavenly Tribulation Curse, but he could not stand by and chose to bear it with Nezha.

To grow is to make life choices independently, and to be a hero is to bravely take on responsibilities that do not belong to you. In just ten minutes, the plot smoothly completed the two-layer explanation of the theme of "growth" and "hero" and progressed. When reviewing the film, I realized that I was not only shocked by the thrilling and magnificent scenes, It was deeply touched by the abundant and strong emotion contained in the main theme of the film. At that time, the impact caused by emotions and pictures is indescribable in words. Therefore, I can say without exaggeration: From Nezha, I see the power of Guoman.


Four

If there is another popular theme that Nezha wants to convey to the audience, it is to fight prejudice .

Nezha, Ao Bing, and Shen Gongbao, no matter whether they stand on the front side or the opposite side in the plot, their situation is actually the same: as an outlier in the group, no matter how hard they put in, no matter how much they make a great contribution, It is difficult to get full recognition. People are still watching them all the time.

In the film, a blind old man is the embodiment of prejudice. At every critical moment in the development of the plot, he will appear and give generous speeches, with the purpose of representing all the people and imposing sanctions on Nezha with an overwhelming number of advantages. And we have also seen that people's indifferent attitude is precisely the reason for the constant intensification of Nezha's evil nature. Similarly, Ao Bing was criticized for exposing the identity of the dragon to the people. He reluctantly saw that people cared more about what he was than what he did.

Therefore, the biggest villain in "Nezha" is actually the people. Specifically, it is the evil of the people's ignorance and the evil of instinct. When children can throw stones at Nezha and scold him casually, you will feel the deep sense of superiority that you occupy the moral high ground. When people throughout the ages have done evil, they often find a legitimate reason. They are too good at using reasonable motives to cover up unreasonable methods.

In order to take care of the children's audience, the film added a comedic effect when dealing with the distribution of scenes. For example, Shen Gongbao is set to stutter and gets stuck on keywords every time; while the blind old man always speaks in the wrong direction. These laughter points to some extent weaken the sense of horror that the film produces when it exposes the dark side of human nature. However, interested audiences can still perceive the terrible power of ignorance and fearfulness of gangsters through careful taste.

And "us" ultimate theme is still falling on how to choose . The Hot Wheel that Nezha steps on in the film was originally the pig that Taiyi rides on. The interesting details of this magic weapon that change with the owner are much like a symbol of the director’s belief that "destiny is shaped by you" ! From the beginning, the good and evil of Hunyuanzhu are integrated, just like everyone, it all depends on which side of it you stimulate. At the same time, the environment we live in is also influencing us to show the good or evil side at all times. Looking back on Nezha’s experience, I deeply feel that it doesn’t really matter how other people view you, but when you start to see yourself through the eyes of others, you really become that alien. This is the saddest one.

five

For movies, I don't hold a linear historical view, and believe that the level of new works will surpass the old ones.

But I did see in "Nezha" that Chinese animation creators continue to improve and make up for their shortcomings. I believe that "the master of domestic animation at this stage" is not an excessive evaluation of "Nezha".

Is there any reason not to blow "Nezha"? Little magic boy in the summer vacation, please come quickly!

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Extended Reading
  • Angela 2022-03-19 09:01:09

    The best-watched summer file so far. What really moved me was not the character of Nezha, but the pleasure of watching a Hong Kong movie comedy that I had been missing for a long time!

  • Elyssa 2022-03-19 09:01:09

    This is the director’s debut in an animated feature film!