So what did today's audience see from Zheng Baorui's live-action version of "Havoc in Heaven"? Donnie Yen hides his real body under makeup, and with eye-catching visual effects, what kind of brand new Wukong can he bring us? This is a test of the imagination of the main creator of the film, because if you compare it with some classic Monkey King images in the history of Chinese film and television, it is not easy to maintain the charm of the classic image, and it is even more difficult to make breakthroughs. Of course, the appearance of Wukong on the screen is more in line with the imagined Monkey King: vigorous posture, thick hair, wild but hard to hide ignorance, it is the unique temperament of Monkey King in the stage of "Havoc in Heaven". At this point, Donnie Yen has been quite successful in hiding his previous screen image within the appearance of special effects makeup. The makeup team has carefully adjusted everything from hair to face mask. Donnie Yen spends up to 4 hours a day in makeup, which is evident with his fake and real efforts.
For small audiences who have not experienced the baptism of Wukong images such as the animated version of "Havoc in Heaven" or the TV series "Journey to the West", maybe this Monkey King can also just meet their mythological imagination, but a little comparison can be found that although Donnie Yen is in In the film, the self is hidden, but the essence of Wukong is not restored. Wukong in "Havoc in Heaven", although the gold helmet and gold armor supplemented by the theme of class resistance to highlight the spirit, but its image itself is a slightly exaggerated body proportion, which belongs to the imagination of the master Wan Laiming, and "Journey to the West" In the TV series, Liu Xiaolingtong made use of his family background, combined with the performance method of Shao Opera Wukong opera, so that the image of Sun Wukong from the inside out, is infinitely close to "monkey" rather than "character", and there is even a good story that some people can't tell the difference between monkeys. .
In contrast, the Sun Wukong played by Donnie Yen in "Havoc in Heaven" this time is judged by high and low. This version of Wukong, from the beginning of his debut, makes people feel that he is being "performed". Donnie Yen, who is wrapped in layers of costumes, even in the Under normal circumstances, his facial expressions cannot be directly proportional to his movements, and he has a coat that resembles the "Monkey King", which makes his expression more stagnant. The so-called Wukong's flexibility depends entirely on blinking his eyes, but he is already the same as Liu Xiaoling. It is a far cry from the realm of being both a child and a god.
Of course, it is a bit far-fetched to compare action stars with professional "monkey opera" masters. Besides, the lack of body or expression can be made up for in the film with panoramic filming. Even in consecutive action scenes, Donnie Yen's skills can also be used. Adjusting the image of Wukong is also the significance of the series of fierce battles that the film strives to create. From this point of view, the main actor as an action star and the construction of action scenes by modern video technology make the Monkey King in "Havoc in Heaven" basically Fair enough. However, the problem of "Havoc in Heaven" is not so simple. At the screenwriting level, the film strips the plot of the original novel and builds the film into an epic pattern in which the Bull Demon leads the demon brothers to counterattack the heaven, and the role played by Sun Wukong is one. A piece of chess, being deceived again and again, finally at a critical moment, he came to his senses and turned his back.
I believe this is the most surprising part for the audience (adults or children) in the theater. In the previous film and television versions of Wukong's image, the image of his rebel has been clearly highlighted. In Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, no matter how crazy and funny Wukong is, he will eventually have to face the ultimate character of "even though thousands of people go to me". But "Havoc in Heaven" does the opposite, portraying Wukong as a brave and resourceful person, even if he is persuaded by his master Bodhi in every possible way, he will devote himself to the disaster without any regrets or regrets, and once he wakes up, he will be able to communicate with the Lord of the heavens again. Chatting and laughing. The idea of the screenwriter is almost bizarre (no disrespect to several screenwriters, I believe that this play has encountered many unimaginable problems during the entire execution process), whether Wukong is a rebel or a blind infatuation (love in White Fox, and White Fox was killed)? Or is it just an innuendo, an innuendo to the mortal character of the world?
From the previous film and television adaptations of the original book "Journey to the West", no matter how the character shape or story structure changes, they have not touched the core Wukong spirit: uninhibited, fearless, and rebellious, and "Havoc in Heaven" is obviously made at this level. In a subversive attempt, the object of Sun Wukong's rebellion - the Jade Emperor - was transformed into a so-called "famous and decent" leader, and the ultimate boss was replaced by the Bull Demon King, so "Havoc in Heaven" is more like a Hollywood movie As shown in the story model of the novel, it is not the system that is confronted, but the foreign devil. This kind of adaptation makes Sun Wukong enter the Hall of High Heaven again, but off-screen, he loses the audience's perception of "Monkey King". Behavioral logic and expectations of spiritual discourse. Wukong, who has no soul, is the most unsuccessful stroke of "Havoc in Heaven".
"Beijing Youth Daily Literary Review" 2014.2.11
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