"Only with the forgiveness and understanding of the living can we successfully pass the trial and be reincarnated" - "Walking with God"
"Death is not the end of life, forgetting is. The real death is that no one remembers you" - "Seeking In the cultures of all ethnic groups around the world, there is no shortage of profound discussions and speculations on life and death, reincarnation, and cause and effect. This year's hot Pixar animation " Dream
Travels", with the help of the exotic background of Mexico's Day of the Dead, makes people of all ages. The appropriate family dream theme inspires us to interpret an alternative interpretation of the end of life in a tender way. And "Black and White Impermanence", "Huangquan Road", "Naihe Bridge", "Meng Po Soup", "Yin Cao Difu", "Yan Luo King", "Eighteen Layers of Hell", these words that we can easily read and read often, also It fully proves that in China, and even in the entire Asian traditional culture, ordinary people have a sense of curiosity about the journey after death, and awe of karma and reincarnation. "Walking With the Gods" (the first part), which was released in South Korea at the end of December, was adapted from the popular Korean comic of the same name. In today's words, it is a well-known big IP with a solid mass base. As soon as it was released, it caused a heated discussion, and the attendance rate in Hong Kong and Taiwan was also considerable. It tells the story of the hero, who is a firefighter. In the 49 days after he died because of saving people, he and the three messengers from the underworld jointly accepted the seven-fold trial. Only The story of Fang De's reincarnation after successfully passing the harsh trial.
At first glance, it is actually the formula we are familiar with to upgrade and fight monsters. Team members 1+3, the protagonist of the firefighter, is the 48th noble who has been waiting for the three underworld messengers for many years, protect him well, help him to pass the reincarnation smoothly, and only then can he collect points to achieve super life. Coupled with the seven-layer approval checkpoint in the underworld, the narrative structure is quite chapter-like, which made me trance for a moment, "The white dragon and horseshoes face west, carrying Tang Sanzang and following three apprentices" (of course, the characters and stories of "Walking with God" are similar to "Journey to the West". Completely different, but the male protagonist has a face like a Tang monk, harmless to humans and animals). The cast of the film can be described as a gorgeous and grand (all old acquaintance series), which gathers Ha Jung Woo, Cha Tae Hyun, Joo Ji Hoon, Lee Jung Jae, Do Kyung Soo, Kim Heung Ki, Oh Da Soo, Kim Dong Wook, Lim Won Hee, Ma Dong Suk, etc. Rod all-star lineup. In this way, it is an explosive configuration.
But comics, or other literary works, and movies are completely different art carriers after all. How to break through the wall between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional is always a common problem for all creators. The good films in the world are often well-regulated, but the bad films in the world are always rotten and strange. The movie version of "Walking With the Gods" chooses to play the original story design and background rooted in traditional Asian culture, and puts on the stunning and cool special effects spectacles that are not inferior to Hollywood. The kimchi-flavored gag made the audience cry and laugh and applaud. Therefore, IP is not a problem, as long as the script is strong, the routine is also the embodiment of the highly specialized and modernized film industry.
The production cost of "Walking With the Gods" is as high as 40 billion won, which is equivalent to more than 240 million yuan. In the process of watching the movie, I felt the burning of funds almost all the time. Movies are dream machines, and director Jin Ronghua has his own special effects company (including Tsui Hark's "Taking Tiger Mountain by Wisdom" and "Di Renjie's God of the Dragon King", all of which have their participation). Korean filmmakers have devoted themselves to learning Hollywood for many years, and they have learned it very well: the scenes of several high-rise buildings, alleys, courtyards and flat rooms in the movie make people mistakenly think that they have gone to the wrong Hollywood superhero studio; the protagonist's younger brother died in vain He became a wronged soul, his body was burnt, he was wearing a hooded cloak, and the sword drawn by the underworld messenger who pursued him had neon light stripes. , a wave of good respect; and a group of people were in distress on a boat, and the monsters in the underworld were in chaos. of this situation.
If there are only special effects, it will only be reduced to Hollywood's Dongshi effect. The core of the film, or the greatest charm and depth of the original work, is precisely the commentary and judgment on the merits and demerits of people after death, and the torture and reflection of human nature. The protagonist has to experience murder, laziness, lies, injustice, betrayal, violence, and family relationships. These seven levels correspond to the inevitable experiences and choices of all living beings. Unlike other movies, which are mostly about the "living", "Walking with God" looks back on his life from the perspective of the "dead". The process of judgment is to sort out the words, deeds, and actions of one's life, and it is more of a re-examination of the mistakes made in the world. If you just go through the "Seven Doors" step by step, the audience will inevitably fall into the cycle of fatigue and boredom, so the coherence of the film and the choice of priorities become crucial. "Walking With God", through the linkage of the world, hell, memories, and dreams, parallel narration of the timeline, thriller and suspense, and stripping the cocoon, allows the audience to splicing together various clues and fragments, making the characters more three-dimensional and plump, and making the audience feel the motivation and emotion of the characters. , feel the same way. People who are not saints and sages can do nothing. While the movie shows the various tortures of the seventh-level hell, it is more to remind us that we should be in awe of karma, examine our words and deeds, accumulate virtue and do good deeds, and then we can balance our merits and demerits. . Just like the sentence of King Yama in the film, "Why don't people do it when they are alive, and regret it when they die?!" It is a blow to the protagonist and everyone.
In the face of such a profound core, the film still unabashedly wraps one of the most prominent labels and features of Han Ying, which is to make the audience cry with laughter and cry with laughter. So you are caught in a routine, and when the tear duct explodes, it seems to have cut 10 onions. The next second, you feel someone tickling hard under your armpit. Appropriate casting, precise lines and the actor's personal charm make it easy to switch between serious and funny. He Zhengyu, who plays the messenger team Changjiang Lin, has contributed to Biao Zongsheng from "Berlin" and Hawaii from "Assassination", and has another peak in appearance and acting skills! (Who can refuse to protect his wife in the shower of bullets in the bathroom, to deal with the enemy and help his lover with two guns in a chaotic wedding, and to stand on the bow of the boat with a sharp sword unsheathed
. The film version of "Walking with God" is divided into two parts, the second part is currently under intense production. On the premise of ensuring the integrity of the story, this first episode quietly leaves a lot of suspense and side branches that can be unfolded in detail. It seems that each character has a different story hidden behind it. Being able to perceive that the team is consciously operating this IP, rather than watching the audience's face or the surging of hot money, self-confidence and mature professionalism, and the enthusiastic positive feedback from the audience at the end are all worthy of our filmmakers' pondering. Although I haven't read the comics, I can still clearly feel the huge world view behind the original book during the entire viewing process, and the setting of "reincarnation" has its own unique advantages. If the operation is professional, the script is well-made, the main actor team is stable, and a "hell universe" similar to the DC or Marvel world, but with its own value system, is more easily accepted by the oriental people. It's not entirely a dream come true.
According to Taiwanese media reports, "Walking With the Gods" has indeed attracted the attention of Hollywood, and Stan Lee, the father of Marvel, has begun to approach director Jin Ronghua. There is always something worthy of our deep consideration behind the phenomenal movies. After all, "learning from the barbarians to control the barbarians".
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