I read the synopsis before and couldn't help comparing it to "Seven Samurai". It's the story of seven warriors defending the village. Although the opening subtitle of the film points out that it is adapted from "Seven Swords Down the Tianshan Mountains", it seems that it has nothing to do with the background of the times. And the background of the times is not what the director wants to emphasize. During the interview, most of them talked about the seven swords. Then let's compare it with "Seven Samurai".
The first is the plot, this should be the biggest flaw of the Seven Swords! To use a phrase from his mobile phone, Tsui Hark's films "have flaws in every plot". However, the lack of plot in other films is overshadowed by the film's fast pace and dazzling visual effects. Many entertainment blockbusters do this to cover up plot holes. In this film, Lao Xu has slowed down the pace, so that everyone has time to relive the plot. So it seems very unreasonable in many places, especially at the end of the film, a traitor has taken care of everyone, so why do you need so many villains? Seven swords came out, and the whole army was wiped out by wind and fire, so what was going on in the beginning? The film is more than two hours long, and the plot is not complicated. Why can't it be made more convincing? Compared with the Seven Samurai, there are almost no loopholes, the simple main plot, plus the ups and downs of the details, people can't pick out any faults. Maybe the plot is the weak point of Chinese movies. I remember seeing an article commenting on "A World Without Thieves" a while ago, and I was very excited to tell a story about the film. On this point, Tsui Hark should learn from To Qifeng. Instead of imitating Zhang Yimou's false story, it will be an interlocking story.
The second is the characters, seven swords only have swords, no people! After reading it, the characteristics of the sword are impressive. Especially with the sound of the dragon and the two-headed waterfall. But what about those who make swords? Only Wu Yuanying, who is a little silly, gives me a little impression of a living person, and the rest are just like a concept, a face. In such a documentary-style film, with characters not coming to life, it's hard to believe the story. Why are the Seven Samurai attractive? Because they are vivid. Whether it is the seasoned Shimura Joe, or the immature Katsushiro, and the funny Senbei. It is said that Seven Swords will have a 4-hour version. Will the characters in it be fuller? Be skeptical, the lack of characters and the lack of script are closely related, how can a story full of loopholes have good characters.
The third is action, Qijian's action is still good. It's a pity that Donnie Yen didn't find an opponent, and the duel in the narrow alley was still pretty nice, but after all, Sun Honglei's kung fu is too bad, which is a pity. Liu Jialiang's own action scenes are also very well shot, especially the opening scene of overturning the horse in the water, which is very impactful! And Xin Longzi's agility is also impressive. However, the success in small places makes the grasp of the whole scene very insufficient. The editing and scheduling of the big scene was a bit messy. After watching it for a long time, I didn't understand why so many people disappeared.
Finally, let's talk about the appearance, the image design of Seven Swords is still good, but the design of the villain is a bit too much. Especially those people's muscular armor, alas, Tsui Hark's comic plot can't be given up. Since it is a return, why can't it be thorough?
Seven Swords has heroic chivalry and a lot of love. In my opinion, these love scenes are not too bad. It is much more credible than Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers". But a two-hour film needs to talk about so much, which is not enough.
The general feeling is that Tsui Hark put too many things in this film, which made him overwhelmed. If you want the style of a documentary, you can't forget the comic-style expression; you need to talk about heroic chivalry, but also so many love stories; you need a wonderful martial arts effect, and you need to send powerful actors to perform. The seven protagonists seem to have nothing to do with each other except that they are from the same family. As a result, the film is like the sword of sacrifice, which only has weight and no spirit.
Still looking forward to the sequel. After all, there are almost no people like Tsui Hark who are serious about making martial arts films. He is exploring, exploring very hard, maybe it will be better to let go a little bit and give up a little bit. Just like "Shushan", there are almost only animations, but it is still very exciting. To be simple, like Sanda, is also good. Too big plans often fail, but I hope the next Tsui Hark can still travel lightly!
Note: It was first posted on the Shuimu community, and now it is moved here
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