On March 8, the action film "The Stranger" produced by iQiyi was exclusively broadcast online on iQiyi's online film trading and viewing platform - Cloud Cinema. The film tells the story of Tian Anye, a charcoal seller, who in order to eradicate injustice in the world, wields the "King of Ten Thousand Swords" - the 2.6-meter-long Mo Dao, and fights against the villains. The plot of the film is interlocking, the camera movements are full of sense of design, and the fighting scenes are both majestic and smooth, and the audience said it is very enjoyable.
Poster of "Stranger Knife". Photo courtesy of the producer
This film is also the finale of the first season of the action film label "Action Master Season" launched by iQiyi in January 2024. Previously released action movies of this season include "Blocking Horses and Seizing Knives", "Defiant 2" and " ", covering various themes such as martial arts, kung fu, police and robbers, and gathering Zhang Jin, Wu Yue, Xie Miao, An Zhijie The "masters" among action actors such as have attracted attention within and outside the industry.
Expand new space for action films
Chinese action films occupy an important position in the world film industry with their unique martial arts aesthetics and action design. Bruce Lee , Jackie Chan , Jet Li and other kung fu superstars are world-famous, and a large number of action movies are popular at home and abroad. However, as time goes by, the older generation of kung fu superstars gradually fade away, action actors with solid traditional martial arts skills appear to have a certain gap, and the tastes of the new generation of audiences have also changed. Various reasons have caused Chinese action films to enter a phase of relative adjustment. With the decrease in Chinese-language action films on the big screen, action films have rarely made it into the top 10 annual box-office films in mainland China in recent years.
But the action movie genre still has strong demand among audiences. Yang Haitao, senior vice president of iQiyi, said that on iQiyi, male viewers contribute more than 60% of movie viewing volume. Relatively speaking, male viewers prefer action movies. As an important category provided by iQiyi Cloud Cinema, action movies have performed well in recent years. Action movies such as "Blind Fight", " Defiant ", "Northeast Police Story 2" and "Zero" have been well received and received critical acclaim. In 2023, iQiyi's online movie box office champion "Zero" has a box office of nearly 50 million yuan, and the runner-up "Northeast Police Story 2" has a box office of more than 36 million yuan. "'Action Master Season' hopes to use a stylized, high-quality, and serialized approach to leave a deep impression on users of this brand." Yang Haitao said.
Li Zhen, a researcher at the China Film Art Research Center, said after watching the four works of "Action Master Season" that in recent years, online film and television works have seized opportunities, grown rapidly, and improved significantly in quality. These four works are all of high quality and have refreshed people's minds. In the past, I had the impression that online movies had little investment and were unprofessional. For example, shooting night scenes is a test for filmmakers and requires a high degree of professionalism. The night scenes in these four movies were all shot well. In "Strange Swordsman", the northern folk "iron flower" is used as a spectacle element in the night sword competition, and the effect is stunning.
What’s more worth mentioning is that the action scenes in these films are comparable to those in theater blockbusters. “The Strange Sword” designed a complete set of actions for the rare Mo Dao, a weapon of the Tang Dynasty. The male protagonist played by Zhang Jin and Geng The final showdown of the villain played by Le is thrilling. The fight scene in the ice cellar between the positive and negative characters played by Xie Miao and An Zhijie in "Evil" was also very exciting.
"How Chinese action films can seize new opportunities to survive and develop now? Film and television people should have a sense of mission and market goals. iQiyi has planned to launch the 'Action Master Season', opening up new channels and development for action films Space." Li Zhen said.
Everyone works together to explore a new path
There have been many classic Chinese action films in the past. On the one hand, they provide resources for inheritance and reference. On the other hand, it is difficult for new works to innovate and transcend. In the "Action Master Season", all parties strive to explore new ways for action films, try to learn from Chinese and foreign film elements, create legendary heroes, and tell good stories.
Song Jia introduced that iQiyi has made a large investment in cloud cinema action movies, and the cooperation model is flexible and complete. It can be self-made, customized, or participate in investment projects, and it has an open, transparent and favorable account sharing model.In order to produce good content and works, iQiyi staff even tapped some authors of the defunct magazine "Legends of Modern and Ancient Times - Martial Arts Edition" to develop scripts.
At the same time, the creators are working hard to show their talents. "Chinese action movies have always made us proud and cannot disappear." said actor Wu Yue. He serves as the producer, producer and guest star in "Blocking Horses and Seizing Swords". The film is based on the Peking Opera "Blocking Horses" and tells the story of a female general from the Yang family who went to the Liao Kingdom to retrieve the imperial sword left by Yang Ye. The blend of martial arts, suspense, and comedy elements has made it very popular on iQiyi.com.
"Defiant 2" is created by the original cast of the 2022 hit martial arts film "Defiant" and continues the story of a knight who "becomes blind" and goes on a heroic journey. Chief producer Wei Junzi said that they had established three principles for "Defiant": extraordinary martial arts, unconventional heroes, and very current emotions. "Defiant 2" follows these principles. The film sets up the relationship between a blind martial arts master and a little girl. The story of the two people warming up to each other resonates with the audience.
"Anti-Evil" chief producer Hao Dong said: "Nowadays, people's lives are very fast-paced. Let the audience watch a wonderful story in a fragmented time. This is the starting point for us to create action films. We want to make the ultimate and grounded Angry characters, use good content to attract audiences."
Li Zhen believes that these four films have inherited elements from Chinese and foreign genre films and integrated them into the creation of action films. For example, "Blocking Horses and Seizing Swords" adopts the elements of traditional martial arts films. The "Inn" narrative mode; the character settings of the "two heroes" in "Evil" are commonly used in Hong Kong movies; the settings of the "Killer + Girl Group" and "Blind Knight" in "Defiant 2" all draw on successful Chinese and foreign works. . "These four action films all adopt a fast-paced, high-intensity performance style, which satisfies the audience's need for 'internet sense'. The creators are learning and growing at the same time, which is a gratifying phenomenon."
effectively demonstrates cultural confidence
"Blocking Horses" At the beginning of "Seize the Knife", a scene in which Yang Ye, played by Wu Yue as a guest star, immediately fought with a sword and fought bloody to the end, deeply touched Li Zhen: "I think this is a metaphor. Although Wu Yue and others' swords are not old, they have already become one after all. At this age, the sword of this generation should be taken over by newcomers. Now is a critical period for the creation of action films." Action films stand at a turning point and a new starting point. Facing current and future audiences, action films need to Cultivating new people and adopting new technologies also requires exploring the new era connotations of action movies. This is also an important reason for the characteristics and success of these four films.
Through these 4 films, some new directors and new actors have emerged. For example, the average age of the creators of "Blocking Horses and Seizing Swords" is less than 30 years old, and the male lead Song Tianshuo is a newcomer. "Stranger Knife" is director Li Wei's first film. In the past, Xie Miao didn't have many opportunities to star in big-screen movies. In recent years, he has starred in a series of online action movies and stood out due to his strength. This time he starred in two of the four films in the "Action Master Season". Especially in "Defiant 2", he played the role of a blind knight with his eyes closed throughout, and his performance in both literary and martial arts was outstanding. "Action Master Season" has assembled a group of potential actors and directors who are forming their own style and steadily attracting a group of action movie lovers.
These four films all use new technologies and new production models, such as the extensive use of drones, the adoption of digital production models, etc., and there are also many fast-moving flying shots. Li Zhen believes that the use of new technologies is one of the characteristics of online movies. Compared with on-site shooting, this method not only saves costs, but also achieves good results.
The films of "Action Master Season" also show conscious cultural pursuits. For example, "The Stranger" features the characters of a Persian prince and a Turkic man, and the male protagonist also has military experience in the Western Regions, thus highlighting the historical background of Sino-foreign exchanges and national integration in the Tang Dynasty. "Defiant 2" also tells a story that took place in the Tang Dynasty. The crew researched and restored the details of food such as "soup cakes" with great care. When it comes to the relationship between the Song Dynasty and Liao Dynasty in "Standing the Horse and Seizing the Sword", the main creator made a more scientific and rational understanding and expression from today's perspective.At the same time, these action films also combine the traditional Chinese chivalrous spirit with the emotional appeal and values of contemporary audiences, mirroring real life. For example, "Standing in the Way" and "Anti-Evil" reflect the young generation's desire to gain social recognition; "Defiant 2" and "Stranger Knife" advocate a positive attitude towards the world and oppose the "flat culture".
It is reported that on March 14, "Stranger Knife" has been released in Malaysian theaters, and all four of these films have also been launched on iQiyi International. "Defiant 2" is temporarily ranked first on the popularity list, and "Anti-Evil" "ranked second, and "Stranger Knife" ranked third.
Wu Yue is currently filming "Block the Horse and Seize the Sword 2", and Hao Dong is also in the post-production stage of his fourth film in collaboration with iQiyi. Song Jia said that iQiyi will further arrange the action movies to give them a more suitable time and space for their release. "We are willing to continue to create together with everyone to make Chinese action movies shine in the world of cinema." Bright".
(Source: People’s Daily Overseas Edition reporter Miao Chun)
