As children return to school, the schedule of film and television dramas in the post-summer season shows the characteristics of reality-themed dramas taking the lead. Dramas such as "The Flower of the Sea", "Spring Breeze" and "What a Thing" have been launched successively, and t

As children return to school, the schedule of film and television dramas in the post-summer season shows the characteristics of reality-themed dramas taking the leading role. Dramas such as " Hidden Sea Flower ", " Spring Breeze and Rain ", " What's the Big Deal " have been launched successively. The high-profile masterpiece " Mortal Song " produced by Noon Sun, and the first online drama " Snow Maze " produced by famous director Zhang Yimou also appeared on the screen, setting off a battle for ratings. Judging from the current ratings, Zhang Yimou's transition from the big screen to the small screen seems to be a bit acclimated. The opening chapter is slightly suspended, and it is not as good as "Mortal Song", which tells the daily life of urban men and women.

"Snow Maze" was criticized by the audience

Recently, suspense web dramas directed by famous directors have been released one after another. After the " Bianshui Past " produced by Cao Baoping ended with high reputation, Youku White Night Theater took advantage of the popularity to take over the production of Zhang Yimou. "Snow Maze". The themes of both works are related to anti-drugs, and they are both online dramas supervised by famous film directors for the first time. However, judging from the broadcast data and post-broadcast reputation, Zhang Yimou's control of "Snow Maze" did not achieve the stunning effect at the beginning, which made "Snow Maze" just " The audience who ate too well suddenly felt a sense of disparity.

The story of "Snow Maze" begins in 1997. In the fictional old industrial city of Haran in Northeast China, a murder case implicated a secret large-scale drug trafficking organization. The plot starts with a "black and white" murder case. The police set up an anti-drug task force composed of elite police officers headed by criminal police captain Zheng Bei ( Huang Jingyu ) to track the criminals and uncover new types of new drugs in Harlan City. Drug transmission context.

"Snow Maze" is the first online drama produced by Zhang Yimou. The director is Lu Xing, who is recognized by the audience for the highly acclaimed suspense drama "Undocumented Crime". It is led by young actors such as Huang Jingyu and Zhang Yu, and includes Liang Guanhua, Ding Jiali, and Liu Wei. Waiting for veteran actors to join in the show has attracted much attention before it starts airing. Judging from the episodes currently aired, the scenes and photography compositions of the show all have Zhang Yimou's style. The creation of a strong atmosphere for the murder case is reminiscent of the atmosphere in the opening case of Lu Xing's "Undocumented Crime". However, after the story started, "Snow Maze" did not receive good reviews, and many viewers complained about its narrative rhythm and characterization.

In terms of characterization, the audience’s complaints focused on the performance of the lead actor Huang Jingyu. Huang Jingyu plays not so much a criminal police captain, but a star who experiences life in the police force. Whether he is performing an undercover mission or ambushing and arresting in a busy city, his handsome and tall image paired with sunglasses, leather jackets, and long windbreakers makes the person who should be hiding in the police force stand out. The detective in the crowd became conspicuous. In terms of narrative, "Snow Maze" strives to combine the daily life of criminal police officers with the urgency of criminal investigation and drug detection. However, such a fusion weakens the suspenseful atmosphere. The two narrative styles are superimposed and lose sight of one, making the work soothing the flow of life. The violent crime scene jumps abruptly and is difficult to integrate. The transitions between paragraphs are abrupt and the rhythm is fast and slow, weakening the coherence of the thrilling atmosphere. In the play, five young detectives make jokes around the daily routine in the office, using the regional differences between northern and southern people to create fun and laughter. In addition, there is the pull between the two male protagonists of the task force, one civilized and one military. These scenes that take up a lot of space are separated from the main line of the investigation. , seems protracted and lengthy.

Fortunately, after the opening chapter, the story of "Snow Maze" gradually got on the right track, and the overall investigation line was cut into the main line. The ratings of the series finally jumped slightly, but it was still not impressive enough. Zhang Yimou is involved in the production of online dramas for the first time, and it is still unclear whether the change of track will be successful.

"Mortal Song" poster

"Mortal Song" resonates with netizens

Speaking of "Mortal Song", almost everyone will think of the song composed by Li Zongsheng, "You and I are both mortals/born in the world/running around and suffering all day long/for a moment No time to spare..." This has also become a true portrayal of the content of the TV series "Mortal Song", and discussions about the show continue to rise.

"Mortal Song" is adapted from the novel "I'm Not a Loser" written by Ji Jingrong. The story revolves around three couples and lovers in Beijing. It tells the story of them facing their own life dilemmas, facing their hearts, and working with their partners to overcome the crisis of life. . "Mortal Song" positions itself as an urban topical drama that uses family as the narrative space to tell the story of workplace struggles. At the beginning, it uses high-intensity and fast-paced narrative to bring the audience a series of highly topical life dramas.

"Song of Mortals" focuses on small people and is a typical micro-narrative. It contains both cruel workplace struggles and trivial home life, which is very life-like. Under the crushing force of the times, everyone's life is changing. Na Wei and Shen Lin, as successful people drifting from Beijing, were proud of the fact that "wealth and wealth do not return home, just like walking at night in brocade clothes", but at the next moment they both lost their jobs and fell into the dilemma of resting on their laurels. Shen Lei and Xie Meilan, a couple who seemed to be living a peaceful life, owed huge medical bills before their elderly family member fell seriously ill and died. Their lives took a turn for the worse, and they eventually divorced. Shen Lei even escaped to live in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain after a psychological collapse. Na Juan, a programmer at a large factory with an annual salary of one million, suffered from panic disorder during high-intensity work. However, he tried to hide it in order to keep his job. This caused a serious conflict of values ​​with his girlfriend Li Xiaoyue, who only wanted to have fun in time. Eventually, the two gradually fell out of love. Fading away...

The reason why "Mortal Song" has received such attention is that it has added more current issues, allowing the audience to project more of the character's experience onto themselves, stimulating the audience's sense of participation and desire for expression. For example, “Is 35 years old the red line for working age?” “Should I lie down if I have a job?” “A monthly salary of 10,000 yuan is called ‘volume’, and 100,000 yuan is called hard work” “Is it wrong to not want to give birth to a child in a rented house?” Topics such as "Does 'Rolling' Create Life or Destroy Life?" resonated with netizens, and some viewers said they were "broken" by the real workplace ecology in the play.

However, "Mortal Song" is also a bit ungrounded. The protagonists in the play are named "mortal people", but most of them are high-income groups. For example, Na Wei, as a corporate executive, has an annual salary of 500,000 yuan and options, Shen Lei is a civil servant who graduated from a prestigious school, and Na Juan is a programmer who earns one million yuan a year. Such settings are quite different from the lives of ordinary people. It is difficult to resonate with ordinary people who are really facing difficulties in life.

The period drama "Going North" is highly anticipated

In addition to the above two works, the TV series "Flower of the Sea" and "Sifangguan" also maintain a certain degree of popularity in the ratings. "The Flower of the Hidden Sea" co-starring Zhang Luyi, Wen Yongshan, Chen Minghao, and Zhang Kangle has won unanimous praise from book fans and drama fans for its highly restored plot settings and precise character creation of the original work. The little brother played by Zhang Luyi in the play is naturally unpretentious, Chen Minghao's portrayal of the fat man is humorous and cute, and Wen Yongshan is popular with the audience for her beauty and sassy fighting scenes. The compact plot, mysterious clues and high-energy interaction between characters make "The Flower of the Hidden Sea" continue to rise in popularity. Although "Sifangguan" starring Tan Jianci and Zhou Yiran is very popular on the Internet, the audience's evaluation is polarized. Yuan Mo, played by Tan Jianci, is witty and funny, but hides pain in his heart. His infatuated pursuit of the heroine is moving. However, the male protagonist's "reverse growth" setting in the later period confused some viewers. Despite this, "Sifangguan" still maintains a high level of attention due to the fan base of the protagonist and the appeal of the costume theme. However, for viewers who are looking forward to a gripping costume drama, they may have to wait patiently for the plot to unfold further.

Next, the highly anticipated period drama is undoubtedly "Going North". Although the show's launch date has changed again and again, it still has high hopes. This work is adapted from the Mao Dun Literature Award-winning work, starring Bai Lu, Ou Hao and others. It tells the story of five generations and the Grand Canal, as well as the journey of the young people from the lower class along the canal to work northward. As a heavyweight IP adaptation, "Going North" presents not only the changes in the Grand Canal, but also the deep nostalgia that cannot be overcome.

Source | Photo provided by Qingdao Morning Post reporter Zhou Jie