For Chinese films, Stephen Chow has always been a very special symbol. As an actor, he dedicated many classic film images to us, and at the same time created a style of nonsensical comedy, most of which are very classic, especially The works from the 1990s are memories of a whole generation.
The external manifestation of Stephen Chow's special symbol is the tolerance of the audience. Compared with other directors, the tolerance of the audience to Stephen Chow's works is quite high.
especially after 2010. Although Stephen Chow’s film output is not large, it still maintains the rate of one for two to three years, and the box office of each film is quite high. This is enough to see Stephen Chow’s box office appeal, and therefore it is in countless star fans. The saying "I owe you a movie ticket" in my mind is lingering.
But in spite of this, we have to face the reality that director Zhou Xingchi’s works show a trend of overall decline in quality compared with previous works. This is an undeniable fact, far from being able to cover up by feelings. living.
And this is also a very complicated issue. It is difficult to explain the reasons for the decline in the quality of Stephen Chow's works through one or two reasons. We will analyze this issue in detail later.
In discussing the problem of the decline in the quality of Zhou Xingchi's works, there is one work that cannot be avoided, that is, "Kung Fu" released in 2004, which is also recognized by many people as a watershed in Zhou Xingchi's works.
"Kung Fu" has a Douban score of 8.1 points. It is a very successful commercial and artistic film. While using computer special effects, it does not lose the essence of Stephen Chow's comedy, but the core of the peculiar bitterness of the little character. The spirit is at its best. However, compared with the previous works, there is a new breakthrough. Zhou Xingchi did not restrict his gaze to pure spoof, but broke through the simple surface and made a deep discussion on the true meaning of the individual's heart and the kung fu.
So when the audience is watching this movie, they still have the laughter of Stephen Chow in the past, and at the same time they can get new touches. The story of the
movie is very simple. It is the story of an ordinary person who upgrades to fight monsters and becomes a hero. In terms of plot alone, this is very clichéd, but it is this clichéd plot that is very attractive.
On the whole, this movie is like a computer game. Every time an evil enemy appears, there must be a righteous force that matches it. And as the plot develops, more powerful enemies will appear. The conflict with justice will also become more intense.
At the beginning, in the village of pig cage, this is a poor place that even the evil forces do not want to get involved, so the residents here can also maintain a relatively peaceful life.
But because of an accident, the most powerful axe gang decided to eradicate here. So the first to appear here are the masters, coolies, tailor bosses and fried ghosts hiding here.
They repelled the thugs of the axe gang and temporarily protected the stormy city. But what followed was a more powerful master. The Axe helped to spend a lot of money to hire a killer, and he was the second most crippled in the killer rankings.
The weapon they use is a guzheng, which can produce powerful power. After only a few struggles, the three fried ghosts killed their lives.
At this time, to everyone's expectation, it turns out that the chartered public renters are the real hidden masters, and their reputation is also very amazing. They are the long-known condor heroes on the rivers and lakes. Relying on the superb Tai Chi and the extremely destructive Lion Roar skill, they will be incompetent.
But the matter is not over yet, this is the turn of the ultimate killer king Vulcan Cthulhu.
, as the top master, the name of Fire Cloud Cthulhu is backed by powerful strength. His martial arts have turned into a realm. On the surface, his appearance is not good, but he has very terrifying strength. In the end, after a fierce battle, the combination of the Condor Heroes was defeated. Coming down. But they did not fail completely, they discovered the talent of Ah Xing played by Stephen Chow.
In this way, just like breaking through the cocoon, after experiencing the state of dying, Ah Xing finally became a peerless master, and finally used the palm of the Tathagata that fell from the sky to completely defeat the evil god of fire.defeat.
After sorting out the plot, it is not difficult to find that Stephen Chow is a person who loves kungfu and movies so much that the name of the film is straightforwardly named after Kungfu. The Golang Bagua sticks and twelve-way Tan legs appear in the film. , Hongjia Iron Line Boxing, etc. all have real movie sources. As for that great trick Tathagata Palm is taken from the work of the same name released in 1982.
However, Stephen Chow did not put the film only on the performance of Kung Fu duel, but deeply described the heart of every master. Why would people like the masters of the Condor Heroes, coolie and others, who were originally masters, take off the coat of martial arts masters and are willing to be ordinary people?
is precisely because they all have their own helplessness. In the early years, he was proud and arrogant, thinking that Kung Fu should be distinguished from each other. In the end, although he won the title, he also paid a very heavy price. That's why they are willing to stay anonymous and live the lives of ordinary people.
As for the biggest villain, Huoyun Cthulhu, it is even more interesting. When he first appeared on the stage, no one would associate this man with the ultimate killer, but he seemed like the most common old man. But after the classic shot and bullet, the audience realized his terrifying power.
Compared with anyone in the film, he is an absolute martial idiot and a person who loves kung fu the most. With top martial arts he has won a frightening name for everyone, but even so, he did not escape the heights. The fate of the cold, and finally madness, he spent his entire life looking for a master who could match him, completely became an alien in the eyes of everyone, and was even imprisoned in a mental hospital.
Maybe at the last time, after seeing the palm of the Tathagata that looks like a god, Huoyun Cthulhu really understood the meaning of Kung Fu. He sincerely admitted that I lost, but he might have gone out of Kung Fu in his heart. The curse, presumably he should be much happier afterwards.
Of course, the most interesting role in this film is definitely Stephen Chow. Unlike all the previous roles, Zhou Xingchi deliberately downplayed the name of this role, unlike the previous Yin Tianchou and Stephen Zhou throughout. Stephen Chow probably wants the audience to truly understand the character itself, rather than being imprisoned by symbols such as names.
and this arrangement also achieved very good results.
Perhaps every boy has had a heroic dream in his heart, and he also imagined that he could have the ability to help justice, and Zhou Xingchi has turned this fantasy into an image. Therefore, in the scenes of childhood memories, many male audiences can resonate with them.
But after all, this is just a fantasy. In the face of cruel reality, the beauty of this fantasy will definitely be shattered by the blow.
So in that kind of environment, Ah Xing began to become degenerate and became a gangster on the street.
From the perspective of the audience’s God, this is something that a person must face before becoming a true hero. Even in life, each of us may encounter it. We can attribute this phenomenon to "pre-hero confused". Many people will be at a loss during this period of confusion, or even completely lost, giving up on themselves.
But fortunately, there are still many people who can stick to their heart during this period of confusion, find a path that suits them, and unlock the meaning of their lives. The same goes for
in the movie. Ah Xing wants to be a bad guy. He believes that in that world, only bad guys can lead the life of a human being and have beautiful women and money. He once put this idea into action. The performance in the film is murder.
But in essence, it is difficult for Ah Xing to really become a bad person. In his heart, he still has a firm sense of justice, but this sense of justice is now being blinded by confusion. In the end in the battle between the Condor Heroine and the Huoyun Cthulhu, he regained the justice in his heart and resolutely chose the righteous side.
This is his first transformation. I personally think that this transformation is more meaningful than the subsequent transformation of the butterfly. Although his power was still weak at the time, he still relied on his own efforts to do what he thought was correct. From this point of view, Ah Xing is a well-deserved hero with a strong heart.
At the end, Stephen Chow did not choose a well-known ending, and did not arrange that from now on, AhStars punish evil and promote good, and eventually become the ending of a generation of heroes. Although this is in line with the expectations of many people, it is inevitable. Zhou Xingchi has made a bigger breakthrough on this point, and the ending of "the master returns to normal again" also raised the artistic and philosophical level of "Kung Fu". There are many things worth analyzing about the movie
, such as the role of Huang Shengyi, which is my favorite image of a female.
Zhou Xingchi in this film simply shows Huang Shengyi as the image of first love among many boys. She is a very holy beauty in this movie. In the environment of that old society, she is like a white lotus without any pollution.
Although the role of Huang Shengyi itself does not take on too much plot role, the meaning of this role is more on the spiritual level, which can inspire the audience to protect the beauty in their hearts. I guess this is the perfect partner image in the heart of Stephen Chow, who is single so far.
15 years ago, this movie by Stephen Chow was released, allowing the audience to see the charm of the combination of kung fu and technology. At the same time, they realized the contradiction between power and helplessness from the martial arts masters, both from the box office and from the film itself. In terms of quality, this is one of Stephen Chow's best movies.
However, it is a pity that it is difficult to have such a movie in current Chinese movies. This is not only for other directors, but also for Zhou Xingchi.
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