Are martial arts movies dead?
Many people would say: Yes.
martial arts movies, brilliant. As a unique film type in China, since "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" in 1928, in the 1960s and 1970s, King Hu, Chang Cheh, and Chor Yuan worked together to create the Golden Age of Shaw Brothers' martial arts, and martial arts films broke out for the first time. The " Longmen Inn ", "One-Armed Sword", "Meteor Butterfly Sword", "Chu Liuxiang" and "The Third Young Master's Sword" left by
are still classics when looking back.
In the 1990s, another master remade "Dragon Inn". Named " New Dragon Inn ", he is Tsui Hark.
The martial arts films in his hands have been integrated with contemporary special effects and new expression techniques. It can be said that the entire martial arts world in the minds of those born in the 70s and 80s was created by him.
Tsui Hark implanted the core of rebellion and innovation into the old martial arts stories, especially the "Once Upon a Time in China" series and "New Dragon Inn", which truly injected the feelings of family and country into the martial arts genre.
Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" not only created the peak overseas box office of martial arts films, but also marked the final appearance of the martial arts genre.
Domestic martial arts did decline after this.
Martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li are getting old one after another. The good stories of chivalrous and tender hearts are gone, and there is no new generation of directors with the word "chivalrous" in their names.
Even a top martial arts film director like Tsui Hark must not be limited by capital in casting.
Can martial arts movies still survive?
can.
Although it is just a spark, the soil for the "rebirth" of martial arts films is still there.
I didn’t expect it to be an online movie.
can still fight, let's list them one by one -
is Xie Miao first, " is arrogant ".
Now, Wu Yue takes action.
is released online today, "Standing in the Way to Seize the Sword".
When I saw these four words, I already felt the chivalry. This is the name a martial arts film should have.
Let’s look at the actors again, it’s a bit interesting. A traffic star does not. Anyone who comes can be beaten.
starring Song Tianshuo, successfully broke out of the circle in the second season of "Annual Comedy Convention" and started learning drama and practicing martial arts as a teenager.
is a new heroine who performed well in "Dancer" and has been dancing for fifteen years.
Yu Kang has followed Donnie Yen's action guidance for many years.
Of course, there is also Wu Yue, who guest stars as the soul of the movie. He is also the producer of this film.
The 94-minute movie is adapted from the classic opera piece "Blocking the Horse", which has been released in Peking Opera and Kun Opera. It is also known as "Yang Ba Jie's Shop". Needless to say, it opens the story of the Yang family generals in a completely new way.
However, Wu Yue played a little big this time.
After spending 18 yuan to watch it, I realized that this movie is no ordinary martial arts, but a fusion of martial arts, comedy and reasoning, and even
opera elements and traditional culture.
None of these tags will excite a new generation of viewers.
Knock on cp, give out sweets, fall in love, it doesn’t take even half a second. Will this work?
But soon, this movie had the potential to break the circle.
ranked 3rd on the platform’s soaring list within 5 hours of its launch, approaching the 1st place.
has good reviews on Douban.
"This movie simply fulfilled all my fantasies about martial arts movies" and "top of the internet."
It is no exaggeration to say that the movie gave domestic theater films a "slap" in the face, and it also allowed viewers who love martial arts to see:
A punch that reaches the flesh, a force that has been accumulated and accumulated, and a hearty feeling.
There is also a long-lost Chinese character for Xianxia and martial arts -
xia.
01 Entering the drama
Audiences who love watching action movies should remember a name deeply: Wu Yue.
Among domestic martial arts actors, in terms of strength, martial arts level athletes are good enough to fight.
He is the most miserable male protagonist of martial arts movies, Di Yun, in "The Secret of the City", and he is also the Wukong in the new "Journey to the West".
Wu Yue is a person who has truly come from the golden age of domestic martial arts.
As the action genre has declined over the years, Wu Yue seems to have gradually faded out of the audience's sight.
But he never stopped trying. Actions and martial arts always had to be handled by someone.
"Standing in the Way to Seize the Sword" is his answer sheet. The sword that
wants to seize is the nine-ring golden-fronted Song Dynasty sword in the hands of Yang Ye, the god of war in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The story of General Yang? Audiences familiar with the Peking Opera "Blocking Horses" should know that Yang Linggong, the character who runs through the soul of "Blocking Horses", could not survive the first six minutes.
The story opens with Yang Ye dying in battle in Youzhou.
In the battle of life and death, Yang Ye fought until there was no soldier left.
He immediately fought with swords and swords, and fought bloody to the end.
The Liao soldiers who besieged him first rushed forward in a rush and could not attack for a long time.
then besieged with cavalry and shooting, Yang Ye was hit by several arrows and could not retreat.
In the end, the special forces surrounded him, trapped Yang Ye in the core, and stabbed him with a knife.
A generation of war gods, blood-stained battlefields.
But before he died, he still laughed wildly and recited poems on the battlefield: But the flying generals in the dragon city are here, and they don't teach Hu Ma to cross the Yin Mountain.
Yang Ye died in battle and the sword was lost in the Liao Kingdom. This led to the chivalrous story of Yang Bajie and Yang Jiumei going to the Liao Kingdom to steal the sword and kill their enemies with their own hands.
In other words, the story has almost nothing to do with the story of the Yang family generals that the audience is familiar with.
But jumping out of familiar characters has become its biggest surprise to a certain extent. Almost no barriers.
The story is very simple: inn, seize the knife.
The two sisters stole the sword but were seriously injured. They pretended to be Liao soldiers and settled in an inn, but they met Jiao Guangpu, a soldier of the Yang family who was in a foreign land.
After a trial contest, Jiao Guangpu, who was determined to return south, recognized the Yang family's marksmanship.
The pursuers also followed, and a battle of swords and swords was about to unfold in this small area.
Some people say that the movie is like "Man Jiang Hong". I'm sorry to disagree: it's all about talking without practicing tricks. The biggest difference between the movie and "Man Jiang Hong" is that it's always fighting.
The background stage is ok, and the characters appear one by one.
mainly consists of three groups of people.
In the first wave, You Xianchao plays the nephew of Empress Dowager Xiao of the Liao Dynasty, a relative of the emperor, who comes to present the gold medal to the gossip.
This owner, as soon as he opened his mouth, he said - "Do you know who is my aunt?"
Let's look at the gold medal - "Liao Da", the soldiers reminded: Daliao.
took a look at the soldier, read it from beginning to end, and raised his voice: Is this the right time? Guard: Yes, absolutely correct.
He is also fond of beauty and can't walk when he sees a beautiful woman. He has a lustful heart but no lustful courage.
I understand, this guy is just here to make fun of you.
This is so easy to deal with.
Find a few singers to charm him into a state of confusion, then get rid of the soldiers, drink him down, and tie him up directly, eliminating the need for hallucinogens.
But the next Liao general played by Yu Kang who came to look for a sword was not easy to deal with.
border shop.
disguises herself as a beauty.
Drinking with the military master.
There are still inns that you can’t get out of.
What a great show at Longmen Inn.
The small inn is surrounded by dangers and undercurrents. Many forces have gathered here. The identity is on the thin line, so it is naturally surrounded by dangers.
But on the other hand, the role-playing drama performed by the three protagonists in a hurry is full of joy.
is always installed?
can’t be installed anymore. Do you want to fight? Fight!
Enjoy your grudges, you come and I go.
But when both sides were injured, suddenly a burst of fast arrows shot in, and the soldiers fell down after hearing the arrows.
Even the Liao general who walked out of the gate and cursed angrily was pierced by a shot. What about
, is he still a master? who is it?
Attention, arrow array. Does it look familiar?
Yes, it is the arrow formation that besieged General Yang Ye.
This enemy of the Yang family came in person.
Obviously, this story is no longer a pseudo-wuxia story about "sons and daughters love each other but heroes are short-tempered", but a pure "martial arts" and "xiaxia" story.
So the protagonist group is surrounded and the villain wins?
Don't worry, let's have a fight.
The protagonist was seriously injured and disabled...
And the words of the ultimate villain made everyone even more angry -
Pay attention to a flaw in the front: Yang Ye's sword, an important trophy, just a pair of Yang Ye Sisters, if you say you steal it, you will steal it back?
Unless someone deliberately let them steal it -
You should have guessed that the sword that the sisters worked so hard to steal is fake.
The small frontier inn not only hides murderous intentions, but is also full of calculations.
The story up to this point is full of dangers and twists and turns, just like a thrilling inn script killing.
If you don’t watch until the end, you won’t know who is the last one to fall, and that chess piece.
02 Zhenwu
In the final analysis, the main reason why this online film has received so much attention and praise is that it captures the essence of domestic martial arts films: martial arts and chivalry.
is suspenseful and will make people's eyes light up. After all, you can’t “cheat” real movie fans.
A small inn, several groups of people, fighting for life and death. Dragon Inn style.
After the plot was stripped of its cocoons, the villains were all killed and injured.
The "good guys" "live" until the end and fight to the death with the villain.
knows all the tricks.
But the essence of martial arts films lies in two points. First, there must be "martial arts". The suspense puzzle is just the condiment, and the fighting is the main course.
should have beautiful movements and exciting moves, rather than slow motion throughout.
The other point is "chivalry", which requires chivalry in the world, the pride of "facing ten thousand waves with arrogance", and the blood of "blood as red as the sun".
We will talk about the hero part later, let’s talk about martial arts here.
The protagonist of "Standing in the Way to Seize the Sword" is the eighth and ninth sisters of the Yang family, and Jiao Guangpu, a soldier of the Yang family.
What they used was the most difficult weapon to fake - the Yang family gun.
Swords are easy to find a substitute for, and spears are easy to defeat.
Fortunately, Song Tianshuo was born in a Liyuan family and started learning opera and practicing martial arts at the age of four.
Zhang Xintong was admitted to the undergraduate classical dance class of the Performance Department of the China Academy of Opera with the first place in his major.
As for Wu Yue Yukang, they are all masters.
Wu Yue personally directed the action, using actors who can really fight. The action scenes shot in this way, when the spear comes out, the energy flows through the rainbow, and all the moves are on point, one word:
It's great.
The movements of the Yang sisters are very beautiful, a scene of killing enemies in a dense forest.
A Yang family gun, after a long silence, it finally took action.
Wu Yue's action design is not fake.
There is no slow motion. The eighth sister of the Yang family was chased into the bushes by the pursuers, and was in deep danger. The targets of the guns were all fatal points.
shot out, accurately stabbing the opponent's knife that was about to be unsheathed, then blocked it with the gun in his hand, raised his hand, and then took out the opponent's life.
Jiu Mei, who came to the rescue, didn't talk nonsense. She captured the enemy with one shot and forced them to retreat. She grabbed the bow and shot the pursuers.
There is also an action scene where one person versus two sisters, the moves are smooth and smooth, the spear is smooth and powerful, without real kung fu, it is really difficult to do it so beautifully.
The starring role itself is a plus, and the action director who plays the villain is also very good.
Yu Kang has followed Donnie Yen for many years and has been a martial arts instructor for a long time. He has participated in "Dragon and Tiger Gate", "The Fuse", and "Martial Arts ".
The Liao general he plays is extremely tough and capable of killing with every move.
Especially in the scene where he and the protagonist group took off their disguises and had a one-on-three battle at the inn.
uses both swords and guns, supplemented by BGM and fast editing. The atmosphere of the whole scene is depressing, and the chilling meaning in the picture is even more prominent.
But seeing the role of Yu Kang, the ninth sister of the Yang family was shocked to the corner in the last second.
The next second, Jiao Guangpu suddenly made a move, the knife broke through the table, as fast and accurate as the wind, and strangled the opponent's throat, but he used his strength to knock over the opponent with an inch of his wrist.
's moves are fierce, and no one can stop the direction of the sharp blade when it is unsheathed.
Finally, the ultimate villain played by Zhang Kai, a former Shaolin monk, appeared.
is with a gun.
Starting from the middle and latter part of the film, every action scene with gun versus gun is a masterpiece.
The martial arts scene is clean and tidy, with shadows of swords intertwining, and the moves are executed smoothly.
The shadows of swords intertwined, the movements are sharp, and the fighting style is vigorous and powerful.
is as fast as it should be, and as slow as it should be. There are no unnecessary freeze frames, nor is it forced into slow motion just to make people look cool.
The final battle of Ye Yu, in the brutal killing, produced a "freehand" beauty.
For example, this scene of igniting a fire with wine, although it borrows the action design of "The Defiant One", it is not deliberate when combined with the environment of the inn and drinking wine, and it also takes into account both beauty and novelty.
In "Condescending", Xie Miao cuts the wine pot with a knife. When the liquid splashes, he quickly retracts it to listen to the wind and rub it against the flint. Fire was everywhere.
In this film, the Yang sisters drink wine, sharpen their guns, the gun bodies rub against each other and catch fire, and then use the gun tips to propel sparks.
The fire is ignited by wine.
The sharp and harsh sound attacked the eardrums, and there were also little sparks flickering.
The fire spread, and the main villain's body was on fire, but he was still taking lives.
The protagonist team fights in a long night of bloody battles.
I have to say that only this kind of martial arts scene can be considered "martial arts".
Just as Tsui Hark once called for: martial arts films should increase action scenes and reduce special effects. The sword sees blood and the fist touches the flesh. Only when the moves are logical can they be beautiful.
03 Xiahun
Surprisingly, "Blocking Horses and Seizing Swords" is worth watching for more than just the fighting scenes.
instead takes a step by step way to let a group of grassroots heroes embark on a road of revenge toward death, which is a direct hit.
In addition to the exciting "martial arts" fighting part, the chivalrous spirit in the film is even more charming.
Yes, whether it’s a martial arts hero or a fairy tale, after “Defiant”, I finally saw a knight again in a domestic film.
What is the way of a knight?
did it knowingly that it was impossible to do.
is just like the Yang sisters, they are indeed somewhat skilled, but the Yang family has no one left, so she has to stand in the way and seize the sword.
This time, it was obvious that he was alone and alone.
advances, there are many dangers.
retreat, the road to Yanmenguan is far away.
What is this? This is Xia.
It must be said that the director is very experienced in controlling the rhythm of the picture. Many of the scenes in
's videos are no longer the "beauty" of empty slow motion, but have a sense of story with strong emotions.
Song Tianshuo, for example, has a careless scribbling on the surface, but he is chivalrous in troubled times.
Before meeting the Yang sisters, he opened an inn to make a living and seek a career.
Those who harm people’s lives must be killed.
Those who destroy other people’s families will die.
When he met the Yang sisters, they immediately gave up and went into seclusion, following them through life and death.
This is also a hero.
and Jiao Guangpu's undercover agents were sent undercover. After ten years of undercover work,
turned the knife around at the last moment, thus giving the outnumbered protagonists a glimmer of hope.
Why don’t you follow the master of Liao Kingdom back to receive the credit and enjoy the blessings?
Because Jiao Guangpu was kind to him, he would rather be a waiter at a small border inn than go back to be a hawk.
Pay for the kindness you owe with your life. This is also the chivalry of a small person.
But when is the peak moment of the film’s chivalry? I think it's the beginning.
Yang Ye died in battle.
Some people may complain: What kind of hero is that?
heroes.
Jin Yong said: A great chivalrous person serves the country and the people.
Why do you want to stand in the way of the horse and seize the sword? What is the importance of
knife? The important thing is General Yang.
It must be said that Wu Yue is so perfect for the Northern Song Dynasty God of War, and he plays the role of the Northern Song Dynasty God of War as soon as he appears!
When attacked from both sides, he refused to give in and fought to the death. He smiled proudly on the battlefield, as if he was taking no time, and recited a poem of despair that was so heart-stirring.
Until the two daughters came to take the knife for their father at the risk of danger, what continued was the consistent chivalry of the Yang family.
Why do Chinese people like Yang Jiajiang?
Because stories of defense against foreign enemies never go out of style.
We Chinese people will always respect true heroes and true heroes.
It is no exaggeration to say that after watching "Standing in the Way", my heart could not calm down for a long time.
I dare to say that Xie Miao has touched the ceiling of ancient martial arts + revenge movies, and this time, Wu Yue has touched it again.
Looking at the fighting alone, the film and "Defiant" together give people a vague sense of the rejuvenation of martial arts dramas.
What’s even more exciting is that these masterpieces have used exciting fighting scenes to earn back their reputation, and then filled their reputations with chivalrous characters.
Face is martial arts.
Lizi is a hero.
04 Success or failure
Of course, there are many unavoidable factors that can be seen in the film: market preferences, limited budget...
cannot be said to be without flaws.
But considering the production conditions of the Internet, if Wu Yue is not careful, he is careless.
Wu Yue held his breath and decided to make a good
martial arts film himself. too difficult.
Chang Cheh and King Hu have long since passed away, and most of the martial arts stars of the Shaw Brothers era have withered away.
In 2022, Director Chu Yuan also left.
Among martial arts film directors, Tsui Hark is the only one who still has the ability and resources to continue filming.
Among the traditional martial arts stars, the ones who can fight well and have charisma can be counted on one hand: Donnie Yen, Xie Miao, An Zhijie, Zhang Jin.
Also, Wu Yue.
But are martial arts movies really dead?
Take a look at "Defiant", and then watch "Standing in the Way to Seize the Sword".
dare not say it after catching up with the past, but there are two words, the same: serious.
The Internet is big, so what are you doing seriously?
But because we are a big Internet company, we need to be more serious, with limited money and unlimited chivalry.
I still remember "Once Upon a Time in China 3", the end of the story.
Huang Feihong advised Li Hongzhang, hoping that the court could wake up and broaden the people's wisdom.
A great hero serves the country and the people.
has pity on me, the world, and there are so many worries.
The so-called heroes are not because they have high martial arts skills, but because they can do things that ordinary people dare not or cannot do.
And what about the current martial arts and fairy tale films?
Just feel good, love is the best, slow motion is the best.
What are you talking about?
Fortunately, there are online martial arts movies that can be made for less than RMB 300 million and can be acted without breaking the bank.
In "Hold the Horse and Seize the Sword", you can see more risk-taking scenes, more extreme emotions, and more heart-breaking chivalry compared to theater movies and martial arts and fairy tale dramas with hundreds of millions of investments.
In the end, although the film is not perfect, Wu Yue used his own style and conception to create a brand new martial arts world that combines opera.
Some people saw Xia, some saw Yi, and some people enjoyed it.
is enough.
And the group of people in the movie, the night rain in the rivers and lakes, and the chivalrous bones and soft intestines all make us continue to believe that the era of martial arts movies may have been a long, long time ago.
But martial arts are still there!
The passing of time may be the butcher's knife that kills martial arts movies.
But Wu Yue refused to accept it, and time would take the martial arts life.
Then - block the horse and seize the sword.
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