Copywriter | Luo Sheng
Editor | Miao Sansan
I would like to ask which subject is the most popular in domestic dramas?
It must be a spy drama.
In fact, this theme used to be a ratings driver in Chinese dramas. Classic dramas such as "The Pretender", " Cliff " and " Kite " are still unforgettable.
However, in the past two years, there have been few hits on this subject, and most of them are dramas, which have discouraged many viewers.
However, the turning point will be in 2024.
"Storm Chaser" creates a wonderful chemical reaction between spy war and finance. The taste of traditional spy war drama and the freshness brought by traffic actors make the audience addicted again.
As a result, the drama kicked open the door to spy war dramas that had been restricted for a long time, and the audience also looked forward to the emergence of more high-quality spy war dramas.
No, "When the Stars Shine" took the opportunity to launch. Actors with the same popularity joined the show, and there were also actors and actresses in the show. They must have come here for the popularity and reputation.
But I thought that the drama could continue to promote the spy war theme. Unexpectedly, it received negative reviews when it first aired. The reasons for the negative reviews from the audience were surprisingly consistent.
co-author has been busy for a long time, but the door to spy dramas has been welded shut by bad dramas again?
01 Full of loopholes, IQ offline
"When the Stars Shine" tells the story of Hua Zhen (Li Xian), who was born in a family of high-ranking Kuomintang officials during the Anti-Japanese War, and his life path changed due to an accident.
While disguising himself as Xiang Yuansheng, he also got acquainted with a group of young people with different identities, such as the novice female police officer Luo Minmin ( Ren Min), police captain Chen Hao (Zhou You), and the stars will eventually shine. Motherland.
These days, spy war dramas are gradually getting younger. Most of the protagonists are patriotic young people, and the passionate atmosphere has become a highlight.
But no matter what the character is, the key to the spy war drama being recognized by the audience lies in the plot.
In particular, the logic of the plot must be online, and the plots must be interlocking to give people an exciting sense of high IQ competition and the undercurrent of various forces.
Unfortunately, this new drama is like a child's play house, full of loopholes.
The story opens with an underground worker trying to sneak into the birthday party of Deputy Chief Hua, a senior official of the national army.
There was no invitation. With only a certificate and the identity of claiming to be a subordinate of Elder Hua Ci, he was let through by the guard. Didn't he need to report and verify it?
was followed closely by the reconnaissance captain of the Security Command. It was not difficult to see that he was here to catch the underground party. He seemed quite capable, but he was unexpectedly color blind.
He was obviously wearing a gray robe, but he insisted on saying it was a "black robe." Do you want to see what color you are wearing before you speak?
Moreover, this kind of dressing is too common, and the appearance and characteristics were not mentioned, but the waiter still immediately selected the target from the guests attending the banquet and accurately pointed out the current location of the target.
Good guy, he is worthy of being a waiter in an officer's house. His reconnaissance ability is better than that of the people in the Security Department. What a nonsense.
But the more outrageous plot is yet to come.
This underground worker happened to be the teacher of the male protagonist Hua Zhen. He entrusted the latter to go to Shanghai to deliver a book to an old friend. Only after arriving did he realize that this was a "trap".
The sudden murder casts a veil of suspense on this drama, but there are flaws everywhere.
For example, why didn’t the killer kill the girl immediately and eliminate the roots?
If he didn't want to start at the door and attract other people's attention, then he could have dragged the person into the house to deal with it. He couldn't even deal with a girl. It's hard to imagine how he killed several adults.
Also during the escape process, the scene where the male protagonist suddenly appeared outside the window also amused the audience. Did he think he was "Spider-Man"?
It can be said that "When the Stars Shine" is another "anti-war drama" that does not pay attention to IQ. All conflicts are forcibly designed to advance the plot, and the logic is simply untenable. The more you watch, the more you become confused.
02 The young actor's acting skills are impressive
As a spy war drama, "When the Stars Shine" also invited a drama star, Huang Zhizhong.
He plays the role of Hua Zhen's father. He is unsmiling and extremely strict with his son. He also has a sense of oppression from a high-ranking official, which is really right.
But it’s not enough to support this drama by just relying on the drama. The young actors are holding them back, and even Huang Zhizhong can’t lead them.
is like the male lead, Li Xian.
The Hua Zhen he plays in the drama has his own pursuits, but as a son of a man, he naturally longs for his father's approval.
So when Hua Zhen waited for his father to give him a cold face, his expression should reveal a sense of loss and helplessness that he was accustomed to.
But Li Xian had a pair of white eyes, his eyes were unfocused and dull, and he stood there like an AI robot.
And since he aspires to become a navy, he must be a kind-hearted character with a sense of justice.
But facing the little girl crying with tears streaming down her face, Li Xian's face was expressionless, as if he were watching a play, with no sympathy at all.
As we all know, the male protagonist is the soul of a spy drama, but Li Xian's strength is far inferior to Wang Yibo, which reduces the soul of this new drama by more than half.
Let’s look at the heroine again, Ren Min.
She can't support her costume style, and it's hard to describe her style in the Republic of China.
And the Luo Minmin she plays is a female police officer. She doesn’t have any sassy temperament and speaks in a delicate manner. Is that reasonable?
Ren Min looks like an ordinary high school student. Standing next to Li Xian, they look like brothers and sisters. Their appearance and temperament do not match well, and they really can't stand each other.
and male number two travel around . They are not good-looking but have good resources.
His style and performance are similar to Dai Xu, but he is far less skillful than the latter.
Originally, the rivalry scene between the police officer Chen Hao he played and the male protagonist in the hotel corridor could have been very tense, but the two actors acted more awkwardly than the other, so it was better not to act at all.
03 Conclusion
To be honest, I had great expectations for "When the Stars Shine" at the beginning.
Spy wars, the Republic of China, suspense, detectives, all the popular elements are gathered together, how can it still be good-looking?
Facts have proved that "Storm Chaser" is just an exception, and domestic spy dramas still have not been able to climb out of the quagmire. The plot of
's new drama is not about martial arts, and the play-like plot makes people not feel like watching a spy drama, but more like watching a vulgar period idol drama.
The halo of the male protagonist is not small. He climbs a tall building with his bare hands, which is similar to "Tearing Off the Japanese with His Hands". It makes people stunned for a while.
When will spy dramas break out into a new world?
I think only when the creator really puts his heart into filming the plot and the actors put their heart into shaping the characters.
just hopes that future spy war themes will not disappoint the audience.
This new drama has just been updated, and there may be surprises waiting for you in the future. I wonder if you are still willing to continue following it?
——end——