" legend " has been released, but the box office is still miserable.
On July 10th, the sequel to the 2005 fantasy film "The Myth of " starring Jackie Chan was officially released, two days earlier than the original release date of July 12th.
There is nearly 20 years between the two movies, both written and directed by Tang Jili. Except for Jackie Chan, the other actors are more like a continuation of the 2017 " Kung Fu Yoga ". There are "little fresh meat" such as Zhang Yixing and Li Zhiting in the film. Jackie Chan also plays an archeology professor, just a The surname is Fang, and the other name is Jack.
Generally speaking, there are only two reasons for movie releases: either it is too popular and fans urge it, so it has to be released early, which makes it uncomfortable to be a day late; or it is not very popular, and it can be fully released earlier, and it can accumulate more Click on the opening weekend box office. "Legend" obviously belongs to the latter. Since it was screened, it has encountered bad reviews and the box office has been quite dismal. It only made more than 30 million in the box office in one week of screening. You know, "All or Nothing" in the 2023 summer release will screen 3 The sky broke 500 million.
Producer and chief producer Yu Dong not long ago was looking back on the past and was confident about the box office prospects: "Nineteen years ago, "The Myth" was the first domestic film to have a box office of over 100 million..."
The implication is, Expectations are high.
But compared with the actual situation, it is embarrassing - in the prediction of Maoyan Professional Edition, the total box office of "Legend" in the mainland is only 100 million. If it goes according to the predicted trend, with a cost of 300 million, it will definitely end in heavy losses. The eldest brother did not rise, but became cannon fodder.
| Jackie Chan’s shortcomings
In 1977, six years after his debut, Jackie Chan was taken to meet the martial arts master Gu Long by director Luo Wei.
At that time, Gu Long's novel "Sword Flowers, Misty Rain in Jiangnan" had just been published two years ago. Luo Wei took a fancy to it and wanted to buy it and adapt it into a movie starring Jackie Chan. During the dinner, Gu Long glanced at Jackie Chan and said bluntly, "My scripts are not written for him. My scripts are written for Yue Hua and Luo Lie. With their big noses and small eyes, he can't play my role." "
After the filming of "Sword Flowers, Smoke and Rain in Jiangnan", it was indeed unsatisfactory. The next year, "Flying Over the Juanyun Mountain", still directed by Luo Wei and starring Jackie Chan, and adapted from Gu Long's novel "Fist of Seven Weapons", also suffered a heavy loss - until three years after " Drunken Master " became popular, It has just been introduced to South Korea and is selling well in 3D mode.
Therefore, Jackie Chan, who became famous after 1978, rarely takes on costume dramas. Probably, it also has something to do with the merciless ridicule by Gu Long due to his ancient costume.
Of course, Gu Long’s judgment is also correct. Ancient costume is indeed Jackie Chan’s shortcoming.
So, after becoming famous through the funny fights in "Drunken Master" and "Snakehead", Jackie Chan focused on "going to town" to tell "Police Story". During his peak period in Hong Kong, almost all of his movies were fashion films. Even in a famous movie like "Drunken Master", although the background is still the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Jackie Chan's hairstyle is no different from that in the fashion movie, they are all so elegant and fluffy. After
, he rushed out of Asia and into the world in a 007 style. The role of the police became more and more diverse, more like an all-powerful agent. On the other hand, in films such as "Shanghai Noon" and "The King of Kung Fu" that he collaborated with Hollywood on, he once again put on ancient costumes. However, these films were often set in a "two-hero" setting, and the eldest brother did not play alone.
After all, with his tried-and-true character design over the years, even if he plays a costume, he should still be more suitable to play the Liang soldier who pretends to be dead at the beginning in "Big Soldiers and Young Generals", rather than the kind of iron-armed and upright general... ...
However, he acted like this in "Myth", and he acted it again in the sequel "Legend". Maybe, the eldest brother really feels that his age and qualifications have reached a certain stage, and "harmony" can finally be achieved Give way to "righteousness"!
｜Can’t jump out of the comfort zone
In recent years, Jackie Chan’s movies have also undergone a significant change, that is, they have become more and more “main themes”. This is understandable in itself. After all, he is one of the few oriental faces in the international film industry and has made a mark. Every punch and every kick may represent the image of China.
In 2009, the eldest brother played a guest role as a reporter interviewing Li Jishen in "The Founding of the People's Republic of China". However, it was rumored that he initially asked to play the role of a great man, but was rejected; and in 2011's "The Revolution of 1911 ", he not only When I participated in the directing, I actually played a great person, Huang Xing and Huang Keqiang, who is also known as "Sun Huang" together with Sun Yat-sen; the 2012 "Twelve Zodiac" is a story about recovering precious cultural relics lost overseas. Although Jackie Chan's role in the film, In the beginning, he was a professional thief, but his subsequent transformation from evil to good was still very central.
and the following " Heavenly Generals " and "Kung Fu Yoga" are also related to the "Silk Road". In addition, not to mention "Railway Flying Tiger" and " Pioneer " are "fundamentally correct" Miao Hong" theme.
However, with the adjustment of the theme line, Jackie Chan has become more and more "verbose" in the film - he likes to preach. For example, in "Heroes", he earnestly talks about maintaining peace, which is even comparable to the movie "Hero" !
In "Legend", with the young supporting characters, Jackie Chan also acts like an elder who takes responsibility for his duties, preaching more than ridiculing, and unable to truly interact with young actors like Sean Connery in the second half of his career. Mixed together, sparks collided.
Although Jackie Chan is becoming more and more "positive", his reputation and box office have been declining. The reason for this is not only that he is getting older and his skills are no longer what they used to be, but more importantly - many of the elements in the movies are constantly repeated. For example, Huo Qubing was mentioned in "Legend" and "Heavenly Generals", played by Dou Xiao and Feng Shaofeng respectively; and the theme song "Beautiful Myth" in "Myth" was slightly adapted and played in "The Myth". Kung Fu Yoga" sang.
It is said that 12,000 horses were used in "Legend" to shoot the big war scene. The circus itself did not leave any special impression on people, but it is clear that Jackie Chan just starred in the " Dragon Horse Spirit " in 2023. The scene where he interacts with the horse has long been out of novelty for the audience.
In "Kung Fu Yoga" there is a fight scene in an ice cave shot in Iceland, but this time the final battle of "Legend" is still done in an ice cave. It is really too perfunctory, and it was placed in previous Jackie Chan movies. , such a repetition without any new ideas is unimaginable.
Moreover, no matter what the subject or role, Jackie Chan's inherent style in performance is still very obvious - it is difficult to say that there is any breakthrough, but it makes people feel that they have been resting on their laurels.
When it came to "Legend", it was just a cold meal.
From being a box-office elixir and the light of the Chinese twenty or thirty years ago to today's failure in both reputation and box office, Jackie Chan's "transformation" process obviously did not happen in a day.
| Is age reduction a sentiment or a fraud?
The biggest selling point of "Legend", in addition to the usual action movie features of Jackie Chan movies, is of course the use of deepfake AI technology to restore the 27-year-old dragon. Brother's youthful appearance. Around 1981, Jackie Chan had just left director Luo Wei, signed a contract with Golden Harvest Company, and filmed "Junior Brother". The first American movie he participated in that year, "Cannonball Speed", had just been released. However, at that time, he was in In this ensemble movie, I only played a very small role.
Audiences are no strangers to AI face-changing technology. It can be seen not only in movies, but also in "The Irishman" where veteran actors such as Robert De Niro are "collectively aged", but in real life It is also closely related to many fraud cases. For example, earlier, the Hong Kong police discovered that fraudsters used deep forgery technology to successfully imitate the "voice, appearance, and smile" of senior managers of British companies through relevant information obtained from public channels, impersonating multiple people in online meetings, and defrauding financial assets. Staff 200 million Hong Kong dollars.
The effect of face-changing is different from the face-changing effect in real-life fraud cases. The age-reducing special effects in the movie "The Irishman" can hardly be said to be successful. Instead, it has a feeling of stiffness and sluggishness, and even De Niro's acting skills can't save it. It is said that "Mad Max: Goddess of Fury" director George Miller once considered letting Charlize Theron play the young version of Furiosa with de-aging special effects, but later found that the effect was not as expected, so he had to find another new student. Actor Anya Taylor-Joy came to play the role, but it failed miserably at the box office - Anya really lacked a sense of power.
As for the so-called 27-year-old version of Jackie Chan in "Legend", the age reduction effect can only be said to be "numerous", so-so. After all, even with a budget of 300 million (allegedly), it should be difficult to come up with much pressure. In the "treasure" of face replacement, it is naturally very difficult to achieve an effect that exceeds the international level. Not to mention - whether in front of or behind the scenes, Jackie Chan usually has a playful and smiling face, but this 27-year-old "young Jackie Chan" has a serious face and a very "poker face", which makes it difficult for the audience to get into the scene.
"Legend" is the same as "Myth". It is very special in Jackie Chan's movies. It is divided into ancient costume and modern parts, interspersed, but the connection between the two is rather far-fetched. At most, it is dreams and induction. The contemporary part of "Legend" is played by Jackie Chan himself. There are very few fighting scenes, and most of them are concentrated in the last battle in the ice cave. As for the ancient part, of course, this is where the face-changing technology comes in. No wonder netizens question it. Since even the face has been changed, there is no need to discuss how many substitutes were used!
｜Is it necessary to do dangerous actions yourself?
The biggest feature of Jackie Chan's movies has always been "Desperate Saburo", where he performs dangerous actions himself without the need for a stand-in, nor the help of computer special effects. In the behind-the-scenes subtitles at the end, it is also They are all live performances, scenes of glorious injuries... Jackie Chan once emphasized that this is the biggest difference between him and American action stars. Others rely on stand-ins or special effects to do it, but he has to do it himself. This is the biggest difference in Jackie Chan's movies. charm.
There has always been controversy on the Internet about whether Jackie Chan used a body double and whether the insurance company refused to insure him.Even when Jet Li was asked by reporters about Jackie Chan's stand-in, he responded bluntly that no one was a superman, and it was impossible to make a movie without a stand-in. He asked the reporter: Do you think Bruce Lee used a stand-in?
Not to mention, in recent years, Hollywood action stars, especially Tom Cruise, have also begun to emphasize going into battle in person, climbing buildings and parachuting, performing dangerous actions, especially in his roles in the "Mission: Impossible" series and "Top Gun 2" There are also a lot of hard-hitting behind-the-scenes videos that have been circulated about his performance - of course it is difficult to say that this is not a kind of marketing.
Jackie Chan, who was born in 1954, is already 70 years old. If in the promotion of "Legend", it was still emphasized that dangerous actions do not require a double and was shown in the post-credits credits, would anyone still believe it? There was a scene in "Pioneer". Jackie Chan originally wanted to jump off the stairs of a shopping mall like he did in "Police Story" in the early years, but someone next to him reminded him that there were stairs next to him, so the eldest brother took his legs back and climbed up obediently. Went up the stairs.
Although this segment is self-deprecating, it is standard Jackie Chan-style humor. It is like turning around and making a pained expression after playing for a while, rather than a superman who has no pain. However, the problem is, "There are stairs, it's great." Such a self-deprecating line can only be said once. You can't laugh at yourself repeatedly in future movies, right?
However, a more realistic metaphor is - how much difference is there to the audience between going to battle in person and using special effects?
｜Jackie Chan’s real problem
In 1971, Jackie Chan entered the industry as a dragon and tiger martial artist, and his career has exceeded fifty years. , has made countless films, and is an international action star. He also won the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. He was already famous. , he doesn’t have to work so hard to make movies anymore, but he just can’t stop. The “unreleased” movie plans on Douban are all scheduled until 2035. 0
The reason is that on the one hand, the entire family class depends on the eldest brother for "eating", and he cannot just quit at his own request. Besides, since he was a child, he has been accustomed to the lively atmosphere of eating at the same table with his brothers. It is difficult to imagine the deserted small family life after retirement.
On the other hand, although Big Brother’s influence in the mainland film industry has become weaker and weaker in recent years, his appeal in the international film industry cannot be underestimated, so there is no need to worry about no one investing in his movies for a while.
Of course, the more important problem is still not being able to find his successor.
It’s not like he hasn’t worked hard on this. He has trained the new Seven Little Fortunes and constantly acted opposite newcomers, but the effect is obviously not satisfactory. No matter it is a mainland chick, a long-legged beauty, an Internet celebrity, or an older generation of performing artists, they always look a little out of place in Jackie Chan movies, and they are even less individual and charming. Even Nicholas Tse was once "recognized" as Jackie Chan's successor, but after so many years, his recent performance in "Customs Front" really makes people doubt that it was just a publicity stunt in the early years.
The key is still the issue of action style.
In "New Shaolin Temple", Jackie Chan only wore a monk's hat at the end and made a cameo appearance for a few minutes, but the move of using an iron pot to "fry" his opponent was enough to instantly kill all the fight scenes in the movie. ——His style is too distinct.
Stephen Chow can not perform himself, but "transform" all the characters into himself as much as possible behind the scenes, but it is difficult for Jackie Chan to imitate him in this regard. I can't believe that he doesn't just act but direct, and then trains Nicholas Tse, Li Chi-ting and others to jump up and down like him, using their movements to create laughter.
After all, "Those who learn from me will live, and those who are like me will die." Even if Bruce Lee had not died young, it would be difficult to imagine that Jackie Chan could become Bruce Lee's successor by playing opposite him, instead of what happened later in reality. Like that, he changed his tune, stepped out of Bruce Lee's shadow, and truly developed his own interesting fighting style.
Of course, this is not only Jackie Chan’s own problem, but also the accumulated shortcomings of Hong Kong-style action movies. The result is that too much emphasis is placed on the personal style of the action star while ignoring the core creativity of the movie itself. He also believed that literary opera only filled the gap between martial arts. As a result, what were once strengths, such as the need for no stand-ins and special effects, and the selling points of being in person, will one day turn into weaknesses.
In fact, looking at the entire international action movies, there has been such a trend in recent years. For example, Keanu Reeves' "John Wick" series, which is no longer agile, also completely weakens the plot and one-sidedly pursues a " Feeling good."
But the problem is that the real essence of the best American action movies is not the pure "feeling" type like "John Wick", but the high-concept creativity like "Speed" and "The Matrix". Only by perfectly blending civil and military drama can we bring forth the new from the old and become a classic.
And this is also a height that Hong Kong-style action movies represented by Jackie Chan have never reached, or even tried hard.
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