Throughout the year, there were more than ten films released on a large scale in North America, and the competition was naturally fierce. Among them are the successful cases of "Crazy Primitives" and "Despicable Me 2" selling globally, but there are also lessons from box office failures of "Speed Snail" and "Crazy Turkey".
Going back to "Forest Warrior", Blue Sky Studios has risen with the "Ice Age" series. The image of "Squirrel and Pine Cone" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Its influence can even compete with Pixar and DreamWorks. However, it is obviously not conducive to relying too much on one series. Diversify risks, so Blue Sky launched "Horton's Adventure" and "Rio Adventure" in 2008 and 2011, which were also very successful. And this year's "Forest Warrior" is the largest investment ever made by the Blue Sky Studio. Regardless of subject matter selection, art setting, and scene production, it is obviously entrusted with greater ambitions. But like most Hollywood animations, in the absence of enough new ideas and bright spots, the movie ended up in a tepid mediocrity.
How to make a successful animated film? Even after decades of cultivating the industry, Pixar, which was once invincible, is now thinking about this problem in distress. Although there are still various new settings and theme stories, Hollywood animations are more and more like industrial products set with precise procedures, the same protagonist character, the inspirational theme of the small soldier's great contribution, plus the first and the second. The curing process of inhibiting sublimation. The tastes of the audience are becoming more and more critical, and it is difficult to find the princess in the first "Shrek" kisses into an ugly surprise. They can only throw their excitement on the small details outside the main story. On the small setting. Therefore, the animation studio can only devote all its thoughts to the brilliant supporting roles, such as the squirrel in the glacier, the little yellow man of Despicable Me, the penguin gang of Madagascar, the OK Brotherhood of Monster University, and the supporting role of the personality robbed the protagonist. In the limelight, irrelevant comics have replaced the main story as the biggest selling point. When they encounter an Invincible Destruction King or Glu with a new meaning, the audience is as grateful as if they have won the jackpot.
At least for Hollywood, technology will no longer be the key to affecting film quality at all. The magnificent CG is already the basic configuration, making fine models, vivid lights and shadows, smooth and realistic movements and 3D effects of real guns and live ammunition. "Forest Warrior" undoubtedly shines in the overall art design, with a comfortable and eye-catching green tone, a distinctive character image, and a magnificent scene. The styling and equipment of "Ye Tianshi" undoubtedly borrowed from Japanese samurai, and incorporated Chinese Kung Fu and traditional elves elements. The villain Boggan is more like a half-orc who likes to destroy but has no thinking ability. Under the protection of high investment, the hostile parties Also presents an epic-like pattern.
It is a pity that in the context of the scenes and techniques, the characters in the film are still too thin, completely failing the efforts of the technical and art teams. Probably the film is adapted from classic children’s literature, and there is too much to express. The result of the attack from all sides is weak and weak. The protagonist has no sense of existence. The supporting role is given a face of uncle who can’t grab the play. , The big villain looks like he is determined to win most of the time, but in fact, except for those ignorant children, everyone knows that he will commit a second at a critical moment and eventually fail. Among them, the heroine is given the most important mission. As the key to connecting humans and forests, she replaces the audience to gradually understand the wonderful forest world from an unfamiliar perspective, and shoulders the important task of saving the forest. However, apart from the last idea to turn on the plug-in to invite the "giant" father to help out, other times are basically useless; the male protagonist’s unpleasant personality is not likable, and the only sense of existence is to talk about love with the female protagonist, and During the final battle, he played handsomely with a helmet and armor, and the entire playing time was not even as good as the second male uncle. However, the scientist father and the uncle captain each have a full story, but they are scattered about each other, and because of their identities, they can only confess it hastily. On the contrary, two slimy slugs are quite interesting, but this kind of gag character that has nothing to do with the overall situation has become a standard in Hollywood animation, and it is hard to call it new.
This kind of outstanding picture but weak story is very similar to the previous Zach Schneider's "Legend of the Guardian". It is also slightly epic-style setting and beautiful to the dazzling picture. It also has the problem of weak narrative and thin characters. "Forest Warrior" will exceed 100 million at the North American box office. The comparative investment is estimated to make Blue Sky Studio's further plans come to nothing.
In any case, "Forest Warrior" is still a well-produced work with excellent technology and pictures. The content of the story is enough to draw the laughter of children. For most adult audiences, the text of children's literature is still slightly naive, and the blue sky is in it. The lack of character and narrative made it difficult for the film to win in the 2013 animation chaos, and Lantian's ambition finally came back in disappointment.
But looking back at the so-called 3D animation "Zheng He 1405-Pursuit of the Demon Sea" released in the same period in China, we are not only two countries separated by oceans, but two generations separated for centuries. So, if you can see such a dazzling and seductive movie on the big screen, listening to the children yelling at the fairies and warriors in excitement, what else is there to complain and pick?
PS:
1. I don’t know if Beyoncé was asked to do the voice and the forest goddess was portrayed as black, or because the forest goddess was black, Beyoncé was asked to do the voice?
2. Audiences with intensive phobias should be cautious in entering.
3. There are actually 6 screenwriters in this animation? So the story is so bad?
View more about Epic reviews
