――Han Xi
really regretted seeing many film reviews, which affected my judgment on this film to a certain extent. Many people think this film is terrible, but I still like this kind of film where religion defeats science.
I don’t want to talk about any doctrines, nor do I want to talk about any idealistic topics, but for an atheist, this film is somewhat ridiculous. When the so-called God’s punishment is presented to the audience one by one, in addition to lamenting the perfection of American film technology , The rest is a mockery of the application of this film, this is an era of no faith, so all catastrophic predictions can only be reduced to a laughing stock, the author can understand but it is difficult to accept. But apart from all kinds of spiritual events, we really have nothing to say from the film alone. Therefore, the core of this film review is the relationship between religion and science, which is self-evident. , Which is why many people criticize this film.
The protagonist Catherine gave up theology due to the tragic deaths of her husband and children during her trip to Sudan, and even became a scientist dedicated to revealing all miraculous phenomena. The setting of this role is very modern, standing on the other side of traditional religion. Fashion style in modern society. Just like Sima Nan in China, there are such figures all over the world. In fact, Catherine has always been in a successful state, and many false miracles have been defeated by her one by one.
Obviously, a former clergyman became a fighter against religion due to the tragic death of his relatives. The development of the story should continue to reveal a major false miracle, but it is difficult to say whether this is the wish of all the audience, because in Many people in many countries still hold a certain belief in religion. Therefore, as in this film, it seems that the return of this clergyman cannot but be said to be the desire of some viewers. Therefore, the role setting is already bidirectional.
At this time, we should pay attention to another character in the film. This is a black character. Although he is Catherine’s assistant, he respects religion. He tries to prove the existence of religious miracles through science. Because he used to behave badly when he was young and finally converted to religion. It is very interesting. The combination of two people is contrary in spirit, but the two people's methods of dealing with things are the same. This cannot but become a hidden clue of contrast.
Haiwen Town is a small village. The director’s placement of God’s Ten-Day Punishment in this small village does not seem like a mess, at least theoretically, but the spectacle created by the special effects of the film is still very attractive. . Regardless of the size of Haven Town, starting from the story alone, Catherine arrived in Haven Town and started investigating the supernatural incident. The first is the red river. According to the Old Testament Exodus, the blood river is the first phenomenon of God's ten-day punishment. In other words, several other supernatural events have slowly appeared.
At this time, there was a confrontation between Catherine and Ben in the film, and here is a special mention of the pasture. I thought that these supernatural phenomena were the work of God, but Catherine did refute Ben’s speculation from a scientific point of view and restored them one by one. The main reason for these phenomena in ancient Egypt. But in fact, Catherine's thesis is not necessarily valid, because no one can prove events that happened thousands of years ago. In other words, when the audience hears Catherine's utterances about the scientific basis, it is actually difficult for the audience to judge whether these scientific explanations are correct. In fact, science is also covered in pseudoscience to a large extent. Coat.
In fact, science and religion have always been in a state of ambiguity, and pseudoscience is actually a kind of superstition, which is self-evident. We have seen Catherine’s persistence in the face of various supernatural phenomena. It is not difficult to imagine that she is actually insisting on science. For her, science has become a new kind of belief, and the foundation of this belief is due to Betrayal of religion. Therefore, we can completely understand that science has become another religion. Everyone has faith. Atheists are actually a kind of faith. Believing in science is also a kind of faith. Therefore, the film becomes a struggle for faith between science and religion. The protagonist Catherine is precisely in a stage of blind obedience. Her abandonment of religion and belief in science is determined by her own experience.
The development of the film to this stage is actually very contradictory. From the main line, science and religion have formed a confrontation situation, and in the dark line, Catherine and Ben also formed this kind of confrontation. But it is a pity that the editor and director made a judgment on the two powers of equal strength prematurely, and the religious power soon gained the upper hand. The supernatural event completely controlled the direction of the whole story, and the scientific methods experienced by Catherine hardly had any effect in the film. The ten supernatural events unfolded one after another, which seemed not enough to push the story to a climax. The director still insisted on setting Catherine as the key figure to solve the problem.
The problem of science and religion is in Catherine’s heart. There is no doubt that this is just Catherine’s personal problem, but when Catherine became the savior, the film completely divorced the direction the story should develop. In other words, the arrangement at the end of the film became the biggest failure. The inner struggle that has not been implemented to the end has become a heroic cartoon film, which is the key to many viewers feeling lost.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the director’s final metaphor for the victory of religion over science. "The Exorcist" is such a film, but the characters in this film have a sudden sense of mission. All the supernatural events have become less credible, as if they have only become a fairy tale, and the method of applying the ten supernatural phenomena is somewhat lacking in originality and a bit too formal.
2007-9-11
Han Xi in Tongzhou
View more about The Reaping reviews
