A Crash Guide to East Asian Space Opera
"Victory" can of course be classified as a space opera, with classical and distinctive space opera characteristics; at the same time, it is also very Korean and East Asian, and has an East Asian perspective on the traditional space opera creation methodology. Fix. Compared with "Wandering Earth" that day and the success that is not easily reproduced, "Victory", which has done a better job in commercial operation and popularization, is more like a reference or even a reference. Copied research sample.
This article is a non-strict film review. It uses Korea's first space opera "Victory" to discuss the reasons for the popularity of science fiction films and the various aspects of Korean space operas.
Space opera: when it originated and why it became popular
Looking back at the more than one hundred years of space opera in the history of literature, it is difficult to tell when space opera as a style appeared. But one thing is beyond doubt: the early space operas had a distinct colonial color. In fact, the core of space opera is the paradigm of adventure stories. This core is considered to be the mythological manifestation of exploration and colonial conquest. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, in the early literary works of space opera, a narrative mode was established in which planets were imaginary countries or colonies, thereby transplanting territorial disputes on the earth into space. Then, in the process of continuous development and revision, its connotations gradually evolved into exotic adventure stories (a narrative model born out of a colonial perspective), idealized male protagonists (an interpretation of colonists), and black and white goodness. Evil struggle (a metaphor for trade wars).
So the time came in 1977. Under the influence of traditional space opera, combined with inspiration from Akira Kurosawa and western movies, the immortal masterpiece of space opera "Star Wars" was born. The "Star Wars" series not only revived the sluggish sci-fi film market in Hollywood, but also achieved great commercial success. As one of the most successful IPs in popular culture, it has not declined. The space opera represented by "Star Wars" was too successful, and filming a space opera of our own nation has become an invisible and extremely oppressive expectation for the film industry.
Decades later, we can already see the historical background of the success of Hollywood space operas in the last century. In an environment where the attractiveness of Western films to the public, whether as a mythological Western or as a genre, is becoming less and less attractive to the public, science fiction films represented by space opera have taken over the banner of Western films. Take up the responsibility of the pop culture field to satisfy the public's imagination of others. Just as western literature was born at the end of western reclamation, the western region in the geographical sense is no longer mysterious, and an artistic field symbol is needed to satisfy the public’s imagination of the western region. The popularity of space opera in the United States in the last century was the enthusiasm for space exploration and technological advancement that led to society. The inevitable result in the ever-changing era.
Looking back to "Victory", unlike the space opera popular in the United States led by technology in the last century, Korean films' attempts at space opera are more the result of film industrialization and the development of film culture .
Many audiences are familiar with this period of history: In 1997, facing the impact of Hollywood movies after the film ban was lifted, Korean filmmakers took the North and South as the subject, and learned the methods of Hollywood commercial genre films to shoot "The Spies of Life and Death" as an answer. "Han River Monster" is the first Korean sci-fi genre that combines the 386 generation brand, post-colonial color and millennial imagination. "Snow Country Train", as the masterpiece of "Chong Ao" of the year, is an attempt to combine Korean culture with Western culture wrapped in a science fiction genre.
On the other hand, from the three-color writerist directors Hong Changxiu, Li Cangdong, and Li Guangmo who made their debut in the world, to the geek Kim Ki-de's attack on the three, and finally Feng Junhao, who won both the Palme d'Or and the figurine. As the film industry becomes more modern and mature, Korean films are becoming more and more attractive as rising stars in the world film market. In this context, it is not surprising that Korean films finally climbed to the peak of film industrialization, space opera.
Tradition and model
"Victory" has a "Firefly"-style story, created with a typical space opera creation methodology, but also has a unique Korean color.
As many commentators have mentioned: The opening of "Victory" has a very typical sci-fi genre temperament. The dilapidated earth and the space elevator going straight into the sky in the future gave the first impression of the movie cyberpunk; the artificial propaganda film and the villain with extreme ideas set the tone of the movie dystopia; and the first air battle (or space garbage) Both music and art seem to have traveled from the golden age of science fiction.
And soon the audience will find that this is not a Hollywood assembly line product without Korean characteristics. On the one hand, there are a small number of people who monopolize wealth, violent machines, culture, and even the power of survival, on the other hand, are the majority of people who stay on the earth and wait for death and wander in the universe who may die at any time—this setting is hard to understand A metaphor for the status quo in South Korea. And the criticism of the chaebol is that not only can you not make money, you have to pay fines, and the hard work income has entered the pockets of capitalists represented by banks. It is always reminding the audience that this is a Korean space opera. .
Of course, "Victory", like most space operas, has an overly entertaining plot. The movie roughly centers on the little girl’s ability to save the crashed Victory with her own ability. The motives of the crew of the Victory also shifted from “profit-making” to “saving”. The setting of the crew with stunts but advanced and desolate for various reasons is a common template for space opera. The change of emotions of the little girl is rigid and deliberate, and the past of the protagonist Tae-ho is quite old-fashioned.
It is extremely easy to fall into the trap of stereotypes and prejudice to summarize and define what a country’s film should look like in existing language. But just like the dual traditions of the Nickel Cinemas and the Cinema Palace in shaping the common people and spectacles of American cinema, history and tradition will more or less be shown in works of art. The collectivist values in "The Wandering Earth" are a good example. On the point of echoing the national culture, "Victory" was not successful.
Fifteen years later: At the end of "Han River Monsters", youthful and vigorous Bae Doona raised a bow and arrow symbolizing Korean tradition, ignited with a flame bottle familiar to the 386 generations, and shot at the "monsters" from the US military base. With the breath of symbolism and prophecy, it seems to be a declaration at the beginning of the century. "Victory", which may have been unsuccessful as an attempt, together with other works, vaguely responds to the scene of the year.
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