The release of "The Rise of an Empire" seems to be a little longer than the previous one. Eight years have passed, and the blood and adrenaline of the year have been dissipated. "The Rise of an Empire" has invested over 100 million yuan, but its box office in North America has just exceeded 100 million yuan. If there is no overseas box office of more than 200 million yuan, the return rate of this film will be very dismal. Of course, the long interval is only one of the reasons, the more factor lies in the film itself.
If "300 Warriors" is regarded as a computer game, then this film is equivalent to its expansion, with a head and a tail, expanding the scale of "War of Hot Springs" to The entire Hippo War. As for the content, it's really lackluster, nothing new. What the unnamed director Norm Muro did was Xiao Gui and Cao Sui, continuing the style of the previous work, or blindly expressing the masculine beauty of fighting in the age of cold weapons. But to be honest, watching too much is naturally prone to aesthetic fatigue. What's more, like Gerard Butler and Michael Fassbender in the previous work, it is impossible to see such works anymore. Looking at the cast, apart from sex goddess Eva Green, there really isn't anyone who can arouse the audience's interest. It's ironic that in a film that depicts a man, the main character is actually a woman's card. And in order to show off Aiwa's pair of big breasts, she somehow forced herself into a meat scene. Just imagine that when the war is approaching, the main generals of the hostile sides actually have sex in the cabin...
The "300 Warriors" series is based on Frank Miller's comics, so its "simple and crude" and "loose hyperbole" depiction of history cannot be criticized. On the other hand, this method is not obtrusive. After entering the 21st century, almost all the historical themes around the world have begun to lean towards retro. They neither focus on expressing the depth of history, nor do they have a modern and diversified interpretation of history, but instead move towards "modern conservatism, technological glitz". the shallow path of philosophicalism and historical vulgarism". High cost, large-scale production, internationalization and entertainment have become the most prominent features. The narrative of epic movies has given way to the visual factor of landscape fantasy, and the visual effects of scene pictures and body costumes are infinitely exaggerated, such as "Troy". , "Alexander the Great" and other films all fell into such a rut.
Correspondingly, when historical-themed films cater to the flat hobby that rejects depth in public aesthetics in the context of popular culture centered on consumption and entertainment, the humanistic charm that should have been dissipated. The story is reduced to a foil for computer effects. Take "The Rise of an Empire" as an example, the characters in the film are shriveled and shallow, and the images of human nature are blurred. It seems that only ancient Greek sculptures like "Laocón" or "Battle of the Gods and Giants" pass by before my eyes. The difference is only It just moves. There is demeanor, muscle, strength, and even momentum, but there is no human brilliance, even the protagonists like Themistocles and Artemisia.
What kind of historical movies can be considered excellent? Personally, I think at least two aspects are essential - Hollywood is good at creating spectacles when showing ancient history, the purpose is to show the vicissitudes and grandeur of history or war - this should be affirmed. On the other hand, historical figures are the soul elements and must be above them. When turbulent history and distinct individuals are mixed and perfectly matched, historical films will naturally exude an epic temperament, and at the same time, the cultural connotation and humanistic thoughts of the film can also be demonstrated with the help of heavy historical narratives.
"History" can of course not be serious, and the "300 Warriors" series is not bad as an entertainment film. However, unfortunately, there are too few historical films or excellent epic films that can be serious now? After Braveheart and Gladiator, I can't seem to see it.
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