According to the full score of 10, my score for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Qingming Sword" should be between 5-6 points. In other words, mediocre works that sway above and below the passing line.
The plot of the film unfolds eighteen years after "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", telling the story of the next generation of Yu Jiaolong and Luo Xiaohu. It is said to be based on the last "Iron Cavalry Silver Screen" of Wang Dulu's "Crew Surprised Kunlun" five-part series. . But those who are familiar with the original work know that this film is supposed to have nothing to do with Yu Xiulian and the older generation, and the roles of Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen are still retained purely because of box office needs. For fans of martial arts novels, the only meaning is to see the word "Wang Dulu" in the screenwriter column.
In my opinion, the most similar place between "The Sword of Qingming" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is that kind of "cultural hybrid" atmosphere. The film is still an invited Hollywood screenwriter, and the lines are still lingering in literature and art, and it can be seen that it means to continue to please Western female audiences. Wang Dulu's original novels have always been good at portraying the characters in detail, while the descriptions of martial arts and rivers and lakes are quite realistic. Although "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was mixed blood, it did a remarkable job in retaining these advantages. The grudge relationship between Yu Xiulian and Li Mubai, which is lingering on words and expressing affection and politeness, is quite Confucian, reminiscent of the film tradition of the Republic of China since "Spring in a Small Town".
If "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is both Chinese and Western, then "The Sword of Qingming" gives the impression that it is neither Chinese nor Western. The two young actors are both Chinese who grew up in the West, and their eyes are filled with confusion about entering the world of martial arts by mistake. Judging from the mouth shape, the film was even in English when it was filmed, so don't be too surprised when you hear superficial and straightforward lines such as "honor, responsibility, chivalry", because it wasn't meant for us. It would be very interesting to compare this film with "Kung Fu Panda 3". Even the animation knows how to customize a set of mouth shapes for the Chinese market. A martial arts movie with such a pure subject matter is shown to domestic audiences with a dubbing Version.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was a rare martial arts movie with a strong cultural atmosphere. Escort Bureau, Baylor House, Tavern, Long Street, Desert... Every scene appears reasonable and full of fireworks. The realism of the Republic of China martial arts style has been well inherited, which is different from the prosperous flying sky at that time. new martial arts. And "Qingming Sword" takes a completely overhead route. The Xilian faction (obviously the homonym of "Qilian Gang" in the original book) who is entrenched in the ancient pagoda fights in the capital in order to snatch the "Wulin Supreme" Qingming Sword. Their opponent, the decent headquarters of Jianghu is actually the Baylor House... This is simply a "magic" plot that even the Zhuanzhuzhuzhu couldn't make up. There are only two or three locations in the film, and the texture is completely incomparable to the prequel. As for the unconventional hairstyle of the male protagonist and the spring snow bottle with unkempt hair from head to tail, it is even more powerless to complain.
If "no culture" is to criticize a martial arts film, then the mediocre martial arts scenes in this film are really unacceptable. As the "Eighth Master" Yuan Heping, who has filmed "Drunken Fist", "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng", "The Matrix" and other action classics, almost none of the action scenes designed for "The Sword of Qingming" this time are impressive. Except for Glacier, where you can see some thoughts, the others are basically only passable. The action scenes in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", such as stealing swords in the capital, reciting poems in restaurants, and discussing swords in bamboo forests, have become classics in film history, and it can be said that the scenes are wonderful. In contrast, "The Sword of Qingming" is reminiscent of the unsatisfactory recent works such as "Su Qi'er" and "Fighting Battle" by the Eighth Master.
It is worth mentioning that the soundtrack of the film, composed by Mei Linmao and performed by Lang Lang, although not as good as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", is still relatively satisfactory in various departments. The melody of "Moonlight Lover" sounded several times in the film, which reminded people of the infinite scenery of the last episode on the night of the 73rd Academy Awards. As the subtitles rose, the ending song "If There's One Second Left in Time" sung by Coco Li gently listened, which was somewhat of a consolation to the disappointed audience along the way.
ps: Written for Sina.
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