This article was first published on the WeChat public account of Universal Screen~! Follow it and it's over!
Friends who are interested in war themes have already seen "Greyhound" and "Outpost" not long ago.
The former is in World War II, while the latter is mired in the quagmire of the Afghan war.
Although the performance methods are different, they are all recent masterpieces that are worth watching.
Next, the above two "traditional hard dishes" will continue to be talked about through the theme of war today, with something different.
I present to you a "fusion and creative dish" that has been highly discussed and brain-opening recently (crazy hints here) -
"Ghost of War"
Just like the name of the movie, the US military this time not only has to deal with real enemies and bullets that don't have long eyes, but also face the entanglement of supernatural events.
In fact, recall that the Second World War has been out of a strange routine by many film and television works.
In this routine, the Allied's Bizarre Adventure has been increased in difficulty.
A more representative example is "Overlord" produced by J.J. Abrams in 2018.
The Nazis' crazy plan combines zombie elements with a World War II setting.
Another example is "Frankenstein's Army" in the form of a pseudo-documentary, which is all about terror.
In addition, the Nazis are also good at turning to supernatural powers, ancient magic, cruel sacrifices and summoning rituals, everything. (Otherwise you will never see Hellboy)
In "Ghost of War", the haunted drama of the ancient house has become a "new topic" for the US military.
This time, it was the long-lost director Eric Brace who brought bad luck to them.
The last time he personally served as the director and screenwriter dates back to the famous "Butterfly Effect" in 2004. As soon as I saw the name, I vaguely felt that things were not that simple...
The story begins in Nazi-occupied France in 1944, and Chris, played by "Big Boy" Brenton Thwaites ("Titans", "Pirates of the Caribbean 5"), leads the team to the Helwig family's mansion.
After the fall of France, the mansion was occupied by the Nazis and became the headquarters, which has now been recaptured by the US military.
The task of the team seems to be very simple, rush to the mansion, take over the soldiers stationed here before, and wait for the next wave of teams to take over.
Compared with the daily wind and camp and the hail of bullets, stationing in a manor is an ideal errand for any soldier who has struggled and survived in the war.
Not only can you get a good night's sleep, but the mansion's pantry is stuffed with cheese, sausages, red wine, and an endless supply of brandy.
However, the original garrison team that saw Chris and his party did not have the slightest nostalgia. On the contrary, everyone's expressions showed unconcealed tension and fear, and they wanted to leave here quickly.
Sure enough, the Chris team, who had just stayed there for a while, discovered something was wrong. Before night fell, some inexplicable fear began to erode the mansion.
The mysterious noise in the walls, the looming figures in the room, the Morse code faintly coming from the old pipes, the hanging corpses flashing past the curtains...
This haunted mansion has moved out one after another, for fear that those who come will not know that it is a haunted house.
Just when the team was disturbed by supernatural events, dozens of Nazi soldiers passing by here made the team's situation even worse, and a tragic battle was inevitable.
Although there are occasional heavy-taste pictures as adjustment, the "war" and "ghost" of "Ghost of War" alone are not excellent, and there is even a big gap compared with the best in the same genre.
Five people vs. 50 people in the film is slightly "anti-German drama", and the horror is the violent use of jump scares many times.
However, when the fusion of these two types reached a climax in the battle, the strange temperament of the film began to be gradually revealed.
Just as the two sides were pouring ammunition into each other, the haunting intensified.
This mansion killed the Nazis openly and aboveboard when everyone had no time to care, and did not shy away from the bystanders present.
While everything was going on, the addition of the mysterious forces turned the battle into a three-way melee.
The genre fusion in the top two-thirds of the film came as no surprise to viewers more familiar with the genre.
Within the logical framework of the same time and space, many previous subtle clues also pointed to a well-established story of resentment.
But if it's really that simple, it's definitely not director Eric Brace's style.
The increasingly bizarre paranormal phenomenon is already a bit out of place under the original logic, and the clues that seemed to have been cracked before gradually reversed direction, pointing to an unexpected big reversal.
As for what the reversal is, I'll leave it to you to see for yourself. After all, the freshness of this key reversal will seriously affect the viewing experience.
It can be said, however, that the mix of genres of the film does not stop at "war" and "horror".
The hidden third type actually runs through, linking with some previously inconspicuous details, until a moment when the audience suddenly realizes. (At the same time, you will understand what I am insinuating crazy at the beginning)
Although the answer of "Ghost of War" is easily reminiscent of a quite famous work nine years ago (no prizes are welcome in the comment area hahaha!), the overall look and the way of expressing the theme still have their own characteristics.
After restoring the dislocated puzzle pieces, it is not difficult to find that the core expression of "Ghost of War" is still to depict the psychological trauma caused by war to individuals.
It is extremely ironic that the guilt that should have given these soldiers spiritual comfort and self-redemption turned into a sharp blade and sent them to the endless hell.
In fact, aren't these soldiers ghosts created by war?
Soldiers who cannot help themselves in war are sometimes forced to make difficult choices. When reason and kindness are placed on opposite sides, making choices is like a vicious curse, trapped in it and unable to escape.
As for the real "curse" in the film, the director subtly placed it in the type of grafting.
It found a foothold in the two originally slightly conflicting types, and opened up the gap between resentment and guilt, supernatural and reality in one breath.
In the face of "Ghost of War", which is obviously more inclined to win by creativity and reversal, the second brush is not necessary, but it is quite interesting to enter this film without knowing it.
Regarding the soldier's self-redemption, the film does not dig further, but points out a way to the abyss.
But there is another hidden interest. After knowing the truth of everything, you can try to speculate on what kind of "redemption road" these soldiers would have embarked on.
Although not shown in the film, the puzzles scattered in the film still hide another way of spelling, just see if you can find it!
View more about Ghosts of War reviews
