Thoughts after watching the movie Wolf Warrior 2 1
I still remember the feeling when I watched "Wolf Warrior 1" a few years ago. Compared with traditional action movies, this movie actually has a traditional meaning. It can be regarded as a military-themed movie, and it is a rare special forces movie. This is due to its special nature.
Unlike their fellow SWAT brothers, special forces can be further developed based on urban combat themes, such as "Anti-Terrorist SWAT Team" and "Xtreme Agents". As a military unit, special forces have The broad framework is mainly limited to war themes (as the world attaches great importance to anti-terrorism, special forces have also begun to participate in anti-terrorism tasks since 2002), and as a branch of arms that performs special tasks, it requires individual combat capabilities and weapons and equipment. The emphasis makes it impossible to follow the route of regiment combat in traditional war movies, but special forces-themed works have a special charm - that is, they pursue professional tactics and strategies from the perspective of individual soldier combat capabilities and team combat methods, so as to maximize Greatly enhances the theme and atmosphere of the movie.
This is a feature of the two "Wolf Warriors" that are in the same vein, and the first episode has a military movie style from individual combat to teamwork, and Wu Jing's portrayal of Leng Feng, a ruffian, is very Success, the emergence of "Wolf Warrior" has given the drama two very important meanings. One is to fill the gap in special forces movies in recent years, and the other is to set the main theme, especially between military themes and commercial action movies. , found a balance point.
The first film’s box office of 540 million is a sign of success.
In the second episode, will it continue the same path as the first episode? At least Wu Jing, who directed and acted himself, doesn’t think so. After all, in this commercial market, military themes are still relatively niche. When viewers watch "Wolf Warrior 1", they still go for the action scenes. And from my personal point of view, military movies are not easy to make, both at home and abroad. , because the themes and stories are limited in the peaceful era, especially domestic restrictions, so "Wolf Warrior 2" has slightly shifted the film's vane from the film's style and theme on the premise of continuing the series. You can see it in the initial settings.
Leng Feng is no longer a soldier, and the story moves to Africa. The reasons why Leng Feng is not a soldier are mentioned in the opening, and his deviant behavior in anger led to him committing a taboo. However, although the military uniform is no longer there, Leng Feng's "retirement" is a passive demand, and the passion of a soldier still exists. The movie is set in Africa, and the main line of the story is to rescue Chinese compatriots. Therefore, the theme of "Wolf Warrior 2" is still in the same line as the first episode, but there are no restrictions on the theme and story of the first movie. In terms of content, you can let go and have a broader space.
This is the upgrade of "Wolf Warrior 2".
? "Wolf Warrior 2" is from the perspective of a retired soldier, with a strong sense of immersion. It is completely in the mold of Hollywood stand-alone action movies, such as "First Blood", "Die Hard", "Sudden Death", "Rampage" and other popular works. The protagonists of these movies are either policemen or ex-soldiers. This film Same thing.
The movie’s portrayal of Leng Feng is quite good, and the other supporting characters can show their corresponding character characteristics in a facial-like manner, especially in the second half of the arsenal’s breakout scene, including the female nurse Lu Jingshan and Fu Er. The personality portrayal of characters such as Dai Zhang Han is enough in an action movie. Especially Wu Gang, the secretary of Dakang, is simply "Leng Feng No. 2". The only thing they have in common is that they are secretive and have extraordinary skills, which is in line with the usual settings of independent action movies, and their character traits are also quite likable. Although It only appeared in the second half, but it was equally popular.
The movie is based on this simple plot. The plot arrangement and story rhythm are not smooth, but very compact, that is, fast-paced. It uses dizzying action scenes to cover up the stereotypes of the plot and characters. Doesn't affect the look and feel.
Of course, the biggest highlight of the movie is the action, from the 6-minute long shot of fighting pirates from the ship to the water at the beginning, and the display of Wu Jing using a wire fence to block RPG rockets, the action scenes of the movie Just switching back and forth between skill/heat, this is the consistent style of the "Wolf Warrior" series. In the film, Wu Jing is also shown changing the magazine with one hand, which is no less than the action of drawing a gun/loading with his foot/shooting a headshot in the first episode. lens.
Street fights, hand-to-hand combat, tank racing scenes, rockets and automatic weapons taking turns firing, and even the PK battle with "Crossbones" at the end, the scenes in this film are very refreshing.
And the portrayal of friendship is also a symbol of the "Wolf Warrior 2" series. Compared with the brotherhood permeated in the battle in the first episode, the focus of the second episode is on ordinary refugees, the theme of the movie In fact, it is similar to "no man left behind" in "Black Hawk Down". When faced with refugees at gunpoint, whether they are Chinese compatriots or African brothers, the movie uses heavy pen and ink to exaggerate. With its hot action scenes and strong friendship, "Wolf Warrior 2" exudes a pure manly atmosphere from the inside out. I don’t know how much commercial value this work will ultimately gain, but such a large-scale film has made a considerable contribution to the film market where the development of genre films has almost stagnated.
Speaking of Chinese-language action themes, the recent emergence of films such as "Operation Mekong", "Operation Unusual" and the future "Operation Red Sea" is actually good for the diversified development of our genre films. Although this film has the flavor of the main theme, its route is correct. It finds a balance between business and the main theme, which is also a characteristic of the "Wolf Warrior" series.
Review of the movie Wolf Warrior 2
The unexpected success of "Wolf Warrior" in the market in 2015 was partly due to luck. This "luck" was the feeling that "anyone who offends China will be punished no matter how far away" it expressed accurately hit the audience's enthusiasm at that time.
Due to the limited funding of the project and the limited experience of the director, "Wolf Warrior" not only turned into a "dark horse" at that time, it also received many criticisms against the film's production. After the hit at the box office, "Wolf Warrior 2" has more leeway in terms of funding, and the increase in investment has also intuitively translated into the upgrade of military tanks, helicopters and other hardware facilities as well as big scenes such as speeding cars and explosions in the finished film. For example, in the tank duel scene, "Wolf Warrior 2" "unfazed" allowed 5 or 6 heavy armored vehicles to collide and crush each other. One of the tanks was directly overturned to the ground, and even ended up being knocked down. The "highlight" of heavy artillery blowing up a helicopter was staged. Such a big scene that is willing to burn money can be regarded as a "counterattack" against the "50-cent special effects" of the previous game.
Since the background of the story has moved from the Chinese border to the distant African continent, Wu Jing also chose a more international villain opponent for "Wolf Warrior 2". Among them, the number one bully was played by someone who starred in "U.S. Frank Grillo, the infamous "Crossbones" from the Captain series. Joining him is also the behind-the-scenes action director of "Captain America 3". Together with the martial arts coaching team from Hong Kong, the close-range hand-to-hand combat scenes in "Wolf Warrior 2" have indeed improved in terms of fluency and enjoyment than before. a lot of. I still remember that in the first film, Wu Jing, who practiced martial arts, had a slightly stiff and artificial movement in many close-ups or stop-motion shots. This was once seen as a flaw in the quality of "Wolf Warrior". This time, the opening shot of the underwater fight with fewer enemies and the final one-on-one fight with Frank Grillo has a more sense of design.
Of course, whether it is tanks, aircraft and other hardware equipment, or international actors, or behind-the-scenes lineup, these are just external upgrades brought by investment costs to a film. In the current active film market, as a work that intends to boldly explore the style of commercial genre films in addition to the main theme, "Wolf Warrior 2" has made such progress, which is a surprise but cannot be called an "accident." What deserves our more attention is the change that has happened to the character "Leng Feng".
In "Wolf Warrior", Leng Feng is still a new recruit who is braver than strategist and even gets into trouble. Similar settings are not uncommon in previous military-themed works. From being disobedient to leading troops in combat has almost become a "standard action" for their transformation. In the film, of course, there are supporting characters including Ni Dahong and Yu Nan who help Wu Jing stand up for his role, but more often than not, in order to reflect his abilities, his teammates and (most) opponents are deliberately weakened. For the audience, this This artistic creation method undoubtedly affects the "credibility" of the film.
We can see that "Wolf Warrior 2" is gradually reversing this point: Leng Feng is still invincible on the battlefield, but he has more "human weaknesses", such as once again encountering villains who bully his comrades. , he still ignored the punishment and fought against injustice; when he suffered from illness, he was helpless and had to endure the sadness of "betrayal and separation"; and what motivated him to fight could be both national justice and the love of his children... This is the "routine" of a heroic protagonist. , we have also seen it in characters such as Steve Rogers in "Captain America" ??and Desmond Dawes in "Hacksaw Ridge". Deeply focusing on the humanity of "Leng Feng" and building a more full and three-dimensional character are the most critical "core" decisions Wu Jing made in the process of approaching the "heavy film industry" with the "Wolf Warrior" series. upgrade.
Thoughts after watching the movie Wolf Warrior 2 3
Two million is an abstract number describing the number of active soldiers in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. A veteran, however, gave this abstract and cold number an intuitive, vivid, down-to-earth, and warm annotation using film elements intertwined with blood, fire, and love.
An image is greater than a bunch of concepts. This unbreakable aesthetic law is once again confirmed in this movie.
On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the military-themed movie "Wolf Warrior 2" was released in theaters across the country.
This is a heavy industry military action movie. In a certain African country, the deadly Lamanra virus is spreading. The opposition "Red Turban Army" rebelled on the grounds that the government failed to provide adequate treatment. "Those who get the vaccine will win the world." The virus serum vaccine that is about to be successfully developed by Dr. Chen, a doctor in my country's aid to Africa, has become the focus of competition between the government forces and the "Red Turban Army".
Chinese veteran Leng Feng, played by Wu Jing, is looking for the murderer of his lover. Wearing a necklace made of the bullet that killed his girlfriend, he followed the traces all the way to the African continent. Revenge, promise fulfillment, and love gradually unfold against the backdrop of this civil strife of blood and fire.
First of all, the stage element of the movie is world-wide. China also has films on the world stage, but only a handful of them. The film is set in the vast expanse of Africa, with wild grassland scenery, exotic ethnic customs, and complex tribal relationships... From the very beginning, the film has a background that dialogues with world movies.
Secondly, the theme of the movie is world-wide. Sympathy and protection of the weak are the most common and common themes of mankind. In the film, the heroine from the United States and the hero from China, for their respective promises, take an African child with them, shuttle through plague, explosions, blood and war, without regrets, never give up, and practice It represents the value realization and moral pursuit of "human" with a capital letter.
Once upon a time, movies that stood at the height of God and expressed the theme of "salvation" seemed to be the exclusive preserve of American blockbusters. In "Wolf Warrior 2", the two protagonists from China and the United States respectively protect the future of Africa - a boy and a girl, and evacuate from war to peace. From this point of view, this can be regarded as a manifestation of cultural confidence.
Thirdly, the language of film is global. In the American blockbuster "Titanic" in the late 1990s, men stayed behind and gave up the limited lifeboats to women and children. This globally accepted "value" made the movie a huge profit. It also won moral global plaudits.
Such values ??are once again reflected in the Chinese film "Wolf Warrior 2".
When faced with the limited helicopter slots applied for by China, it seems to be a natural choice to let the Chinese evacuate first and leave the African people behind. But the protagonist Leng Feng’s sonorous command to “women and children get on the plane” made the image of a responsible nation vividly appear on the page, and also achieved a successful “dialogue” with world movies at the level of values.
There are many Chinese films that have won international awards. However, upon careful analysis, the selling point of certain films focuses on describing the backwardness, ignorance, crudeness, and ugliness of the nation, which is in line with Westerners' voyeuristic desire for the so-called "mystery" of Eastern culture. It’s not that these “mysteries” can’t be filmed, it’s just that there are more broader themes that can “dialogue” with the “discourse system” of world movies. It’s just that our film industry is not good at or unwilling to explore them.