Burning Dimension (ID: chaintruth) original, author | Tao Tao, editor | Cao Yang
"I never imagined that I could visualize the works of old idols." Gong Ge, the producer and screenwriter of the movie "The Wandering Earth" series, still feels like a dream when he recalls his role in the filmmaking process.
In the 80s of the 20th century, Gong Ge, who was still in elementary school, was already fascinated by Liu Cixin's science fiction novella serialized in Science Fiction World magazine.
"In the story, the attraction brought by the vast universe beyond the earth also became the driving force behind my later study of film." Gonger recalled that after going to college, the novel "The Three-Body Problem" came out, "In which I felt 'the shock of having a subversive understanding of life'. ”
And in the creative team of "The Wandering Earth 2", there are many staff members who, like Gong Ge, grew up watching Liu Cixin's science fiction novels. With a personal admiration for Liu Cixin and a deep understanding of the novel, they unconsciously integrated the imagery and ideas in novels such as Da Liu (Liu Cixin's nickname), "Time Migration" and "The Three-Body Problem" in "The Wandering Earth 2", and made it the inspiration for "AI and immortal philosophy" in "The Wandering Earth 2".
Perhaps, it is precisely because of the existence of "Gongers" that the movie "The Wandering Earth 2" can continue the reputation and box office of "The Wandering Earth".
As of 22 pm on January 25, "The Wandering Earth 2" 4 days after its release has exceeded 1.6 billion yuan at the box office. On Weibo, #Movie Wandering Earth 2# has been trafficked 1.1 billion times. At the same time, in Douban, its score has been stable at about 8.3 points, and its reputation is temporarily higher than the 7.9 points of "The Wandering Earth", and some netizens directly compared "The Wandering Earth 2" to "China's version of "Interstellar".
Picture/"The Wandering Earth 2" official stills, source/Douban
In fact, "The Wandering Earth 2" is only the tip of the iceberg of Liu Cixin's IP fever in recent years.
Since the end of 2022, the animated version of "The Three-Body Problem" adapted from Liu Cixin's novel, the domestic TV series version of "The Three-Body Problem" have been launched, and then the release of "The Wandering Earth 2", regardless of black or red, they have all rushed to the hot search. As of 7 p.m. on January 25, the TV series "The Three-Body Problem" has been broadcast for only 10 days, and its Weibo-related topics have been read as high as 19 billion.
It is worth noting that behind Liu Cixin's IP attracting public attention, on the one hand, it is closely related to the excitement of his novel, but on the other hand, it is also inseparable from the competition of capital.
Public information shows that from "The Three-Body Problem", "The Wandering Earth" to "Ball Lightning", Liu Cixin's works have been favored by many film and television culture companies. From the early entry of the nomadic network, to the later entry of Tencent and B station, Liu Cixin's sci-fi IP has dug up many "treasures" in the process of continuous visualization.
"The beginning of the change of science fiction IP from 'pendant' to 'popularization' is Liu Cixin's greatest contribution to Chinese science fiction." Screenwriter Wutong commented on Ran Dimension.
But at the same time, Wutong also bluntly said, "Although Liu Cixin is deeply influenced by the golden generation of science fiction, there will be certain limitations in its creation." Therefore, the breaking of the circle of science fiction cannot rely on the strength of 'Liu Cixin', and the full development of the science fiction industry needs more diversified talents. ”
In the view of senior film planner Wang Shuang, the shortcomings of the development of science fiction film and television are not only the shortage of talents, "At present, the systematization of the domestic film and television industry is relatively insufficient, which is also a constraint on the development of science fiction film and television. ”
As the above-mentioned industry insiders said, it is an indisputable fact that China's science fiction industry is still in its infancy at this stage, but it is undeniable that under the rapid development, its future is still promising.
01 How is "The Wandering Earth 2" refined?
"A completely original plot can still be so wonderful." Xiao Madoka, who has read the original novel of "The Wandering Earth", said to Ran Dimension that when watching the movie, he always felt that there was a black hand behind the scenes, but he did not expect that the plot of the film was unexpected, "It turned out to be Moss!" The ending Easter egg suddenly filled the previous pit, which was very pleasantly surprised. ”
Photo: Madoko and friends chatting about the look and feel of the movie "The Wandering Earth 2", source/provided by Madoko Ko
Cristina, who is also a fan of science fiction, sighed after watching "The Wandering Earth 2", "This film just follows the setting of the original book, but I didn't expect that in the prequel 'Brake Era', in addition to the basic plot in the book, it also combined the discussion of the 'definition of life and death': Can digital memory mean living like the flesh? This may be in the near future, and human beings will need to face the ethical issues head-on, like this cold perspective. ”
Netizens can give this high evaluation, which is not unrelated to the serious attitude of the main creative team. Ran Dimension found that "The Wandering Earth 2", whether it is the depth of content, the realism of special effects, the substitution of atmosphere, and the rigor of plot logic, are closely related to the enthusiasm of the main creative team to visualize Liu Cixin's IP and the detailed understanding of Da Liu's various sci-fi IPs.
"Teacher Liu Cixin's novel has successfully come out of the circle, as fans of Da Liu, why don't we use this as soil to fill it more richly? In this way, people who love him can better swim freely in the ocean of science fiction. Talking about the high proportion of "Liu works" in "The Wandering Earth 2", Gong Geer said to Ran Dimension.
Readers who have seen Liu Cixin's main works are not difficult to find that the sci-fi imagination and ethical questioning involved in "The Wandering Earth 2" not only comes from the concept of "taking the earth to escape the solar system" in the novel "The Wandering Earth", but also includes concepts such as the "space ladder" in "The Three-Body Problem" and the "digital life" in "Time Migration".
"If you don't understand the core of 'digital life is not the ultimate survival law of mankind' that Da Liu wants to express in several works, you can't build a humanistic height that is not contrary to the novel in "The Wandering Earth 2"." Sycamore analyzed.
In the film, the realism of the grand scene is inseparable from the blessing of the super scientist advisors.
According to Gonger, the script of "The Wandering Earth 2" was written under the joint guidance of a number of professionals, including theoretical physics scientists, astrophysical scientists, artificial intelligence scientists, aerospace materials scientists, etc., some of whom even participated in the filming process of the film with the group for a long time.
"These experts, while respecting the basic setting of the original book of "The Wandering Earth", will rationalize many details, such as the height of the space ladder, the material, the way to rise, and even the content of the questionnaire they fill out when astronauts are assessed." Gonger added.
Picture: The ladder in the trailer of "The Wandering Earth 2", source/Douban Screenshot of the burning dimension
In addition, screenwriter Gong Ge's literary tone, combined with director Guo Fan's figurative thinking, jointly show a number of touching and atmospheric scenes in "The Wandering Earth 2".
"I am not from a screenwriting class, and the portrayal of the environment in the script is more like the whispers of literary and artistic youth, and psychological descriptions such as 'a melancholy cigarette' often appear." According to Gongger, "At this point, Guo Fan would tell me to turn such a sentence into a language that my colleagues in the art group could understand, such as, 'a cigarette with a blue smoke ring.'" ”
Under the high reputation, there is no lack of doubts and controversies. Among them, the most important controversy focuses on the pace of the film and the threshold of watching the movie.
"The one-hour pace at the beginning of the movie is a bit draggy, but it can completely compress some of the discrete emotional elements." Lin Xi, a sci-fi film and television enthusiast, said to Ran Dimension, "Even if you can evaluate the film by opening low and walking high in the future, it will still affect the viewing experience to some extent." ”
"Before reading the film review, including the key role of AI boss Moss in promoting the plot, and the meaning of those flashback shots, I didn't fully understand." In the view of the partner who watched the movie with Lin Xi, "Understanding the movie "The Wandering Earth 2", for consumers who want to relax during the Spring Festival, the information density is a little too large, which may be one of the reasons why "Manjiang Hong" surpassed "The Wandering Earth 2" at the box office on the third day of the Lunar New Year." ”
02 Liu Cixin drives domestic science fiction
In fact, the reason why "The Wandering Earth 2", whether it is science fiction imagination, ethical thinking or emotional bridges, can be so rich is more due to the world view, thinking about human nature, and romantic portrayal of science and engineering men constructed in Liu Cixin's original work.
"In Da Liu's work, in the face of disaster, unlike Western individual heroism, Chinese collectivism is well versed in Chinese culture. In addition, in the world of the jungle, the pessimism of the nature of each species, the doubts about the meaning of the existence of digital life, and the questioning of 'anthropocentrism' are all impactful all the time. Xiao Yuanzi sighed with emotion.
Of course, it is these sci-fi imaginations and the profound humanistic thinking behind them that bring readers a shock to the heart, leading a group of young people to approach sci-fi.
"Liu Cixin's science fiction content serialized in science fiction magazines for many years had a strong impact on my world view when I was a teenager. The reason why I went to the path of science fiction movies after that was also closely related to it. Gonger said.
Not only Gong Ge, in the program "Decoded", Ji Shaoting, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency and founder of the Future Affairs Administration, also said, "Liu Cixin's works are the direct driving force that takes me into science fiction writing. ”
Ji Shaoting also mentioned in the program, "The significance of "The Three-Body Problem" is that science fiction has become a more commercial content in China, it can appear more 'tall', it has become a culture that can be talked about on more occasions." ”
Public information shows that by the end of 2022, "The Three-Body Problem" has been translated into more than 20 languages around the world, and the sales volume has exceeded 29 million copies, setting a record for overseas copyright sales of Chinese books. In addition, Liu Cixin's short and medium-length works, including "The Wandering Earth" and "Ball Lightning", have also been adapted one after another.
Source/Visual China
"This is precisely because more and more producers and producers, including Tencent Video, B Station, Linghe Culture, Netflix, Art Painting Kaitian, Guo Fan (Beijing) Film Co., Ltd., etc., have joined the track of mining Liu Cixin's IP deposits." A relevant practitioner in the film and television industry analyzed so.
However, the radiation of Liu Cixin's IP has driven far more than the commercial value and social influence of his personal science fiction, but also his contribution to the entire science fiction industry.
Among them, science fiction novels and comics began to be adapted and mentioned more and more in domestic entertainment works, involving not only movies, TV series, but also animation and stage plays.
For example, in 2019, the movie of the same name "Shanghai Fortress" adapted from Jiangnan's science fiction novel "Shanghai Fortress" was released; The sci-fi movie "Walking on the Moon Alone", released in the summer of 2022, is adapted from the comic of the same name by Korean cartoonist Cho Seok. In addition to the works that have already been released, the sci-fi suspense TV series "The 19th Floor", which will also be broadcast in 2023, is adapted from Cai Jun's novel of the same name.
The increase in science fiction film and television works has also directly driven the increase in the value of the entire industry.
According to the 2022 "China Science Fiction 10 Years Industry Report", in 2021, the output value of mainland science fiction (including but not limited to publishing, film and television, games and other industries) has exceeded 70 billion yuan, an increase of 8 times in 5 years. In the field of science fiction reading, there are more than 3,000 retail varieties, and the head effect is more prominent, with the "Three-Body Problem" series, "Galactic Empire" series, and Verne series ranking in the top three.
The growth of the sci-fi industry is also driving the development of industry activities.
In 2016, which was also the first year after Liu Cixin won the Hugo Award, the first China Science Fiction Convention was held by the China Association for Science and Technology, which integrates the highest honor awards in film and television, carnival and literature. In 2019, China's first sci-fi-themed film festival "Blue Planet Film Week" began to integrate the common perspectives of sci-fi film and television and science and technology workers to promote the professional development of sci-fi film and television.
03 The science fiction world needs more "big liu"
It is undeniable that Liu Cixin has activated the Chinese science fiction market and greatly enhanced the development of mainland science fiction literature and science fiction industry.
However, a large amount of data also reveals the fact that "the domestic science fiction industry needs more big liu".
According to the "China Science Fiction 10 Years Industry Report", in 2022, "The Three-Body Problem" accounted for 67% of China's science fiction book sales. At the same time, in the 4 years since the release of "The Wandering Earth" in 2019, the content adapted from Liu Cixin's novel has also accounted for most of the domestic hit and released head and waist film and television and animation works. These include the "Three-Body Problem" series, multiple animations, the movies "The Wandering Earth", "The Wandering Earth 2", and "Crazy Aliens".
Although other sci-fi film and television works, such as the animation "Spirit Cage", the movie "Walking on the Moon Alone", "Shanghai Fortress", and the TV series "In Calamity", have also gained some attention in a sense, their influence is far less than Liu Cixin's works.
In this regard, Wutong said, "Many years after the award of "The Three-Body Problem", the domestic science fiction authors are still only Da Liu, which shows that domestic science fiction has not formed a complete industry, and the current domestic country obviously needs more Da Liu. ”
"From the perspective of literary creation, if we want to tap more science fiction talents, we must start by popularizing scientific knowledge and cultivating the scientific literacy of teenagers and children." In this regard, Wang Shuang added, "Developing existing and powerful sci-fi IP and creating animation, comics or excellent film and television works can not only drive the development of the entire industry chain of the IP, but also stimulate young people's interest in sci-fi." ”
In fact, the importance attached to science fiction in the education sector has been reflected to a certain extent.
According to the Yangtze River Daily, two questions related to science fiction appeared in the 2018 Chinese high school examination papers. In addition, Liu Cixin's "Bring Her Eyes" was included in the textbook; Science fiction novels such as "The Three-Body Problem", "Galactic Empire", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", and "Around the Earth in 80 Days" have all been selected as recommended reading books for primary and secondary schools.
At the same time, the cultural and publishing circles attach importance to science fiction talents, and they are also increasing.
Since 2020, in addition to the Chinese classic science fiction literature awards Galaxy Award and Nebula Award, many new science fiction literature awards have sprung up across the country, such as the "Kunpeng" Youth Science Fiction Literature Award, He Cailin Science Fiction Literature Award, Reader Science Fiction Literature Award, etc.
In terms of the creation of science fiction films and television, science fiction director Yu Gang said bluntly, "From "Walking on the Moon Alone" to "The Wandering Earth" and then to "The Wandering Earth 2", the special effects level of domestic science fiction films has been steadily improving in the past two years, and the audience can be full of confidence in the technical level of domestic science fiction films. ”
In this regard, Li Dongdong, founder of Geek Film, said that China's science fiction film and animation will usher in the next leap if they know how to further leverage the scientific community.
"The United States established the 'Science Film Integration Project' in the last century, and scientific advisers have already verified its feasibility by checking science fiction films. Now, relevant domestic attempts have also begun, from last summer's "Walking on the Moon Alone" to the "Wandering Earth 2" that is being released, scientific advisers have been involved. ”
Li Dongdong added, "The first audience of "The Wandering Earth 2" is also scientists, and while its related topics are on the hot search, it can be seen that the science fiction film and television creation team has paid more and more attention to the scientific nature of the work, and I believe that future science fiction works will do more polishing of scientific details." ”
Picture/Topic #The Wandering Earth 2 The first wave of viewers is scientists#Related reading data
Source/Weibo Screenshot of Burning Dimension
It is not difficult to see that although the industrialization of Chinese science fiction has just started, although the road is far away, it is coming.
Resources:
"Decoding", source: Tencent Video;
"Accounting for 67% of Science Fiction Book Sales, China Needs More "Da Liu"", Source: Yangtze River Daily.
*The title image and some of the accompanying pictures are from Visual China.
*In the text, Lin Xi, Wutong, Xiaoyuanzi, and Cristina are pseudonyms.
*Disclaimer: Under no circumstances does the information in this article or the opinions expressed constitute investment advice to anyone.
![Tencent's version of "The Three-Body Problem", another solution to the Chinese science fiction "Heng Era"[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)