Time Contributor | Fumi Minamino
Cult movie gluttony
As early as before last year's National Day, the pre-sale box office of "King of the Long Sky" exceeded 30 million.
It was changed to be released on April 28 this year, and before its release, its pre-sale box office had exceeded 100 million yuan, becoming the pre-sale box office champion of the new film in the past five years.
"King of the Long Sky"
"The King of the Long Sky" can lead the box office all the way, firstly, because the cast of the film is strong, gathering Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Zhou Dongyu and other idol powerful stars, attracting people's attention.
Second, it rarely unveiled the mystery of the "test pilot" and shot a series of heavy fighters.
The most eye-catching "protagonist"
Not only military fans, I believe that many fans are most interested in "King of the Long Sky", which is those exciting fighters.
The research and development process of the continental fighter can be described as starting from scratch, and now it has finally stepped into the ranks of the world's fighter powers.
As early as the beginning of the 20th century, not long after the Wright brothers in the United States invented the airplane, Feng Ru, an overseas Chinese in the United States, manufactured an airplane in 1909 and successfully tested it.
This was the first aircraft built by Chinese, and Feng Ru is also known as the "father of Chinese aviation".
In the decades that followed, aviation progressed, but at a slow pace.
It was not until after the founding of the People's Republic of China that Premier Zhou convened a meeting in late 1951 and decided to step up the production of jet fighters. Five years later, the Shenyang state-owned 112 factory copied the Soviet MiG-17 and produced the first generation of domestic fighters, the J-5.
It also marked that China became one of the few countries in the world at that time that could produce jet aircraft in batches.
Then, less than a decade later, the J-6 was born, China's first twin-engine supersonic jet fighter, and it was also the generation with the largest number of equipment, the longest service time and the most brilliant results of the People's Liberation Army Air Force and Navy Aviation, and it was not until 2010 that it officially withdrew from the equipment sequence.
If the production process of the J-5 and J-6 is more limited to the imitation of the Soviet MiG fighter, then the J-7, which began to be developed in the sixties, because of the Sino-Soviet conflict, prompted the mainland's fighter production to embark on the road of independent research and development.
In the eighties, the J-10 was gradually developed as a third-generation fighter.
After the successful test flight in 1998, the J-10 attracted great attention in the world, and its comprehensive combat effectiveness reached the international advanced level of similar fighters.
Of course, the proudest is the fifth-generation stealth fighter J-20.
Not only will it fully rival the American F-22 and F-35, but it will also write a long-term map of the Chinese Air Force's strong strength.
It is worth mentioning that the "protagonist" with the most scenes in "King of the Long Sky" is this J-20.
In the trailer, the extremely streamlined body curvature and divine flipping and maneuvering in the air make the protagonist can't help but shout: It's so cool!
In the latest real-life stills released by the film, the J-20, J-16, Air Police-500 and Y-20, which are the star equipment of the Air Force in active service, are unveiled, which makes military fans feast their eyes!
The J-20 is a stealth fighter that can break a net with a needle, and the J-16 is a bomb truck that can carry multiple types of missiles.
The Air Police-500 is the clairvoyant and tailwind ear of modern air combat, and the Y-20, also known as "fat girl", can carry airborne troops and equipment to carry airborne landing.
It's exciting that these "myths" that were once only heard in the news can now be seen on the big screen.
The hero behind the scenes
If the blockbuster fighter is the biggest attraction of "King of the Long Sky", then it is the hero behind it - the test pilot who wrote this myth.
When it comes to fighters, the first thing that comes to mind is naturally pilots.
After all, they are the ones who ultimately steer the plane and dominate the battlefield. As everyone knows, when the fighter was born, the first person to control it was actually a test pilot.
What is the difference between a test pilot and a pilot?
J-20 test pilot Li Gang revealed this mystery to people in an interview.
In reality, test pilots are generally recommended by the aviation unit, then selected by the test flight unit, and finally trained in the test flight school.
After passing the test, they were assigned to test units to test various newly developed aircraft.
If you want to become a test pilot, you must not only have strong flying skills, but also meet the hard conditions such as more than 1,000 flight hours. In addition, comprehensive skills such as planning, execution and evaluation are required.
The task of test pilots is to test the performance and boundaries of the fighter in various extreme environments and tricky angles by constantly piloting new aircraft, so as to provide objective and accurate flight parameters for the new aircraft to officially enter military service.
At the same time, they are also responsible for picking faults and mistakes to reduce safety risks for warplanes.
Because of this, test pilots face unimaginable dangers and are known as "dancers on the tip of the knife".
In the fifties of the last century, an average of one test pilot died every week to test a new fighter. It is now one of the occupations with the highest mortality rate.
Air Force General Wang Hai likened the state of the test flight to "pinning your head to your trouser belt." Wang Ang, the first generation of test pilots, turned the tide at the critical moment when the engine was on fire and pitch swing.
Li Zhonghua, a test pilot in the eighties, in order to save the plane, even if he faced a life and death problem, he finally chose to overcome it and saved hundreds of millions of yuan in losses.
According to statistics, since the establishment of the test pilot system in New China, test pilots have successfully flown more than 180 types and more than 22,000 aircraft. But they also encountered more than 500 major dangers, and 32 test flight martyrs died heroically.
In "King of the Long Sky", most of the story bridges are adapted from the experience of test pilots in reality. I believe that when fans understand this background, they will understand the value of test pilots.
Aviation people who come and go
Of course, no matter how good the theme is, it needs to be well produced, and "King of the Long Sky" in addition to the real framing of the fighter, has invited many test flight heroes as professional consultants, and the lineup in front of and behind the scenes should not be underestimated.
Director Liu Xiaoshi, who once shot a promotional film for China's first aircraft carrier "Liaoning", has a good insight into how to show the shock and grandeur of the weapon of a great power.
Executive producer Han Han is an old face for fans.
With a series of box office hits, such as "After the Meeting", "Riding the Wind and Waves" and "Flying Life", Han Han has become one of the top line of mainland directors.
In addition, Han Han's own status as a racing driver and his consistent love of sports themes make him presumably integrate more inspirational scenes when operating such action blockbusters to increase the entertainment look and feel of the film.
In addition to this, the cast is also worth mentioning.
The male protagonist Wang Yibo, as one of the most popular students, showed the unique charm of a new generation of male stars in the recent Spring Festival movie "Nameless".
This time, Lei Yu, a young test pilot played by him, showed a rich personality curve in the trailer.
Faced with the thrilling tribulations during the test flight, the incomprehension of his parents and family, and the contradictions and entanglements in his heart, Lei Yu's literary and opera parts weave a full emotional network.
Another important role is Zhang Ting, the captain played by Hu Jun.
Hu Jun's heroic and resolute posture, as soon as he appeared in the trailer, showed the straightforward majesty of traditional soldiers.
The relationship between Zhang Ting and Lei Yu, who is also a teacher and friend, should also be a major attraction of the film.
As for Shen Tian, played by Zhou Dongyu, he is a psychologist in the film, responsible for psychological assessment and counseling of test pilots.
Although in the trailer, not many details were revealed, it is not difficult to guess that there should be a lot of bonds between her and Lei Yu.
In addition, familiar old faces such as Zhao Ziqi, Wang Qingxiang, and Cheng Taishen will also appear in the film one by one, enriching the character types of the story.
From the current point of view, the overall sales and quality of "King of the Long Sky" should be the most noteworthy work among recent theatrical movies.