May 1, 2023 | Total Issue 3222
Directed by Liu Xiaoshi, starring Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Yu Shi, and starring Zhou Dongyu, "The King of the Long Sky" was temporarily withdrawn last year, but since its release on April 28 this year, not only has the box office not collapsed, but it has also been ranked first in the single-day box office list during the May 1st schedule.
It can be seen that the audience's wait-and-see attitude towards this film has not been affected by the rumors and speculations after the withdrawal. "King of the Long Sky" has some hard goods in hand.
01
The hardest goods in the hands of "King of the Long Sky" is the mainland's new fighter J-16 and J-20 that first appeared on the big screen. This is undoubtedly a hard product at the level of "only this one, no other branch".
For some very practical reasons, the domestic air force theme is difficult to write and shoot conventional air combat scenes, and it is not very convenient to fictionalize a difficult combat mission like Hollywood's "Top Gun 2: The Lone Ranger".
In 2017, Li Chen acted in "Sky Hunting" directed by Youze, and tried to cut in from the perspective of overseas joint counter-terrorism rescue to shoot air combat action genre films. Unfortunately, due to the lack of truth in texture, the story characters are slightly suspended, and the box office and word of mouth are not satisfactory.
The screenwriter and director of this film, Liu Xiaoshi, found the ingenious angle of "test pilot", which can not only fully show the performance of the new domestic fighter, but also have room to dig into the story and characters. He made many people who like aviation and pay attention to new domestic fighters finally realize their dreams.
Liu Xiaoshi served as the assistant director of "Heart Flower Road" and was also a member of the "72 Change Film Project" of Bad Monkey Pictures. Graduated from the master's program of the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, he has nearly 15 years of experience in shooting scientific research films and experimental materials in the aviation industry system. From 2008 to the present, he is very familiar with the testing and installation process of each latest model fighter.
In addition, he spent more than two years interviewing more than 300 flight cadets, pilots, test pilots and various engineers, designers, including some academicians and pilot families. The two aspects of test pilots and new fighter research and development materials he has mastered can be said to be the most front-line and comprehensive. "All-round" is undoubtedly the biggest surprise that "King of the Long Sky" gives us.
02
In the category of domestic films, "King of the Long Sky" can be worth the ticket price based on audiovisual performance alone.
Although it does not involve campaigns and missions, Liu Xiaoshi still designed two "encounters" at the beginning and end of the film. Although these two air combat scenes are not long, the fit between virtual shooting and real shooting materials is very high. Ordinary viewers can hardly tell which shot, or which part of the shot uses computer special effects, and can be completely immersed in the anxiety of air combat.
The test flight passage in the main plot is similar to the air combat picture in terms of tension. Before each test flight, there is a detailed science popularization of the subject to lay the groundwork. Even non-military fans can quickly appreciate the high risk of tests such as "stall tail spin" and "air parking" through the cooperation of lines and pictures, so as to be shocked by the audiovisual effects while pinching the sweat for the test pilots.
03
In terms of literary play, "King of the Long Sky" not only writes about the development and test flight process of new fighters, but also writes about the inheritance between three generations of test pilots on the mainland.
The third generation of test pilots are the protagonists of the film, including Lei Yu played by Wang Yibo, Deng Fang played by Yu Shi, Gao Yingjun played by Bu Yu, etc., which are characterized by excellent driving skills, but also have rich multidisciplinary theoretical knowledge and can participate in the improvement and development of new fighters.
The second generation of test pilots is Zhang Ting, played by Hu Jun, who is characterized by extraordinary skills, not only able to challenge the limit value, but also able to turn danger into a disaster and bring back the most valuable data.
The first generation of test pilots is a name engraved on the cemetery, which is characterized by fighting with their lives, spelling out the most difficult first step on the road to self-development and self-development of Chinese fighters.
Among the active test pilots highlighted in this film, the personalities and relationships of the characters are also very richly described. Between Lei Yu and Zhang Ting, it is the most common "teacher and friend". Lei Yu gradually grew into a qualified test pilot under the guidance of Zhang Tingyan's teachings.
Lei Yu and Deng Fang are "enemies and friends", from saber rattling to teaming up to challenge the most difficult projects. The two were old rivals in previous pilot skills competitions. Deng Fang's "Golden Helmet" won three consecutive championships and was ended by Lei Yu. Although the two of them did not compete directly, the competition in the test flight has always existed, and each has its own strengths and chess opponents.
Between Lei Yu and Gao Yingjun, it is a new and joyful "fan and friend". Gao Yingjun was impressed by Lei Yu's superb flying skills and extraordinary courage before, and he can be called the number one "fan brother". His presence makes the test flight team not too serious, relaxing from time to time, but appearing more vigorous.
04
However, perhaps Liu Xiaoshi's understanding of this field is too comprehensive, coupled with the extensive respect for prototypes and expert opinions in his creation, resulting in "King of the Long Sky" talking about many themes, but failing to raise a certain theme to a sufficient height.
After watching this film, the audience can have a comprehensive understanding of test pilots and the development of new fighters, but it is difficult to answer deeper questions - why in Easter eggs, test pilots in reality do not panic and fear when they know that they are unable to return to heaven and are about to die, and the tone of their last words is peaceful and calm?
When we finish watching such an "all-round" film, we still have questions about the real material in the Easter egg. This must be said to be a pity - we did not deeply understand the spiritual world and belief consciousness of the test pilots through the film.
For example, the emotional scene between Lei Yu and aviation doctor Shen Natural (played by Zhou Dongyu) in the film feels like moving the common routines in other military themes to fill up, there is no more detailed performance, the correlation with the main line is not high, and the contribution to Lei Yu's character growth is more limited.
Liu Xiaoshi once said that "King of the Long Sky" was for his close comrades-in-arms and wrote biographies for all those who were incognito. Perhaps it was because his tribute was too sincere, or perhaps he was worried that it would be difficult to have a second chance, and in this creation, he ignored "there is something to give".
If "King of the Long Sky" can add a certain theme layer by layer on such an all-round basis, giving the audience a heavy punch beyond the viewing experience, then there will be no regrets at all.
【Text/Full Hoard】