Ma Jingtao's "Journey to the East: Eight Immortals and Voldemons" premiered, I thought it was a bad movie, but I didn't expect it to be very good

"Go, wow, go, good man, walk with me, walk all over the green mountains, people are not old, young ambition does not speak for themselves."

In 1998, Singaporean director Zhang Baolian teamed up with TVB's Leung Shengquan to direct a fantasy drama, the story is based on the myth and legend of the eight immortals crossing the sea, Ma Jingtao, Guo Feili, Zheng Xiuzhen, Lin Xiangping, Xie Shaoguang and Chang Cheng and other actors performed the roles of Lu Dongbin, He Xiangu, Han Xiangzi, Tie Zhu Li, Han Zhongli, Lan Caihe, Zhang Guolao, Cao Guoun and other eight immortals.

The drama was not only popular in Singapore, but also introduced to the mainland, and for a while, this classic theme song that beat the theme song of today's ancient puppets resounded in the streets and alleys of the mainland, and it added a classic to the memories of the post-80s generation.

Although the storyline has been forgotten now, what almost everyone remembers is that the peony fairy and He Xiangu were really beautiful,

With Ma Jingtao, who is in the right year, he is definitely the most classic immortal couple in Chinese dramas.

And the most difficult thing in the story must be the love affair between Lu Dongbin and He Xiangu and Peony Fairy.

It's just that we didn't know that when we were immersed in the story, the "immortals" also had to experience endless changes in the world.

After "Journey to the East", the actors in the play developed differently.

Cheng Xiuzhen, who played Ho Xian Gu, suffered a big loss in stock market investment and became the first bankrupt Singapore female star.

Later, she came back, married, and divorced, and now she is so thin that she is distressingly thin.

Guo Feili, who played the peony fairy, later starred in Su Youpeng's version of Yin Susu in "The Legend of Relying on the Sky and Slaying the Dragon", the second fairy in "Flying Immortal Outside the Sky", etc., not a big hit but few bumps, successfully married, and occasionally filmed.

The most embarrassing thing is Ma Jingtao.

In the early 90s, Ma Jingtao, who became Qiong Yao's favorite general, became popular all over the strait and three places because of his starring roles in Qiong Yao dramas such as "Qingqing Riverside Grass", "Plum Blossom Brand" and "Water and Clouds".

With the reduction of Qiong Yao's production, Ma Jingtao began to go to Hong Kong, Singapore and other places to develop, a "Journey to the East", which made his career flourish again, and then collaborated with director You Xiaogang in the mainland "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang", leaving another classic role, Dolgon.

Later, as he grew older, Ma Jingtao's acting career also fell flat, coupled with the excessive performance on variety shows, the once top student was gradually labeled as obsolete.

But his role as Lu Dongbin has always remained in the hearts of the audience. And just today, Ma Jingtao, who is 60 years old, once again starred in the white-clothed "Lu Dongbin", plus Gong Hanlin, Liang Yuan of "White Night Chasing", etc., a new Eight Immortals-themed online movie "Journey to the East: Eight Immortals and Voldemons" was launched on Tencent iQiyi's two major platforms.

Audience, will they still buy the account of the male god in ancient costume?

After 3 hours of going online, it won the first place in the soaring list, and after 5 hours of going online, the popularity won the first place in the whole network.

A "passing male god" repeats the fantasy classic theme, why can it still be attractive?

After watching the movie, I found that the reason is also very simple, the story is clearly told, emotions can hit people, special effects are gorgeous enough, with these points, I thought that the bad film will not be ugly.

First, the fantasy fight is in the play, and the old "Lu Dongbin" is too handsome

Wild mountains, remote dense forests.

The two gold seekers looked fierce and walked towards the depths of the dense forest.

An old man with a doll persuaded the two to stop going inside, there were unclean things in it. But the two laughed, and the more persuaded, the more they had to go. The old man sighed and stopped persuading.

Behind him the dark clouds, a spider knotted its web, and spit out silk.

The next scene is the classic mode of online fantasy films in recent years - beauty bathing, dazzling, macho men on the set, monsters appear.

The two gold seekers became the plate of spider spirits and fox demons for a moment, which can be said to be self-inflicted.

The old man was about to go to the cave to look for the two, but was swept away by the spider essence that was addicted,

The old man finally shouted for his granddaughter to run. But the granddaughter couldn't run far, but she was still entangled in spider silk and her life hung in the balance.

The male protagonist appeared.

A sharp sword, galloping out, cutting off the spider silk with one click, the child is saved.

Looking at people again, instantly dancing the sword array with fairy qi, an appearance, it is Lu Dongbin played by Ma Jingtao, 60-year-old Ma Jingtao is of course no longer the same as before, but the fairy qi is still there.

Appearing with Lu Dongbin is the new version of He Xiangu.

One of the two cast a spell to kill two goblins, and the other removed the spider silk from the girl's body to save the child.

But the real master is the Mixed Yuan Demon Venerable who is sealed in the cave.

Lu Dongbin wanted to break in, but was repelled by the magic power of the Demon Venerable, "Since you can't get in, then you will never be able to get out." ”

Lu Dongbin and He Xiangu worked together to cast a spell, but they were beaten by the magic power of the Demon Venerable until they vomited blood.

At the critical moment, He Xiangu used the immortal body to block the heavy blow of the demon lord for Lu Dongbin,

Lu Dongbin took advantage of the situation to complete the seal, but He Xiangu was instantly beaten to pieces, turned into bursts of petals, and floated away.

After this scene, less than 8 minutes passed.

Sure enough, it is the opening eye-catching law of online movies. It's routine, but it works.

Fantasy fight scenes, as long as you shoot seriously, in fact, you can't get tired of watching it. Just 8 minutes into the first 8 minutes of the movie, it has already been explained that Lu Dongbin appeared, He Xiangu died, and the villain Mixed Yuan Demon Zun was sealed, and the pace is not unfast.

And this opening also pulls out two story threads for us, one bright line and two dark lines.

Clue 1: Lü Dongbin went to the Fan.

After He Xiangu died to save people, Lu Dongbin quickly got news from Xian Weng, He Xiangu still has a trace of the spirit in the world, and he himself has merit because of sealing the Demon Venerable, but - there are immortals who have suffered death, the merit cannot be compensated, so he was demoted to the mortal world, and instantly lost his memory, to save He Xian Gu, he must find her body in the mortal world.

But when he went down, he really "fell" to the mortal world, fell directly from the Heavenly Court, fell into a down-and-out beggar, and the kind villagers came forward to deliver food and chaos.

But the robbery has only just begun.

Clue 2: Re-encounter He Xiangu and fall into the trap of the Demon Venerable.

He Xian Gu, who also went to the mortal calamity, became a poisonous tongue female thief, although the person found it, but he must find the sealed astrolabe of the Divine Ancient Emperor to save He Xiangu, which must embark on the road to the east again.

And all this, in fact, is in the calculation of the Demon Venerable, on the road to the east, the peony fairy who has three lives and three calamities with Lu Dongbin also mysteriously appeared in an unexpected form, what is the outcome of this road to the east?

This is the real foreshadowing of the story.

At this point in the story, I can be considered to be completely into the play.

And this good show of Lu Dongbin and He Xiangu looking for the astrolabe and fighting the Demon Venerable has just begun.

Second, 60-year-old Ma Jingtao has of course become old, but the old Lu Dongbin is eye-catching, and Gong Hanlin's acting skills are alive again

The most handsome Ma Jingtao in the hearts of many audiences is in "Journey to the East".

Compared with Ma Jingtao's overheated performance in Qiong Yao's play, Ma Jingtao, who is in the hands of directors in Singapore and Hong Kong, not only performs more restrained, but also has the most superb appearance.

The Chinese costume dramas of that year, under the influence of contemporary Tsui Hark martial arts films, still maintained a peak aesthetic, changed into ancient costumes, and Ma Jingtao, who was in the peak of Yan, was really fairy in the play.

25 years have passed, Ma Jingtao is already 60 years old, and has not acted for many years, will he overturn?

Unexpectedly, measured at the age of 60, Ma Jingtao's state is surprisingly good.

In the film, Lu Dongbin appeared for the first time, wielding a magic weapon, flying down the dust, stardust dense, and the aura was extraordinary, and he knew that this immortal official was not simple.

Looking at Ma Jingtao's reproduction of "fan gong", everything is just like back then.

Jiao Enjun plays sword, Ma Jingtao plays fan, is still a master in Chinese dramas, irreplaceable existence.

The camera is close, of course, Ma Jingtao is old, and under the close-up, the loose facial skin and neck lines are clearly visible, but the audience's first reaction is: it turns out that the immortals will also be old.

In other words, Ma Jingtao, who re-enacts Lu Dongbin, does not have the discomfort of being old at all, the immortals will not grow old, and everyone will be old, but the old Ma Jingtao still maintains the fairy spirit of the character.

Ma Jingtao also offered a performance that subverted the previous impression, compared to the handsome Lu Dongbin back then, this time Lu Dongbin is not an unkempt beggar,

is to be spit on by fairy monsters, even the reincarnated He Xian Gu spit on him: At such an age, why don't you retire at home?

Ma Jingtao waved his fan: I'm too lazy to pay attention to you.

It can be seen that Ma Jingtao's performance has become relaxed, people are old, and they no longer deliberately play cool, but perform relaxation consistent with age, just like Lu Dongbin, who has experienced thousands of years in the world, has also reached the years of the game world.

His face is old, but he is still concerned about life, so he carries a kind of immortal fireworks and domineering, these two seemingly opposite temperaments are naturally formed in Ma Jingtao.

Of course, occasionally, Ma Jingtao will reproduce his unique horse-style performance system, especially the moment when He Qiwei's dog Ziao sacrificed to save him. But putting Ma's roar into the right situation does not feel deliberate, but it is very outstanding.

In a word, I think this casting is very successful, the old fans of Journey to the East buy it, and the new audience is happy.

Ma Jingtao came out of the mountain again, but he was old and didn't smash it.

Another outstanding actor is definitely Gong Hanlin.

His first appearance was impressive.

In the teahouse, Mr. Shu leisurely talked about the affairs of the two worlds of immortals and demons, and felt that his next sentence was "Palace jade liquor, one hundred and eighty cups." ”

This role really has Qiankun inside, and the one who finally points to Lu Dongbin is also the old immortal he plays.

The peony fairy played by Liang Yuan does not know why there are so few scenes, but from the appearance point of view, this version of the peony fairy has a natural expression, with a sweet smile, and also has a sense of "smart smile, beautiful eyes".

Although the peak lineup of "Journey to the East" is no longer, this lineup now does not disgrace the classics.

Third, the three golden rules, classic mythological themes are filmed like this, in order to borrow the "east wind"

Undoubtedly, the movie is riding the classic east wind of "Journey to the East".

But classic remakes have always been a double-edged sword, the movie really has to be treated by the audience, the heat alone is not enough, the fantasy theme alone is not enough, but it must firmly grasp the three golden rules of fantasy film creation.

First of all, it is lively enough.

Since it is a remake of the theme of Journey to the East, the performance of the mythical universe is naturally the top priority. Without an intuitive fantasy world, how to bring the audience into the play?

The film incorporates fantasy, absurdity, comedy and romantic elements on the basis of traditional fairy tales, in addition to the reincarnation of Lu Dongbin and He Xiangu, it also incorporates Lu Dongbin's alternate confrontation with the Demon Venerable, Spider Spirit, and Nine-tailed Fox, but in the process of his and He Xiangu's calamity, funny nonsensical elements often emerge.

Some nonsense is "self-deprecating".

For example, in the opening scene, Lu Dongbin turns into a beggar after going to the mortal place, there is a sense of déjà vu of Lu Dongbin turning into Jigong.

Ma Jingtao's comedy performance is also in the play, and this paragraph is quite funny.

Another example is the cottage queen's cottage song and dance games.

Times are different, of course, the eastward travel routine, of course, has to change.

Secondly, there are high-burning fight scenes.

Although it is a small-cost film, the fight special effects scenes of this film are really not lost to some theatrical films.

After all, the classic theme is the premise for the audience to enter the play, but the reason why "East Journey" can be seen must be the special effects.

For fantasy genre movies, special effects are almost the lifeline, and a sentence of five-haired special effects can basically sentence a film and television drama to death.

The gods and demons, warlocks, monsters of this film, twin fish dancing in the air, divine dogs vs. demon lords,

Every element is the result of imagination, and the special effects belong to the kind that is not particularly expensive at first glance, but definitely costs money, and the money is still spent on the blade.

Taking the ultimate battle as an example, the magic duel between the Demon Lord and Lv Dongbin, Ma Jingtao's Lv Dongbin style was directly upgraded to Yang Jian, but it did not give people the feeling of drama at all,

The appearance of fantasy, Lu Dongbin's transformation, and the final blow of breaking the game, every place is burning funds, but each place also gives the audience a real visual impact, and finally makes the audience feel a strong fantasy atmosphere, and also feels a long-lost sense of grandeur in fantasy films.

At the end of the movie, He Xiangu turned into flowers again, and the demon lord was destroyed, which brought out a burst of poignancy.

Finally, there is a good script and rhythm.

Although it is only 86 minutes, the script of the film is still very solid.

The plot advances, first the opening battle gives a big twist, then burys the line, and then reverses, one ring after another, the characters appear one after another, without the slightest chaos, the clues appear one by one, and the narrative is just right.

Although the film is a fantasy love movie, it also adds a touch of sadness behind the comedy and action paragraphs around the tragic core behind the love of the male and female protagonists.

Journey to the East is a Japanese classic fantasy IP, the first task to be adapted is to be contemporary, and the final creator has also created a new set of oriental strange aesthetic dramas.

In the past few years, oriental fantasy genre films have shown a trend of decline in the mainstream film market, including the production of high cost considerations, as well as the limitations of the difficulty of the film itself, but the audience still has a lot of psychological expectations for seeing this genre, after all, film is an art of dreaming.

Especially for classic mythological stories like Journey to the East, we always look forward to a new world slowly unfolding on the screen, the reappearance of the male gods of the past, taking us briefly out of the surrounding reality, to see the loves and hatreds of the characters inside, life and death.

Although the classics are rare to get, under the "playback" of the classic scene 25 years later, the feelings have been revisited and new interpretations have been obtained.

And the new version of the story of Lu Dongbin and He Xiangu is like a further extension of the classic, and the final ending of the two should also satisfy the expectations of many audiences.

In the finale of "The Long Season", the male protagonist played by Fan Wei shouted towards his self back then: Go forward, don't look back.

All this, as the lyrics of the theme song of "Journey to the East" write, "Mo Ya Mo looks back, call it Yellow Crane Go to He Lou, Huang Liang, a dream, the wind and clouds change again, and it is a grudge to spill into the world."

But the more you say that you can't turn back, the more you can't help but look back.

Looking back at the former male god "Lu Dongbin" who grew old with himself, it turned out that mortals will grow old, and immortals will also age.

It's not bad to have a dream in the movie, the years are still moving forward, and life will continue to travel east after all.