Before talking about how "Tomorrow's War" was made, perhaps the first question we should figure out is, how should science fiction movies be made?
Some people say that the setting of sci-fi should be hard-core enough, some people say that the production of visual effects should be cool enough, and some people say that the imagination of the story must be against the sky. All of these arguments make sense, but if we really stop and think about the science fiction movies we have enjoyed, we may find that what really moves us is the part that touches human nature.
Just like "The Wandering Earth" that has become a classic, we will of course admire its sophisticated production level and the rigor of sci-fi details, but the most memorable thing about it, in the final analysis, are those common human emotions. For example, the tragic story of uniting as one to save the earth, and the transition from alienation to reconciliation between father and son. If we go a little deeper, it is a local concept with distinctive Chinese traditional cultural characteristics - even if you want to wander, you must take the earth with you.
The meaning of science fiction movies is to use science fiction (science) to reflect on the human condition. In other words, a sci-fi movie cannot be only sci-fi without seeing "people".

"Tomorrow's War" poster

Sorry, I'm talking about "Tomorrow's War". Of course, we can find N many bright spots for this film: as a film that focuses on sci-fi action, this film can be said to increase the volume without increasing the price, and start from the beginning to the end; the setting of the mecha is quite distinctive, whether it is the actors wearing The artificial intelligence robots are all pretty cool (although the special effects still need to be perfected, and some scenes are closer to PPT); the apocalyptic feeling of the movie is rendered well, and it is better to enjoy it in the theater.
The most worthy of praise is Gu Tianle's determination to challenge science fiction movies. At a time when the development of Hong Kong films is getting more and more bottlenecked, there are still people who are willing to challenge new fields, and this courage alone is already invaluable.

"Tomorrow's War" stills

However, the biggest problem with "Tomorrow's War" is the lack of content and ideas that touch human nature. It cannot be said that the main creators, including Gu Zai, did not think of this. On the contrary, they designed a lot of dramatic conflicts that seemed to be able to be deeply explored. For example, the sudden appearance of alien creatures can purify the earth's air, but its rapid growth will threaten human life, so should we eliminate it or risk using it? For another example, robots developed by humans are very powerful, so when performing key tasks, should we trust robots or human warriors?
But soon you will find that with the development of the plot, these problems have been "forgotten" by the main creator. In addition to the endless action scenes, this film hardly leaves a few minutes for literary dramas, let alone discussing some grander propositions.

"Tomorrow's War" stills

What's worse, even if it is a very simple story of fighting monsters and upgrading, this film can't justify it. "Zha Zhahui" almost had the words "I am the villain" engraved on his face as soon as he appeared, but the most puzzling thing was why he would rather sacrifice the lives of 160,000 people to save himself The "sky curtain" built? Others accused him of being greedy for money, but he said righteously, "I am Tianmu, Tianmu is me", what does this mean, and is there a story behind it? There is no explanation from the beginning to the end of the film, which makes the life-and-death struggle of several protagonists seem inexplicable - if it wasn't for "Slag Slag Hui"'s head suddenly hilarious, wouldn't the mission have been completed long ago?
Speaking of the main mission of the film, it is also very confusing. It is said that this is also a critical moment related to human life and death. So that there are only three brothers, Gu Tianle, Liu Qingyun, and Jiang Haowen fighting alone in the world? You said no one is there, but there are so many people sitting in front of the machine at the headquarters, can't you help?

"Tomorrow's War" stills

However, the more I look back, the more I understand what's going on. If we open the "sci-fi" shell of this film, we will see the core of its traditional Hong Kong film. Zhang Jiahui is a traitor in the police, Carina Lau is a selfless officer, Louis Koo is a lonely hero who lost his family, Liu Qingyun is a good brother who is loyal and courageous, and Jiang Haowen is a comedy supporting role with flaws and shortcomings but a kind heart. Look, are there any settings that traditional Hong Kong films should have? The interplay of alien creatures and robots is just a "ship new" version of the Hong Kong police and gangster film. ( Note: Chuanxin comes from the non-standard Mandarin pronunciation of Hong Kong actor Zhang Jiahui when he advertised a game. Chuanxin means brand new. )
No wonder, this sci-fi movie feels a little awkward no matter how you look at it, let alone the discussion of human nature, because it did not use sci-fi thinking to construct the story from the beginning. Although "Tomorrow's War" sets the background to the future, its soul still lives in the 1980s and 1990s. This is very much like a metaphor for Hong Kong movies in recent years - while people lamented the prospect of Hong Kong movies, they bottled old wine on the assembly line and continued to repeat the old routine.

"Tomorrow's War" stills

What's interesting is that the characters in this film all set up flags for themselves when they appeared on the scene-Gu Tianle was desperate for death without his daughter, Jiang Haowen wanted to join dangerous missions for self-salvation, and the timid teammate played by Wan Guopeng was always with his girlfriend. Said it might not come back. But in the end, none of them died. Even Liu Qingyun, who had already received the lunch box, miraculously survived, which was outrageous.
After I left the theater, I thought about it and thought it was good. The world has been saved, the good people are reunited, shouldn't Hong Kong police and gangster films be so simple and pure? In a blink of an eye, it is not easy for Gu Tianle and Liu Qingyun to play tough guys in sci-fi movies. How many years can we see these familiar faces? Oh, let's cherish it. Besides, maybe you bought a ticket for the film and did something good for Gu Zai.