Note: This article contains spoilers
Open the ticket purchase app, and two posters of the movie "Under the Alien" scroll in turn, with several large characters on the posters. The first poster has the earliest time, and the slogan on it is "A new fantasy work by the director of "Investiture of the Gods", and the slogan of the second poster is "A Chinese supernatural visual effect movie". Nowadays, the publicity of movies is increasingly focused on refining the appeal at first glance. Obviously, "Director of "Investiture of the Gods" Wuershan is one of the most important selling points of "Under the Alien".
Poster on the ticketing APP of "Under the Alien"
The original comic book "Under One Person" is one of the most influential original domestic comic books, with over 30 billion hits in 8 years of serialization (a comic book has hundreds of chapters, and a user who finishes reading a comic book can contribute hundreds or thousands of hits); but compared with the national IPs such as "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", "Ghost Blowing the Light", and "Investiture of the Gods" developed by Wuershan before, "Under One Person" is a relatively niche IP, and most audiences are still unfamiliar with "Under One Person". The young actors selected for the movie are not traffic-type actors and do not have any box office appeal. This makes Wuershan one of the main promotion points of "Under One Person".
Wuershan is an important pioneer in the industrialization of Chinese films. As early as 2012's "Painted Skin 2", he had the industrialization practice of "not believing in the director's personal talent, but only believing in transforming this talent into a scientific film control process"; in 2016's "Mojin: The Last Dragon" and last year's "Investiture of the Gods Part I", Wuershan fully demonstrated his ability to operate commercial blockbusters with industrial thinking.
This time in "Under the Alien", the audience still trusts Wuershan's presentation of the "visually cool film".
Even if the audience has not read the comics or the previous TV series (starring Peng Yuchang), they can easily enter the world created by the movie "Under One Person". The original comic "Under One Person" is an urban supernatural comic that incorporates a lot of martial arts elements. The audience can completely treat it as an alternative martial arts story.
The story takes place in the contemporary context, in a world where there are people with various special abilities, called "aliens". Aliens hide among ordinary people and have their own organizations and social structures.
If the city is understood as a "jianghu", "yiren" are people in the jianghu who have martial arts skills. In martial arts, there are various jianghu sects. Similarly, the yiren world also has different sects due to different concepts and values. In the martial arts world, there will be plots of fighting for martial arts secrets or treasures, because these secrets or treasures give the holders supreme power or martial arts, thus triggering the fights of various heroes in the jianghu. Similarly, the yiren world also has the "eight strange skills", and different sects compete fiercely to obtain these abilities.
The story framework is very "martial arts"
Zhang Chulan, the protagonist of "Under the Alien", was an ordinary college student who hid his supernatural powers at the beginning. He only wanted to protect himself, but he was involuntarily involved in the disputes in the world of supernatural beings. In this process, he not only had to face external challenges and dangers, but also had to overcome his inner fear and confusion, learn to take responsibility and safeguard justice. This growth experience is very similar to the growth path of the protagonist in martial arts novels.
Zhang Chulan (played by Hu Xianxu)
As a "special effects movie", one of the biggest highlights of the movie is how Wuershan uses industrial thinking to present the visual effects of various supernatural powers, just like the fighting scenes in martial arts dramas. In this regard, "Under the Alien" did not disappoint.
"Capital-intensive, technology-intensive and typified creation" ensures that the special effects team can use the most advanced technology to bring the various supernatural powers and scenes depicted in the original work to life in front of the audience. Whether it is the origin of the protagonist's Qi body or the special abilities of other characters such as the summoning of spirits and generals, the film strives to restore the charm of the original work, and the special effects design both respects the original work and is innovative.
In particular, the use of colors is bold and vibrant, and the colorful special effects present the special abilities of the characters. Every display of supernatural powers is like a gorgeous fireworks show, with a strong visual impact. The number of fighting scenes in the movie is so large that it is hard to keep up, and it is not difficult to imagine that the budget is burning like crazy.
Various visual effects scenes are dazzling
Different from previous domestic visual effects blockbusters that were mostly set in ancient times, "Under the Alien" is an urban supernatural story. The urban supernatural aesthetic design is refreshing, showing a unique style that combines modern cities with supernatural elements, creating a novel world that has both local characteristics and an international perspective.
However, nowadays, a movie that relies solely on special effects does not have box office appeal, which is why those Hollywood special effects blockbusters are becoming less and less popular in China. The story is the first priority.
This is also the philosophy that Wuershan adheres to. In an interview with Southern Weekend in 2017, Wuershan talked about the misunderstanding of blockbusters in the domestic market. "Those so-called blockbusters are neither popular nor mainstream. They may be big themes, with big stars involved, expensive to produce, and then have big marketing. But they did not resonate with a lot of people, because their themes are still very personal and have little to do with ordinary audiences... Mainstream entertainment movies should be an expression of public value orientation, and they constantly strengthen mankind's eternal beliefs and positive values... As a representative of public art, movies mobilize such a huge social resource and attract the attention of the entire group. They should constantly reawaken those eternal values: what do we believe in and where should our future go?"
This is a classic passage, and it is a very accurate understanding of blockbusters. A blockbuster is not just about big themes, big productions, and big marketing. The key is that a blockbuster must touch the hearts of the public and must be a carrier and expression of public values. Wuershan's "The First Part of the Investiture of the Gods" last year was a perfect practice, with a modern and infectious interpretation of the relationship between "father", "son", and "father and son".
When it comes to "Under the Alien", what is its emotional connection with ordinary audiences, and what sense of belief does it want to convey to the audience? Or in Wuershan's words, what is the relationship between its "genre narrative and our reality"?
In fact, it is through the self-identification journey of the "young knight" Zhang Chulan that an important concept is conveyed: your "differentiation" is not a sin, there is no need to hide it, do not doubt yourself, embrace your uniqueness, and display your uniqueness.
There are all kinds of "odd people" in this world. They don't have to have special abilities. They can also be people with unique personalities, non-mainstream interests, and not conforming to traditional gender roles.
Just as Zhang Chulan’s grandfather said: “If you are too bad, they will destroy you; if you are too cowardly, they will step on you; if you are too good or too strong, they will be worried; only if you are almost the same as them, will they feel at ease to accept you.” Many people have had similar experiences, which forces us to learn to compromise, keep a low profile, and hide our true selves in order to better integrate into the masses.
Through an alienating story, "Under the Alien" helps every "aliens" understand that what is really important is to find one's own place in the world, rather than blindly pursuing recognition from others; it also helps the audience regain a new perspective on "aliens", recognize the uniqueness of each person, and learn to appreciate these differences.
This core value itself is contagious, provided you can tell the story well.
"Under the Power" seems to have failed to release this majestic power, because Zhang Chulan's entire growth lacks real "pain." In other words, his loneliness, his exclusion, his desperate hiding, his cautiousness, his compromise, and his constant beatings, all these pains are presented in the movie without any real pain.
For example, when the movie shows Zhang Chulan being beaten repeatedly, the action scenes are too exaggerated and unrealistic, and even deliberately presented in a funny way. For example, at the beginning, Feng Baobao hits Zhang Chulan's head with a shovel, and the cruel action is shot in a funny style. The same is true for various beating scenes afterwards. It does not show Zhang Chulan's psychological state when he is isolated and beaten, such as fear, despair or anger. The audience can't feel Zhang Chulan's pain at all. Anyway, no matter how he is beaten, it won't hurt or kill him.
Feng Baobao (played by Li Wanda)
The pain is not only physical, but also psychological. If there is a lack of delicate emotional expression in the process of showing Zhang Chulan's inner struggle and transformation, it will be difficult for the audience to empathize with him. How can Zhang Chulan's cry and resistance of "I am still an alien in your hearts" be contagious?
The words that should have been very powerful were not fully reflected.
For example, Feng Baobao took Zhang Chulan to her residence to prepare for "special training" for Zhang Chulan. This segment started with various "gags" to show Zhang Chulan's "lust" - Feng Baobao was taking a bath in the bathroom, and Zhang Chulan had no intention of practicing.
Feng Baobao was taking a shower in the bathroom behind her, and Zhang Chulan was so lustful that she had a nosebleed
After that, Feng Baobao grabbed Zhang Chulan's head and forced him into the bathtub for training. When he was almost suffocated, Zhang Chulan thought of his grandfather's advice to him before his death, that he should hide himself and never expose himself, and that his grandfather sacrificed himself to protect him. Zhang Chulan's mood immediately turned into great grief, and he resolutely told Feng Baobao that he would not practice anymore.
In just a few minutes, the mood changes quickly and abruptly, and Zhang Chulan's character is also very unpleasant - he is very lustful and even frivolous in the last second, and in the next second he is so sad that his emotional outburst loses its power. Perhaps what the audience feels is not his pain, but "moody mood".
Zhang Chulan's emotional transition is not smooth
By the way, the various "male coagulation" shots in the film, like the blatant "lust" of some characters in the film, are disgusting.
Zhang Chulan's final awakening is a key emotional explosion point in the film. He cleared up his misunderstanding of Feng Baobao. In a long flashback, the truth came out - it turned out that Feng Baobao was not the one who killed his grandfather, it turned out that I, Zhang Chulan, was not alone, Feng Baobao had been silently protecting me and so on... Zhang Chulan truly realized his self-identity. It's a pity that the pain was not laid out enough, and the reversal was a bit sad and frivolous. It may be difficult for the audience to gain a great enlightenment of self-identity from such a turn.
"Under the Alien" is undoubtedly a visually stunning film, but it may not be a "blockbuster" as Wuershan himself defines it. Wuershan did not fail in using industrial processes to create visual effects, but the script did. It is not a blockbuster if it is a big production with big visual effects. "Under the Alien" is insufficient in conveying its core value, and it may be difficult to arouse widespread public resonance, which is quite a pity.
