On January 29, the first day of the Chinese New Year, the mythological epic film "The Second Part of the Gods: The Battle of Xiqi" held its premiere in Beijing with the theme of "Spring Festival Family Fun, Watch The Gods with the Whole Family". Director Wuershan, producer Luo Shanshan, and starring actors Huang Bo, Yu Shi, Naer Naxi, Chen Muchi, Fei Xiang, Na Ran, Wu Xingguo, etc. appeared after the screening and shared their feelings about this creation. As of press time, according to Maoyan Professional Edition data, "The Second Part of the Gods: The Battle of Xiqi" has achieved a box office of nearly 500 million (including pre-sales), ranking third on the first day of the Spring Festival.
Poster of "The Second Part of the Conferred Gods: War in Xiqi"
Since the first script planning meeting of the "Investiture of the Gods Trilogy" was held in June 2014, the series has gone through ten years of preparation, shooting, and post-production. At the end of the previous film "The Storm of Chaoge", Ji Fa resolutely assassinated Yin Shou and embarked on the journey back home. Continuing from the previous work, "War in Xiqi" focuses on the "homeland defense war", and the competition around the "Investiture of the Gods" is gradually heating up...
Group photo of the main creators
Director Wuershan said that in "War in Xiqi", the audience will see more war action scenes, as well as the magic displays of various immortals. "But unlike the original novels "Investiture of the Gods" and "The Story of King Wu's Conquest of Zhou", the trilogy of films highlights and strengthens the 'power of people', which is a new setting given to this war. The core of mythological epic films is still people, and human crises must be solved by humans after all."
When talking about the place that Kunlun guards, Huang Bo, who plays Jiang Ziya, said: "We guard our homeland, the people, and hope." As the line in the movie says, "The happiness of the people is the most important thing in the world." Under the gradual guidance of Jiang Ziya, Ji Fa also completed the transformation from a guard of the Shang Dynasty to the young master of Xiqi. The actor Yu Shi said: "Xiqi is the most firm belief in Ji Fa's heart."
Yu Shi as Ji Fa
From initially abandoning the city and retreating to hoping to sacrifice himself to save Xiqi, and then to leading all the soldiers and civilians of Xiqi to fight against the powerful enemy, it was "the land under his feet" and "the people on this land" that made Ji Fa take on the responsibility of the young master and bravely fight for his family.
Regarding Ji Fa's growth process of "growing and losing along the way", Yu Shi said: "These pains are Ji Fa's motivation and a very precious asset in his growth process. In the face of difficulties, Ji Fa chose to stand up and continue fighting, so there is Ji Fa in "Investiture of the Gods Part III"."
Wuershan said: "Ji Fa and Yin Shou are fundamentally different. Yin Shou's considerations are all self-centered, and he defends his personal pursuits at the cost of others' lives. Ji Fa retains his kind nature, and Deng Chanyu also helps him grow from a kind and brave person to a wise commander in the film."
Naernaxi as Deng Chanyu
As one of Jifa's strong opponents, Deng Chanyu guards the family's honor and the principled mission of a soldier. The line "Have you ever seen my father killing innocent people?" is very powerful, showing the character of a famous general. The actor Naernaxi explained: "When Deng Chanyu and Jifa really fought, the two could feel each other's kindness, respect for life and protection of the family. The belief in the heart conveyed by Jifa is the same as Deng Chanyu's inner belief, but fate has pushed them both to the position of enemies. They have gained each other's respect and forged a deep comradeship."
In the first part of the film, Yin Shou said to Ji Chang who was in prison: "But you know how my father treated me." The suspense left by this conversation was also revealed in the second part of the film. As for the cause of Yin Shou's character, the actor Fei Xiang said: "He was ignored by his father since he was a child, and he longed for his father's recognition and love."
Fei Xiang as Yin Shou
In "The Second Part of the Investiture of the Gods", Daji becomes increasingly weak in order to save Yin Shou, while Yin Shou gradually recovers with the help of Daji's power. Regarding Daji's sacrifice of her cultivation to revive Yin Shou, the actress Na Ran further explained: "Yin Shou's ruling status is closely related to Daji's survival. Daji is not only protecting Yin Shou's resurrection, but more importantly, protecting her own survival status." Fei Xiang and Na Ran also shared an interesting behind-the-scenes story. They jointly made an "energy table" to visualize the transition between Yin Shou and Daji's states as a reference for makeup and performance.
Wen Zhong, the Grand Master of the Shang Dynasty, was loyal throughout his life and swore to serve the Shang Dynasty until his death. He once went on an expedition to the North Sea and fought hard for ten years without wavering. After his triumph, he was worried about the fate of the Shang Dynasty. Under the progressive PUA of Yin Shou, he once again put on his armor and went to Xiqi. The actor Wu Xingguo was deeply touched by this character who regarded loyalty as a belief in life. He said: "I have a special feeling for Wen Taishi, who is a veteran of three dynasties. From his return to the court to kneel down to Yin Shou, to his final reluctant expedition for the Shang Dynasty, his inner activities are very similar to me. I am very persistent in tradition, because I have been learning Peking Opera and singing martial arts since I was a child, which emphasizes loyalty, filial piety, chastity, righteousness, the four virtues and eight virtues, so I acted very naturally."
In the Easter egg clip, Yin Shou failed to kill Ji Fa, so he sent Shen Gongbao to take Wen Zhong's head. Facing the king's order of "If the king wants the minister to die, the minister must die", Wen Zhong eventually died under his own sword. The veteran of the three dynasties died for his loyalty, and the cunning Shen Gongbao took over his place and continued to conquer Xiqi.
Talking about Shen Gongbao, Xia Yu, who plays the role, said frankly that he "has nothing in common with Shen Gongbao". "The character is like a mirror. The ancients said, 'When you see a virtuous person, you should think about how to be like him; when you see an unvirtuous person, you should reflect on yourself.' To play this role, you must first understand why he is bad. The word 'Tao', following 'Shou' is 'Tao'. Shen Gongbao was beheaded but not dead, so he couldn't follow 'Shou', so he is a person without Tao."
Stills from "The Second Part of Conferred Gods: War in Xiqi"
The "Fengshen Trilogy" is a single independent film, and the "trilogy" constitutes a complete narrative structure of the story. The "Fengshen Part 2" plays a connecting role. The three Easter eggs at the end of the film not only foreshadow the key plot of "Fengshen Part 3", but also have special design significance. Wuershan said: "I hope the audience can patiently watch to the end, read the cast and crew list, see these heroes behind the scenes, and see everyone who created the world of "Fengshen"."
Compared with The Legend of the Gods: Chaoge, more staff members participated in the production of The War of Xiqi, with 14 major creative departments and more than 11,000 staff members. The film is practicing the path of Chinese film industrialization in many aspects, from script, production to art, costume design and visual effects.
A group of behind-the-scenes creators gathered at the scene to witness the birth of the Chinese mythological epic world on the screen. Art director and costume designer Tim Yip shared: "The Second Part of the Investiture of the Gods turns the camera from Chaoge to Xiqi, and the crew builds the simple and real Xiqi City bit by bit." Art designer Qiu Sheng also said: "The First Part of the Investiture of the Gods built the Chaoge City, and the Second Part of the Investiture of the Gods made a 200-acre Xiqi City rise from the ground." This city is not only a presentation of the scene, but also carries the spirit and emotion of the soldiers and civilians of Xiqi to protect their homeland.
Not only the art production, but also the horse and fighting scenes in the film left a deep impression on the audience. Director of Photography Wang Yu revealed the behind-the-scenes production story of the double horse fight scene between Ji Fa and Deng Chanyu on the cliff, "This scene was extremely difficult. The distance between the two horses was less than half a meter, and it was impossible to rely on visual effects to complete it. To ensure safety and authenticity, we used 40 excavators to create a circular blue screen, which ensured the safety of the actors through centrifugal force, while enhancing the thrill and impact of the fighting scene."
After careful preparation, "The Legend of the Gods Part II" not only met with the audience on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but also achieved global simultaneous release in 16 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Singapore. At the premiere, the creators connected with Australian and French theaters to exchange their viewing experience with local audiences and send New Year's greetings. Producer Luo Shanshan even revealed her excitement, "This is a great opportunity for us. During the most important traditional festival in China, we can spread our traditional culture through movies and let overseas audiences feel the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival."
