[US Entertainment] Hollywood reverses life

Why some superhero movies are popcorn and others are classics.

This question is being discussed by many movie fans. Thousands of movie fans, tens of thousands of film critics, and film scholars in the world, after watching comic-changing movies for so many years with several major comic-changing film companies, finally It summed up some key points.

The difference between a good manga adaptation and a poor manga adaptation is definitely not just a matter of funding.Excellent superhero movies are definitely at the hall level, while mediocre superhero movies are just at the level of forgetting after seeing them.

The difference between them lies in whether the main creative team thinks that a manga movie should be a good theme first, followed by a gaudy movie type and EyeCandy.

Comic-changing movies should not rely on strange costumes and all kinds of dazzling skills to catch people first, nor rely on those cool visual effects, but there should be a deeper reason, those deep-seated, enough to impress the audience The reason, that is the resonance between the characters and the audience.

What the audience wants to see is not just superheroes flying around on the screen, they also want to see a silhouette of themselves appearing on the superhero at some point.

In fact, in the final analysis, a question is: Do superhero movies need to rely on special effects to attract audiences?

At least Joey's answer is no, really not.There are only special effects but no resonance, and there will still be a lack of something to inject into the hearts of the audience.

The first and second "Wolverine" lacked those things and the continuity of the plot, so the response was mediocre, but the third Wolverine brought by Joey also brought extraordinary intelligence and courage.

No weird bodysuits, no exaggerated superpowers, just an unreserved depiction of the belated hero's last days.

Everyone gets old, this is a meeting point where Wolverine and the audience have an emotional connection, injecting the emotion of the movie into the hearts of the audience.

The hero has lost the glory of the past, but is replaced by decadence and fall.

Wolverine takes Professor X and "daughter" on a journey to reach the destination and get rid of the pursuers, and solve various emotional appeals between "father and daughter", "teacher and apprentice" or "father and son" on the way.

Does this pattern sound familiar?That's right, it's more like a road romance movie than a comic book movie.

Hallelujah!

The story framework of the manga movie was finally broken once, and the story outline was finally liberated from the routine of saving the world and returned to emotional needs.

At the same time, it also sublimates the connotation of the story, such as race, class, oppression, and slavery.

The hero who was supposed to save the world has become a person who cannot overcome demons, is lonely and doesn't care about saving the world. He just wants to retire and wait for death.

The all-knowing and all-powerful Professor X with the strongest brain on the earth has become a bad old man who can lose his temper and talk nonsense.

But the "love" between these two people has never changed.They "love" each other like soul mates and would do anything for each other.

This is a kind of touching love. Today, when manga movies generally lack emotion, this kind of emotional power from movies is deafening.

DC, Warner, Marvel, Disney, you all take a closer look, Joey Grant has provided you with the best sample of how to express emotions in comic movies.

The above is excerpted from the work log of the assistant director of the "Wolverine 3" crew.

Production on The Wolverine 3 is still in progress.

And after the black and white version of the first trailer was released, there was an earth-shaking cry among fans of comics around the world, that is-Joy Grant actually shot Wolverine to death? !

Ordinary movie fans can't accept the fact that Wolverine is dead, Professor X is dead, Quicksilver is dead, and all the heroes of the X-Men are dead. How do you let movie fans accept this kind of thing?

However, after watching this tragic black-and-white trailer, they seemed to think that Uncle Wolf's death was reasonable. In the trailer, the uncle Wolf with a vicissitudes of life and a dying beard seemed to be ready to die. Prepare.

Joey Grant is really planning to make a big guy this time.

Everything in all the advance trailers tells all fans around the world that the style of this superhero movie seems to be different from those that have been seen before.

While Joy was in post-production on the film, she gave Fox the first promotional poster she designed, almost scaring Fox to death.

Because, this version of the poster turned out to be black and white!

That's right, it seems to be the last commemoration of Wolverine and Professor X in the world. This version of the poster Joey uses the most solemn and solemn colors.

In terms of style, if you don't say that this is the poster of "Wolverine 3", others may think it is a poster of a serious literary film.

But this poster, after Fox looked at it a few more times, felt that the more it looked the more pleasing to the eye, and the more it looked, the more appropriate the characteristics of "Wolverine 3".

Twilight, solemn, tender.

In the end, Fox unanimously approved such a poster, and some people even secretly laughed in their hearts. When the poster was released to the market, it is estimated that movie fans around the world will be dumbfounded.

This is probably the first comic movie poster released in the form of black and white posters. Other comic movies can't wait to make the posters more colorful and bright.

But Joey insists on doing this, which can be regarded as a kind of ideological innovation in comic movies.

Then Fox was obviously a little dissatisfied with this version of the poster, and they insisted on putting Joey's name in the most prominent place.

Finally, this special poster form is completed, and on this version of the poster, there is a string of letters that is particularly obvious.

That is, in the middle of the poster, there are a series of people's names——Director: Joey Grant.

This phenomenon is very strange, because generally on the promotional poster of this commercial blockbuster, the names of the director and even the actors will only appear on a line of small characters at the bottom of the poster.

It is rare to have a person's name printed in the center of a poster like this grandly, because it means that this person is even more important to the movie than the movie itself.

For example, Joey in his previous life would see Tom Cruise's name in the center of the "The New Mummy" movie poster.But maybe throughout the year, only the poster of this movie will do this, which means that not every superstar has this kind of treatment, even if you are a superstar, you have to reach the level of Tom Cruise first. OK.

Such a move by Fox can be said to have promoted Joey to a supreme position.

However, the reason for Fox to do this is also obvious. They believe that the name of Joey Grant and the appeal of Wolverine's IP are the same, and they are both extremely important.

In fact, it is true that Joy Grant's comic book movie has opened up a path that belongs only to her in Hollywood.

Even if you are not interested in the IP of Wolverine, you will still be interested in Joy's comics. Her previous comics are all hall-level works, and no one can look down upon them.

The promotional poster was then released, first appearing on Fox's official Facebook page.

At midnight, when everyone was caught off guard, it appeared so naked in front of people.

"My God! The poster for Wolverine 3 is black and white!"

"Don't you guys think this poster is weird? It's black and white, but Uncle Wolf protects little Lolita in front of him, and there's Professor X in a wheelchair next to him... There's a kind of warmth like a family of three?"

That's right, warmth, this black and white poster is different from the western road style in the film, but it looks like a warm literary film, but with a tragic color.

Does this reflect the direction of the story from another angle, from the return of the hero who saved the world to the most primitive emotional needs?

It seems that someone is finally starting to pay attention to the emotional content of comic book movies.Warner's DC Universe, Disney's Marvel Universe, it's time to look at the new direction that Fox has dug out.

Then, after two more glances at the poster, Joey Grant's prominent name began to come into view.

An unusually eye-catching line of white boys, the name of Joey Grant, is printed on the figure of Wolverine.

Fox is planning to hold Joey to the end. Putting a person's name in the center and most prominent position of the poster in this way can only show that the existence of this person is more important than this movie.

Fox has the rhythm, bring the rhythm to Joey.

But on second thought, it seems reasonable.Think about the core and visual forms she implanted in the previous comics, which are extremely groundbreaking. Without her, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", "Suicide Squad", "Ghost in the Shell" "Team" will definitely not reach its current height.

So Fox attaches so much importance to it this time, it shows that they are very confident, and it also shows that this time Joey has made another comic film that Fox believes will be unprecedented!

On the other hand, Fox certainly attaches great importance to the release and release of "Wolverine 3".

For the release of "Wolverine 3", Fox has started to think again, whether to choose to release it globally simultaneously like other comic blockbusters, or to go to other film festivals to show it first in order to gain word of mouth in advance.

If you go to other film festivals to show first, then there is bound to be a disadvantage, that is, once the film critics do not accept it or the word of mouth is not good, it will greatly affect the final box office of the global business.But if word of mouth is good, it can also stimulate the box office to a certain extent.

Fox is obviously confident in the word-of-mouth of "Wolverine 3", so, should it be exhibited at the Toronto Film Festival?

In the end, Fox decided to send it to the Toronto Film Festival!

So the Toronto Film Festival received a request to send "Wolverine 3", and it was an expedited version.

Although the screening date for the films presented at the Toronto Film Festival has passed by this time, because of Fox's strong connections and the fact that this is the first superhero film ever to be presented at a film festival, the Toronto Film Festival is still willing to open online. Give "Wolverine 3" a chance.

However, Fox's network is not that strong, and not everyone in the top management of the Toronto Film Festival agrees to open this side of "Wolverine 3".

Intense discussions are underway.

"It's impossible, let's not say that the Toronto Film Festival's delivery date has already passed, just in terms of the type of this film, the classification of superhero films is still a commercial film after all, and it is not suitable for a film festival like ours that mainly supports independent films. .”

"And, by the way, to put it bluntly, if you let superhero movies participate in our screenings, you will inevitably be ridiculed by your peers and think that we have lowered our style."

"No matter how good a superhero movie is, it can't get rid of the commercial atmosphere, and it doesn't fit the style of our Toronto Film Festival."

In short, there are controversies, because many self-proclaimed filmmakers have always looked down on commercial films. They think that commercial films are compromises, and the real style is independent films.

So when they heard the news that "Wolverine 3" wanted to open a back door for the exhibition, many people jumped up and opposed it.

But in the end, the general director of the Toronto Film Festival still appeased everyone, "I don't think we should make a conclusion based on our interest in this movie, why don't we all watch this movie first, and then consider whether its temperament is suitable. Not suitable for our Toronto Film Festival."

"Also, it's not like you don't know the level of Joey Grant. Maybe the "Wolverine 3" she made will be very different?"

Under the persuasion of the person in charge, some other high-level officials finally decided to watch the movie first.

Then, Fox sent "Wolverine 3" to the Toronto Film Festival, and the film directors responsible for screening the film and a considerable number of high-level executives began to carefully review the film.

Although at the beginning, some people held an extremely disgusted attitude, because they were disgusted by Fox's meddling. Did they think that they could extend their hands to the Toronto Film Festival because of their well-connected connections?

The rules cannot be broken. How could Fox break the rule of not being selected for movies after the selection period has passed because of Fox's extensive network?

But in the end, they found that this "Wolverine 3" is really interesting.

Although it is also made by Joey, it does not have the profound philosophy of "Ghost in the Shell", nor the visual feast of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", nor the anti-hero thinking of "Suicide Squad". .

But it has a refreshing taste.

Its story is not innovative, it is just a general road romance film routine; its special effects even reverse the history, and there is no large-scale special effects in the whole film; its shooting method is not like Joey's usual narrative love Structured and sharply edited, the whole film is narrated step by step; there is not even any deep core speculation, returning to the basics.

But all of this, put it on a comic movie-it's really interesting.

Since ancient times, no one has shot like this.

From the first scene of the opening scene, all the executives with years of experience in the film industry smelled a unique taste.

The old superhero, the disdainful mentality of saving the world, the dark and back-to-basics scenes, and the border towns that never close their doors at night, seem to return to the warmth of the old couple model.

It has to be said that it is a miracle that all superheroes can die on the big screen in their lifetime.

This superhero movie is a bit interesting, indeed a bit interesting.

It has nothing to do with whether you are a Super British fan or not. In fact, nine out of ten people at the Toronto Film Festival are not Super British fans, but they can understand this kind of emotion, this kind of emotional appeal that extends from the film.

The film is so different, they may have to reconsider showing it at the Toronto Film Festival.

After these executives had seen "Wolverine 3", a meeting was launched, of course, to discuss whether the film should appear at the Toronto Film Festival.

"It should be in our show, it's a new kind of superhero movie."

"I think...Although it is a commercial comic adaptation, it is not comparable to those independent award-winning films that participated in the exhibition. There is still a gap in the core, but as a comic adaptation, this is really great."

"As I said before, Joy is very capable. If she can make "Wolverine 3" like the previous "Ghost in the Shell" this time, let alone send it to our Toronto Film Festival, she will win an award. It’s no exaggeration. Obviously, although she didn’t reach that height this time, she made an interesting super-British movie, at least in terms of the storyline itself, which is different.”

"I really hate Joey Grant, she makes me violate my rules every time."

Of course, there are still people who are dissatisfied and disagree, but the minority is subject to the majority, and they belong to the minority.

"This story is very ordinary in the award-winning films, but it belongs to the refreshing category in comic films. There is really no need to raise it to such a high level."

"I also think it's better not to let it in. Of course, I know we can't compete with you."

Finally, after another intense discussion, "Wolverine 3" still won the permission and affirmation of most people, allowing it to enter the Toronto Film Festival with special approval.

"Wolverine 3" entered the screening unit of the Toronto Film Festival. Once the news was released, movie fans around the world were both happy and disappointed.

I am happy that some fans who are more free and convenient can go to Toronto, Canada to enjoy the film in advance, but disappointed that fans who have no way to go to the Toronto Film Festival can only continue to wait.

But in any case, the news that "Wolverine 3" entered the Toronto Film Festival still made this Toronto Film Festival even more popular.

Because of this news, many movie fans tried their best to participate in this year's Toronto Film Festival.

After all, what a joy it is to be able to see this movie in advance. The previous posters and trailers are so individual. This movie will definitely not let them down, and Joey Grant will never let them down.

"Wolverine 3" will be screened at the Stockholm Cinema on Tenth Avenue in Toronto on the second day of the Toronto Film Festival. Because it is not a work in competition, the Toronto Film Festival does not provide advance ticket reservations, and the audience can only Go to the cinema gate and line up to buy tickets.

But what is unexpected is that the film shown in the non-competition unit has sold better than the works in the competition unit. The ticketing system has been issuing tickets non-stop, and the long line of theaters has been so long that there is no end to the end. .

Many movie fans who traveled across the ocean from Europe and around the world actually came for this "Wolverine 3", or in other words, they came for Joey Grant.

The IP of Wolverine is not enough to make these movie fans so crazy, but the name Joey Grant can.

After waiting in line for half a day at the entrance of the theater since early morning, the first batch of movie fans finally bought movie tickets for "Wolverine 3".

Then, it's time to wait.

Because they all came to line up early in the morning, and there is still a long time to leave, so they must wait patiently.

You will see such a scene at the entrance of the cinema, with huge traffic, crowds of spectators, and staring at the stop sign poster of "Wolverine 3" placed at the entrance of the cinema.

This group of people really couldn't figure out how to make a superhero movie that was adapted from comics into the way it was shown on the poster, which was serious and full of warmth.

Manga movies have always been light-hearted, entertaining and humorous. How can this poster look like this?

Extremely do not understand.

It was precisely because they couldn't figure it out that they traveled across the ocean to Canada, wanting to see it clearly.

In this case, it's either the worst superhero movie of all time, or the most unique superhero movie ever made.

Anyway, no matter what, even if it's a bad movie, you have to let them know it!

Then, the pointer of the time pointed to 3 pm, and everyone held their breath deeply—"Wolverine 3" was about to start.

The audience raised their eyes and glanced at the clock hanging in the theater hall, and then Qiqi walked into the screening hall with a solemn and serious, silent and excited mood.

Their steps are slow and heavy because their nerves are so tense.

Nobody knows what they're going to see.

But they vaguely felt that this might be an extremely extraordinary movie-watching experience.

because--

The first shot made them almost explode on the spot.