Six years ago, a Spanish film caused a sensation in the Chinese mainland market, not only grossing nearly 200 million yuan, but also winning 88 has a high score on Douban, and the number of comments is close to 1.3 million. This highly regarded Spanish film is none other than The Invisible Guest. The film can be called the "ceiling" level in the crime suspense genre films. Unlike other multi-reversal drama films, "The Invisible Guest" does not reveal any loopholes, and all the reversals are very self-justifying and breathtaking. This masterpiece refreshes the audience's cognition and makes people addicted. Such an excellent film naturally cannot escape the fate of being remade. Not long ago, the domestic film "Hiding the Sky and Crossing the Sea" adapted from "Invisible Guest" was released in theaters in Chinese mainland.
The film is directed by Chinese mainland director Chen Zhuo, starring Chinese Taiwanese actors Zhang Junning and Xu Guanghan, and Hui Yinghong and Yin Zheng also joined. However, this remake was not successful, and it was more like a "tribute" to Chen Sicheng. In recent years, director Chen Sicheng has launched a number of crime suspense films, such as the "Manslaughter" series and this year's "She Disappeared". In particular, the "Detective Chinatown" series created by him constitutes China's first cinematic universe - "Tang Detective Universe". Clearly, Chen Sicheng has become one of the most successful filmmakers in the Chinese mainland market, and has become an imitation target for new domestic directors. The filming of "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea" is very similar to Chen Sicheng's films. Written and produced by Chen Sicheng, "She Disappeared", as well as the "Manslaughter" series, mainly involve the crime suspense theme of hunting in Southeast Asia.
In the movie "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea", Zhang Junning's role can be regarded as a replacement for Zhu Yilong in "Disappearing Her", while Xu Guanghan can replace Ni Ni. In recent years, the development of China's film market has become increasingly vigorous. For crime suspense genre movies, "The Invisible Guest" can be described as a breath of fresh air. This Spanish film has been highly sought after by audiences since its inception. Its success lies in the perfect presentation of the multiple reversal plots, without any loopholes, and the audience also felt unprecedented shock and surprise. However, the remake of this classic did not go as planned. Although "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea" is adapted from "The Invisible Guest", it is more like a "tribute" to Chen Sicheng.
As one of the most successful filmmakers in the Chinese mainland market, Chen Sicheng's film works are known for creating high box office, especially the "Detective Chinatown" series, which constitutes China's first cinematic universe - "Tang Detective Universe", which has become the object of new domestic directors. And the shooting method of "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea" is very similar to Chen Sicheng's film works. It is worth mentioning that the cast of this film is also very strong, with Zhang Junning and Xu Guanghan as the leading actors, as well as Hui Yinghong and Yin Zheng joining, however, this did not make this film a success. For the audience, "The Invisible Guest" is an unassailable film that perfectly presents multiple reversals of the plot and leaves a deep impression. However, when this classic was adapted into the domestic film "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea", it failed to reproduce the success of the film.
Although "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea" is in the name of paying tribute to Chen Sicheng, it failed to attract the audience's attention. In recent years, director Chen Sicheng has released a number of critically acclaimed crime mystery films, such as the "Manslaughter" series and this year's "She Disappeared". He is known for creating high box office records, especially the "Detective Chinatown" series, which constitutes China's first cinematic universe - "Tang Detective Universe", which has become the object of new domestic directors. The filming of "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea" is very similar to Chen Sicheng's film. And in the film, the performances of Zhang Junning and Xu Guanghan are also worth mentioning. However, the film did not gain audience approval. In short, "The Invisible Guest", as a classic, shows the perfect presentation of multiple reversal plots, bringing unparalleled shock and surprise to the audience.
However, the Chinese mainland adaptation of the domestic film "Hiding the Sky and Crossing the Sea" failed to reproduce the success of the film, and although it paid tribute to Chen Sicheng, it failed to attract the favor of audiences. In recent years, director Chen Sicheng's successful works have emerged one after another, and he is known for creating high box office results, becoming the target of new directors in China. The filming of "Hidden from the Sea" is very similar to Chen Sicheng's filmography, however, this does not make the film a success. "Hiding from the Sky and the Sea": The Road to a Failed Remake In the movie "Hiding from the Sky and the Sea", the audience found an intriguing phenomenon: if you remove the "love line" between Zhu Yilong and the rich girl, it can basically be equated with "Disappearing Her". The similarity between the two films lies in the fact that they both revolve around the story of a poor man who wants to cling to wealth and do whatever it takes to get rich.
Such a setting has aroused many people's doubts and discussions, whether "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea" can really be regarded as "Manslaughter 3", and whether they are works of the same series. However, the film was a remake of The Invisible Guest in Spain, so it received a lot of bad reviews. The original "The Invisible Guest" did not have a single loophole in the multiple reversal plots, but "Hiding from the Sky" was full of loopholes. The existence of loopholes undoubtedly weakens the viewing value of the movie, making the audience suspicious and dissatisfied with it. Moreover, the performances of the actors in this film failed to satisfy the audience, even the powerful actress Hui Yinghong failed to show her true acting strength in this film. All of this has made the audience question the quality of the film.
What's even more unacceptable is that many people are unwilling to accept the gender change of the original version of "Hiding from the World". In the original, it was the son who died, the bad guy was a man, and the mother who disguised herself as a lawyer was the last to solve the case. But in "Hiding from the Sky and Crossing the Sea", all of them have changed, and they have all changed genders. Such a remake made "Hiding from the Sky" failed to be a box office hit like "Disappearing Her", nor did it get a good reputation from the audience like "The Invisible Guest". On the whole, "Hiding from the Sky" is a failed remake attempt.