New film viewing report
"The Shadow of the Fish of Black Iron" is the 26th part of the Conan theatrical version, and it is also the first theatrical version to be introduced without cutting in China. This is undoubtedly good news for Conan's loyal fans, as past theatrical versions have been introduced with more or less certain clips cut. But even if it is presented in its original form, this theatrical version with a box office of more than 10 billion has received mixed reviews in China, with a Douban score of only 67 points, not as good as the 7 of the previous "Bride of Halloween".3 points.
Judging by Conan's loyal fans, this return to the main line of the Black Coats is indeed exciting. As the most mysterious boss organization in the history of Japanese comics, the black-clad organization has always been a topic of conversation among fans.
However, this return gives people the feeling that the screenwriters no longer know how to highlight the oppression and mystery of this organization. Gin, a decisive character, has a significant collapse in character building;Vodka has achieved little apart from its concave shape. This made the audience lose confidence in the momentum of the big boss of the black-clad organization.
It can be said that Gin, the backbone of the Black Order, should have been a ruthless and decisive image, but in this theatrical version, his character is obviously incoherent, sometimes impulsive and reckless, and sometimes easily led by Kiel's nose.
As the second master of the distillery, vodka is the right-hand man of Gin, and it should also show a capable image, but it is led by the nose throughout the movie. It's hard not to wonder if the screenwriters don't know how to shape this originally oppressive villain.
On the other hand, the lack of development of villains also makes it more difficult for decent heroes to stand out. is like pouring boiled water into a bowl of instant noodles, the reasoning taste is thin, and the action scenes are not prominent.
This is a lose-lose situation for a Conan theatrical version. Kogoro is set up as an all-powerful crime-solving machine, and the presence of others is so weak that it almost disappears.
The character of Kogoro has long become a mobile crime-solving machine. When everything is ready, it will be left to Kogoro + sleeping needle = solve the case.
As for the juvenile detective group representing justice, not only are there very few scenes, but there is no outstanding performance. It can be said that this return to the main line was supposed to be an opportunity for the Junior Detective Corps to show their talents, but their performance was disappointing.
In the first half of the movie, there is even a full half hour of duration without any footage of the Junior Detectives. Even if it appears in the second half, it is a cameo up to the point, giving the audience the feeling that the screenwriter has gradually lost sight of how to play this collective. This is in stark contrast to earlier theatrical releases, such as in the classic sixth installment, "The Ghost of Baker Street", where each member of the Junior Detective Corps has the opportunity to impress the audience with their individuality. The young detective group in the current theatrical version has obviously been reduced to a dispensable oil bottle.
With the accumulation of the number of Conan's theatrical versions, the change in style has become more and more obvious, from the early detective reasoning to the later action-adventure films, and this time "The Fish Shadow of Black Iron" has added a lot of so-called "cute points". However, this shift has not won the hearts of veteran fans, who are still expecting a veritable taste of reasoning.
Judging from the action scenes alone, it is not as explosive as the previous ones. Don't look for the revenge of the earth's gravity, this time the climax is obvious.
The shocking images of a football kicked out of the foot, directly shooting down the return capsule, have become a classic. And this time, the climactic scene has a significant gap compared with its previous ones. The absurd reasoning and shocking action scenes in the Conan theatrical version have become commonplace, and if you want to spark a topic, you must constantly innovate and do it even better. But this time the performance was not as impactful as knocking the Sands Singapore out of a big hole a few years ago. It can be said that in terms of action expression, the creativity of screenwriters has entered a bottleneck period.
As for the so-called "cute point", it seems to be too forced. The handling of Gray Yuan Wai and Xiaolan is embarrassing. This kind of topical trick has become blatant to the point of being offensive. What senior fans want is sincere friendship and touching, not this kind of contrived operation that deliberately highlights CP.
Obviously, the production team set up these so-called "cute spots" to stimulate the topic, but too deliberate operations could not achieve the desired effect, but made people feel contrived and abrupt. If it is possible for action scenes to explore new gimmicks through continuous innovation, then it is difficult for the emotional line to please the audience with this deliberate operation. Veteran fans are looking forward to friendship from the heart, rather than forcibly highlighting a certain CP through various pale techniques.
The Fish Shadow of Black Iron was able to set a high box office record in Japan, but the domestic word-of-mouth was polarized, which actually stemmed from the different needs of different groups.
For the local middle-aged audience in Japan, even if the taste of reasoning is diluted, they can get emotional satisfaction from the theatrical version like "memory killing". After all, this work has accompanied the growth of a generation. For young audiences in China, who have not experienced Conan's heyday, they expect pure quality of the work itself, rather than relying on emotional borrowing from the past.
From a commercial point of view, the producer will of course take care of the feelings of the box office, so the Conan theatrical version will inevitably embark on the road of entertainment and IP. The heyday that Conan that veteran fans were looking forward to is probably gone. Just like a giant ship sailing into the unknown distance, we can only remember the past and accept the present.
Conan's IP has grown with many people, and its charm should not be limited to any single work. I hope that fans can understand each other and express their opinions in good faith, instead of getting caught up in a torn partisanship. Perhaps the next theatrical version will bring new surprises, and we can still hope for it.