Although "Man Jianghong" has a high box office, it has also been criticized too much along the way. At first, it was accused of being a box office thief, a ghost box office.
He was also criticized for disrespecting women and for moving scenes of prostitutes saving the country into the film, placing women under the aesthetic of male gaze in order to highlight male gaze and gain male audiences.
After receiving so much criticism for his last film, Zhang Yimou definitely doesn't want to be labeled as "disrespectful to women" anymore.
So this time in "Twenty Articles", the actress cast held up half the sky.
Mary, Gao Ye, Zhao Liying and many other beautiful stars have joined, and Lei Jiayin is more like a piece of cake.
On the whole, there are still many highlights of Zhang Yimou's drama, some of which are not inferior to "Man Jianghong" back then.
First of all, the "20 Articles" echo the legal provisions from the title to the content of the film, placing a number of issues worthy of attention in the theme of social reality.
I just want to do my best to arouse people's attention to legal principles and morality, and also to make people feel the true power of the law. From this point of view, I still have a certain sense of social responsibility.
Secondly, the comedy part of "Twenty Articles" is handled very well, and there is not a single trick that would make it a serious social movie. People don't want to watch a movie that is too heavy during the Chinese New Year.
Therefore, Zhang Yimou cooperated with Shen Teng and Ma Li to add more funny and humorous parts to the movie. Some of these parts are really interesting and have their own pleasures.
This theme is also sublimated at the end of the film. Many netizens believe that Han Ming, played by Lei Jiayin, expounded at the end of the movie is no less than "the whole army recites Jianghong" in "Jiangshanghong", which has become the highlight moment of the whole movie.
In "The Wandering Earth", Han Duoduo's speech also played a similar role, bringing hope to people and witnessing the power of reality.
However, the current box office performance of "Twenty Articles" is slightly embarrassing and cannot become the second "Man Jianghong". The box office performance was trampled under the feet of the animated film "Bear Infested".
This happens for a reason.
First of all, the film itself combines social cases and warm families. It's a particularly novel idea that feels very magical.
But only in novelty. When the novelty is over, all the flaws are exposed.
Many people will feel that the movie forcibly creates a comedic atmosphere, but it cannot hide the tragedy itself.
Such a tragedy is combined throughout the movie, which makes people a little confused about whether to cry or laugh. The combination of sensationalism and warmth is not very good. On the contrary, it gives people a cramped feeling, and the film becomes a mess. Hodgepodge.
Secondly, the movie forcibly focuses on the word "family", which actually makes the same problem as the previous "Exchanging Lives".
"Exchanging Lives" starts out as a story about the exchange of lives, a romantic comedy, but in the end it returns to the theme of family affection and happiness, which makes people feel a little confused.
If you don't have the talent and the ability to master any genre, you shouldn't try to make such a film lightly. It's easy to feel like you're forced to pander to the market.
I have to say that in the past two years, Zhang Yimou has brought us different works during the Spring Festival.
Both works have their own highlights. It can be seen that he has also put a lot of effort into making good movies and telling good stories.
Perhaps in terms of box office, "Twenty Articles" is indeed not successful enough to replicate the box office results of "Man Jianghong", but it is still a bold attempt.