The writer of this article is a writer @ 京京京京京京.
Save unhappiness with movies
Under the influence of feminism in recent years, female superhero movies and TV works catering to "political correctness" frequently appear.
The two giants, DC and Marvel Comics, have set an example with Wonder Woman and Captain Surprise. The recognition of public opinion and the success of the market naturally provide the production power.
On April 11th, HBO, a TV giant, launched an original drama series.Never ever(The Nevers), a book based onWomen’s Super-English Drama in Victorian England.
The series consists of "Taillight" which once dominated the first stage of Marvel Universe.Joss Whedon("The Avengers" and "S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent") worked as a producer, director and screenwriter, but unfortunately, during his production,Caught in a scandal on the set of Justice League.
In November last year, Wei Deng announced in an internal investigation by Warner.Quit the production of Never.This once high-profile sci-fi drama became uncertain overnight.
At present, "Never" has aired two episodes. Although the ratings are good, the reputation is worrying. The Douban score has risen from the original 6 points to.7.4Points, scores on rotten tomatoes are not so tolerant, and the freshness is only 47%.
The famous magazine Vanity Fair commented that this drama series "Have a rich imagination, but the execution is very general.. "From the previous two episodes, it seems that these two sentences hit the achilles heel of Never.
The story of Never takes place in Victorian London, England. One day, a cross-shaped UFO came over London, spreading countless unidentified particles to the whole city.
Those who successfully absorb particles are endowed with various superpowers. They are calledToucher(The touched), their ability is called "Turns".
Panis on the left and amelia on the right.
The two women, amelia and Panis, are both touchers, and amelia can.Predict the short-term future, or the play in the play; Panis is an inventor who can.See the flow of energy.
They are all managers of an orphanage sponsored by Lavinia, a wealthy socialite.Take in those who are not accepted by society.(Does it sound like X-Men? ）。
At first glance, "Never" is original.
Retro visual style, mysterious sci-fi elements, and now popular feminism, which are mixed together, sound veryStylistic and politically correctAn attempt.
However, no matter how superficial the effort is, it is difficult to cover up the emptiness and boredom in the content of Never.
First of all, the "Never"The rhythm of the plot is too gentle, lacking the explosive point.. Not long after the first episode began, amelia and Panis went to a civilian family to visit a toucher with a confused language. In the process, they were blocked by a group of mysterious masked men, and the two sides fought.
This was originally a highlight moment to show their super powers, but amelia’s precognition ability only appeared briefly, and her fighting skills were not extraordinary.
Panis showed her off.Homemade flying flash bombSuch an invention was great in the Victorian era, but in the eyes of the critical audience now, there is nothing amazing.
Before the whole atmosphere was heated, the opening ended hastily. The appearance of the two heroines is more like a functional introduction to their respective skills.
The main creator must have given a lot of expectations to the first episode, not only trying to create a retro background and implicitly promote the plot, but also trying to draw out all the characters and show them to the audience.Steampunk mixes superhero worldviews andA complex network of people..
For example, I don’t know if it is the evil "beggar king".Oppose the existence of touchersSir Mei Sen, a member of Parliament, conducted with the touch of energy.profitHugo, the aristocratic son, and the one who touches the abilityGuinea PigDoctor of Mystery Science.
Of course, there are also villains on the bright side of this play, who are also touchers.womanCrazy Mai Betty Loh Ti.
Many forces are eyeing the energy-touching person, which should have been a huge hidden crisis for the protagonist. But the final presentation effect only makes people have more questions.
What are the reasons for the two women to give their lives to protect the touchers? What’s the purpose of Melody’s crazy behavior? People can’t grasp the clues at all, and they can’t find the sense of faith to continue to trace back the doubts.
The introduction of many branch figures not onlyFailed to increase the suspense atmosphere of the playOn the contrary, it seems that the plot is piled up without foundation, which does not help the opening story.
The orphanage in the play
In the absence of tension in the plot, the setting of the series is also a bit old-fashioned. Taking "X-Men" as an analogy, the touch can be regarded asVictorian mutantThe orphanage in the film is like Xavier’s gifted juvenile school, and Lavinia in a wheelchair is of course Professor X.
However, the ability of the energy-touching person is not as dazzling as the X-Men, and even a little tasteless.
Inventor Er can see the flow of energy. At present, there is no indication that this superpower has any key bonus to her invention.
What is the ability of the villain Melody? Except for the discolored pupils, there is no clear indication so far.
The ability of other characters, except inMary, the toucher of opera singing.Slightly surprised, other people’s abilities are basically superficial, and they have not brought any visual enjoyment.
Because "Never" is a work written and directed by "Taillight", most of the contents in the play areThere is a shadow of his previous works..
"Taillight" was good at female themes in the past, and he often gave them extraordinary strength and talent by hurting or isolating female characters, showing unshakable female strength. This is in the taillightBuffy the Vampire Hunter, Doll Agent and FireflyIt always works.
Buffy the Vampire Hunter
In Never, this feeling of deja vu has returned.
Historically, the Victorian era in Britain was regarded as the peak of the British industrial revolution. At that time, women’s life choices were very narrow and their lives were gloomy.
Under the background of this era, most of the touchers in the play are women. So when a UFO comes, it awakens not only superpowers, but also.Women’s self-awareness.
"Taillight" serves his feminist theme with super-power elements. Nowadays, there are many metaphors of the same type in film and television works. If used properly, such metaphors can be very enlightening.
If used improperly, as in Never,The metaphor of "awakening" has become a deliberate decoration.It is a dull and superficial exploration of social marginalization and cultural isolation.
Especially inAfter learning about the "taillight" scandal, the feminism he once preached in his works is full of irony..
Last July, he played an actor of steel in Justice League.Ray FisherStand up and accuse "Taillight" of defaming Zach Schneider’s version of "Justice League", and drastically cut the original film, and also said that "Taillight" was very unprofessional in the make-up studio.
"Taillight" is also related to the heroine of Justice LeagueGal GadotIn the event of an argument, Gado has repeatedly expressed concern about the new version, while "Taillight" forced Gal Gadot to record lines she disagreed with, threatening her career and belittling Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.
After that, many creators and cass, the representative works of "Taillight", Buffy the Vampire Hunter and Dark Angel, stood up and accused "Taillight" of bullying actors on the set.
Charisma Carpenter, one of the cass of Buffy and Dark Angel, was ridiculed by "Taillight" after she got pregnant, accusing her of affecting the filming of the series.
Later, Jose Molina, a screenwriter who worked with Wei Deng on Firefly, also shared her experience: "Wanton cruelty is Wei Deng’s best adjective.",he especially likes to brag about himself. He once made a screenwriter cry twice at a meeting.
The malicious behavior of "taillights" under the screen cast a shadow over Never Before it started broadcasting. finallyHBO also didn’t use the name of "taillight" to promote the show.Obviously, they want to keep their distance from the taillights.
However, the personal style of "Taillight" has deeply branded this drama, which includes him.Fascination with fantasy elements, andA hypocritical pandering to feminism.
In a word, The Never is full of subtle stories behind the scenes. Unfortunately, this retro-style super-English drama carefully created by HBO is likely to be as difficult to turn over as a "taillight" caught in a scandal.
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