Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 666 Pacific Rim 2

Tonight's premiere was truly star-studded.

Although only three main creators from "Pacific Rim 2" attended—director Guillermo del Toro, lead actor Charlie Hunnam, and lead actress Liu Yifei—along with Universal Pictures president Donna Langley, there were quite a few domestic celebrity guests who came either by invitation or voluntarily to lend their support.

Even Wu Qian, who seems to have no connection to the premiere, came to ride the wave of popularity. He claimed at the event that he has loved robots and monsters since he was a child and is a loyal fan of monster movies.

At today's premiere, Liu Yifei didn't wear a formal dress, but instead chose a blue double-breasted trench coat with a white shirt underneath, and her hair was styled in a high bun.

There are some things that are difficult to say abroad, but Liu Yifei dares to say them in China.

After Donna Langley talked at length about how enthusiastic Chinese audiences are and how vast the Chinese market is, making it Universal Pictures' most important market, she half-jokingly and half-seriously "questioned" Donna Langley: "Then why are we only given two days to promote? I want to meet my audience more often."

Liu Yifei was the most dissatisfied with the fact that only two days of promotional activities were arranged in China, as she knew better than anyone where her core supporters were.

However, Liu Yifei's question went unanswered, and Donna Langley feigned ignorance to brush it off: "I also want to meet with Chinese audiences often."

This is the first time that Universal Pictures President Donna Langley has come to China, as well as the first time that director Guillermo del Toro and Charlie Hunnam have come to China. When foreigners come to China, an essential part of the trip is to talk about their impressions of China and learn a few Chinese phrases.

One of the things that will definitely be included is the evaluation of Chinese cuisine.

I wonder which genius among the China Film Group team that organized this premiere came up with the idea of ​​arranging a food tasting event on site, serving up stinky tofu and fermented bean juice for these foreigners to try.

Stinky tofu is fine, but is fermented mung bean juice something for humans to eat?

More than half the people in Yanjing City don't eat this stuff!
Toro can eat stinky tofu, but he just couldn't bring himself to eat this bowl of fermented mung bean juice in front of him, and even asked the host and Liu Yifei, "Is this really a Chinese delicacy?"

The host had to explain what douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) was, saying that this drink is enjoyed by many people in China but not by many; those who like it love it to death, while those who dislike it want to smash the bowl at the mere smell of it. "You can try it," the host said.

"Have you ever eaten it?" Toro asked Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei shook her head awkwardly but politely: "No, I'm the kind of person who would break a bowl."

Of the final cast members, only the lead actor, Charlie Hunnam, was willing to try the soy milk. This guy, showing some professionalism, took a sip and managed to force a smile, praising it as "Not bad."

After that, no one touched the fermented mung bean juice anymore.

Director Guillermo del Toro also said that although this was his first time in China, he was very familiar with some Chinese IPs, especially Sun Wukong, and even thought about making a movie based on "Journey to the West".

"But there are many traditional Chinese details in this story that are difficult for outsiders to understand, so I think it is more appropriate for Chinese people to make it."

After the interactive session, we will proceed to the screening stage.

Ta-da! The dragon emblem makes its appearance.

Next came Universal's logo, then Legendary Pictures' logo, and then Fall Pictures' logo.

The second film takes place several years after the war in the first film. Liu Yifei plays Grace, who has risen to a high position in the Pacific Rim Defense Command (PPDC). The wormhole at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean has closed, the world has begun to rebuild, and Grace strives to maintain peace and promote technological innovation.

But one day, a smart technology company called Future Apocalypse suddenly announced that it had overcome a technological bottleneck. The company offered incredible network technologies and energy solutions, such as unlimited energy and wireless transmission. These technologies, which usually only existed in fantasy, were announced to be mass-produced and commercialized by Future Apocalypse. The company's technology was widely used around the world, human society developed rapidly, and Future Apocalypse became the world's largest technology company, its strength comparable to that of some major powers.

However, Grace and her friends question these technologies and the suddenly appearing company. As the investigation deepens, the protagonists piece together a shocking truth: these technologies were sent back by future humans (the pioneers) with the aim of guiding past human societies to develop according to their blueprint, ultimately transforming the Earth's environment to make it more suitable for future humans to live in, while for present-day humans, it is a "harvest".

This means that humanity's ultimate enemy is "itself," coming from the future and attempting to plunder its past home.

In the film, the CEO of Future Apocalypse Corporation is played by British actor James McAvoy.

This is a story involving time travel and the grandmother paradox.

The art style of the second film continues to use Toro's signature dark, damp, and rainy night aesthetics, and the mechs and monsters are still "giant worship," grand and magnificent.

The action scenes have been upgraded again, with the main characters fighting against a new generation of Kaiju controlled by future humans, as well as a new generation of Jaegers built with future technology.

Sitting below, Li Qiutang wasn't reading the story. Toro's story and the philosophy behind it were easy to understand. He was looking at Toro's art direction and storyboards.

These established directors all have their own signature styles. Putting aside Toro's stubborn personality and unrestrained spending on budgets, his art style is the one that Li Qiutang likes the most among the three Mexican directors.

To emphasize the sheer size of the mechs, Toro almost exclusively used low-angle shots, adding small airplanes, vehicles, and figures alongside them.

In other words, although Toro's mechs are the main subject of the scene, they are not the protagonists, or even the "characters" in the scene, but rather the background, simply giant objects.

The difference between the mechs in Pacific Rim and those in Transformers is that Toro captured the mechanical and cumbersome feel of the mechs.

When the mech raised its hand to strike the monster, there was a clear hydraulic lifting process, followed by a vibration after reaching the position and being stopped by a limit switch, before it fell heavily and slammed into the monster.

In contrast, Iron Man and the Autobots appear too delicate, lacking a sense of power and weight.

These are details, but they are crucial for robot movies.

The pioneers have bizarre appearances, leading people to mistakenly believe that future humans have evolved (or degenerated) to such an unbearable state. However, they are actually wearing all sorts of strange exoskeleton biochemical protective suits. If you peel back these suits, the pioneers inside are still ordinary humans.

Toro is also a director who "can't film romance," or rather, he has no interest in ordinary romantic relationships between men and women. He didn't film Grace's love in his first film, and he didn't film it in his second either.

The second film is about the same length as the first, 131 minutes. The final battle is set in San Francisco and is quite brutal. The main characters win with great difficulty, some dying and some injured, while Grace survives by a narrow margin.

The film ended, and the entire audience applauded.

"It's very good, very impressive." Fan Bingbing was the first to offer her congratulations. "After watching this movie, I'm going to fall in love with Yifei. You're like a Valkyrie."

The manuscript is finished, and Fan Bingbing falls in love with Liu Yifei.

Several more guests then shared their viewing experiences, all saying it was good and asking the creators some questions.

Finally, the host called on Li Qiutang: "I would like to ask Director Li, who is sitting below, what are your thoughts after watching this movie?"

(End of this chapter)