I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 391, Wang Su: Something's Not Going Well

Chapter 391, Wang Su: Something's Not Going Well
The movie continues.

On the screen, the eight-minute countdown reached zero, and the source code system emitted a shutdown command tone.

It's all time to end it all.

Ke Yang, the hero who was reduced to a single piece of consciousness code, should have vanished completely with the shutdown of the system.

Han Ping's mood also turned heavy at this moment—the fate of a hero is always accompanied by sacrifice.

But just then, a mobile phone screen popped up in the corner of the screen.

A text message.

The sender is Ke Yang.

The recipient is Guo Rong.

"If you see this text message, it means you've succeeded. Tell them everything will be alright."

At the end of the text message, there was a small, clumsy smiley face.

The theater was deathly silent.

The next second, it was as if someone had pressed the play button, and the entire hall instantly erupted in chaos!

"Alive?"

"Holy crap! He survived in that parallel universe!"

"My God, what is this? The consciousness upload was successful?"

"So, the eight minutes of the source code aren't actually a simple system loop, but rather a parallel world!"

Han Ping suddenly sat up straight in his seat, leaning forward and staring intently at the line of text.

he lived.

In a parallel world built of code, yet one that truly exists, Ke Yang survived.

This is more than just a family celebration.

The use of white space in science fiction works.

"Your movie... really doesn't follow the usual formula..."

Han Ping leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

He's a seasoned veteran who's watched countless movies and prides himself on being able to predict any plot development, but today he's completely screwed.

At first glance, judging solely from the presentation of the plot, he recognized that familiar feeling all too well.

High-concept sci-fi setting, disaster in a confined space, a lone hero saving the world... isn't this exactly what Hollywood is best at?

Especially the protagonist's confusion after learning the truth.

According to the standard procedure, the next step should be the mentor role, namely Commander Guo Rong, who should appeal to the protagonist's emotions and reason, using phrases like "for those who sacrificed themselves" and "for the greater good" to awaken him.

Then the protagonist overcomes his inner demons, turns the tide at the last moment, defeats the enemy, and achieves a sublimation.

He thought Li Xuan had also started down the safest and least surprising path of "maturity."

But damn it, the surprises never stopped from the moment the protagonist awakened!

Without a mentor, the protagonist pulled himself out of the abyss through his ingrained military convictions, rather than through external guidance. His very identity instilled in him a sense of mission and pride.

What came in was a science fiction film unique to China.

And now, this ending is a stroke of genius!
Unlike Hollywood heroes who find meaning in nothingness and then make a tragic sacrifice, he was reborn in another form!
Han Ping's mind was buzzing.

He suddenly understood.

Li Xuan wasn't imitating Hollywood; he was deconstructing it, absorbing its elements while simultaneously integrating and assimilating them.
He used that mature commercial film shell as his weapon, first using the rhythm and setting that the audience is most familiar with to lure you in, making you think that this is a familiar dish.

Then, when you are most relaxed, he serves up his private dishes.

This dish still tastes the same.

He's still that stubborn, naive, always thinking, always growing Li Xuan.

He hasn't changed.
No, he has changed.

He became stronger, so strong that he could master other people's tactics even better than they could, and then use his own methods to completely overturn those tactics.

This goes beyond mere acting skills or directing ability.

This is a creative ability that is almost "demonic".

"That's incredible. Even stronger than I imagined."

Han Ping was somewhat shocked at this moment.

Before entering the cinema, he already thought that his threshold had been raised to a very high level, after all, anyone who has seen "Avatar" will have their threshold raised to a very high level because of its groundbreaking visual effects.

The last time I had such a thrilling sensory experience was during the disaster movie "2012".

At that time, the Chinese entertainment industry was 'silent', but among the general public, the popularity was explosive, and even junior and senior high schools were embracing Mayan prophecies.
Popular culture is entirely Western in feel.
The Chinese-language entertainment industry, on the one hand, tries to cover things up and fight among itself to create a 'prosperity,' but in reality, it's acceptable, even considered a matter of course, that everyone wants to rise to Hollywood and humble themselves to do so.

Li Xuan seriously deconstructed Hollywood.
Even when you close your eyes.

When discussing the concept of science fiction.

What comes to mind is not the blue-skinned creatures of Pandora, works that proclaim freedom and primitive equality, but the Chinese military spirit that represents the protection of flavor in an endless cycle within an eight-minute train ride.

Yes, it's Li Xuan.

When the movie ended, Li Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

As things stand, the film's performance is actually quite good so far.

In a computer system, an eight-minute death loop movie ends with the protagonist gaining insight from his own identity, and then using his already dead body to save those who are destined to die.

Beliefs and willpower—these qualities belonging to 'Ke Yang' lingered in his mind.
Compared to previous immersion methods.

He was very "genuine".

It's very "real".

A person based on reality.

No, it wasn't just one person, but a group of people, because there was indeed a group of people who were prepared to die.

They really exist.

This is the kind of movie that America can't make.
"Your movie is very good, even better than I imagined. Even better." Han Ping gave Li Xuan a deep look. Originally, his plan was to have Jiang Wen and Li Xuan become 'two legs'.

Two legs that will be the pillar of China's future film and television industry
One pursues art, the other pursues business.
Jiang Wen is still his protégé. He even supervised the entire production of "Let the Bullets Fly." Apart from the parts that are still being reshot and polished, Han Ping was overseeing everything else. It can be said that this big brother who is good at commercial films is also absolutely strong in the field of art films. In fact, that's what he was originally looking for. He has two legs to rely on. Since "Devils on the Doorstep" stormed Cannes, Jiang Wen has been at the pinnacle that most art film directors can't reach.

My attitude towards Li Xuan is to take an artistic approach. From the beginning, I felt that there should only be one leg.

A prodigy with potential and strength
However, things seem different now. After reading Source Code, it appears that this leg has grown to two legs.

This was what shocked Han Ping the most.

He also seems to have a talent for handling works that blend commercial and artistic elements.
"Whether it's good or not is subjective; it depends on whether the audience can accept it," Li Xuan paused and then said, "We need to see the audience's feedback."

"If your peers could make movies like this, they would have become arrogant and ignorant long ago."

"Ultimately, it's the audience who makes the judgment, and I understand that."

At this moment, Li Xuan closed his eyes.

Let's see what kind of resonance this Ke Yang can evoke.

Now it's time to wait for the results.

"No matter what the final result is, I acknowledge you. I acknowledge you very much." Han Ping expressed his appreciation frankly.

Even if the market doesn't accept it in the end, and it gets crushed by Avatar, so be it.
But at least as a viewer, Han Ping approves.
He absolutely approves of this work.
Going forward, resources allocated to Li Xuan will gradually increase.
The resources are gradually being tilted towards Jiang Wen. Increase them!

Liu Meizhen watched the screening of "Source Code".

"It's quite lively."

"After all, his resources for publicity this time are quite substantial." Wang Lei looked at Wang Su with a strange expression, knowing that this whole thing was orchestrated by them.
Using 'special effects' as a starting point for excessive praise
In this era of blockbuster movies, special effects are an essential element of science fiction. But something as obvious as "Source Code" can't possibly be good.
It's fair to say that this group of viewers will all become future "haters".

Wang Lei sat in his seat in the theater, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Leaving the Avatar theater, my mind was still buzzing with images of the wonders of Pandora. Now I'm sitting here, ready to watch Source Code, a film they themselves have "lauded" to the skies.

And the consequences of knowing he was about to be overthrown by these haters.

But that's just how business is; he's seen it all before.
But Li Xuan has a kind of magic that keeps him on his toes until the very last moment.

who knows.

The only obvious problem is the poor special effects, but who knows what other cards Li Xuan has up his sleeve?
Liu Meizhen didn't respond, quietly flipping through the things in her hands.
Wang Suo didn't say much; he understood even more clearly what 'result' meant.

Wang Lei glanced around; it was a huge crowd, mostly drawn by the titles of "hope for domestic science fiction" and "challenging Hollywood." Their faces were filled with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the spectacle.

These people are still in the dark, unaware that they are about to witness a large-scale "discouragement" scene.

The lights went out.

The movie opens.

Wang Lei sat quietly, preparing to watch the movie.
But less than three minutes into the show, he started to get restless.

On screen, Li Xuan's character, Ke Yang, was suddenly pulled awake from a coma. His bewilderment and panic were so real that they sent chills down Li Xuan's spine.

There were no fancy lighting effects, and no grand scenes.

Just one person, one face, and one play.

"This……"

Wang Lei unconsciously leaned forward.

Li Xuan's acting skills
He remains as strong as ever. It seems that Huayi first noticed him because of his acting skills, and now he is an independent director and producer.
In reality, it's not that Li Xuan's acting skills have been overlooked, but rather that they've been taken for granted.

His acting career is still a volatile 'ceiling' – he seems to be hitting the ceiling every time, and he always manages to break through the limits.

The film's opening scene quickly establishes the plot.

An eight-minute loop, code saves lives
For the next eight minutes, Wang Lei was completely caught in that vicious cycle.

Every time I start over, every time I die, every time I open my eyes.

As a

As a mere spectator, Wang Lei stared intently at the big screen.
As an audience member, I was firmly held in my seat by the story.

When Ke Yang finally realized that he had actually died long ago, Wang Lei held his breath.

The impact of that moment was no less than seeing the floating mountains in Avatar.

But that thing hit your eyeball, this one hits your heart directly.

"I understand."

"Saving people is my duty."

On screen, Li Xuan delivered the line in a calm yet heartbreaking tone, and Wang Lei felt as if he had been punched in the chest.

This isn't the typical Hollywood formula where a single enlightened 'hero' emerges from a group of people to save the world.

This is a person randomly selected from a group of heroes.

They are everywhere.

This is something ingrained in one's bones.

Wang Lei's mind flashed back to the old movies he had watched when he was young, and to those people who fought tooth and nail for a sense of pride or a dream.

A surge of energy welled up from the bottom of my heart.

The movie was still playing, but Wang Lei's soul was already engrossed in it.

He watched as Ke Yang rushed toward death time and time again, painstakingly piecing together every clue, all to save strangers.

There's no heroic aura, and no grand pronouncements about saving all of humanity.

It's like a dead soldier using the embers of his life to finish his last task.

At the end of the movie, when the text message from another world popped up, the entire theater went wild.

"Alive!"

"He survived over there!"

Wang Lei sat frozen in his chair, his mind blank.
The "widespread criticism" he had anticipated never materialized.

The audience wasn't angry, they were excited.

No one felt cheated; on the contrary, they felt like they had struck gold.
"What the fuck..."

Wang Su muttered to himself, his expression shifting from watching the show to shock, and finally to an indescribable complexity.

"Don't even mention cheap special effects; there weren't any special effects at all from beginning to end."

Wang Lei turned his head to look around.

No one complained about the special effects, and no one criticized the small investment.

Everyone's talking about the plot, the ending, Ke Yang, and this storyline called 'Source Code'.
The audience feedback was very direct. Those who were initially "tricked" into coming in did have some complaints about the cheap special effects at the beginning, and some even left shortly after the start. But those who stayed were all captivated.

Even if the movie's performance falls short of expectations.

But good works, good stories, these things.

It's a common point in human nature.

At this moment, Wang Lei looked at Wang Su next to him, and his expression became a little strange.

This veteran of Beijing's elite circle, one of its founders, had a complex expression on his face.

As an artist, he was shocked by the quality of the work, and it seemed that the work had indeed reached a point of "loss of special effects".

There were no special effects from beginning to end.

If we count train explosions.

That's way too cheap.

From the perspective of praising someone to the point of destruction, this certainly aligns with Wang Shuo's expectations.

He definitely didn't have any special effects.

However, after watching this sci-fi film without special effects...