This director is vindictive.

Chapter 295 Chen Mo is forced to work, his sharp tongue creates another memorable scene.
As it turns out, sometimes reality is just that surreal.

To be honest, Chen Mo himself didn't expect the film to be so well received by the market.

On December 16, "The Legend of the Swordsman" broke 200 million yuan in box office revenue in a single day, bringing its total box office revenue close to 1 billion yuan, becoming the first "non-traditional genre film" in Chinese film history to break 1 billion yuan in its opening week.

Although the future box office trend is still unknown, such box office data has still caused a stir in the industry.

If this were a typical Chen Mo movie, the box office figures wouldn't be anything special, and no one would find it strange. But this "movie," in a way, isn't really a traditional film.

The result was surprisingly good at the box office. As a result, many film and television companies held meetings overnight to discuss the development plan of the "fantasy + folk" theme.

It's actually quite interesting. Fantasy-themed TV dramas have been commonplace in recent years and can be considered a popular genre.

However, on the big screen, there are almost no fantasy-themed films and television series.

Even "The Flying Swordsman" has already set a box office record for fantasy films.

Before this, the best-performing fantasy film was actually "Once Upon a Time".

However, the performance of "The Flying Swordsman" this time has forced people to refocus on the fantasy genre of movies.

A veteran producer posted on his WeChat Moments: "The documentary 'Swordsman' turned into a blockbuster and the wedding into an epic, while we're still struggling with the love triangle template of ancient costume fantasy dramas?"

On December 17th, CCTV's "Cultural Viewpoint" program featured a special report titled "Flying Swords: A Modern Expression of Traditional Aesthetics."
"The film uses 'wedding ceremony' as its shell and 'chivalry' as its core, combining the magnificence of 'nine dragons pulling a coffin' with the delicate beauty of 'writing a vow on the Weak Water,' representing a creative transformation of 'traditional Chinese romanticism.' Its technological breakthroughs and humanistic core provide a new paradigm for the industrialization of Chinese films."

After the official media set the tone, the doubts quickly subsided, and #XianxiaCultureExport# topped the trending search list.

However, the most direct feedback on this wave of Xianxia (fantasy martial arts) popularity is still on video-based social media platforms.

Bilibili UP master "Kouju Kuangmo" released "300 Hidden Taoist Symbols in Flying Swords," which has garnered over 10 million views; Douyin's "Fantasy Marriage Certificate Challenge" attracted millions of netizens to use calligraphy brushes to copy the "Longevity Contract" from the film.

However, several new films will be released starting December 17th.

The most anticipated film is probably "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2"!

How should I put it? The Sheep Without a Shepherd series seems to be trying to replicate the model of Chen Sicheng's Detective Chinatown universe.

However, to be fair, Chen Mo had seen the first "Sheep Without a Shepherd" movie in his previous life and thought it was one of the better film adaptations.

He hadn't actually seen the second or third installment.

Since they had nothing better to do, Chen Mo and Yang Mi went to see "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2" together!
Yang Mi is the most envious lately, after all, the box office of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" is unexpectedly good, and the fairy wedding of Chen Mo and Zhao Liying can be said to be highly praised.

Chen Mo's other female confidantes are alright, but Yang Mi is different. She became famous for her role in "Chinese Paladin" and has acted in many fantasy dramas. You could say she's somewhat similar to Zhao Liying.

As a result, she could only play a supporting role in "Flying Sword Immortal".

So the more positive reviews the film received, the more upset she became.

As a master of maintaining balance, Chen Mo naturally had to appease her. Not only her, but he had already arranged for the second half of December to be his and his female confidantes' "movie week"!
I'm actually quite curious about Chen Mo in "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2".

The main reason is that he didn't watch the last two parts of the "Sheep Without a Shepherd" series in his previous life.

However, I remember that although the "Sheep Without a Shepherd" series did not perform as well at the box office as the "Detective Chinatown" series, it was not bad either.

So he was genuinely curious, after all, the first film, "Sheep Without a Shepherd," was adapted from the Indian film "Drishyam," and the script was mature and logically sound, achieving both critical and commercial success.

However, the story of the first film is already quite complete, so Chen Mo is curious about how the second film will be made. Chen Mo has heard that it is adapted from the Hollywood film "The Long Night," which he has seen. However, how it will be adapted and how it will connect with the first "Sheep Without a Shepherd" film are also things that Chen Mo is curious about.

However, perhaps it was precisely because he went to see the movie with such expectations that Chen Mo fell silent after watching it.

"So, Director Chen, what are your thoughts after watching it?" Yang Mi asked with a teasing smile.

Chen Mo crossed his arms and glanced at her with a half-smile: "I'll leave it at that. What about you? What do you think of this movie?"

Yang Mi frowned, her tone slightly puzzled: "That's a bit strange!"

"Strange?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "What's strange about it?"

"I thought 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 2' would be like the 'Detective Chinatown' series. The first one was a suspense film, so the sequel should at least have some connection to the first one, right?" She pouted. "But the second one has nothing to do with the first one at all, and even the style has changed. Isn't this just a case of false advertising?"

Chen Mo chuckled lightly: "Any other ideas?"

Yang Mi shrugged: "I can't really say anything else, but I just feel that... the title and the content don't match."

She paused, then suddenly leaned closer, her eyes sparkling: "By the way, they should have invited you to the premiere, right? Why didn't you go?"

Chen Mo couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Use your smart brain to think about it. Do you think they would invite me? Or rather, do you think they would invite me, their competitor, to the premiere at this time?"

Chen Mo wasn't actually invited to "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2". But if they wanted to, the entertainment industry is a small world, and they could always find a way to get him involved.

But this time, the other party really didn't do that.

In fact, many netizens and movie fans have joked at the premiere, "Why didn't you invite Chen Mo?"

Why not invite them? That's perfectly normal.

It's fair to say that "Swordsman Online" suddenly became the subject of a lot of controversy, such as accusations of piling up IPs.

Who dares to say that there weren't investors behind "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2"?

"The Flying Swordsman" is still showing in theaters and it's no exaggeration to say that it's the most direct competitor to "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2".

Chen Mo's influence is undeniable.

Invite Chen Mo to the premiere? Put yourself in his shoes. Unless the movie is really that good, even a fool could guess what Chen Mo would say.

It's highly likely that another famous scene will be repeated.

So how could "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2" possibly ask for evidence and get it?

Chen, the Yin-Yang Master, is renowned far and wide!
However, aside from the suspicion of being a "bait and switch," the adaptation of "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2" is truly worthless.

However, like most domestically adapted films, it often suffers from a common problem: when adapting for local audiences, it is often difficult to achieve logical consistency.

The same applies to "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2".

In fact, Chen Mo didn't care too much, nor did he think of using the criticism of "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2" to compete.

Yang Mi, linking arms with Chen Mo, habitually dribbled past him and said, "Yeah, what about you? You haven't said yet, what did you think of the movie?"

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Actually, this movie was very cleverly made!"

"You took a really clever picture? How so?" Yang Mi asked curiously.

She is self-aware enough, and her judgment of Chen Mo's films is widely recognized as accurate. Everyone understands what she means!

"The angle is very clever; this film is adapted from the Hollywood movie 'The Imminent Blame'."
The protagonist, Lin Rilang, is forced to take a desperate gamble because his son's heart transplant opportunity is snatched away by a powerful figure. This premise directly addresses a painful reality and easily evokes empathy from the audience.

Similar events do have real-life counterparts, so the social critique of the plot has a certain basis in reality. "Chen Mo and Yang Mi said as they walked out of the theater."

Secondly, Lin Rilang is not a "hero" in the traditional sense, but an ordinary person driven to desperation. Although his "hospital hijacking" was illegal, it fits the logic of paternal love of "doing everything to save the child" and is emotionally convincing.

After all, it's easy to empathize with someone; it allows them to feel the same way: one day, I could be that father; and if I were that father, I wouldn't have any other choice.

"At the same time, the film's cleverness lies in its use of multiple forces to showcase the crushing of the individual by the group and the powerlessness of the little people in their resistance. This tragic 'ant trying to shake a tree' situation enhances the dramatic tension."

From these perspectives, it is indeed a very wise choice.

"So, I predict this movie's box office performance won't be low," Chen Mo said with a smile.

"But the word-of-mouth probably won't be too good," Chen Mo added.

"Why?" Yang Mi asked, puzzled. "Because it's a case of false advertising?"

Chen Mo nodded and then shook his head: "That's part of the reason, but more importantly, there are obvious logical flaws in the plot and the forced sentimentality!"

"Just to say one thing, I don't really understand what the screenwriter was thinking."

An adult's heart cannot be transplanted into a child! Shouldn't that be common sense?
But what was the result? The screenwriter's explanation was: his son's heart was the same size as an adult's, so it needed to be replaced, and in the end, he received an adult's heart.

It's not that movies can't have logical inconsistencies, because movies are, after all, artistic creations. But this kind of plot is already somewhat biased towards "realistic themes," so such basic logical inconsistencies are too fatal!

Because today's audience is different from the audience of the past.

Simply put, they're not so easy to fool anymore!

So this plot alone is enough to make many viewers feel that the movie is insulting their intelligence!

To be honest, Chen Mo never expected that such a basic mistake would be implemented so directly.

Yang Mi was also speechless.

"Furthermore, heart transplants require strict matching and must be performed within a very short timeframe. The scene in the film where the mayor's son 'temporarily steals the heart' lacks medical detail and appears overly dramatic."

And it's too rough.

The ending is similar; Lin Rilang ultimately chooses to save his son with his own heart, but in reality, "living donor heart transplantation" is almost impossible because the heart donor must be brain dead. This setup is purely for emotional manipulation and completely violates common medical knowledge.

In the original film *The Long Night*, the protagonist is shot and killed by the police and then donates his organs, while the adaptation in *Sheep Without a Shepherd 2* makes the ending seem deliberately tragic.

"Therefore, the strengths and weaknesses of this movie are very obvious."

Its advantage lies in amplifying social conflicts through extreme scenarios, prompting viewers to reflect on fairness and justice.

The flaws are even more obvious. The medical details, police actions, and character motivations all fail to stand up to scrutiny. Moreover, some nonsensical plot points amplify the unrealistic feel of the story, completely disregarding the fact that this is a realistic film.

The core problem is that it prioritizes emotional appeal and the expression of social issues over the rigor of the story.

The two chatted for a while and then walked out of the movie theater. But sometimes, you want to keep a low profile, but some people don't want you to.

Just then, the two stepped out of the theater and hadn't even reached the elevator when an excited voice suddenly came from behind them—

"Director Chen?!"

Chen Mo paused, cursing inwardly, "Damn, he's wearing a mask and sunglasses, how can they still recognize me?"

Yang Mi was also stunned for a moment, and subconsciously hid half a step behind Chen Mo, lowering her voice to say, "It's over, we've been discovered."

The person who called out was a man in his early thirties. He was holding a microphone and had a photographer following behind him, making his identity obvious.

This was clearly a reporter who had come to the cinema for an in-person interview. He rushed over, his eyes shining: "It really is you, Director Chen! You're here to see 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 2'?"

The reporter excitedly handed the microphone to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo was a little helpless; he really didn't want to be interviewed! But he still maintained a polite smile and nodded slightly: "Hello."

"Director Chen, could you give your comments on 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 2'?" The reporter was surprised to encounter such a good opportunity and quickly asked.

Before Chen Mo could speak, two more girls appeared beside him. One of them stared at Yang Mi and suddenly screamed, "Ahhh! Sister Mi?!"

Yang Mi's heart skipped a beat—"I'm doomed, I really can't escape now."

She quickly put her finger up in front of her mask, made a "shh" gesture, and said in a low voice with a laugh, "Keep it down, we're just here to watch a movie."

But it was too late. The audience members who had left all turned to look. Some started taking out their phones, and others shouted, "Chen Mo and Yang Mi! Look!"

Chen Mo and Yang Mi were both dumbfounded.

He knew that if he didn't say something, he probably wouldn't be able to leave.

There are people everywhere here, there's nowhere to run!

As more and more onlookers gathered, Chen Mo began to feel a bit of a headache.

The reporter who spotted Chen Mo immediately became incredibly enthusiastic, practically shoving the microphone into Chen Mo's face.

The surrounding audience's cell phone cameras were all pointed at him.

Chen Mo noticed that the crowd was growing, but fortunately the cinema seemed to have noticed as well and immediately sent people to maintain order.

Chen Mo said helplessly, "Everyone, please don't push. Let me make it clear first, this is a purely private movie screening today, and I will not be accepting any formal interviews."

"Director Chen, you're widely recognized as a trendsetter when it comes to movies, please say a few words!" the reporter said loudly, not wanting to let such a good opportunity slip by.

"Yeah! Say something!" The surrounding audience chimed in.

Yang Mi knew Chen Mo's temper well, so she quietly pinched his arm and muttered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Say less!"

Chen Mo winked at her, giving her a reassuring look.

Turning to the reporter with a smile, he said, "Actually, there's no need for everyone to care so much about my opinion. After all, everyone has their own interpretation of Hamlet. If you think it's good, then it's good. What I say really doesn't matter!"

"Director Chen, isn't this just a coincidence? Please say a few words!" The reporter was very dissatisfied with Chen Mo's answer.

Are you kidding me?
If he were to let Chen Mo say a few words and then run away, how could he possibly have the nerve to stay in the entertainment reporting industry after this great opportunity?

“Yes! Tell us about it!” the reporter started, and the onlookers chimed in.

For them, this opportunity is equally rare!
Many people became excited. After all, Chen Mo's reputation as an Onmyoji was widely recognized, but it was difficult for everyone to see him. Now that they had captured a live Chen Mo, how could they let him go easily?
"Ahem, well then, how should I put it? If you're expecting to watch this sequel like you would watch the original 'Sheep Without a Shepherd,' you'll probably be disappointed, because in my opinion, there's not much connection between the two."

I think everyone has already noticed this, so I won't go into details.

Let's talk about the movie itself. I can only say that if you can accept "sacrificing some logic to express the theme," then "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2" is still a social allegory full of emotion; but if you are looking for a tightly woven plot, you may be disappointed.

However, the film's controversy stems precisely from its attempt to strike a balance between commercial entertainment and social critique, but the two are not perfectly integrated.

Overall: Worth watching, but don't take it too seriously!

"Director Chen, could you be more specific?" Chen Mo's answer still failed to satisfy everyone.

Especially for the reporter, Chen Mo's comments were very objective, but this wasn't the answer he wanted!
If he didn't add a touch of yin and yang, that wouldn't be Chen Mo at all!

"Be more specific?" Chen Mo was actually a little hesitant. After all, his identity was that of a director. While relatively objective comments like before were fine, if he were to give specific and harsh critiques, it would definitely cause huge controversy.

Seeing that the reporters and onlookers showed no sign of letting him off the hook, he knew that this situation would be difficult to resolve without making some strong statements.

"Alright, from an audience member's perspective, let me say a few words. I just want to suggest that the production team find a medical consultant next time. After all, a heart transplant isn't like changing a light bulb, where the size just has to be right." After Chen Mo finished speaking, there was an eerie silence on the set for a moment.

Then the crowd burst into laughter, and someone jeered, "Hahaha, no wonder he's called a professor!"

The reporter's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed up with, "Do you think the box office will be affected?"

"Box office?" Chen Mo shrugged. "As long as a realistic story hits a nerve, the audience is willing to pay for it. But word-of-mouth..." He shook his head meaningfully.

"Alright, that's enough for now. We should go. Sorry, sorry!" Chen Mo said, pulling Yang Mi towards the elevator.

This time, the onlookers did not stop them.

Amidst flashing lights and laughter, the two fled in disarray, with reporters shouting behind them, "Director Chen! Isn't this a public act of disparaging someone?"

(End of this chapter)