The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 300: A disaster blockbuster with super audiovisual effects; Dr. Li, the villain, is incredibly cool!
……

On the screen.

The movie continues.

In the 18th minute, Dr. Li, played by Lu Zhiyuan, and his group entered the underground mine.

In the rugged mine, the scene was only partially visible thanks to the flashlight, but one could still make out the decaying bones piled up in the passageway.

These are small animals that accidentally wandered into this place and were killed by nuclear radiation.

The animals' stiff bodies even bore the marks of grayish-brown scars.

In fact, these scars are skin abnormalities caused by nuclear radiation!
Similar scars appear repeatedly in this film, serving as a strong visual symbol.

Such scars, appearing on the surface of a normal animal's body, can be disgusting and evoke a sense of death.

But if such a scar appeared on Godzilla or the MUTO, it would become like armor, indestructible.

The same visual symbol appears on two different creatures, yet represents different metaphorical meanings.

Lu Zhiyuan's films are known for their skillful use of various contrasts.

This one is no exception!
……

"Doctor, is this it?"

Soon after, the group stood in front of the enormous skeleton.

The assistant, played by Wang Baoqiang, was dressed in a flashy outfit, wearing a suit and leather shoes on the outside and a floral shirt underneath.

Lu Zhiyuan, standing next to him, was wearing ordinary work clothes.

The two of them standing there presented a stark contrast.

At that moment, Wang Baoqiang saw the huge skeleton and became excited, hurriedly searching for something in his bag.

He wanted to take samples and slice them to take back for research.

"It's not it. But it's very similar."

Lu Zhiyuan stopped him: "Don't get close. The residual nuclear radiation will make your death look terrible."

Upon hearing this, Wang Baoqiang's face showed a look of horror.

He hurriedly retreated behind Lu Zhiyuan.

At this moment, in order to make it easier for the audience to see clearly, Lu Zhiyuan took a super high-powered flashlight from the miners.

He shone the light on the skeleton.

The enormous skeleton lay across the cave. Even though it had been dead for a long time and its flesh and blood had completely decayed, it still exuded the aura of an ancient ferocious beast.

On the abdomen of this skeleton, there was a strange pupa-like structure of matter, which has now been broken open, revealing a huge gap.

It seems that something has hatched.

"Doctor, we're too late. Both sporozoan eggs have already hatched."

The assistant, played by Wang Baoqiang, gritted his teeth and sighed deeply.

Lu Zhiyuan frowned, remained silent, and shone his flashlight on the ground.

On the muddy ground inside the mine, there were many scorch marks and very obvious crawling marks.

It looked like two steel pleats had been pressed down.

Lu Zhiyuan took a flashlight and followed the trail a few steps further inside.

Soon after, everything became clear.

It turns out that a hole had been drilled through the mine shaft.

A ray of light shone down from above, causing Lu Zhiyuan, who was deep in darkness, to squint slightly.

The camera begins to zoom in.

From a God's-eye view, the camera follows the hole upwards.

Soon after, viewers discovered that behind the mine, the MUTO larva had left a black, scorched trail that disappeared all the way to the sea.

……

Here, Lu Zhiyuan removed some of the special effects.

In the original film, the ravines here were very large.

To demonstrate the overwhelming power of the MUTO, a huge ravine appeared wherever it passed.

However, after much deliberation, Lu Zhiyuan changed the setting.

The newly hatched MUTO is clearly not that powerful.

It needs time to develop.

Therefore, he added a British storyline.

After all, he cut a lot of family scenes from the original version... He completely abandoned the character of Elizabeth Olsen and the family storyline.

To make up for the runtime, he naturally had to add a scene.

……

On the silver screen.

The hatching and successful escape of the monster's eggs foreshadows an impending disaster.

This moment is like the calm before the storm.

The atmosphere was extremely tense.

"Doctor, what do we do? We've been searching for it for so many years. We're still too late. Where could it have gone?"

Wang Baoqiang, playing the assistant, asked in a low voice.

Lu Zhiyuan did not answer.

He flipped through the documents in Wang Baoqiang's hands and found a news article about a nuclear leak at the Sellafield Nuclear Power Plant.

It first appeared in a news report in 1957.

There were many more reports afterward, all about this nuclear power plant.

This is clearly a plot hint.

Because the MUTO feeds on nuclear radiation, wherever there is a nuclear leak, it's like a free lunch for the MUTO.

Putting away the reports, Lu Zhiyuan said firmly, "It's alright, I have a way to bring it out!"

"Pack your things, we're going to England!"

……

Camera switch.

The memories of 1999 end here. The storyline returns to 2013.

The retro color palette has been restored to normal, and the image has become exquisite and magnificent, full of idealism.

There seems to be a mysterious poetic quality contained within the picture.

Albert Bierstadt's artistic style was more suited to shooting this kind of natural film material than Friedrich's.

Just looking at such a scene is an indescribable pleasure.

The ultimate audiovisual effects can greatly guarantee a film's minimum box office performance.

In addition, a decent storyline and some unexpected plot twists are enough to keep a special effects blockbuster at a passable level.

That is, a box office of around 5 million US dollars.

If some truly breathtaking iconic scenes can be added to the film, then this special effects blockbuster will break into the mainstream and its box office will skyrocket!

Breaking 7 million, 8 million...

As for whether it can break through 10 billion US dollars? That depends on luck!
……

China.

At Dr. Li's home.

Lu Zhiyuan found it too troublesome and reshot this scene at his villa near Hongluo Temple.

In his home, he has many research images of various creatures hanging on the walls, as well as many picture books of ancient Titans such as Godzilla.

These materials were all drawn by Lu Zhiyuan himself.

For this film, Lu Zhiyuan did a lot of artistic planning... For him, this was not a job, but a normal part of life.

……

"Brother, where are you?"

In a storage room, the female protagonist, Zhang Ruonan, found a mysterious box left behind by Dr. Li.

Inside the box were various research notes left by Dr. Li, as well as an exquisitely crafted watch that symbolized his status.

Zhang Ruonan was carefully flipping through the research notes above.

In the movie, Zhang Ruonan wears her hair in a bun and has lost weight down to 82 pounds. Although her face is slightly chubby, you can tell that she is very petite and slender, and full of cute charm.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and Lu Zhiyuan couldn't resist using Caravaggio's unique cellar-style lighting and shadow techniques.

Let that beam of light stream in through the window and fall on Zhang Ruonan's profile, giving that beam of light a certain sacredness.

And this beam of light, passing through Zhang Ruonan's hair, fell on Dr. Li's notes... stringing together the characters, the story, and the background with a single beam of light.

The audience couldn't quite put their finger on what Lu Zhiyuan was trying to express.

But you can feel the director's special care in creating a beautiful atmosphere for the female lead, Zhang Ruonan, that is youthful, sweet, and full of curiosity.

This is a vibrant and ambitious young woman!
She's definitely more attractive than Elizabeth Olsen, the nurse with a baby... After all, most guys have gone through puberty and liked pretty young girls. But not all guys like young women with babies!

It's important to understand that the biggest audience for this movie is young people!

Especially for students on summer vacation!
……

At this moment, Zhang Ruonan was sometimes frowning and sometimes biting her pen, studying the notebook left by Dr. Li.

"Dingling bell~~"

Just then, a phone call came in: "Is this Dr. Li's house? Are you Dr. Li's sister? OK! Please tell Dr. Li... It's back! That monster!"

In the next scene, after hanging up the phone, Zhang Ruonan rushes downstairs, grabs a backpack, and hurriedly runs out the door.

"wallet!"

"I forgot my wallet!"

Halfway there, Zhang Ruonan suddenly remembered something and went home to get the money.

……

Her adorable and lively appearance elicited a few good-natured chuckles from the audience.

"How old is the female lead? She looks like she's thirteen or fourteen."

“I remember that Artemis, the female lead in Real Steel, was also about thirteen or fourteen years old.”

Zhang Ruonan's appearance is indeed very deceptive.

Foreigners often have difficulty discerning the exact age of Chinese girls. Many people mistake a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old.

Just like when Chinese people see a foreign girl who is sixteen or seventeen years old, they are very likely to mistake her for someone in her early twenties.

Foreigners develop too fast.

Some Chinese girls, on the other hand, don't develop at all and can maintain a youthful appearance indefinitely.

For example, Zhang Ruonan, even at 30, still looks like she's 18, giving off the vibe of a female protagonist from a youth angst novel!

She has a sweet smile.

She cries very sadly.

It can easily stir the emotions of the audience.

This is an extremely strong talent.

This kind of talent cannot be easily compensated for by acting skills acquired later in life.

……

The camera cuts to the next scene.

The film's plot returns to the Philippines.

Zhang Ruonan stood in front of the huge mine shaft.

Then, she skillfully operated a drone, surveyed the surrounding area, and soon discovered a huge ravine behind the mine!

This is the trace left behind after 14 years, when [MUTO], now an adult, returned to his birthplace, seeking the presence of his other companions.

……

The movie is 20 minutes long.

In terms of timeline, it is a dual narrative.

However, in the Philippines, the two storylines form a closed loop.

In addition, the monster MUTO left in 1999 and returned in 2013. These two time points, both in the fixed location of the Philippines, intersected with the two main characters.

The core conflict of the entire film revolves around the monster, MUTO.

There are no messy human relationships like kinship or love!

Lu Zhiyuan compressed all the human storylines to the extreme, revealing the relationships between these characters in just a few shots or dialogues.

This makes the pace of the entire film, so far, very tight, even though there aren't many battle scenes.

Because the storyline keeps progressing, the audience won't get bored.

……

The movie continues.

In 2013, Zhang Ruonan had an extra piece of equipment in her hand compared to Lu Zhiyuan in 1999.

Judging from the appearance of this instrument, it can be vaguely identified as the sonic device that Wang Baoqiang was playing with.

However, compared to 1999, this instrument has become more refined and smaller.

There are even electronic touch screens.

“Zizi~~”

After Zhang Ruonan turned on the sonic device, she quickly pinpointed the monster's approximate location.

She took out a map and compared it with the map, then silently calculated the direction the monster was moving.

A moment later, she drew a line on the map, eventually pointing to an island.

Looking at the map showing the monster's final destination, Zhang Ruonan murmured, "Japan?"

……

The camera cuts to the next scene.

An airplane takes off and lands.

Wearing a pair of aviator glasses, Zhang Ruonan arrived in Japan with ease, looking like a tourist.

She traveled by car to the vicinity of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

In 2011, a major earthquake struck the area, causing a nuclear leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Since then, the surrounding area has become desolate.

Almost everyone moved away.

A bird flew past the rusty iron railing.

The camera quickly panned in, following Zhang Ruonan's line of sight, giving a close-up of the bird.

Soon, the audience will see that many white spots have appeared on the swallow's body, making it look so strange and ugly.

Without any words, the audience knows that all of this is due to nuclear radiation.

Where there is nuclear radiation, there are monsters.

"Drip!"

Just then, a device that Zhang Ruonan was carrying began to vibrate violently.

"It really is here!"

"This data is exactly the same as the sound wave frequency my brother left behind in 1999!"

Zhang Ruonan looked excited.

She took a drone out of her bag, controlled it, and flew it into the Fukushima nuclear power plant to conduct observations.

But the next second!

The drone suddenly started flashing, and the screen turned into static.

A moment later, the drone returned along the same route, but the video surveillance module had been completely burned out.

"It's really here!"

A hint of excitement flashed across Zhang Ruonan's face. After putting the items into her bag, she crossed the barbed wire fence and crawled inside.

……

Meanwhile, at the other end of the barbed wire fence.

The male lead, Tom Hiddleston, has finally made his appearance.

Tom Hiddleston plays an American soldier who is driving around near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, constantly taking pictures with a camera.

He looks like a photography enthusiast.

Suddenly, his feet shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

"Earthquake! Run!"

The surrounding residents were thrown into panic.

Two years ago, a major earthquake struck Fukushima, and the surrounding residents were filled with stress and panic about the earthquake.

Realizing something was wrong, they ran away immediately.

"No, this isn't an earthquake."

As a veteran in the bomb disposal industry, Tom Hiddleston noticed something unusual.

Driven by his professionalism, he then went against the flow of people to the Fukushima nuclear power plant to investigate the actual situation.

……

At this moment, the male and female protagonists finally met.

On screen, the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, simultaneously scaled the barbed wire fence to search for the true cause of the earthquake.

Zhang Ruonan knew very well that it was caused by the monster.

She murmured excitedly, praying repeatedly, "It's it, it must be it! If we find it, we can find our brother!"

On the other hand, Tom Hiddleston, as an American soldier, wants to investigate the real cause of the earthquake.

If it were an explosion, he would definitely report it to his superiors.

As he ran, Tom Hiddleston called his military friend: "William, there's been a mysterious explosion near Fukushima. Check if any troops are operating in the nearby waters."

……

Zhang Ruonan and Tom Hiddleston entered through two doors and searched for the cause of the earthquake inside the enclosed buildings of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

……

"Waaaaah~~ Crack crack crack!"

As the two walked through the nuclear power plant, they could hear the occasional gnawing sound of insects. The rapid chewing sound of their mouthparts was enough to send chills down their spines.

The two of them conducted an investigation in the factory.

Little did they know that beneath the Fukushima nuclear power plant, a colossal beast was being imprisoned, slowly awakening and emitting a faint red glow.

……

"stop!"

"Who let you in?"

Just as the two vaguely sensed that something was wrong, they were suddenly taken control of by secret agents who appeared from all directions.

The other side has weapons.

The two could only raise their hands at the same time and obediently be locked into a secret room by the other.

……

"Let me out! I am Captain Brody, and this is my officer's ID!"

In Japan, someone actually dared to detain American soldiers? They must have a death wish!

Tom Hiddleston remained completely unfazed, casually handing over his military ID.

He thought he would be released soon.

Tom Hiddleston, looking relaxed, raised an eyebrow at Zhang Ruonan, who was dressed as a tourist, with a hint of doubt: "Who are you? Tourists can't just enter dangerous areas. Didn't your parents tell you that?"

In Tom Hiddleston's eyes, Zhang Ruonan is a minor, looking about the same age as a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl.

He's just a junior high school student.

"I want you to take care of it?"

Zhang Ruonan gave a light snort, took Dr. Li's watch from her bag, and handed it to a guard outside.

Her tone was calm, even tinged with pride: "I think your manager should understand what this watch represents?"

On the back of the watch, there is a strange symbol, which is two triangles put together.

In addition, there are Dr. Li's identity marks.

After a while.

The leader of this organization has appeared; he is a scientist played by Keiko Kitagawa.

Besides being a scientist, Keiko Kitagawa's walking posture clearly shows traces of military bearing, and she even wears military-grade tactical shoes.

Tom Hiddleston glanced at it a few times, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"This is Dr. Li's watch, how did it end up with you?"

Keiko Kitagawa respectfully returned the watch to Zhang Ruonan, a hint of reminiscence appearing on her charming yet spirited face.

"He's my brother."

A hint of pride appeared on Zhang Ruonan's face.

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Keiko stared at Zhang Ruonan, her lips pursed slightly, her emotions appearing somewhat complicated, but she quickly regained her composure.

This subtle change in expression makes the audience feel that there might be some ambiguous relationship between the character of Keiko Kitagawa and Dr. Li.
In this movie, Lu Zhiyuan didn't have any romantic scenes at all, only some family scenes.

However, since Keiko Kitagawa insisted on acting this way, there was nothing he could do.

Anyway, it won't affect the overall situation.

Moreover, this intriguing relationship allows the suspense in the film to be maintained indefinitely.

"Let go."

Keiko Kitagawa waved her hand, and someone immediately released Zhang Ruonan.

After Zhang Ruonan came out, she looked up at Kitagawa Keiko a few times, smiled sweetly, and said with great certainty, "You found it, didn't you? So, it was in Japan! How many years have you raised it?"

Keiko Kitagawa did not answer the question, but said in a flat tone, "This is a restricted area. Dr. Li's sister."

Zhang Ruonan seemed oblivious to Kitagawa Keiko's coldness and continued to press on with great interest: "How did you discover it? The 2011 earthquake and the nuclear leak were both caused by it, right?"

"To avoid suspicion, you've designated this place as a restricted area."

"I have to say, that was a pretty clever move."

"However, you are really bold. This is your homeland. If there is even the slightest oversight, the entire Fukushima will be doomed."

The two of them drifted apart.

However, the few bits of information that came back made Tom Hiddleston seem thoughtful.

"Hey, let me out!"

After those people left, Tom Hiddleston suddenly realized that he was still locked in the room, so he frantically knocked on the door.

After a long time, someone finally took Tom Hiddleston away.

……

This is a conference room piled high with documents.

Hiroshi Nagano, 40, who played the human form of Ultraman Tiga, appeared in front of Tom Hiddleston.

……

"Who is this person? He looks familiar."

Among the audience, some felt that Nagano Hiroshi looked familiar, as if childhood memories were being awakened.

Ultraman Tiga is a tokusatsu series that aired in 1996.

That was almost 18 years ago.

Those kids from back then, if they had achieved success in their careers, would now be quite accomplished professionals.

"Is that Daigo, the human form of Ultraman Tiga?" At this moment, there were some Ultraman Tiga fans in the audience.

Upon seeing Hiroshi Nagano's appearance, they immediately felt that the film had gained another highlight.

……

"Sign this confidentiality agreement and you can leave."

Hiroshi Nagano, playing the Japanese government representative, stared at Tom Hiddleston for a long time, as if trying to determine if the other party had discovered anything.
After all, he was an American soldier.

Japanese people have very complex feelings toward Americans.

"What are you doing here? I will definitely report this to the higher-ups! Then you will all be in deep trouble."

As an American soldier, Tom Hiddleston felt deeply humiliated to be controlled by the Japanese.

He was trying to threaten Nagano Hiroshi with his words, but what he really wanted to know was what the secret of this base was.
He was well aware that the Japanese had set up a secret base here, and the top brass of the US military must know about it.

But the higher-ups knew that they didn't necessarily have to tell this junior officer.

"Ford Brody?"

Nagano Hiroshi remained unmoved, flipped open Tom Hiddleston's military ID, glanced at it, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Brody? Is that a common surname in America?"

The camera gave a close-up.

Especially the surname Brody.

Clearly, this is foreshadowing for a scene.

……

Lu Zhiyuan's films often leave a small foreshadowing at the end of a scene.

Then, in the next shot, the plot is connected, the foreshadowing is revealed, and the audience feels that the pace is fast and that they are always being pushed along by Lu Zhiyuan.

Watching his movies is never boring.

Because it's full of little plot twists.

……

"Dudududu!"

Hiroshi Nagano and Tom Hiddleston are in the conference room discussing the surname "Brody".

But at that moment, a red alert sounded in the base... The piercing beeping sound made everyone feel as if they were facing a major enemy.

"Level 1 alert, check the situation immediately."

Colin Firth's character, Joe Brody, rushes past the door, looking extremely nervous, yet with a hint of excitement mixed with his tension.

"father!"

Although Colin Firth's character appeared only briefly, Tom Hiddleston, as a soldier, had extremely sharp eyes and noticed something in an instant.

Seeing the figure flash past the window, he immediately chased after it.

"Ford?"

Who wouldn't turn around and look when they hear someone call them "Dad"?
At that moment, Uncle Colin stopped and looked back.

For a moment, his eyes seemed a little dazed.

Then he gave an awkward and unusual smile: "Child, are you alright?"

Tom Hiddleston's emotions were very complicated. He clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "It's been 15 years. Apart from a phone call every Christmas, I thought you were dead."

"Son, let's not talk about this anymore. I have more important things to do." Uncle Colin remained unmoved, turned and walked away like a cold, steel man.

"More important things? Fuck!"

Tom Hiddleston angrily kicked the wall.

However, he saw everyone rushing past, and no one paid any attention to him.

He was angry for a while, but then calmed down and ran out to see what was going on.

……

Around the 30th minute.

[Muto] has finally appeared.

In the center of a protective net, [MUTO] stood like a giant tower, emitting a flickering crimson light.

Its surface is covered with limestone formed from solidified magma, dark patches that look like they've been charred, filled with irregular particles.

"Waaaaah~~ Click click~~"

Like the sound of insects gnawing together, but much deeper and amplified hundreds of times, it was enough to send chills down your spine in the Dolby surround sound of the super theater.

These voices rang out from behind my head.

It gives one the illusion that a monster might pounce at any moment and bite their head to pieces.

At that moment, many people felt a chill run down their spines, a creepy feeling, and couldn't help but look back repeatedly.

This is so nerve-wracking.

……

"This is exactly what I wanted!"

"The audio-visual effects are amazing!"

"It's an absolutely immersive experience!"

"However, the monsters' scenes still feel a bit too few! It would be better if the human scenes could be reduced even more."

Since it's a monster disaster movie, audiences come to the theater to see the monsters, of course.

These viewers aren't really interested in stories about human relationships.

However, Lu Zhiyuan's movie is alright.

The relationships between the various characters are clearly explained with just a few lines of dialogue.

There are no kissing scenes between older men and women, no love-hate entanglements, and no children to take care of.

In this day and age, movies are very fast-paced, and most people no longer have the patience to watch those trivial family matters.

What parents' love story.

What children need care?

If you want to watch a heartwarming movie, why not just watch an art film?
While commercial films also need this kind of plot to add emotional depth to the characters, a single shot is more than enough.

However, most directors like to emphasize this kind of human emotion in disaster films, which is putting the cart before the horse.

Lu Zhiyuan is very popular with the audience in this respect.

He would never film any love-hate relationships between humans in special effects blockbusters, because at 12 years old, he simply didn't like watching human stories.

At 12 years old, he didn't yet understand the taste of love.

If a pretty girl sitting next to him borrows his eraser and doesn't return it, he won't give her a friendly look at all; he'd rather kick her to death!

At 12 years old, all he wanted to do after school was watch Ultraman fight monsters.

……

In the original Godzilla, MUTO only appeared for 30 seconds before the camera switched to the protagonist's wife.

When Lu Zhiyuan first watched this movie, he was speechless with frustration.

Although Elizabeth Olsen is quite beautiful, this is a monster movie... People will only want to see her appear if she becomes the Scarlet Witch from Marvel.

The Scarlet Witch fighting monsters sounds pretty exciting.

Unfortunately, in this movie, she is just an ordinary housewife and has absolutely nothing to do with the main monster storyline... That kind of arrangement is just padding out the runtime.

……

On the screen.

The newly used effects engine in [Event Horizon] is starting to unleash its power!

Under 3d iMax special effects.

Viewers could even see sparks crackling in the air, and wisps of smoke rising slowly from something that had been burned.

This graininess, this fine detail, comes rushing out from the big screen.

It's amazing.

At this moment, all the audience members held their breath, preparing to enjoy the visual spectacle to come.

……

Lu Zhiyuan certainly did not disappoint.

"coming!"

"The monster appears!"

"I can't believe it, this is amazing... This model is so realistic! Look at its skin, even the texture of the stratum corneum is so detailed."

"It looks a bit like a crocodile, but it's also different from a crocodile. It's much smoother and more like a marine creature."

“I watched a BBC program called ‘Dancing with Giants,’ which featured a prehistoric fish called the ‘Armored Fish,’ whose head looked just like this.”

……

On the screen.

In the pitch-black night sky.

The thick fog rising from the seaside, like a murky shroud, engulfed the entire area controlled by the monster.

Under the pale moonlight, the glass curtain wall outside the control tower reflected a sickly, eerie glow.

In the distance from the control tower, a row of indicator lights flashed wildly in the thick fog, like the open pupils of a ghost from hell.

"Sizzle~~"

Suddenly, [Muto] slowly shook his body, and large pieces of limestone, like charred slag, fell from his body, hitting the ground and creating craters.

The more detailed the information, the more immersive and engaging the experience becomes.

On the 3D IMAX screen, as these limestone rocks fall, the effect of burning to ash appears and disappears, along with crimson flames constantly falling from the sky.

It felt as if it were right there, just across the screen.

And these boulders rolled down as if they were rushing right in front of the audience.

It makes you want to lean back and avoid that boulder.

……

After the immersive experience ends.

The camera then returned to MUTO.

The monster trembled for a while, continuously absorbing energy from the surrounding nuclear radiation, and its body began to gradually expand.

Boom!

It shifted its body slightly.

The nearby defensive electric grids used to control the MUTO flickered and crackled for a moment, almost suffering a devastating blow.

Lightning tore through the night sky, blindingly bright. But the next second, all light sources vanished, clearly caused by the high voltage blasting through all protective devices.

Inside the control tower, it was pitch black.

At this moment, all the research experts inside the control tower stood in front of the curtain wall, their pupils wide with terror, their bodies trembling with tension.

They looked like bewildered children, gazing at the prehistoric behemoth in the distance.

What will this prehistoric behemoth do next?
At this point, the camera uses an upward angle and a long shot, placing the human in the lower left corner to contrast the size of the monster from a distance... looking up at the majestic figure of the MUTO from a human perspective.

Outside the glass curtain wall, a dark mass of [MUTO] loomed, its form like a colossal god, blotting out the sky.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan used the language of the camera to create a powerful and imposing aura for the fully formed [MUTO].

It was as if the disaster itself was the disaster!

This is the birth of the God of Destruction.

……

"Quickly, take control of it!"

Inside the control tower, someone was making calls and issuing commands continuously.

Moments later, countless human warriors, armed with weapons, tried to rush forward to stop [MUTO], but the size difference was hundreds of times greater.

At the feet of the MUTO, humanity is as insignificant as an ant.

MUTO completely ignored the attacks from these human warriors, treating them like mere tickles, and didn't even bother to pay attention to the humans attacking him.

"Huchi~~"

[Muto] swayed his body and exhaled two streams of air through his nostrils.

The thick black fog nearby was torn open with two rifts by its snorts.

At this moment, [MUTO]'s figure was finally fully revealed.

Its enormous, skeletal head pierced the sky, turned around, and made a close-up eye contact with the humans in the control tower.

……

In the audience seats.

Many people who witnessed this scene felt a sudden sense of suffocation, and their hearts skipped a beat.

What kind of look was that?
Indifferent, devoid of any human emotion, like a lizard, yet possessing an electronic, mechanical coldness!

In short, it's terrifying and filled with despair!

……

On the silver screen.

Some of the human scientists inside the control tower suddenly felt their legs give way and fell to the ground; some even turned and ran.

I was completely devastated.

"Hu~~"

[Muto] exhaled a scorching breath and slowly straightened up.

Its towering height of over 200 meters makes it impossible for humans inside the control tower to see its entirety.

At this moment, all humans could see were jagged, bone-like structures, like Gothic spires, slowly crawling across the outside of the glass curtain wall.

Each time it crawls, the ground shakes slightly.

That's absolutely terrifying!

Everyone held their breath!

Outside the control tower, Muto's arthropod-like long legs, like sharp scythes, left a blinding trail of sparks on the ground with each landing.

[MUTO] has just completed its final evolution. In order to show its maladaptation to its body, Lu Zhiyuan made it have to rely on all four limbs to climb when it first started walking.

However, this means that it will inevitably encounter some buildings during its journey.

At this very moment, the buildings of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, shrouded in the terrifying iron core of the MUTO, appear as fragile and insignificant as toy models.

The glass and steel beams on the factory building shattered instantly when [MUTO] gently swept over them, and a large amount of glass shards fell down.

The steel creaked and twisted as it deformed.

The entire factory building collapsed with a crash.

……

"John Martin!"

"The ultimate in vertical composition!"

"The black mist on the beach rolled around the monster's waist, making it seem like a god. Humans, like ants, kept running and fleeing on the ground."

"However, the color control is better than I expected!"

"After all, John Martin's colors are too saturated and have too much of a religious narrative feel, which is not suitable for this kind of scene."

"Clearly, our director has tweaked the colors a bit! Making the scene before us even more apocalyptic."

"Especially this lead-gray mist, it seems to blend seamlessly with the carapace on [Muto's] body, as if it was born with an eerie mist!"

"The atmosphere is absolutely amazing!"

James, the former CEO of Focus Features, a studio that specializes in producing art-house films, was extremely satisfied with this visual effect.

It was like having a feast.

Through masterful use of light and shadow, and a composition inspired by John Martin, Lu Zhiyuan created a stage lighting effect for the monster [MUTO] that resembled the arrival of a god of destruction on earth!

This kind of stage lighting effect is something that most directors can't capture on film.

The same plot, the same monster destruction, the same human fear... Lighting, composition, and color—it really tests your basic skills!
In this respect, Lu Zhiyuan is a master among masters!

……

"Bang bang bang!"

As MUTO drove away, he trampled and destroyed many cars and helicopters.

Engine oil and aviation fuel mixed together to form a viscous stream that flowed down from those human-made mechanical creations and slowly accumulated on the ground.

"嗤啦~"

At that moment, the high-voltage power grid flickered.

A flash of light accidentally ignited the fuel on the ground, causing the entire world to burst into flames.

In that instant, the entire world was bathed in an orange-red light.

Orange-red is the color of the sunset.

Symbolizing the majesty of the end times!
……

During this process, humans ran back and forth, fleeing.

I am completely powerless to face anything.

[MUTO] is not targeting humans at all, it is just preparing to leave... just like humans don't care about the ants under their feet when they are walking.

This is ignoring it!
This is an attitude of superiority!
Like a god, he disdains the mortals beneath his feet!

……

Wherever Muto went, furrows appeared on the ground, as if the fields had been plowed.

Within these gullies, the extremely high temperatures left by the nuclear radiation emanating from the MUTO's body caused the soil to appear as if it had been scorched by flames, leaving behind jet-black scorch marks.

Such a huge ravine, such scorched soil!
This is the third time it has happened.

Similar visual labels allow viewers to instantly understand that all the previous traces were left by [MUTO].

By repeatedly using similar visual tags, Lu Zhiyuan brought out the monster's destructive power to the extreme!

……

at the same time.

Inside the control tower, the character [Joe Brody] takes out binoculars and observes [MUTO]'s whereabouts from a distance.

He witnessed an astonishing scene!
……

[Muto] dragged his heavy steps and slowly headed towards the ocean.

At the same time, the distant sea level suddenly rose, and a dorsal fin like that of a saber-toothed dragon cleaved through the waves.

This scene is reminiscent of a sea god wielding a black, serrated sword, slicing across the sea.

The surrounding fishing boats were pushed aside by the huge waves, pressed together, and made a creaking, sour sound.

A golden pupil emerged from the seabed, gleaming with a cold, eerie light amidst the dark fog.

Godzilla's first appearance!
Although it was fleeting, unlike the MUTO which represents destruction and parasitism, Godzilla's golden pupils appeared so sacred!
……

The effects in the 3D IMAX theater are truly amazing.

Every frame of the monster's appearance was a testament to the burning of special effects budget. To maximize the sense of oppression, Lu Zhiyuan and Schwarzschild discussed almost every shot and every scene for a long time.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan is admiring his masterpiece.

Unexpectedly, someone suddenly grabbed his arm from his left and said timidly, "Brother, I'm scared!"

He turned his head and glanced at her. Zhang Ruonan was clinging to his arm, cowering there, too afraid to watch the movie.

He was really speechless.

You're the female lead, and you're actually afraid of the movie you made?
I have no idea what's going on!
"3000 million, you don't want it anymore?"

Lu Zhiyuan had a surefire way to deal with Zhang Ruonan, and he simply stated a number.

Zhang Ruonan felt as if she had been electrocuted. She immediately sat up straight, staring wide-eyed at the big screen, not daring to miss a single second.

As for those small hands, they slowly withdrew them.

"Honey, I'm scared! I want you to hold me while I watch."

The next second, Dilraba reached out and took Lu Zhiyuan's arm, immediately using her coquettish skills.

"Didn't you already watch it once? You know the plot, so what are you afraid of?"

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Despite his complaints, he still reached out and put his arm around Dilraba's shoulder, and the two leaned against each other as they continued watching the movie.

Reba chuckled and, through the darkness, glared fiercely at Zhang Ruonan across Lu Zhiyuan's back.

Damn girl!
Go back and see how I deal with you!
……

As the MUTO slowly approached the coastline, its long, blade-like segmented limbs began to support it, causing its body to suddenly grow taller, as if intimidating its opponents in the sea.

[Godzilla] slowly broke through the sea surface in the ocean, and the black dorsal fin began to emit a blue-green glow, flashing intermittently.

They are clearly charging up, preparing for a major battle.

At the same time, Dr. Li and Assistant Wang reappeared, standing in the distance on a tall building.

Under the cover of night, in front of the enormous monster, the two of them were like two tiny black dots on a canvas, inconspicuous.

But at that moment, the flames burning inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant completely illuminated the two of them.

Together with Godzilla and MUTO, it forms a stable triangle visually.

Two of them are super-Titan monsters.

On the other side is Dr. Li!

By using a triangular composition, Lu Zhiyuan forcibly elevated Dr. Li's status to the same level as these two Titan monsters!

When such a scene appears in a movie, it often means that the destructive power of these three parties is roughly equal!
"Doctor, will they start fighting?"

Looking into the distance, as the two monsters drew closer, Wang Baoqiang was excited and full of anticipation: "We've been chasing them for 14 years. We're just one step away from the success of our Emperor Plan."

"Let's get to work."

Lu Zhiyuan stood on the rooftop, amidst the raging black fog, his expression calm just before the two monsters were about to collide.

Furthermore, he methodically took out a sophisticated instrument and began collecting various data on the two monsters, including their sonic waves and radiation.

It is in turbulent times that true heroes emerge!
The character Lu Zhiyuan remained very calm throughout the entire story.

But in the earlier scenes, his calm demeanor made him look like a wooden doll with no expression.

But at this moment, his composure was absolutely stunning!

Because the rest of humanity, whether they were high-ranking Japanese government officials, scientists, or American soldiers, were terrified when they encountered MUTO and Godzilla.

The character Lu Zhiyuan, however, is capturing data on these two monsters.

The contrast between the two sides highlights the character's inner madness and obsession to the extreme!
"Doctor, which side should we bet on?"

Wang Baoqiang looked at the instrument with a troubled expression. He only had one with him, which could only record data for one monster.

After adjusting the equipment, Lu Zhiyuan, under the cold night sky and the pale moonlight, uttered a German proverb in a very sophisticated manner.

This quote comes from the great poet Goethe.

"One cannot ride two horses at the same time. If you ride one, you must abandon the other. Our imperial plan only records the strongest!"

Without a doubt, he will choose the victor between [MUTO] and [Godzilla] to complete his imperial plan.

……

"Absolutely stunning!"

"No wonder Alita just said not to fall in love with Dr. Lee."

"Dr. Li is such a charismatic character! Is he really a villain? I'm almost falling in love with him!"

"Compared to how everyone else behaved normally when the monster appeared, Dr. Li was practically inhuman. Isn't he afraid at all? Or does he have some secret that ensures the monster won't harm him?"

"I can't wait to find out what Dr. Li's imperial plan is."

"I calculated the duration; the movie has been playing for about 40 minutes so far. It's now in its middle part, and it's getting increasingly intense and exciting!"

"Aside from the first 5 minutes, which are super high-octane battles, the build-up in the first 35 minutes, as well as the prelude to the big battle between Godzilla and MUTO, all seem to be there to highlight Dr. Li!"

"What exactly is Dr. Li trying to do?"

Around the 40-minute mark of the movie, the audience realized that this monster disaster film seemed to be entirely orchestrated by Dr. Lee!
He's the mastermind behind it all!
(End of this chapter)