I have imagined how to present the different world outlook and cosmology between man and demon, and how to shape the scene of fox spirit fighting demon.
As soon as the movie started and the characters were set, I found that the story in the movie was different from that in the novel.
1.
The script intercepts and reduces the latitude of the story in the novel and shifts the narrative focus to the secular level.
There are at least three worlds in the novel, namely, heaven, earth and the underworld. Heaven can ignore the latter two and grasp the cause and effect of the two worlds to a certain extent. The underworld can get their hands on the world.
The novel constructs a supernatural world that exists in parallel with the secular world of human beings. In this world, the successful fox spirits live longer than human beings and can break away the evil influence of good and evil, life and death. Everything is animistic, and people who are bound by desires will be deeply resentful and become demons. All souls can be redeemed as long as they get rid of their thoughts and turn confusion into consciousness. This view of the universe conforms to the simple causal view of China people that "good and evil will be rewarded in the end" since ancient times. The fun of reading novels mainly comes from cracking the identity and origin of monsters and using what methods, strategies, moves and spells to destroy them. Much like the sour feeling of four people fighting monsters in Journey to the West. Every encounter is a blessing of practice. Demons have their destiny, demons have their doom, and the personification of demons plays a great role in educational function.
In the film, the values shared by the fairy world, the demon world and the human world become homogeneous and the boundaries between them become blurred. No one is better than anyone. They are all personalities with a desire to win or lose, with different appearances and the same soul, all of which make him my brother. Imagination space and narrative space are greatly compressed.
2.
The narrative structure of this film has been flattened. Parallel worlds have disappeared, and multiple worlds and multiple value orientations have also been dispelled.
Among the foxes, the leader of the foxes encouraged foxes to steal the essence of human beings and cultivate immortality, which first incited foreign wars. Secondly, the values of the fox family still rely on utilitarianism, encouraging hierarchical differences and internal struggles, and ignoring moral norms such as good and evil.
Bai Shisan changed from a white fox to a Kyubi no Youko red fox. In the original work, his name is Fei Gan, and he is a fairy figure with a graceful demeanor, a snowy white dress and a bright moon face. His only gluttony is eating chicken. The red fox in the movie is not only of unknown origin, but also has no fairy level. The screenwriter secularized him-in order to compete with other foxes and steal the essence of human nature. I don't have superb skills, but I have to rely on other characters to complete the task, including the pocket strategist who reflects the innocent master. These are all fictional in the film.
In terms of character, Bai Shisan can't completely degenerate, so he must grow up, so the bad guys must be done by others. His master became the ultimate villain who designed to defraud Bai Dan, trying to make Bai Shisan's image of saving lives and deceiving people stand up. If you spend more time explaining the process of his ambivalence, the role will be fuller.
3.
The change of character identity directly affects behavior motivation.
In the novel, Bai Shisan (Hu Fei) is already a fox spirit with profound moral values. He came to Wang Zijin out of kindness to repay his kindness. Wang Zijin is an enterprising scholar in the Dance Academy. He took great pains to turn the fox spirit into a scholar. He not only saved his life, but also inspired and warned him that "sex is empty" by breaking the magic trick. For example, Wang Zijin's infatuation with Shen Xing (a winning streak in the movie) has repeatedly reminded him that a beauty is a pile of bones after a hundred years. However, if you don't realize it yourself, the gods and buddhas can't help you.
In the film, the scholar Wang Zi is obsessed with fame today, while the fox Bai Shisan goes to the world to become an immortal. The encounter between the two men and their peers reveals the taste of greed.
Bai Shisan came to cheat scholar Bai Dan. His appearance is no longer the embodiment of good thoughts, on the contrary, it is the embodiment of desire and a part of evil. In this way, the behavioral motives of the characters are completely reversed. Bai Shisan's thoughts and actions all hold the purpose of exquisite self-interest, while other ghosts (toad essence and flower essence) suddenly become his helpers on the way to get Dan, and are no longer the evil spirits that Hu Fei-Kun (Bai Shisan) should first see through and destroy in the novel. The world, which should be dominated by justice, suddenly turned into a one-sided torrent of evil. With the childishness of a scholar, Wang Zijin trusted and helped others, but never thought that he was surrounded by the malice of the world around him. Ah, the rivers and lakes are sinister and worthless.
Only his childishness shows a little spirit of great love. Great love is "giving without hiding" as stated in Buddhist scriptures. Every effort asks for nothing in return, no utility, no gain or loss.
Bai Shisan was moved by Wang Zijin's "giving his life for Dan" and touched his conscience. Finally, he changed his mind for his own heart and temporarily gave up training for Wang Zi's life today. Bai Shisan was promoted by the prince.
Finally, the film tells people that in this malicious world, having good thoughts may be a person's last amulet. Whether you are lucky enough depends on your own nature. This is obviously too thin and pessimistic.
4.
The change of narrative mode directly affects the presentation effect of special effects scenes.
The film selects two main scenes in the novel: the ghost shop and the panic in the examination room. Due to the collapse of narrative and the secularization of Bai Shisan, the fox has become an image without magic. When fighting with the devil, he had nothing to do, but to be beaten passively and wait for foreign aid, which led to the loss of space for the combat special effects. In addition to the lack of stimulation, there is also a lack of a metaphysical sense of justice that "justice will last forever and evil will eventually fail."
The mysterious atmosphere is not created enough, and monsters have become tool people, which is naturally lacking.
Of course, the pot of the script should not be carried by the actors. The fox played by Li Xian is amazing when he comes out, and the aura and evil spirits coexist. His face value can still withstand the scrutiny of the big screen, and his appearance temperament is very plastic. Chen Linong performed the scholar's stubbornness, naivety and inflexibility. You can't see that he was the first person to get an electric shock. Because there are many stories, the empathy of the characters is weak. Since the scholar is bent on studying, how can he fall in love with a brothel woman he has never met overnight? In the original book, Wang Zijin loves beauty and doesn't like being famous, but there is no such confession in the film. Although Andy didn't appear in the film, he did a very good job in dubbing, and his voice was close to the scene, which was the most pure person. But the strategist is trapped in a box and has limited effect. It is best to leave the strength of this role to Bai Shisan.