http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight...or-2-may-be-timely-reminder-how-hong-kong-can
Wolf Warrior 2 may be timely reminder of how Hong Kong can promote national education
Action film with a ‘man’s man’ as hero has become highest-grossing Chinese film eclipsing another patriotic movie, The Founding of an Army, and its ‘pretty boys’
It is no exaggeration to say that one of the hottest topics in China is
the huge commercial success of action film Wolf Warrior 2 .
While critics and fans have come up with multi-dimensional analyses and theories as to why it has become
the highest-grossing Chinese film in history, it also serves as a timely reminder – if not a warning – to producers and investors on the mainland as well as in Hong Kong as
the city promotes the movie business as one of its pillar industries while seeking more cross-border cooperation.
One direct lesson is that
Wolf 2, even if by accident, signals the end of the industry’s overreliance on the disparagingly named “little fresh meat”– good-looking but not-so-masculine young male stars. Their bargaining power – commanding 100 million yuan or even more per film – and screen dominance over all these years may no longer be assured, given the phenomenal success of a movie that does not rely on them.
By coincidence, or as if it was pre-planned, it so happened that
Wolf 2 was released on the mainland when another “theme movie” –
The Founding of an Army, which promotes official cultural values – was screened across the country, including here in Hong Kong. Surprising contrasts are evident in comparing
Wolf 2 with this historical film financed by mainland investors but directed by Hong Kong’s Andrew Lau Wai-keung.
Both movies share similar features: strong patriotic messages, elaborate action and war scenes, tributes to the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army and release in theatres at the “golden time” of the summer holidays.
But while
Wolf 2 made history by raking in more than 4 billion yuan at the box office, and is still going strong,
Army, despite the advantage of the August 1 PLA anniversary as a promotional gimmick, was
no match for it.
For those who believe that government-endorsed propaganda messages in films won’t work,
Wolf 2 can be taken as an exception for one very simple reason. Whether you like it or not, as many mainland internet users have pointed out, director and producer Wu Jing made all the difference playing the hero. He is not just an action superstar, but actually comes across as a “man’s man”, as opposed to the “pretty boys” in
Army.
Of course this is open to debate, but it’s worth noting that
Ye Daying, grandson of the late general Ye Ting, one of the key founders of the Chinese army, wrote an open letter to authorities objecting to the choice of “little fresh meat” to portray his heroic ancestor on screen.
The letter by Ye, who is himself a film director, was signed by 25 other family members of military officials. They criticised the film for its focus on entertainment over accuracy and demanded an apology from the producers for not properly reflecting the heroic deeds of their revolutionary forefathers.
To be fair, the “little fresh meat” factor is just one of many in comparing the two major films.
As for Hong Kong, it will be worth noting whether the
Wolf 2 phenomenon provides a useful takeaway for the government as it tries to handle the headache of promoting national education.
The lesson may well be that neither “entertaining” nor “brainwashing” works; it’s all about packaging and presenting the message in a way that really resonates with the audience.
In this regard, whether Hongkongers are impressed as much as their mainland compatriots by
Wolf 2 when the film comes to town can serve as a good reference.
