"The King of the Sky" is Wang Yibo imitating Top Gun or paying tribute t...
King of the Long Sky", starring Wang Yibo, has had many twists and turns just in terms of scheduling and release.
Originally scheduled for the National Day, the film was temporarily withdrawn three days before its release on the grounds that it was "in order to present better production effects".
It was not until early this year that a new poster was released and the film was re-released on May 1st.
When King of the Long Sky was released, there were many "mixed" reviews.
The King of the Sky is director Liu Xiaoshi's debut film on the subject of aviation.
Although Wang Yibo successfully portrays a proud and young pilot in the film, and has a great rivalry with Hu Jun.
But the "absence" of aerial combat drama and the relative lack of female characters in the film have made many people feel the urge to compare it to The Mighty Ducks: The Lone Ranger and Tom Cruise.
But in reality, Wang Yibo's LORD OF THE LONG SKY has some fundamental differences and differences in story content and narrative pacing from Tom Cruise's A MIGHTY MAN: THE LONE RANGER.
Although both films focus on fighter jets and aerial flight and combat as their main promotional 'gimmick', LORD OF THE AIR is not a 'popcorn movie' in the absolute sense of the word, unlike THE LONE RANGER.
There is no denying that Wang Yibo's Lei Yu is a young pilot who is prone to "hotheadedness", and that such a soldier would have no place in the real army.
But as a film that focuses on the "development of a new type of fighter jet", King of the Skies has a national and ethnic dimension that is completely incomparable to that of The Maverick.
There is no denying that last summer's "The Mighty: The Lone Ranger", with its dazzling aerial combat scenes, not only allowed the 60-year-old Tom Cruise to prove himself once again, but also made "The Mighty: The Lone Ranger" an insurmountable rift in cinematic history.
But King of the Long Sky, starring Wang Yibo, is not useless; on the contrary, he proves that it is a film that deserves to be respected in a way that is more in line with the psychological perspective of the country.
Wang Yibo's sense of competition and defiance in the film has resonated with many young people.
Although "King of the Long Sky" does not have the same cool aerial flight and training as "The Mighty: The Lone Ranger", what he tells us: the advancement of our country in air force technology is perhaps more moving than the flying stunts.
And the current and realistic approach of King of the Sky is being used extensively in Chinese films and TV dramas.
Although in most Chinese films and TV dramas, they do not "name names" in the same way as European and American films and TV dramas.
However, the "hostile countries" mentioned in "King of the Long Sky", as well as the "American English" used in the film, easily remind viewers of the international high-tech-based "fourth-generation fighter". There is no other country than "this country" that can compete with us in the battle for the "fourth generation fighter".
And so it was that the "smartest" and "best" Wang Yibo was recruited to fly the latest generation of stealth fighter jets in a remote, uninhabited desert.
It is for this reason that, while everyone is comparing King of the Sky to The Lone Ranger, I am thinking of a film made in 1983.
Instead I thought of a space-themed film made in 1983, a film directed by Philip Kaufman and adapted from the realistic novel The Real Thing.
This Hollywood film, entitled The Right Stuff, tells the story of a group of test pilots working on high-speed aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.
These test pilots, who have more dangerous jobs than fighter pilots, will later be tasked with the manned space program (the Mercury program).
Although some of the plot points in Pioneers in Space are similar to those in 1986's A Mighty Heart.
But in fact the story is more similar and homogeneous to what is being told in Pioneers in Space and today's King of the Sky, starring Wang Yibo.
A test pilot is not a mediocre profession, nor is it an unknown one.
For only a man of Wang Yibo's pride, confidence and experience could shoulder him.
Although he was reluctant to be recruited as an unsung hero, although he was demoted and punished for it.
But the talent and understanding he showed in aviation and flying eventually brought him back into the cockpit.
This is what makes The Long Sky King so successful, and one of the main things that makes me think he's like Pioneers in Space.
But it's also what gives King of the Long Sky some natural (or unavoidable) problems.
That is to highlight Wang Yibo's own abilities and in doing so prove that this test pilot is the one for him (or deservedly so).
It also makes Wang Yibo's character Lei Yu extremely one-dimensional and unstructured in his relationships and interactions with other perspectives.
Even Zhang Ting (Hu Jun), who is both 'father and teacher' to Lei Yu, is only somewhat 'compromised' or 'approved' when Lei Yu demonstrates his superior flying talent and skills The film's title character, Zhang Ting (Hu Jun), is only somewhat "compromised" or "approved" by Lei Yu's superior flying skills.
As for Zhou Dongyu's Shen Tianran, she becomes a "vase" of sorts, too meek and docile, too much like a lover who only knows how to "please" people.
She is too meek, too much of a "people pleaser", and this makes King of the Sky lacking in entertainment in terms of the interaction between the male and female leads, after the lack of more exciting aerial combat scenes.
Despite its problems, "The King of the Sky" is, on the whole, a significant step forward for Chinese military films.
The film's special effects, acting and storytelling are all excellent.
At least compared to the 2017 release of "Sky Hunt", today's "King of the Long Sky" not only has the look of a military blockbuster, but also tells "what should be told" and "what needs to be told" without showing any traces. "It tells the story without a trace.
At least for the average viewer, from the time you see the poster and are attracted to the film, to the time you enter the cinema, you will not feel "cheated".
Originally scheduled for the National Day, the film was temporarily withdrawn three days before its release on the grounds that it was "in order to present better production effects".
It was not until early this year that a new poster was released and the film was re-released on May 1st.
When King of the Long Sky was released, there were many "mixed" reviews.
The King of the Sky is director Liu Xiaoshi's debut film on the subject of aviation.
Although Wang Yibo successfully portrays a proud and young pilot in the film, and has a great rivalry with Hu Jun.
But the "absence" of aerial combat drama and the relative lack of female characters in the film have made many people feel the urge to compare it to The Mighty Ducks: The Lone Ranger and Tom Cruise.
But in reality, Wang Yibo's LORD OF THE LONG SKY has some fundamental differences and differences in story content and narrative pacing from Tom Cruise's A MIGHTY MAN: THE LONE RANGER.
Although both films focus on fighter jets and aerial flight and combat as their main promotional 'gimmick', LORD OF THE AIR is not a 'popcorn movie' in the absolute sense of the word, unlike THE LONE RANGER.
There is no denying that Wang Yibo's Lei Yu is a young pilot who is prone to "hotheadedness", and that such a soldier would have no place in the real army.
But as a film that focuses on the "development of a new type of fighter jet", King of the Skies has a national and ethnic dimension that is completely incomparable to that of The Maverick.
There is no denying that last summer's "The Mighty: The Lone Ranger", with its dazzling aerial combat scenes, not only allowed the 60-year-old Tom Cruise to prove himself once again, but also made "The Mighty: The Lone Ranger" an insurmountable rift in cinematic history.
But King of the Long Sky, starring Wang Yibo, is not useless; on the contrary, he proves that it is a film that deserves to be respected in a way that is more in line with the psychological perspective of the country.
Wang Yibo's sense of competition and defiance in the film has resonated with many young people.
Although "King of the Long Sky" does not have the same cool aerial flight and training as "The Mighty: The Lone Ranger", what he tells us: the advancement of our country in air force technology is perhaps more moving than the flying stunts.
And the current and realistic approach of King of the Sky is being used extensively in Chinese films and TV dramas.
Although in most Chinese films and TV dramas, they do not "name names" in the same way as European and American films and TV dramas.
However, the "hostile countries" mentioned in "King of the Long Sky", as well as the "American English" used in the film, easily remind viewers of the international high-tech-based "fourth-generation fighter". There is no other country than "this country" that can compete with us in the battle for the "fourth generation fighter".
And so it was that the "smartest" and "best" Wang Yibo was recruited to fly the latest generation of stealth fighter jets in a remote, uninhabited desert.
It is for this reason that, while everyone is comparing King of the Sky to The Lone Ranger, I am thinking of a film made in 1983.
Instead I thought of a space-themed film made in 1983, a film directed by Philip Kaufman and adapted from the realistic novel The Real Thing.
This Hollywood film, entitled The Right Stuff, tells the story of a group of test pilots working on high-speed aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.
These test pilots, who have more dangerous jobs than fighter pilots, will later be tasked with the manned space program (the Mercury program).
Although some of the plot points in Pioneers in Space are similar to those in 1986's A Mighty Heart.
But in fact the story is more similar and homogeneous to what is being told in Pioneers in Space and today's King of the Sky, starring Wang Yibo.
A test pilot is not a mediocre profession, nor is it an unknown one.
For only a man of Wang Yibo's pride, confidence and experience could shoulder him.
Although he was reluctant to be recruited as an unsung hero, although he was demoted and punished for it.
But the talent and understanding he showed in aviation and flying eventually brought him back into the cockpit.
This is what makes The Long Sky King so successful, and one of the main things that makes me think he's like Pioneers in Space.
But it's also what gives King of the Long Sky some natural (or unavoidable) problems.
That is to highlight Wang Yibo's own abilities and in doing so prove that this test pilot is the one for him (or deservedly so).
It also makes Wang Yibo's character Lei Yu extremely one-dimensional and unstructured in his relationships and interactions with other perspectives.
Even Zhang Ting (Hu Jun), who is both 'father and teacher' to Lei Yu, is only somewhat 'compromised' or 'approved' when Lei Yu demonstrates his superior flying talent and skills The film's title character, Zhang Ting (Hu Jun), is only somewhat "compromised" or "approved" by Lei Yu's superior flying skills.
As for Zhou Dongyu's Shen Tianran, she becomes a "vase" of sorts, too meek and docile, too much like a lover who only knows how to "please" people.
She is too meek, too much of a "people pleaser", and this makes King of the Sky lacking in entertainment in terms of the interaction between the male and female leads, after the lack of more exciting aerial combat scenes.
Despite its problems, "The King of the Sky" is, on the whole, a significant step forward for Chinese military films.
The film's special effects, acting and storytelling are all excellent.
At least compared to the 2017 release of "Sky Hunt", today's "King of the Long Sky" not only has the look of a military blockbuster, but also tells "what should be told" and "what needs to be told" without showing any traces. "It tells the story without a trace.
At least for the average viewer, from the time you see the poster and are attracted to the film, to the time you enter the cinema, you will not feel "cheated".
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