Generation Z Artists

Chapter 262 The Death of Crown Prince Yu Shocks the Entire Audience
Even 20 years later, no one can criticize the color scheme and composition of "Hero".

In this film, Zhang Yimou vividly demonstrates his understanding of beauty: the red of the poplar forest, the blue of the clear lake, the golden expanse of the vast desert, and the characters blending into the landscape through wide-angle shots.

The classic Chinese use of blank space, combined with the freehand composition, makes most of the images "speak volumes in silence".

In this atmosphere, Wuming swept through everything in his path.

Stephen Hunter, however, frowned and wrote: "The action in Hero is fluid, graceful, and silky, more like a meticulously choreographed classical Chinese dance. Jet Lee brought out the rhythmic beauty of the movements to the extreme, which, in my opinion, far surpasses Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

However, it is somewhat regrettable that the martial arts styles of the two films are too similar, which may cause viewers to experience aesthetic fatigue.

Moreover, if the entire film consists of martial arts action with this kind of artistic conception and atmosphere, it may be difficult to reach the audience's emotional limits, or to put it more bluntly, it is neither passionate nor exciting enough..."

Stephen Hunter is a picky critic. As a true tech enthusiast, he wasn't particularly fond of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and he bluntly stated this in his column in The Washington Post.

"It's not that North American audiences have accepted this style; in fact, it's just a spectacle driven by curiosity."

It was very blunt, but it won the approval of some American viewers.

Therefore, it was foreshadowed that the previous version of "Hero" failed to make a big splash in North America.

For Western audiences who prefer more intense films, both "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" are the same – not exciting enough, just something new to watch.

The core of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is closer to their feminist culture, so it had a higher box office. The ending of "Hero" was hard to understand, so its box office was only average. That's all.

However, when Prince Yu appeared, the freehand style of "Hero" suddenly changed.

The story leaps from the martial arts world to the battlefield, and the epic scene of two armies charging into battle is both brutal and romantic, as captured by Zhang Yimou.

From a visual perspective, the Qin crossbow formation's black cloud of crossbows is incredibly cool.

From the perspective of action, Fang Xinghe gave the barren history of cold weapon combat in Europe and America a good lesson.

From the moment he mounted his horse, it was all climax.

He mounted the horse with one arm pulling the saddle, using a move similar to the Thomas Flair, which made the audience gasp in amazement.

Then came a long shot of him riding his horse, spear in hand, leading his cavalry in a flanking charge.

As a martial arts instructor, Fang Xinghe showed considerable respect for the laws of war in this context.

The Korean cavalry outflanked the Qin army, taking advantage of the Qin crossbows' slow draw and the difficulty of the phalanx to turn, and cut in like a scalpel.

Instead of braving a hail of crossbow bolts to directly confront the Qin infantry formation.

Crown Prince Yu's initial strategic objective was to disrupt the crossbowmen's output, throw off the Qin army's formation, and then rush straight to the rear, attempting to behead the Qin king who was personally leading the expedition.

In this process, he not only demonstrated the art of command, but also a kind of ferocity that only exists in legendary stories.

This also brought the King of Qin's fear of him to its peak, providing the best explanation for the legitimacy of the nameless man offering his head.

Returning to the battle scene.

The audience watched intently as Fang Xinghe rode his magnificent white horse, over two meters tall, leaving nothing but devastation in his wake.

With a single thrust of the spear, the shield shatters and the man dies.

With a flick of the spear, the chariot overturned.

With a single sweep of the spear, men and horses fell to the ground.

The scene where Fang Xinghe personally performed the stunt double, in particular, caused a stir among the audience.

"Crown Prince Yu" wielded his spear with both hands and swung it forcefully, first breaking through a heavy shield. Then, the front of the spearhead struck the heavily armored captain, who was sent flying like a stone skipping across water, tumbling and bouncing as he crashed into many soldiers.

When the kinetic energy was finally exhausted, the heavily armored soldier, lying among a pile of crossbow fragments, had become "thinner" in body thickness, his bones shattered, and he died with his eyes wide open.

Cut to a wide shot, revealing a "clean passage" stained with blood, presented from an overhead angle, filled with smoke and groans.

The theater erupted in noise once again.

"Holy crap! That's fucking cool!"

Ordinary viewers don't understand the technical difficulties; they are simply amazed by the unprecedented sense of impact.

Robinson, Campbell, and their teammates were so excited that they screamed and various reproductive organs kept popping out of their mouths.

"so cool!"

Hamilton swore an oath.

"I swear, this is absolutely the coolest human bowling ball I've ever seen!"

With his limited vocabulary, he couldn't think of a more suitable metaphor, but that was enough; 99% of the audience felt the same way.

Extreme realism brings about extreme ferocity, ultimately giving rise to extreme thrill.

The uncontrollable outbursts merged into a cacophony of noise.

"This is way more exciting than The Matrix!"

"My God, I can't imagine how they filmed this kind of shot?"

"A truck hit a dummy?"

I like this!

"Metoo, I swear, SR is definitely much stronger than Jet Lee, he's practically a god of war!"

The excitement was spreading, but the climax was only just beginning.

After a series of charges and assaults, the South Korean cavalry eventually exhausted their momentum.

When cavalry loses speed and becomes trapped deep in enemy lines, anyone with a little military knowledge can understand what fate awaits them.

The audience's hearts were in their throats, and they began to worry about the general and prince played by Fang Xinghe.

Just as his emotions plummeted to the depths of despair, Crown Prince Yu reined in his horse, turned around, swept his spear in a circle, and then raised his arm and shouted: "Gentlemen, hold this place for a moment, while I go and cut off the King of Qin's head, and we will go down together!"

The morale of the South Korean cavalry soared, and they pounded their breastplates, shouting in unison, "To die with you! To die with you! To die with you!"

The background music suddenly turned rousing. Fang Xinghe raised his hand to cover his face, pulled down his mask, leaving only a pair of eyes that gleamed with a determined, cold light.

Then, he raised his long spear at an angle, charged into the enemy lines alone, and his heroic spirit was awe-inspiring!
The audience saw a man and his horse charging into the rear of the Qin army like a dragon, and no one could withstand their attack.

"Jesus!"

“Oh my god!”

"No, no, I'm going to get really high!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell.

This epic drama was extremely difficult to film, but the post-production special effects were also incredibly stunning.

The challenge lies in the fact that Fang Xinghe must demonstrate superior strength and agility to prove that Prince Yu's bravery is genuine and credible.

However, this kind of coordinated attack in the midst of chaos places demands on martial arts performers that exceed their usual level.

More than 30 stuntmen were injured in this scene, incurring medical expenses and compensation of over one million yuan, not even counting the cost of the long production time itself.

What's truly breathtaking is that Fang Xinghe genuinely portrayed the courage of a warrior capable of taking on ten thousand men. His assassinations were as swift as dotted lines, his strikes as elusive as phantoms, and any contact with him meant certain death, while a mere graze sent him flying.

Everyone praises Yu Chenghui's backhand spear as a classic in martial arts history, but the old man does not rely on his strength and physique. How can the strength, speed and agility of the previous generation's martial saint compare with Fang Xinghe?

With Tyson's strength and Bolt's agility, Fang Sheng brought the terrifying destructive power of the battlefield gun to its extreme in a way that transcended reality.

This exhilarating fight scene left all the viewers breathless, their adrenaline surging, and they felt so good their scalps were about to explode.

However, no matter how strong an individual is, how can they contend with an army formation?

Gradually, Crown Prince Yu began to show signs of injury, and his strength gradually weakened until he was finally stopped in front of the royal carriage.

The final 200 meters seemed like an insurmountable chasm; no matter how hard Prince Yu charged, he couldn't cross it. Even the arrows from skilled archers in the distance and the sneak attacks from soldiers targeting his mount were dragging Prince Yu towards the abyss of defeat.

Just as the audience's emotions were fluctuating wildly once again, Prince Yu swung his spear back and forth, clearing a space around himself, and then picked up the bow hanging behind the saddle.

Just as a glimmer of hope rose in the hearts of the audience, the first arrow was easily blocked by the shield wall formed by the "Bìshūláng".

The author deliberately gave a close-up of the Imperial Guards, a group of elite shield soldiers with black armor, heavy shields, resolute faces, and cold eyes.

Their mission is singular—to guard the royal carriage with the most secure formation.

Prince Yu's arrow pierced through the heavy shield, protruding more than three inches.

But so what?
The Imperial Guards didn't even blink.

Behind him stood three rows of shield guards.

The hopes that had just begun to rise in the hearts of the audience were dashed once again.

However, at that moment, Crown Prince Yu suddenly flipped himself onto the horse's back, placing his left foot on the lower part of the saddle and his right foot on the upper edge of the saddle, and shouted, "Rise!"

The horse neighed and reared up!

The giant horse, standing over two meters tall, practically blotted out the sky the moment it stood up.

Fang Xinghe stood firmly on the saddle, his body unwavering, raising his arm to draw his bow. Under the dazzling sunlight, his figure was almost like a god descending to earth!

This scene completely shocked the audience, leaving them speechless!
Stephen Hunter, his face flushed, frantically took notes while looking at the screen.

He wrote in hasty letters and abbreviations: "This is a scene destined to be forever etched in the history of world cinema. It far surpasses everything about ancient warfare with cold weapons. It is not only a wonderful idea under the background of the unique kung fu culture of a great Eastern country, but also the ultimate in power and beauty that is difficult for ordinary people to replicate. I couldn't help but tremble for it. I have been completely conquered by this scene..."

Like a meteor, the arrow pierced through the guard's shield wall in the blink of an eye!
The arrow did not pierce through the hundred or so shields themselves, but rather found a gap in the defense, and in the close-up, the arrow went straight for the King of Qin's face.

But just as the audience's hearts were in their throats, a person suddenly appeared in front of the King of Qin.

Meng Yi, according to the Records of the Grand Historian, "would accompany the emperor when he went out and serve him in the emperor's presence when he returned," was Qin Shi Huang's personal bodyguard and possessed exceptional martial prowess.

The incident happened suddenly, and Meng Yi shielded Qin Shi Huang with his body, raising his hand to block the arrow.

The arrow pierced through the arm guard, arm, shoulder armor, and shoulder, finally its fletching getting stuck in Meng Yi's body, the arrowhead hovering in front of the King of Qin's eye, just one centimeter away.

In the close-up, the King of Qin's pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes stung from the cold glint of the arrowhead, causing his eyes to twitch.

Then, the King of Qin, enraged, abruptly stood up and gazed at Crown Prince Yu from afar.

This was also the decision made by Fang Xinghe. In his version, the King of Qin was of average martial prowess, but had astonishing courage and a majestic and dignified presence that remained unfazed even when Mount Tai collapsed.

He was angry but not afraid; he simply developed a deep sense of apprehension towards Crown Prince Yu.

"Kings!"

Seeing that he could not persuade the King of Qin, Meng Yi immediately snatched the heavy shield from the guard and held the King of Qin firmly in front of him.

At this point, Crown Prince Yu had completely lost his chance to assassinate the King of Qin.

Crown Prince Yu shook his head regretfully, his eyes filled with sorrow, turned his horse around, and charged out of the army formation once more.

At this moment, due to the assassination of the king, the shield guards were in a state of panic and chaos, which caused a small-scale disturbance in the central and rear armies. This allowed Crown Prince Yu to relatively easily rendezvous with the Han cavalry, and together they broke out of the enemy lines and left triumphantly.

Thus, the mid-film arc of "Hero," marked by numerous twists and turns and the climactic war scenes, finally came to an end.

"call……"

Suddenly, a collective exhale filled the theater.

Those were the anxious audience members who finally breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts pounding in their throats.

The film critics in the front row began to whisper among themselves.

"Zhang Yimou's scene direction combined with Star River's action scenes is simply unparalleled!"

"Kung Fu movies have overturned my understanding; this is art!"

"SR deserves the award; no one is worthy of competing with him for the Best Action Choreography award!"

The teammates in the middle also started whispering among themselves.

"Holy crap, the commander didn't even need a second shot to kill us!"

"Come on, he doesn't even need a gun, he can kill you with his fists."

"Chinese Kung Fu is so cool! I want to learn it! I swear, next off-season, I will definitely be on Wudang Mountain!"

"This is the first time I've ever been so jealous of a man. Just wait and see, he'll soon become the only romantic ideal in the hearts of all the girls in America!"

"Wasn't it originally like that?"

"Of course not. How can playing basketball be compared to making a movie? I think he's far more charismatic on the court than he is in the movies..."

Tyronn Lue's casual remark hit the nail on the head.

The immersive experience provided by virtual characters is indeed much better for female fans than the sweaty physical battles on the basketball court.

The fans behind were also whispering among themselves.

"Oh my god, he made me so happy I couldn't close my legs!"

"How can I get SR? I'm willing to pay any price!"

"Mmm...mmm...oh..."

"Oh my god, Catherine, what are you doing?!"

When the plot progresses to the point where Empress Zhao takes Wuming and Feixue to find Crown Prince Yu, this scene is completely ignored by everyone.

The climax was so intense that even an ironman needs a break.

As a result, Mouzi and Hezi did not give them any time to recover. In just a few seconds, the destined protagonist and Fang Lierren, who was more like a protagonist than a protagonist, stood facing each other in the most beautiful landscape courtyard in the entire film.

Following the climax on the battlefield, the true climax of martial arts combat once again challenges the audience's already faltering defenses.

This plot unfolded and ended in ways that were both unexpected by the audience.

Crown Prince Yu suddenly turned around, strode towards the main hall, sat down behind the desk, straightened his clothes, and loosened his hair ribbon...

Before they could even speak, most of the women had already teared up.

When he solemnly uttered the words, "Han Yu's head is hanging here; you may take it yourself," low sobs rose from one to two, then to three or four, eventually filling the entire theater.

Americans don't really understand this kind of romance, but because the groundwork is laid out carefully enough, they can understand why Prince Yu had to do it.

Under Fang Xinghe's handling, Crown Prince Yu remained calm and proud, seemingly just doing what he felt he should do.

But in reality, beneath the calm exterior, the hint of melancholy in Fang Xinghe's eyes was already deeply etched in the hearts of all the viewers.

Five states feared him, Qin deeply hated him, and mediocre people dared not grant him military power. The ruthless Qin launched a massive crackdown, forcing a peak martial saint to live in seclusion amidst mountains and rivers.

He was powerless to avenge the national and personal grievances.

With this broken body left, not a single day has been a happy one.

Such a life was far too cruel for a mere 20-year-old crown prince of a fallen kingdom.

Since that's the case... then let's do one last useful thing!

Fang Xinghe closed his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile that seemed both mocking and liberating, his expression serene and divine.

Thus, the death of Crown Prince Yu has become an art form.

(End of this chapter)