The Best Director

Chapter 365: 365

In the boundless expanse of the universe, a fleet of plunderers silently floated in the darkness, with both large warships and small spacecraft, countless and densely packed. The patrol team exploded an accidentally intruding ship that showed no signs of being a plunderer. Gangs of plunderers, seemingly just returned from their raids, came back either with spoils or alone. The Serenity slowly made its way through the fleet, with everyone in the cockpit remaining silent. Under the eerie and mysterious soundtrack, the audience mostly held their breath: “…”

The special effects were still so realistic and splendid, and the composition of the scenes remained open and bright! It was actually quite difficult for global audiences to see such grand interstellar sci-fi spectacles. The production costs of “Star Wars: Episode III” were $113 million, “Star Wars: Episode II” $115 million, “Star Wars: Episode I” $115 million, and then what? Only considering the sci-fi adventure, the 2001 version of “Planet of the Apes” was $100 million, the 1998 “Star Trek 9: Insurrection” $58 million, and this summer’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” $50 million…

In this era, there was no other way for background, props, special effects, etc., they were all created with money, technology, and effort. Naturally, “Firefly,” which set a new high for sci-fi movie production costs at $200 million and was made by an all-Oscar-caliber team, was no ordinary contender. The hallmark of a high-quality production, distinct from medium and small budget productions, is the balance of dialogue and action. Even the dialogue-heavy scenes were full of movement, rather than just character conversation. For example, the earlier scene in the Barto spaceship repair shop, for a medium or small budget, would likely have cut scenes or, if included, featured shabby interior shots, covering up with tight camera angles; tonight, the noisy and bustling repair shop, the entire Serenity’s loading and unloading processes, were all vividly clear, often using panoramic and long shots, allowing the audience to see the whole scene without obstructions.

An abundance of action, outdoor scenes, and landscape shots, with no fear of revealing weaknesses in the scope of the camera work, even boasting the large film format of IMAX!

Compared to medium and small budget productions, the difference in perception was like night and day. Even “Star Wars: Episode III” lacked in texture and film quality, promising an evermore astonishing visual feast! The flavor of planets, cityscapes, once again confidently and fearlessly displayed themselves. When the camera cut from blue gloves to the square in Canton town, and residents fervently crafted and erected stone sculptures of heroes, with Mal’s statue being hoisted high; elsewhere, the Serenity also relieved the audience by smoothly moving through the plunderer fleet, heading towards the planet Miranda.

“All the readings I’m getting are normal, no crustal vibrations or radiation in the oceans or land…” On the big screen, the Serenity raced across the sky of Miranda, the bird’s-eye view of the stunning scenery kept the audience’s eyes glued to the screen. However, Zoe and Wash said the instruments couldn’t detect electricity or anything but did pick up a very weak signal, so the spaceship headed toward the signal’s location, revealing yet another breathtakingly beautiful scene that amazed the audience.

Watching the Serenity fly low over the clouds on the IMAX big screen, Joss Whedon silently trembled with excitement. He suddenly vividly recalled his first meeting with Wang Yang, the words of the young man: “Or think about it again, a range of mountains that you can’t see the end of, those green peaks towering one after another, shrouded in mist. And then the Serenity flies through the mist, a sea of clouds amidst mountains. I was thinking of how to combine the two, without much, just one or two naturally and perfectly fused shots would do.”

A sea of clouds amidst mountains! This oriental-inspired, aesthetically beautiful image made the critics’ eyes sparkle: “WOO! HOLY-COW!” While the “Star Wars” series still stuck to medieval court styles, and “Star Trek” to the bright and clean traditional sci-fi, “Firefly” aimed to blend Western cowboys with Eastern aesthetics! The director and his art and special effects team were truly mad! Even those who looked unfavorably upon Wang Yang couldn’t help but mutter, “What a joke!”

George Lucas sat up in surprise. The planet Kashyyyk in “Star Wars: Episode III” incorporated the geography of Guilin in China, and he had thought about how to integrate Chinese landscape paintings into sci-fi, how to interpret this ethereal charm. Now, he had seen it!

This scene also made the planet Miranda an impressively mysterious place!

“Too stunning!” Her majesty Padmé Amidala, Natalie Portman, also gaped, suddenly flashing back to a memory from two years ago in Beijing, China: “I’m doing this, one hundred percent! I’m bringing Chinese landscape painting into the world of sci-fi! Wish me luck!” The guy, clenching his right fist and raising it high, shouted with a laugh: “Beautiful——!” Natalie, feeling her heartbeat quicken, admiringly exclaimed, “Beautiful——!” In another theater, Rachel McAdams also murmured with a smile, “Beautiful——!”

“Beautiful——!” Audience members across North America praised. Had it been a medium or small budget film, it might have just passed off some clouds as the view, but now, just coming to see these stunning scenes was almost worth the price of admission alone. What other surprises could there be?

No matter how beautiful the scenery, it eventually passed. On the big screen, the Serenity landed in a beautiful city on Miranda. Mal and Jayne stepped out of the spaceship wearing space suits, checking the data of Miranda. Zoe said, “The gravity field and Earth are the same, oxygen concentration normal, atmospheric pressure normal… No problems at all!” Jayne looked around confusedly, “This isn’t some small colony.” Zoe agreed, “We’ve passed dozens of cities of this scale on the way here.”

The city style of Miranda was different from Barto or Canton. If Barto was a representative city on the edge of the galaxy, a mix of future sci-fi Western & Eastern; and Canton a typical Western town with a touch of Eastern elements, then Miranda was a high-tech city at the core of a star system with touches of Eastern color. On one hand, it was a neat, clean vision of the future, and on the other, it was shaded with green trees, flowing water from little bridges, eerily free from weeds and waste, with soft colors and bright lighting in the cinematography.

Walking the streets of this city, Mal and his crew encountered many chilling anomalies. It seemed as if the residents had died suddenly and without reason a long time ago. Seeing these dreadful scenes, River became increasingly distressed, crying out, “Oh, God, please turn me into a stone without heart, eyes, or ears!” Her pitiable appearance wrenched the heart, and the audience was almost mesmerized by her beautiful face, paying little attention to her acting. Critics could only remark that she truly was the most beautiful Barbie doll.

There weren’t many scenes showing River’s drastic transformation, and soon the crew found the source of the signal, and the cause and effect became clear. The virtual female scientist of the signal device started her recording report with a joyful face, “Today is the first day we’ve introduced G23 Pax hydrogen oxysalts into the air processor, it will eliminate the evil within human neurons, and all bad things will cease to exist! Thirty million people have undergone this ‘Beautiful New World’ spiritual purification plan, and they are all doing very well! Pax is working!”

The big screen suddenly shifted to Miranda City, where the once silent streets were now filled with laughter and conversation, and the purely good citizens interacted with one another. The audience was surprised to see River, dressed in an Alliance uniform, standing on a bridge, plucking willows, and revealing her smile for the first time tonight, dazzling everyone present.

However, the female scientist’s voiceover turned sad and dejected, “It’s been three days since the mutation started, and the situation is getting worse. The entire social structure has changed, most people have become low in intelligence, they no longer work, no longer speak, they… G23 Pax had the opposite effect, these people have become more aggressive, madness can’t even describe it; a small portion of them have become their leaders, those who kept their intelligence, but they believe that this is the ‘Beautiful New World,’ and consider themselves Over-Men.”

The city streets on the screen relived the horrific scenes of the mutation. Mutated people chased after the Alliance personnel, running in panic and horror, River was also pulled onto a spaceship, the female scientist’s voice broke into a cry, “It’s the pinnacle of human biological evolution, the best part of the human species, they think they are gods! They want to dominate everything, those people have no sense of right or wrong, we tried to communicate with them, but they… killed most of us, forced some to undergo Pax purification… That’s not all, they did some other things, I cannot live to report these, but you must know… our intentions were good, it was meant to make people’s lives better.” The camera returned to the facility, showing the virtual hologram of her being pulled down by predators, a scream ensued: “Ahhhhh—”

“The predators were created by them!…” Wash said blankly, while the others either showed no expression or were stunned in surprise. Kaylee, unable to watch anymore, turned off the signal device’s playback, and Jayne bitterly said, “What were they thinking! ‘Beautiful New World’ my ass! They could have spent their time better, like having a little fun!”

“Oh!” The veil of mystery was lifted, and the audience had a sudden realization, that was it! The predators were the failed product of the Alliance’s ‘Beautiful New World’ spiritual purification plan. Eradicate the evil side of humanity? The initially successful Miranda planet suddenly exploded in chaos. The audience also thought of the predators like the societal structure of the Reavers, leaders with mindless soldiers, who could also “transform” other humans into their kind, thus becoming an uncontrollable third force in the star system’s interconnected fate.

Over-Men? Nietzsche? Nazism! The film fans and critics also had a sudden realization, which could explain the habits and positioning of the Reavers. “Firefly” was getting more and more interesting!

The story of the entire film tonight was not difficult to connect and understand, you could say the plot wasn’t new, however, the Director made it utterly compelling. From a commercial perspective, the audience surely enjoyed unparalleled visual effects, as well as the rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied the film—tension, excitement, mystery, joy, and sadness… From an artistic standpoint, it’s a lot more complex, the film critics somewhat understood, while some were still contemplating.

It was like the role of the prop paper flower that had just been revealed; the flower represented beauty and goodness, but the paper flower was just seemingly beautiful, yet it was fake, much like planet Miranda was indeed a paper flower.

“Best Director’s ambition is really big…” The film reached this moment, and the seasoned film critics vaguely saw Wang Yang’s thoughts. The theme of “Firefly” also began to surface, about the world, human nature, the government, the Alliance and the Blue Hands, the independents, the Reavers, all different, a debate of political ideologies, and a declaration of worldview. These are all vast, vast themes, discussed thousands of times over, perhaps nothing new to say, but isn’t the classic quality of a film all about how it’s said?

If the message was conveyed through direct preachy character dialogues, it’d leave no impression, no impact, no room for thought, undoubtedly the worst way to do it; does Best Director want to impact the award season? Being good at prop placement, what tricks will he play?

“This report was made about two years ago, the time the Reavers appeared. The Alliance controlled River, they feared she would expose this, and indeed they should fear, because the people of the entire universe will know! Someone must stand up and tell the people, everyone should know the truth.”

Captain Mal returned! In the lounging area of Serenity on the big screen, Mal was serious yet rallying his crew, amidst a score filled with melancholic yet surging undertones, the audience gradually felt their blood begin to boil. From the start, they could tell this unruly captain was tough on the outside, soft on the inside. From the moment he stepped onto planet Miranda, Mal dropped his joking demeanor, his speech carried a cool edge: “You came aboard Serenity for different reasons, but we’ve ended up together! So now I’m asking you, contribute more than you ever have, perhaps everything you have. I’m sure they’ll try again, maybe in another world, maybe on this very ground, to wash everything away and start over, in a year, maybe ten, they’ll pick up their beliefs again, believing they can make the lives of people, better.”

“I don’t have that belief!” Mal tilted his chin up, looking at each silent crew member, proudly: “So no more running, I’m going to fight them!”

Many film critics immediately recognized another political allegory, that young man dared to intertwine two wars! “Believing they can make the lives of people better” referred to the American Civil War and the Iraq war. Is the edge of the galaxy the Middle East, the Union the American Alliance, and is Miranda Iraq? Do the Reavers symbolically represent the increasingly chaotic post-war reconstruction? Wang Yang’s Asian identity was very sensitive; he was walking a tightrope, at any moment, he could fall hard.

However, it’s worth noting that the Star Alliance is a combination of America and China, and it also reveals the Blue Gloves’ pursuit of a beautiful world, a utopia, as more inclined to represent Soviet China.

The Blue Gloves are clearly extreme idealists detached from reality. Nazis and terrorists (raiders) are extreme dictators, and also extreme idealists; they believe that this is the beautiful new world. They trust they are right until death, and so it is probably with the Blue Gloves. Even if their intentions are good, once things reach an extreme level, idealism becomes terrorism, and is even more terrifying. The Star Alliance also signifies that when the whole world has only one government, things will go wrong. They can deceive the people and do some things in secret, power can be controlled by some ambitious individuals, thus manipulating and using idealists like the Blue Gloves, similar to the FBI, to help them conceal the true history and create a so-called beautiful new world, leading to chaos everywhere.

“YOU-KNOW-TOO-MUCH.” The Star Alliance is a double irony. The whole story’s metaphor can be interpreted this way, or that way, while being complex and interwoven at the same time. What exactly does it ultimately want to say? More and more film critics break out in cold sweat and simply choose to enjoy the film without thinking, which won’t disappear.

Sometimes, viewers who only ever want to enjoy a movie might think that film critics are just overthinking it. Right now, the most pressing thing is to broadcast the signal! On the big screen, Jayne took a swig of his drink with a Gollum-like determination, and said, “My momma told me, if you can’t do the smart thing, do the right thing.” Simon asked, “Do we have a plan?” Mal confidently replied, “New Shanxi. This transmitter is a special military format of the Alliance Army; we don’t have the equipment to broadcast this recording, but over there in New Shanxi, we can transmit the signal to every screen across thirty worlds.”

“New Shanxi? Going there is a suicide mission.” Wash expressed confusion and surprise, and seeing Simon’s different kind of bewilderment, not knowing about New Shanxi, Zoe explained, “It’s a military base for the Star Alliance in the connected star systems, with troops not smaller in number than the raiders. With our strength, we can’t possibly take down or infiltrate New Shanxi.”

“We have the raiders.” Mal’s mouth twitched, seemingly recalling the shark gang leader killed by River, and then he said, “We also have some old friends.”

The camera suddenly switched, showing the ferocious faces and screams of the raiders: “Aaah—” Massive fists monopolized the screen, smashing into the raiders. As the camera pulled back, in the tail bay of a spaceship, a large iron cage held a tall and muscular, half-naked man engaged in fierce combat with a raider. Megan Fox, playing a sultry Latin beauty, stood by silently observing, arms folded and holding a sweaty shirt. In a close-up shot, she showed not the slightest worry or tension, nor even the sense of watching a show, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

“Oh ho!” A chorus of gasps filled the theater, as a sea of fans, particularly the girls, cheered in excitement—Top-Captain had arrived! He had captured a dreaded plunderer to beat daily! What a dominant entrance! Nancy Reno’s voice burst out, not expecting the muscle-bound hunk to pace the drama scenes in such a way!

“Ahhhh!” In the cage, Top-Captain’s relentless punches left the plunderer completely defenseless. With a swift kick to the plunderer’s waist, the victim fell to the ground with a dreadful scream, unable to rise. Top-Captain spat disdainfully, sweat pouring down as he caught his breath and stepped out of the cage, slamming the door shut with a “bang.” In a long tracking shot, a fiery bombshell, played by Evangeline Lilly, handed him his clothes and secured the cage lock. “Mal looking for me?” Top-Captain draped a sweatshirt over his shoulders, his muscles still partially revealed, as he made his way to the communication cockpit. Pulling out a large cigar from his pocket, he bit down on it, a lighter held by another smokin’ beauty, portrayed by Evangeline Lilly, flicked to life as he walked down the corridor. Top-Captain took it, lighting his cigar, and headed toward the recreation area, where Michelle Rodriguez, in a cameo as a crew member, coldly assembled machinery. Jensen Ackles sat with his eyes closed, resting, but both stood to follow their captain. In the piloting cabin, hung with punching bags, Channing Tatum operated the spaceship.

It was the same Firefly-class ship, but unlike the comically named Serenity, this crew was fierce—a savage aura assaulted the senses!

So arrogant, so cool! The male audience members felt a twinge of jealousy—how could it be, this guy hogged all the best shots! But who was that Latina beauty? Truly eye-catching and stunning! Their attention was captured while the fans of Best Director were delirious with excitement. Evelyn screamed, “Awesome!!” Natalie Portman’s eyes sparkled as she chuckled, having waited all night for her appearance. It was finally her turn! This director was so cool! Rachel McAdams also exclaimed with a “Wow,” cool! Annie Darren, Scarlett Johansson, and the others laughed for no apparent reason.

“Unbelievable…” At AMC-CityWalk cinema, Megan Fox pursed her lips excitedly, amazed to have joined such a big movie and made it to the big screen with a small but striking role. She loved Best Director! In the front row of the auditorium, Jessica muttered, “I wish I had played that role too, Top-Captain should be mine…”

The critics were also quite astonished. Clair clenched her fist and swung it; Best Director’s presence was overwhelming! On the big screen, in the cockpit, the screens were filled with various captains’ faces. Top-Captain looked at Mal in the center, laughing, “Mal, my old friend! Why call so many people, what’s up?” The camera cut to Serenity’s bridge, where Top-Captain’s image suddenly appeared on the screen, and similar to all the communicative screens, were the faces of different captains. Mal showed a particularly beaming smile, “TOP, long time no see! A big deal is on the line.”

The camera switched to Cyclone’s bridge, with Megan walking into the cockpit, “So we’re attacking New Shanxi! I need you guys to cover our backs.” As soon as Mal finished speaking, Top-Captain’s boisterous and excited laughter could be heard: “New Shanxi! Count me in. Megan, go kill that plunderer.” Megan, without any hesitation, turned and walked out, but some captains hesitated: “It’s too dangerous!” “I won’t agree unless I’m told the full plan of the attack.” Mal on the central screen said, “I don’t know who to trust.” Another captain asked, “Why should we believe you?”

“I believe!” Top-Captain said coldly, suddenly silencing everyone. The camera moved into different ship cockpits, sweeping over the hesitant captains and crew members. Attacking New Shanxi was like staking one’s life on the table! Top-Captain’s voice grew from solemn to intense to explosive, “You may think it’s dangerous, but 15 years ago! In Serenity Valley!! I was already dead!!” Suddenly, a loud “bang” of a gunshot was heard, Megan at the cage retracted her handgun, the plunderer screamed and dropped to the ground, and the rousing score abruptly soared!

The audience’s blood was starting to boil as they watched Top-Captain grit his teeth and chuckle on the big screen, “Today, I’ve come back to life! Mal, if I fucking die again this time! If I die, please take me back to Serenity Valley! That’ll be enough.” Mal nodded with a resolute expression, “Me too.” Top-Captain’s laughter was so electrifying it made people’s scalp tingle, “But you FUCKING losers, keep being losers! Keep hiding in your Fireflies and cursing the world! Not me!! This time, I fight for myself. But I’ll kill all of you, I promise if I survive, I will hunt down each and every one of you cowards!! I swear, ALL!!”

“If that’s the case… I’ll go too.” Suddenly, another white captain chuckled in agreement, and then the next one said, “Mal, I believe in you.” Another followed, “Then I’d rather die on New Shanxi.” Mal laughed, Top-Captain laughed, and everyone’s courage swelled, they all rediscovered the will to never surrender that they had in the past—they all came back to life! “I’m in, attack New Shanxi!!” “New Shanxi.” “New Shanxi!” “New Shanxi!”…

“NEW SHANXI!” The temperature in the theater was rising by the minute, and the multitude of audience members also excitedly whispered along, feeling a mix of nervousness and thrilling excitement!

The camera cut to the landscape of New Shanxi that looked like a desert or a loess plateau, as groups of Alliance Organization fleets were seen assembling and touching down—it was a military base! Under a heavier sense of oppression, Serenity flew out of the marauder zone, and the relentless blue-gloved hand appeared on the cockpit’s communication screen, speaking calmly, “Heroes of Canton, either hand over River to me, or Canton, will die.” He made this threat knowing well Mal’s stubborn yet soft-hearted nature.

How despicable! The audience, holding their breath in anticipation, also remembered the warm-hearted people of Canton town, this scene made countless people wish they could smash their fists into the screen! All Nancy Reno could do was admire and be impressed by the depth of villainy portrayed by this antagonist! “Heath” Ledger not only had a threatening presence, but he was the kind of villain who could provoke anger with just a few words and expressions, making people furious enough to want to beat him to death, a very punchable and infuriating ability, yet also very charming.

“Alright!” Without any fuss, and in fact with the musical score’s rhythm not slowing down at all, Mal said, “I will bring River to you on New Shanxi.”

The communication screen went dark, Mal gave Wash a nod, and as Kaylee had mentioned before, the communication system, modified from a marauder’s ship, came into play, and the screen immediately connected to the main ship of the marauder fleet. Christoph Waltz, playing the marauders’ leader, exuded a chill and arrogant air, “Who are you?” Mal chuckled, “Hello, I think you’ll be very interested in someone.” River then walked out from behind him, and the leader was stunned, “This girl…” Mal shouted, “Fire!”

In the vast expanse of space, a marauder fleet floated silently in the darkness, and from afar, Serenity launched a Firefly-class missile, single-handedly blowing up a marauder ship! Suddenly, all the densely packed large warships and small spacecraft surged forth!

Come on! Let’s have a final showdown at New Shanxi! The hearts of movie fans, audiences, and film critics alike couldn’t help but beat faster. After a long and potent buildup, what followed was an epic battle lasting nearly 40 minutes, with over 30 minutes shot using IMAX cameras!

Everyone knew that the most spectacular scene of the evening was upon them!

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PS: Ah, the preview was wrong, my apologies for getting ahead of myself—sorry everyone! With so much more to write to finish, to ensure quality, tomorrow will be the final chapter. Please forgive the over-7,000-word update for today! Sob! Also, big news!! Shocking, astounding! Today we shot up to number ten in the monthly ticket rankings! I can’t stop smiling, thank you! You all are amazing!!! Keep charging!! Keep voting for those monthly tickets!! Let’s make a splash in the monthly ticket rankings too!!!(