Space opera films series#

( Inception is probably the most similar Hollywood film in terms of ambition and themes.) 'It's probably one of the most technically challenging films in Chinese cinema to date' on that score, Lu said, adding that he found inspiration in comic books and gaming, avoiding as much as possible the most common tropes of Hong Kong action movies or American blockbusters. Lu told Variety last year that his aim was to maintain some sense of reality, even in those action sequences that clearly defy the laws of physics. The fantasy storyline in particular features some eye-popping visuals and special effects, and several spectacular action sequences. Real events increasingly begin to mirror the plot twists in Kongwen's novel, building toward the film's climactic dual confrontations, which include a battle against a 50-foot, four-armed CGI demigod. But Ning is not a killer at heart, he's a grieving father, and he inadvertently makes Kongwen's acquaintance-even inspiring the author through his writer's block. In exchange for killing Kongwen, the corporation will help Ning find his daughter. The CEO is convinced that if Kongwen finishes the novel, he will die. Thanks to the intervention of Tu Ling, who represents the founder of Aladdin Group corporation, Li Mu, Ning is released-on the condition that he kill Kongwen the fantasy writer, whose latest novel, Godslayer, seems to be adversely affecting Li Mu's health. He succeeds in stopping the truck with this skill, but the traffickers escape, and Ning is arrested in their stead. Ning has a special ability: he can hurl objects with great force and control their trajectories. Cut to the present day, as Ning awakens from his vivid dream of Kongwen's battle and confronts two child traffickers in a truck-the ones he believes are responsible for kidnapping his young daughter, Tangerine, six years ago. The defeated warrior's parasitic Black Armor attaches itself to Kongwen, as Kongwen sets off to find Redmane and exact revenge. He defeats the warrior, but not before his sister is killed. The film opens with a fantasy sequence in which the fictional Kongwen faces off against one of Redmane's warriors. But through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning (Lei Jiayin) to accept a mission from Tu Ling (Yang Mi) to kill the author.

Space opera films series#

Per the official premise:Ī Writer's Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian), the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager, also named Kongwen, on a quest to confront Lord Redmane, under the guidance of a Black Armor (voiced by Guo Jingfei).

But the other half is set in the present day. Elements of the wuxia genre are woven into the fantasy portions of his latest film. Lu Yang is best known for directing the 2014 Chinese wuxia film, Brotherhood of Blades, and its 2017 sequel (a third installment is reportedly in the works).

A Writer's Odysseyīased on a short story by Shuang Xuetao entitled To Kill a Novelist, A Writer's Odyssey has a decidedly ambitious, very meta premise, shifting between two parallel worlds: the real world and a fictional fantasy world.