Promotional materials for Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms Photo: Courtesy of Wu Ershan
The first film in a new trilogy,
Creation of The Gods Ⅰ: Kingdom of Storms, has earned over 400 million yuan ($54 million) at the Chinese mainland box office since its release on Thursday.
The film is China's first ever in the genre of 'epic myth.' It was inspired by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel
Investiture of the Gods, which narrates the history of the Shang (c.1600BC-1046BC) and Zhou (1046BC-771BC) dynasties but intertwined with folklore, legends and mythical creatures such as the fox-turned-human Daji, the favorite consort of the wicked Shang emperor King Zhou.
Featuring King Zhou and Daji as main characters, the film can be seen as a historical text interpreted as an "epic mythical" film, Wu Ershan, the film's director, told the Global Times.
Pointing to literature classic
Romance of the Three Kingdoms as an example, Wu told the Global Times that China is rich in works in which fiction departs from historical truth, yet what makes a good "mythical epic" is "re-imagining history" while "bringing changes over time and good versus evil battles" into the story.
Comparing to the evil-spirited pair of King Zhou and Daji, Ji Chang and Ji Fa are two father-and-son figures that are depicted as loyal and fair-minded in the film. They put saving the country from King Zhou before their own lives.
Wu told the Global Times that he was deeply touched by the story of how Ji Chang maintains his loyalty to the country after been forced by the king to eat his oldest son Bo Yikao.
"Such stories reflect longstanding Chinese values such as the belief in moral virtues and maintaining good ethical standards despite setbacks," Wu noted.
The film's heroic story, which took Wu's team almost five years to write, is not the only factor that has brought people to cinemas, there is also the production's visuals.
From the costumes and make-up to the props, the visual presentation of the film was inspired by historical relics and sites.
Si Ji, a designer who worked on the film's concept design, told the Global Times that his team carried out historical research on bronze relics from the Shang Dynasty (c.1600BC-1046BC) Yin Ruins in order to search for inspiration for the film's character design.
Promotional materials for Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms Photo: Courtesy of Wu Ershan
Including a horse-riding scene, a lot of scenes in
Creation of The Gods Ⅰ: Kingdom of Storms were filmed at studios at the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis - a new film base powered by domestic technology that has helped produce blockbuster Chinese films like
The Wandering Earth II.
"China's film industry is continuously developing, but there is still a room for growth," Wu said, adding that post-production on
Creation of The Gods Ⅰ: Kingdom of Storms was completed by an international team made up of Chinese experts and technicians from all over the world.
"The film is an example showing that art and civilizations can communicate across cultural barriers," Wu noted, adding that the remaining two films are hopefully scheduled for summer 2024 and 2025.
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