But the plot is full, which makes iQiyi dare to reopen the advanced screening of "Lotus Tower": Beautiful Lotus | Questions | Routines

The movie "Lotus Tower", which didn't hear much sound online, was released in advance on iQiyi.

It is said that this is the first time iQiyi has reopened since the cancellation of advance screening in October 2021, and there were originally no advance screening plans.

Some people say that the opening of the front door and the advance screening are to make way for the immortal and chivalrous ancient puppet drama "Seven Auspicious Times"; Some people also say that they dare to reopen advanced screening, proving that the platform has confidence in the popularity and quality of the series.

Late at night, the previously silent "Lotus Tower" suddenly made it to two hot searches and was even listed as one of the "iQiyi's 10 TV series with over 10000 views" - the leading one on the list was "Rage", with quality assurance including "In the World".

Turns out everyone is silently following the show like me.

Compared to three lifetimes, it's not enough. I need seven lifetimes of immortal and chivalrous ancient figurines, and the combination of ancient costumes, suspense, and martial arts in "Lotus Tower" really hits me.

As the first person who relied on points to get to the end directly, I would like to share my feelings about this drama——

It looks good, but it's full of tricks.

Reminder: The following content involves serious spoilers.

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Ancient costume+suspense+martial arts, there have been several popular styles in recent years, with titles such as "The Imperial Edict" and "The Chronicles of the Tang Dynasty" gaining popularity.

Compared to the list of two previous dramas, the name "Lotus Tower" almost made me miss out on this drama, especially after learning that Lotus Tower is a simple Chinese version of "Ha'er's Mobile Castle", which made me hesitate for a while.

But fortunately, the opening of this drama was very light and easy to follow.

I just watched the first episode and it's not like fans yelling and yelling at Amway idol dramas, "You can watch it until 27 episodes.".

In the first episode, Li Xiangyi, the top martial arts expert and the leader of the Sigu Sect, engaged in a fierce battle with Di Feisheng, the leader of the "Golden Mandarin Alliance" of the Demon Cult, on the ship. Li Xiangyi only sought the whereabouts of his senior brother, Dan Gudao, while Di Feisheng only wanted to defeat his opponent. As a result, both of them fell into the sea, and their respective sects also suffered heavy damage.

The street storyteller tells the story of the night of the great war, 10 years after a smooth transition. Li Xiangyi changed her name to Li Lianhua and descended from the movable Lianhua Building to inquire on the street. With just a few words, she exposed the butcher's extramarital affair and demanded 5 taels of silver for a few plasters.

Compared to Li Xiangyi, who had a deep grudge back then, Li Lianhua is intelligent but occasionally appears slippery, free spirited but somewhat vulgar, and seems to lack martial arts skills.

On that side, Fang Duobing, the son of the current Shangshu and the pre selected son-in-law of the imperial court, claimed to be the only disciple of Li Xiangyi and wanted to join the Baichuan Academy, which was once the branch of Sigumen.

At the same level as the Imperial Supervision Department in charge of various judicial cases, the Baichuan Court is in charge of disputes between martial arts sects and heroes. Fang Duobing hopes to become a criminal detective in the Baichuan Court and explore the world to solve strange cases.

When the two met by chance, Li Lianhua was surrounded by people from the Wind and Fire Hall, forcing him to bring a thief back to life. After Fang Duobing saved Li Lianhua, he was knocked unconscious by him, and Li Lianhua really performed a resurrection technique.

Look at the progress bar, the first episode is just halfway through.

In just over 20 minutes, the foreshadowing of the situation was explained, the worldview setting was clarified, the main characters were also met, and doubts of all sizes were buried along the way.

Fang Duobing repeatedly saved Li Lianhua, but he didn't know that this person was actually his own "master"

"Lotus Tower" is good because the plot is tight and suspenseful for most of the time.

This drama adopts the usual pattern of many high scoring suspense dramas: a main storyline, connecting cases one by one. Previous works such as "The Imperial Edict" and "The Chronicles of the Tang Dynasty" all adopted this model.

In the drama, suspense can be classified into three categories: small doubts are small tricks that are often unraveled in the first episode or laid the groundwork; The suspicious points are relatively independent cases, and the entire process will be reviewed in about two episodes; The whereabouts and truth of Dan Gudao, like clues running through the entire drama, are the biggest doubts.

The reason why Li Lianhua brought people back to life in the first episode is a small doubt, which was immediately deciphered: it was he who taught people to use the Gui Xi Gong, which can sustain fake death for three days.

Taking Gui Xi Gong as the starting point, Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing teamed up to solve the murder case of the leader of the Lingshan Sect, and one suspicious point was solved. But soon it brought up a new clue that the killer Park Er Huang belonged to the Golden Yuan Alliance, paving the way for major doubts.

Following the rhythm of updating two episodes a day, it's easy to follow the show: one case per day or two, without having to scratch your heart, but also looking forward to the future plot.

One suspense point after another runs through the entire drama, even after the big villain behind the scenes almost showcases and seemingly the biggest mystery has been solved, they can still continue to set up suspense points, such as the mystery of "The Wanderer's Tower disappearing out of thin air".

These suspenseful points, in the beautiful imagination of fictional time and space, emit an attractive scent like dark night flowers.

Corpse lotus, Ghost King sword revenge, Yellow Spring Thief, Desolate Village Secret Spring, Hell King Marriage... Mysterious and strange rumors are like supernatural legends, mysterious and bizarre with their own reasons, boundless and suddenly enlightened.

The commendable thing about "Lotus Tower" is that almost all cases are related to the main plot.

The protagonist unlocks new clues in each case, and the clues in each case progress layer by layer, pushing them further towards the truth.

This allows all important characters and story clues to always be trapped under the greatest doubt, forming a complete loop structure. Therefore, it's not like those suspenseful American dramas that were originally exciting but were cut off, just writing and ending up unfinished.

"Lotus Tower" looks good, but another thing is the action scenes that I never expected.

Before watching the drama, I accidentally came across a behind the scenes video where Cheng Yi, who played Li Xiangyi, had a fight with Xiao Shunyao, who played Flute Flute. Despite having only a blue screen background, the actors were suspended with white safety ropes. Cheng Yi jumped into the air, flipped over to avoid Xiao Shunyao's attack, and then raised his sword to stab him. The whole action was smooth, especially when Cheng Yi spun in the air and kicked into a circle in a white dress.

At that time, some people said in the barrage, "Don't be angry and keep the panoramic lens.".

I can truly feel the strength and aesthetics of Chinese kung fu presented in the movie series of Jet Li's "Huang Feihong".

In "The Lion King", Huang Feihong is trapped in a tavern, stepping on the oil all over the ground to defeat the crowd. His intelligence and skills go hand in hand, showcasing both aesthetics and imagination.

Although it is not possible to expect the current costume drama Xiaohua Xiaosheng to compete with Jet Li, who has a real kung fu background, it is not enough to even be reluctant to play with some flower fists and embroidered legs, and just put on a face for filming.

When it comes to action scenes, first the camera makes a handsome appearance, then the slow motion camera disrupts the shape and twists twice to quickly kill the opponent. If the screen clarity is adjusted to 4K, you will find that some weapons are all cutout.

This is not entirely the actor's fault. The slow motion in "The Sword in the Snow" and the high-speed rotation of the camera in "Let's Try the World" are both innovative styles of the director.

The fighting scenes in "Lotus Tower" require at least the weapons in the actors' hands, with a texture that can withstand close-up shots; Whether it's a one-on-one one-on-one battle or a two team confrontation, with swords and stabs, each move is in one go, and the process of action can be clearly seen.

For example, Fang Duobing repeatedly drew his sword to help Li Lianhua block the attack, coupled with a powerful sound effect, which really made people feel a little nervous; At a critical moment, Li Lianhua turned back to Li Xiangyi and killed him in all directions, which was also considered graceful and agile.

Compared to others, there is still room for improvement, and now it can be considered an advantage.

Murong Yao's dance in the drama is truly worthy of the title of "dance demon"

If action dramas are not limited to fighting, "Lotus Tower" has contributed to the most beautiful action drama I have ever seen in ancient costume dramas today.

In the case of Yulouchun, several legendary figures in the martial arts world were invited to attend a gathering called "Manshanhong". A man in red appeared and stood out, lightly tapping the river and stepping onto the shore. Li Lianhua's opponent, who was sickly, said, "You can't beat him even if you're handsome.".

This Murong Waist, who is known for his dance skills and is renowned in the capital, performed a dance during the banquet. He jumps on the drum, each move is powerful and powerful. When fixed, he remains motionless, like a sculpture; At the moment of jumping, the body lines were beautiful and vigorous, and even the red clothes on the body were alive, turning into a blazing fire.

Although I don't understand dance, I know that these movements are definitely a practice.

One of the movements was when he touched the ground with one hand and used force to create a semicircle in the air; There was another action, he took off in the air, his feet stretched straight, landing firmly, and his red clothes were like blooming flowers.

Later on, it was discovered that the actor Liu Jia was a dancer who had won the Lotus Award and performed at the Spring Festival Gala.

In my heart, I sigh that we still need professionals to do professional things.

Nowadays, many ancient puppet dramas add a stunning dance buff to their character designs, resulting in two circles and two poses; Or as in Eileen Chang's pen, he reached out to the left to compare and the right to compare.

This flowing and flowing action is truly worthy of the title of "dance demon" in the drama.

"Lotus Tower" is beautiful, but one thing is that some of the emotional scenes are handled beautifully.

I am not someone who likes to use CP, but the friendship between the three main male characters in this drama is handled comfortably.

Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing, a scheming yet kind-hearted person, and a sunny, simple yet pursuing official second-generation, always collide with different sparks.

The first time we met, Fang Duobing was used by Li Lianhua to relieve the siege of the Wind and Fire Hall. Thinking that the two were already friends, Fang Duobing was immediately knocked unconscious by Li Lianhua and left in the mountains.

Li Lianhua is not ungrateful, she just doesn't want Fang Duobing to be involved in her dangerous journey. When Fang Duobing truly faced danger, he was willing to expose his identity that had been hidden for ten years, disregarding his damaged body that had been poisoned for many years, and resolutely took action to save him, pretending not to know.

The two of them helped each other and complemented each other in the adventure of "he ran away and chased after him but couldn't fly". The two of them gathered and let go, binding each other and complementing each other.

The entanglement between Li Lianhua and the fluting sound was unexpected.

At the beginning, the two of them fought fiercely, and as the plot progressed, "Master of the Demon Cult" was just a simple "martial fool". Their lifelong wish was only to defeat Li Xiangyi, and they also demanded that this battle be fair.

He scoffed at various struggles for power and profit in the world, but he always cared for this opponent.

Among the crowd, he was unforgivable, but Li Lianhua saw through his cold face and innocent voice, and even dared to take him with her when he lost his memory. She would rather jump off a cliff than meet his demands for a battle.

These two people, loving and killing each other, have a strong tension.

Compared to the emotional construction of the protagonist group, the hidden emotions behind some cases in the drama can have a significant impact once exposed.

In the case of Yulouchun, the elegant and graceful women in the female residence were actually abducted and sold for exploitation and abuse. They cannot escape, and even do not know where they are.

Guard Xin Jue, who had been undercover for many years in search of his abducted wife, fabricated the legend of the "Ghost King Sword" and waited for an opportunity to seek revenge; The guest bowed down and even broke his arm to save his lover.

Chinese costume version of "Murder on the Orient Express"

The most regrettable thing is still the group of women who have been bullied.

After years of being trapped, they had to try to join forces to kill their owner, Yulouchun, but kept their plan hidden from Qing'er, who had just been abducted here for less than two months.

Because women's youth is fleeting, they already see themselves as half dead. But on Qing'er, who can cry and make trouble, they see their past selves. If the plan fails and Qing'er is unaware, she can save her life; If successful, then Qing'er doesn't have to bear a life lawsuit and can still be a clever and happy little girl.

When the case was resolved, they pleaded for mercy on Murong Yao because he did not participate in the murder.

How can one remain unmoved by the redemption and kindness of being in dire straits yet still caring for others.

Fortunately, Qing'er is not an ordinary person, but Fang Duobing's fianc é e Princess Zhaoling. When the Inspection Department arrived, she gave an order and all sisters were freed again.

Perhaps it is too dramatic or illogical.

But what could be more satisfying about a martial arts drama than having such a chivalrous and gentle heart ultimately achieving good results?

Routine

Friends who have seen this may find that when I praised the rhythm and emotions of this drama in the previous text, I always emphasized "parts"?

Yes, there was a serious rhythm issue in dealing with another part of the emotional drama in this drama.

For example, emotional scenes between male and female protagonists.

Before Li Xiangyi fell into the sea, there was a childhood sweetheart, played by Chen Duling as Qiao Wanqi.

Before the war, Qiao Wanqi wrote a breakup letter to Li Xiangyi, to the effect that she couldn't bear the pressure brought by Li Xiangyi's radiance.

After Li Xiangyi disappeared for ten years, Qiao Wanqi felt deeply guilty and was accompanied by a spare tire named Xiao Zijin. Later, Li Lianhua appeared and transformed into a happy knot, and Qiao Wanqi immediately married Xiao Zijin.

This emotional scene was filmed well, pulling and pulling, crying and crying, it was just over two episodes long.

Just after Li Xiangyi returned to Sigu Gate after the Great War, he secretly caught sight of Qiao Wanqi, Xiao Zijin, and others talking in the severely damaged sect, and replayed several times.

But if they let go, Xiao Zijin doesn't believe it, and neither do I.

Compared to the emotions gradually laid by the three male main characters, the relationship between the male and female protagonists comes and goes quickly.

At the beginning, it was only said that Qiao Wanqi had a deep affection for Li Xiangyi and refused to accept that he had passed away for ten years. When the two saw each other again, the so-called conflict was all due to Qiao Wanqi repeatedly reciting the old letters.

Moreover, in the drama, Xiao Zijin is narrow-minded and stingy, and is not a good person. It is hard to tell what kind of relationship they have, which inevitably leads people to think that Qiao Wanqi will have a change in her future life, so she comes back to find Li Xiangyi.

In my opinion, instead of focusing on solving their emotional problems in one or two episodes, it's better to crush the scenes and intersperse them with memories in the main plot. The differences between the two only need a few details, and there is no need to recite long dialogues.

The emotional scenes between Li Xiangyi and Qiao Wanqi are too focused, and it is difficult to convince people to be deeply in love or let go

In contrast, Wang Herun's portrayal of Jiao Liqiao's feelings for Flute Flying Sound is more fully handled.

At first, I saw that Jiao Liqiao was deeply in love with Di Feisheng. In the flashback of the plot, I found out that when Jiao Liqiao was kidnapped and intended to be violated, Di Feisheng appeared and killed the other person, saving her.

However, the original intention of the flute flying sound was not to save beauty as a hero, but to persist in martial arts competitions. In the eyes of Jiao Liqiao, who was in danger, this was a life-saving straw.

Subsequently, the sound of flutes repeatedly belittled and pushed back, coupled with her identity as a defeated aristocrat in Nanyin, Jiao Liqiao's emotions became a strong possessive desire.

Although this romantic scene is not pleasing, it is more reasonable than Li Xiangyi and Qiao Wanqi.

The same problem also arises from the relationship between Li Lianhua and her senior brother Dan Gudao.

At the beginning of the drama, Li Xiangyi only cared about the whereabouts of the body of Dan Gudao. After becoming Li Lianhua, he had let go of many things, and his only obsession remained this.

In the flashback scenes, it was all childhood Dan Gudao who gave Li Xiangyi all the food when he was hungry.

However, as the ending approached, Li Lianhua returned to her school and accidentally flipped through her old belongings, only to realize her senior brother's hatred towards him.

At this moment, all the flashbacks were the gritting of teeth after losing to Li Xiangyi in the single lone sword competition.

I can't accept the sudden turn without any preparation.

The hostility of this reversed single lone sword towards Li Xiangyi is almost concentrated in one episode.

"Lotus Tower" actually laid a foreshadowing, such as the conclusion of the case of Yu Lou Chun. Shi Wenjue, a young master of the Iron Armor Sect who is skilled in weapon forging, once revealed to Fang Duobing that Shan Gu Dao had used the just to soft Tianwai Cloud Iron to forge weapons.

It was not until the episode of uncovering the identity of Shan Gudao that the origin of the Tianwai Cloud Iron was added: originally, Shan Gudao was ordered to escort the only child of the Tianwai Cloud Iron family to seek refuge, but he reported that the child died unexpectedly.

I certainly understand the biggest suspicion in the early stages of the drama that attempting to hide the single lone sword is the behind the scenes villain.

However, a stunning "reversal play" must have laid a solid foundation in the early stages. When the conclusion was revealed, the audience looked back at the results and realized that the answer was hidden in those dense details.

Both the foreign version of "Island Fear" and the domestic version of "Hypnosis Master" are like this.

It's better to add more scenes from the past of the senior brothers, enrich the content information, and scatter it into the early plot, bury more foreshadowing, show a little bit of nodding, but not breaking it, leaving blank space for the audience.

In fact, the biggest doubt about the identity of Shan Gudao in the whole play is not a mystery in my eyes.

If the protagonist of a drama has a obsession from the beginning, then the ultimate villain behind the scenes who appears must be this obsession.

This design can maximize the dramatic effect.

There are too many similar plots. When the first episode aired, someone in the barrage asked, "Is the boss behind the scenes the senior brother?"

There are certainly films and TV dramas that break away from this structure.

Halfway through the broadcast of "The Long Season", Shen Mo asked Wang Yang to go with him. I bet online that Wang Shuang hit Wang Yang at the beginning.

Unexpectedly, this drama didn't follow the routine. So it should be 9.4 Douban.

Speaking of "Lotus Tower". This is exactly my other perception of this drama - formulaic.

Even for those cleverly designed detective plots that I really enjoy, I can immediately guess some details of the plot.

Taking the case of Yulouchun as an example. As soon as the scene of Li Lianhua's maid kissing with her hand and him falling asleep appeared, I sent a message to my fellow drama enthusiasts, "Is this the Murder on the Orient Express?"

If these plots are due to repeated appearances in films, TV dramas, or literary works of the same theme, which gives me a premonition, then the ending play further demonstrates the formulaic creative thinking of this drama.

For example, in the drama, resolving the mother's conflict requires the blood of the descendants of the Nanyin royal family. Although the plot had always shown that Dan Gudao was a descendant of the royal family, as soon as the "blood test" section came out, I immediately realized that Li Lianhua was the descendant.

Because Shan Gudao committed evil due to his identity as a descendant of the imperial family, which aroused his desire for power. Therefore, only by depriving him of this identity can he completely destroy the rationality of his behavior from a legal and moral perspective.

The only way to fully enhance the theatrical effect is to attribute her true identity to Li Lianhua, who is in sharp opposition to him.

A similar situation also involves the background of Fang Duobing. When he said he was Dan Gudao's nephew, I anticipated that he would be Dan Gudao's son.

The reason is the same as before, we need to concentrate the contradictions.

What can stimulate the emotions of watching a drama more than a sibling confrontation or a father son fight?

All the tricks are actually aimed at maximizing the dramatic effect.

Brother confrontation, Li Lianhua's emotional level is full

Unfortunately, "Lotus Tower" vented its anger while attempting to gather dramatic tension.

Taking Fang Duobing's identity as an example: Li Lianhua and he are both teachers and friends, close friends and close friends, and spiritual idols; On the other hand, the lone sword on the opposite side was once considered an uncle, but later discovered to be his own father. The key is that this father not only came back to life from death, but also transformed from a hero to a villain.

How many people can withstand such a collapse?

Isn't this the ultimate philosophical question of "who am I"?

Compared to the emotional issues between Li Lianhua and Qiao Wanqi, is Fang Duobing's identity more worth pondering over in an episode?

However, Fang Duobing quickly chose the side and firmly stood with Li Lianhua. Faced with his biological father's provocation, he stared with a pair of big eyes, righteous and resolute.

Li Lianhua and Dan Gudao faced off, from initially disdainful and contemptuous, to hearing that her master had been harmed by her, her eyes turned red and the corners of her mouth twitched, and then to the fierce gaze in hand to hand combat, which was even more layered.

This is not only about differences in actors, but also about the scriptwriter's plot arrangement and the director's guidance and scheduling.

Whether it's costume dramas or martial arts dramas, they are a unique genre of drama in China.

When the Immortal Heroes and Ancient Puppets are about to inflate from three lifetimes to seven lifetimes, I have to wave the flag and shout for "Lotus Tower", which was not heavily searched during its broadcast.

Although it can be better.