The opening part of Fate Zero was added by Nanaya myself. In addition to adding more drama to the popular character Artoria and showing off the skills at the opening, it also paves the way for the subsequent plot.
Because FSN chose the UBW line, it is not very clear why Artoria pursues the Holy Grail.
So Nanaya hopes to tell the audience what Artoria is fighting for.
The theme of FZ is heavy, and the reasons for each party joining the war in this story is a major driving force of the plot, and Nanaya must explain it clearly to the audience.
In this opening scene, Lancelot, played by the elf prince Orlando, also made a cameo appearance.
But he just faced the surging Lake——
Wrong.
It was a rough sea, and I felt helpless.
Unable to participate in the Battle of Camlann, he expressed his concerns for his lord as a knight.
Although the audience was curious about why the other famous Knights of the Round Table did not show their faces, this Minotaur Knight who did not even participate in the war was given a close-up shot.
When the Battle of Camlann scene ended, the movie title Fate Zero appeared next.
After the initial depiction of the tragic war, the audience's expectations for the movie have been fully aroused.
They were very satisfied with the excellent 3D effects at the beginning of the movie, and their attention shifted from the initial focus on the pictures to the content of the movie.
Although they also felt that the 3D effect of the movie was weakened, they did not care too much.
The opening scene reassured them, and they knew the special effects in the movie's battle scenes would be particularly impressive, so they just had to wait quietly.
The plot of the main film is a little bland at the beginning, and it only uses parallel montage techniques to explain the situations of several Masters before the Holy Grail War from many perspectives.
While shaping these characters, the plot also tells the audience the purposes of the seven people chosen by the Holy Grail for participating in the war.
Although there is no fighting in the next 30 minutes, it is almost entirely literary drama.
But all the audience watched it very seriously, and thanks to Nanaya's excellent storytelling ability, everyone quickly understood why these Masters participated in this Holy Grail War.
Among them, Kiritsugu fought for his own ideals, Tokiomi fought for his family's long-cherished wish, Kenneth fought for glory, Waver fought to prove himself, Kariya fought to save Sakura, Kirei simply followed the arrangements of his father and teacher, and the murderous devil was simply dragged into it.
The plot switches very quickly, but the audience's understanding of the plot is very clear and not confusing at all.
And everyone felt that the camera switching was very natural and smooth.
Often after people understand the plot, they want to see what happens to other people, and the movie will actively switch the camera to other people.
As a well-known film critic of the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan was naturally qualified to attend the premiere.
As a film critic who has always mainly reviewed commercial films, Kenneth Turan is slightly more tolerant of commercial films than other film critics, but of course only slightly.
Compared to other film critics, Turan understood from the very beginning why Nanaya put the showmanship shots in the forefront.
But knowing is not the same as understanding, and the opening paragraph is still a minus point in the eyes of this film critic.
In his opinion, this plot is both tragic and boring.
If they are fans of the Fate series, they will naturally resonate with this plot.
Because they have watched FSN and UBW, they know who Artoria is, so they can resonate with this king.
But what about newcomers? They don't know this character who has accompanied other audiences in two movies, one comic, and four novels, so they naturally won't feel this kind of emotion.
Of course, apart from the shortcomings in the initial shot arrangement, the movie FZ is definitely a top-notch film in Turan's eyes.
The plot of the movie progresses step by step, with a good balance of tension and relaxation, and it can definitely become a model for ensemble drama movies.
And if you look closely you will find that unlike FSN, this time the seven masters, whether or not they actively participate in this Holy Grail War, have completely different reasons.
This differentiation is very representative, as if it represents those who joined the war in real life.
They entered the same battlefield for their own different reasons, and the development of the plot was really interesting.
Turan felt that this was probably the best ensemble drama he had seen in terms of character creation since "The Lord of the Rings".
But compared to "The Lord of the Rings", FZ's storytelling still seems a bit hasty.
But considering that "The Lord of the Rings" has three parts and FZ has only two, this is understandable.
"What's wrong with me? I'm trying so hard to make excuses for the shortcomings of this movie."
Turan chuckled, "It seems that this movie is indeed excellent. Both the plot and the special effects are refreshing. It makes people unable to help but make excuses for his shortcomings."
The FZ is not without its flaws, but its advantages are so outstanding that people want to ignore them.
On the screen, the plot of the movie finally reached a critical point.
The Masters who were originally in various parts of the world finally came to the land of Fuyuki City because of the call of the Holy Grail.
They started their own war for the common goal of the Holy Grail.
The first thing that happened was Hassan invading the Tohsaka residence. After doing some gymnastics to stretch his muscles, he was beaten into a sieve by various flying props.
"Puff."
"What's wrong? Why are you laughing?"
Katsushira looked at his younger brother.
The cameraman covered his mouth and chuckled, "Big sister, don't you think this scene is very similar to pounding the meat to make it soft and then stringing it with skewers?"
Katsushira opened his mouth, not knowing what to say to this guy.
"…Your sense of humor is really strange."
Of course, the cameraman was the only one who found such a strange sense of humor. Most of the audience were puzzled by Hassan's suicidal charge.
But when they saw so many Hassans appearing in the church and realized that Assassin had turned from open to secret, they immediately felt a chill.
How should other Masters deal with being monitored by these guys at all times?
But the audience didn't have to worry for long, as the first official battle of the Holy Grail War finally broke out at the port.
As an opening, the battle between Diarmuid and Artoria amazed everyone from the first frame.
Not only Irisviel, played by Illya on the screen, but also the audiences watching FZ all over the world, from New York across the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo off the screen, were dumbfounded!
"The effect of the gun tip is so realistic! It looks like it's about to hit me in the face!"
Although it was expected at the beginning, it was the first time that the audience had seen such a strong visual realism.
You have to know that the previous pictures emphasized the three-dimensional sense of the 3D effect. Although it was amazing, it was far less stimulating to the visual senses than the several gun tip lenses of Diarmuid this time.
In order to maximize the visual stimulation, Nanaya deliberately maximized the jumping screen effect of several weapon shots.
Combined with the huge IMAX screen, the audience can more clearly experience the depth of field effect.
Even Johnson and the three British gay friends had their eyes wide open, their mouths slightly open, and their eyes fixed on the screen.
Their expressions can now only be described in one word - shocked!
Although they are the protagonists of this film, they are not the core creators and this is the first time they see the finished film.
"It's really amazing. Compared with this movie, the special effects used in other movie promotions are like children playing house."
Tom Hiddleston, the youngest among the group, was the first to shout out.
James McAvoy rubbed her chin and commented seriously, "It's like being sucked into the movie screen without realizing it. Is this the immersive experience they talked about in the previous promotions?"
"James, your legs are shaking."
Benedict Cumberbatch rolled his eyes at him.
Benedict Cumberbatch is now extremely grateful, because after falling off the stage, he had thought about quitting.
After all, he was frightened by such a serious accident, so of course he would instinctively retreat.
However, Benedict Cumberbatch quickly adjusted his mindset and rejoined the filming after his injury had almost healed.
Now it seems fortunate that this is the case, otherwise it would be a pity to miss such a great work.
"Guys," Johnson nodded, "Do you think there's another movie this year that can surpass ours in terms of visual effects?"
McAvoy thought about it and shook her head: "Probably not. Although I heard that most movies have IMAXv versions, none of them have 3D versions."
"Hehe, this will be interesting next time."
"What a joke! After watching FZ, how can I watch other special effects movies?"
Although Tom Hiddleston said this, his eyes revealed a gloating smile.
"I think our director is ruining all the special effects movies in Hollywood!" Johnson proudly announced, "All special effects movies this year are going to be ruined."
"That's not the case." Benedict Cumberbatch calmed down a little. "After all, the difference in special effects between the regular version and the IMAX version is not as big as that between the regular version and the IMAX version."
McAvoy added: "But the IMAX version will definitely be able to be shown for a long time. This will definitely be the beginning of a new era."
Although the three British friends are all professionally trained, their perspective on watching movies is more like that of ordinary movie fans.
What do ordinary movie fans care about most?
Of course it's the special effects.
If Hassan's lamb kebabs are just a side dish, then the battle between Diarmuid and Artoria is just an appetizer.
Everyone was waiting for the main course to be served.
And the commercial film director Nanaya Kiryu did not disappoint everyone. The successive appearances of The Emperor, Mr. Golden and The Lake Knight attracted everyone's attention.
And the game between the parties is indeed exciting.
Whether it is the battle design between the servants or the contest between several masters outside the main battlefield, it is all very exciting.
Just when everyone was looking forward to how the plot would develop, the Lake Knight wrapped in black fog went after losing his opponent Gilgamesh and turned to his old boss.
"A————rrrrrrrthur!!!!!"
The Lake Knight roared and pounced on Artoria like a pervert.
Now the audience immediately understood why Mr. Golden had previously described him as a mad dog.
"Damn, what mad dog dared to molest my Artoria!"