《猩球崛起：黎明之戰》

　　Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is already well on its way to becoming a massive global hit. As of this writing, the science fiction sequel has earned $104

　　million globally after just one weekend. It’s reassuring when people get excited about a movie like Dawn. Dawn grapples with such serious issues as evolution,the nature of violence and the dangerous impact that misunderstandings can have on a culture. The serious themes should come as no surprise to the many people who enjoyed

　　2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. That franchise reboot didn’t shy away from taking a more intellectual approach to the concept of apes overtaking humans.

　　I believe very strongly that when it comes to the science fiction genre, studios often underestimate what the paying public is interested in. Yes, there will always be a place for one-dimensional action extravaganzas about alien invasions, but there’s also room for science fiction films that grapple with serious issues. For proof, look no further than this summer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is also

　　North America’s highest-grossing film of the season and second globally onto Transformers: Age of Extinction. Days of Future Past is full of complicated themes about social equality, discrimination and the ramifications of choices we make.

　　《猩球崛起：黎明之戰》萬事俱備，即將成為轟動全球的熱片。截至撰寫本文的時間，這部科幻系列片僅一個周末就已經掙得1.04億美元的全球票房。既然人們對《黎明之戰》這樣的電影興致勃勃，那還是很讓人舒心的。《黎明之戰》嘗試解決一些嚴肅的問題，譬如進化、暴力的性質以及誤解可能對文化造成的危害后果。這個嚴肅的主題對許多欣賞2011年《猩球崛起》的人們來說一點也不意外。這部系列片的重啟并沒有逃避猩猩接管人類的概念這一更加挑逗智力的做法。我堅信，說到科幻類型，電影工作室常常低估付費觀眾的興趣。是的，外星人入侵的單維動作大戲總會有一席之地，但探討嚴肅議題的科幻片同樣會有空間。作為佐證，看下今夏的《X戰警：扭轉未來》，這也是本檔期北美最高票房，全球票房僅遜色于《變形金剛：絕跡重生》。《扭轉未來》交織著社會平等、歧視和人生選擇后果的主題，錯綜復雜。

　　There are plenty of historic examples of smart science fiction films catching on in a big way, but when discussing the topic I usually point to two strong efforts that show what’s possible both artistically and commercially: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Christopher Nolan’s Inception. When Kubrick set out to make 2001 he was quoted as saying that he wanted to make a “good”sci-fi movie. That bold statement was backed up by a film that inspired some of the most successful

　　directors of our time: no less than George Lucas and James Cameron list it as a turning point in their lives. 2001 also turned in to a massive commercial success and it still plays in theaters around North America to this day.

　　聰慧的科幻電影火爆票房的過往例子不勝枚舉，但我在討論這個話題的時候，我通常會以兩部力作來解釋可能的藝術和商業成就：斯坦利·庫布里克的《2001：太空漫游》和克里斯托弗·諾蘭的《盜夢空間》。當庫布里克開始制作《2001》的時候，據說他揚言要制作一部“美妙的”科幻片。支撐起這一大膽的聲明的是一部杰作，它喚醒了我們這個時代一些最成功導演的靈感，包括喬治·盧卡斯和詹姆斯·卡梅隆本人都稱該片為其生涯的轉折點。《2001》也帶來商業上的輝煌成就，直至今日仍在北美影院放映。

　　As for Inception, Christopher Nolan also pulled off something miraculous: he made a commercially successful mind-bending sci-fi movie that doesn’t treat its audience like children. Released in between installments of his Dark Knight franchise, Inception earned a staggering $823.6 million globally. That sends a clear message to Hollywood: smart science fiction films can succeed in a big way.

　　至于《盜夢空間》，克里斯托弗·諾蘭也創造了某種奇跡：他制作了一部商業上極其成功的電影，雖然離奇古怪令人費解，但卻不把觀眾當作小孩。夾在《黑暗騎士》系列片的中間，《盜夢空間》賺得8.236億的龐大全球票房。這給好萊塢一個明晰的訊息：巧妙的科幻片會出奇地成功。

　　When it comes to entertainment, sometimes people just want something they can watch for two hours and not ever think about again. They want to escape. Yet many moviegoers want to be challenged. They want to discuss their favorite films for hours on end with friends. We need more films that create these conversations, and the truth is that they are not nearly as commercially risky as they are made out to be.

　　Personally, I can’t see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes again and debate its virtues with friends and family. I know the experience will be a rewarding one.

　　說到娛樂，有時人們只是想看兩個小時的電影，然后置之于腦后。他們要避開俗務。然而許多影迷也想尋求挑戰。他們會連續好幾個小時跟朋友嘮嗑自己的心愛電影。我們需要更多能創造話題的電影，這些電影開始會覺得很冒險，其實結果卻遠非如此。個人認為，我不能看了《猩球崛起：黎明之戰》而不去同家人和朋友辯論其中的奧妙。我知道辯一辯將是非常有益的。

《X戰警：扭轉未來》中伊恩·麥克萊恩飾演萬磁王