STORY: "Creation of the Gods II" hits British screens amid Chinese New Year celebrations
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 31, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 1, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:56
LOCATION: London
CATEGORY: ENTERTAINMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of audiences taking seats
2. various of the sharing session
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ADAM MORLEY, Creative sector lead of Hertfordshire Futures
4. various of the sharing session
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WUERSHAN, Director of Creation of the Gods II
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ADAM MORLEY, Creative sector lead of Hertfordshire Futures
7. various of the sharing session

STORYLINE:

The second installment of China's blockbuster mythological trilogy, "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force," opened Friday in theaters across Britain, coinciding with Chinese New Year celebrations.

The highly anticipated film, released by CMC Pictures, is available in Mandarin with English subtitles. It also debuted on Friday in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

After attending the London premiere on Thursday, Adam Morley, creative sector lead of Hertfordshire Futures, a business-led partnership organization, told Xinhua that he was "blown away" by the "masterful and beautiful" film and its scale.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ADAM MORLEY, Creative sector lead of Hertfordshire Futures
"I was blown away by this movie. I'd seen the original (first film), but this was even more epic. The blending of technology, live action, special effects, builds to building these villages and then adding all this detail. This is a very complicated, difficult thing to do. It was done with precision, and it was masterful and beautiful. It was also a very emotional story. At the end, I was very moved by the story, and I wanted it to continue. I didn't want it to end."

Based on the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel "Fengshen Yanyi (The Investiture of the Gods)," the trilogy depicts the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty in the 11th century B.C., weaving together battles between mortals, deities, and demons.

The first installment "Creation of The Gods I: Kingdom of Storms," grossed over 370 million U.S. dollars worldwide and won Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography at the 36th Golden Rooster Awards in China in 2023. Released in Britain the same year, it received widespread praise, particularly from the Chinese community.

At the London premiere, director Wuershan explained via video link the symbolism behind the character Yin Jiao's three-headed, six-armed design in the second film, highlighting how each head reflects a different emotion shaped by his experiences.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WUERSHAN, Director of Creation of the Gods II
"I hope that audiences outside of China can appreciate the imagination of the Chinese people while also understanding a character whose emotions follow a logic we can all relate to."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ADAM MORLEY, Creative sector lead of Hertfordshire Futures
"I think as a nation, as a distributor and a production company, (people) should be very proud of this achievement. So it's a piece of inspiration to the younger generation coming through, but also a very important play in the market. To have a Chinese film of this budget and this scale into the international market is really important, and it means that we get to share in a global community of filmmakers."

The trilogy stars renowned actors such as Kris Phillips (known in China as Fei Xiang) and Huang Bo, alongside rising young stars like Yu Shi and actress Naran.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London.
(XHTV)