Because Leng Zhiwen's subsequent time would at most involve guest appearances in other movies, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe series, she surprisingly continued to play male roles even after revealing her true gender, until the premiere of this new film.
Although this movie was released in 2011, it depicted stories set for the following year, hence its title, "2012."
Due to the immensely successful prior publicity, the premiere of "2012" attracted an unprecedented level of attention. Large numbers of journalists and professional film industry personnel vied for premiere tickets as if they were treasures.
In line with all previous films launched by Jiangnan Group, "2012" adopted a simultaneous release strategy across China, the US, and Europe. Premieres were held concurrently in these three regions, after which the entire cast and crew divided into three groups to attend the respective premieres.
The male lead was in the United States, the director in Europe, and the female lead, Leng Zhiwen, naturally stayed in China for the premiere. This caused immense heartbreak and a sense of injustice among countless American fans, even with the male lead being Tom Cruise; they still felt the premiere arrangement was unfair.
The core reason Leng Zhiwen remained in China for the premiere was, of course, our Boss Huang. This marked Boss Huang's second attendance at a premiere of his own company's film since the first installment of "Journey to the Heavens." Leng Zhiwen naturally wanted to be by her man's side.
The details of the premiere ceremony itself are not worth dwelling on; it followed the usual pattern. The true focus of a premiere always lies in the film itself.
Inside the largest cinema in the capital, "2012," a film that had captivated moviegoers for over half a year, unveiled its mystery to the world for the first time.
Many people have seen "2012," and this world's version of "2012" largely followed the main storyline of another world.
However, with Boss Huang getting his hands on it, it was inevitable that he would give it his own spin. Especially since his wife was the female lead in this film, he had to shift the narrative focus towards his wife.
After all, in the previous life's "2012," the female lead, apart from occasional screams, caring for her ex, bothering her current partner, and showcasing maternal love, didn't do much else.
In fact, in that film, the female lead's screen time was likely less than that of the second male lead. The movie began with the second male lead, and judging by the first ten minutes alone, one would assume he was the protagonist.
This is a common issue with female characters in many American blockbusters. Unless a female character is the protagonist of an American blockbuster, female roles typically serve as mere foils to the male characters.
And speaking of which, the most comical character was probably the third male lead, the ex-husband. He was utterly miserable. Devoted to the female lead and her child, he ultimately met his death to help his ex-wife and her new husband. Such a plot could only be conceived by someone with a severe case of idiocy.
But with Boss Huang's touch, "2012" naturally became something different.
While Boss Huang did not excessively reduce the male lead's screen time, and the core narrative still revolved around the male lead discovering the secret of the world's impending doom and desperately trying to escape with his family, the female lead's role was integrated with the male lead's.
In Boss Huang's version of "2012," Leng Zhiwen, as a high-level scientific official of the United Nations, made the first appearance. She traveled to China, intending to visit her elderly parents, but unexpectedly learned of a prophecy of the world's impending destruction from a passing Taoist priest. She was identified as the savior in the prophecy.
Initially, the female lead was skeptical. Later, she went to India and learned from a friend about the intense heating within the Earth's core, thus discovering the abnormality.
Consequently, she returned to China and found the Taoist priest again. This priest, utilizing the long-lost Lian Shan Yi and sacrificing his life, predicted that the only hope for survival was to construct a great vessel.
The female lead then managed to contact high-ranking US officials, and the construction of the Ark of Deliverance began.
As she poured all her energy into saving the world, she naturally began to neglect her family, leaving the children entirely to her husband, the male lead. This forced the male lead to juggle caring for the children while also writing his book, resulting in neither role being satisfactory. The children became rebellious teenagers, and his novels failed to sell. Ultimately, they divorced, with the children going to the female lead. However, the female lead could only entrust the children to her domestic helpers, remaining completely engrossed in her work.
The female lead had prepared two tickets for her children. She had also given one to the male lead, but he, not knowing what it was, threw it into the fireplace and burned it.
However, as the disaster intensified and evacuations began early, the female lead was too busy calculating various data to send a helicopter to pick up her children. Unfortunately, the helicopter encountered an accident midway, killing the entire crew. The two children, however, luckily escaped by parachute, landing in two different locations.
Upon learning this, the female lead finally had an epiphany and resolved to abandon everything to save her children. The male lead, who had gradually uncovered the truth, also learned of his children's disappearance and headed to the accident site to rescue them.
The rest of the story is as expected. After overcoming numerous perilous encounters, both the female lead and the male lead successfully rescued one child each. They eventually reunited and proceeded towards the direction of Noah's Ark, which was Mount McKinley in the United States.
Ultimately, they overcame further obstacles and successfully reached Mount McKinley. However, to their surprise, the US Vice President deceived the female lead, stating that her children and husband were not allocated spots because they hadn't paid, which would be unfair to the wealthy individuals who had purchased tickets.
The female lead then decided to forfeit her own passage, choosing to face death calmly with her children. But the final outcome left everyone stunned.
Because the female lead was gone, and no one could accurately calculate the data, when the two continental plates collided, a mountain range instantly erupted, directly blocking the path of the Ark of Deliverance. The Ark crashed into the mountain, resulting in the deaths of everyone on board – global dignitaries and super-rich individuals alike.
Conversely, due to the sudden appearance of the mountain range, Mount McKinley itself narrowly avoided being completely submerged. The female lead and male lead, along with their two children and the grand base where the Ark was being constructed, remained unharmed. The male lead and female lead unexpectedly inherited the base's vast technological resources and stockpiled food supplies.
Thus, the four of them became the last survivors on Earth.
Well, perhaps it's time to retract our earlier statements. This "2012" movie has been completely unrecognizable from its predecessor, so drastically altered by Boss Huang that even its mother wouldn't recognize it. One wonders if fans of the original "2012" would want to curse Boss Huang to death upon seeing this plot.
Fortunately, the people of this world had never seen the original "2012." Instead, they considered this version a masterpiece.
The next day, numerous filmmakers who attended the premiere began writing extensive film reviews, publishing them across various media outlets. All the reviews spared no praise for the entire film; in their eyes, it was a flawless cinematic achievement.
Firstly, it was a film where the female lead's role was not subordinate to the male lead's. Moreover, the female lead's throughout the film—her struggles, adventures, and character—were superior to the male lead's.
The male lead was compelled to act out of the necessity of survival, whereas the female lead's choices were all proactive; it was the female lead who changed the world.
This aspect alone garnered praise from nearly all feminist organizations globally. They unanimously lauded it as a magnificent film, one that fully showcased female power, a film that could truly reshape the structure of Hollywood productions, and so on. In short, this movie received full marks for its feminist themes.
As for the male perspective... apologies, the male perspective is irrelevant in this world. As long as women liked it, that was sufficient.
Beyond feminism, people of color were also a significant consideration. Thus, almost all high-ranking officials in the film, from the President to the Secretary of State, were black. This thoroughly satisfied the preferences of the black community.
Furthermore, a post-credits scene revealed that half of Africa's landmass had been preserved, along with hundreds of millions of black people, signaling the dawn of a black era.
This aspect also received full marks.
And finally, the dramatic, twist-filled ending satisfied the tastes of a segment of the audience with discerning preferences and a penchant for depth.
In their view, this ending was imbued with religious meaning and philosophical contemplation, prompting deep reflection.
In the end, the elite abandoned those who were meant to save them, and simultaneously cast aside their only hope—the great vessel of salvation known as Noah's Ark—which then directly collided with the suddenly upthrust mountain. How ironic was that?
And what could truly save them was not the Noah's Ark they had painstakingly built, but the base where Noah's Ark was constructed. Did this not illustrate the principle that water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it?
In the biblical account, only Noah's family and a pair of animals survived on Noah's Ark. In the movie, it was the female lead's family, along with the animals discarded from the Ark into the base in exchange for more cabin space, who were the true Noahs!
Oh, and that mountain that suddenly erupted? It might not have been due to continental plate collisions. Perhaps it was the will of dear God?
Thus, everything aligned, exuding a brilliant theological luminescence. In the end, even the Vatican publicly praised the film as a movie filled with divine radiance, even organizing collective viewings of the film.
In a nutshell: universally acclaimed.