Chapter 371: Chapter 255: Steadfast Confidence 1
Translator: 549690339 —
More than four hours later, the ending song of this terribly long sci-fi movie finally played during the line, “I will let this war burn forever, until your civilization is reduced to ashes.”
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat heavy, awkward even.
Harrison Clark coughed lightly to break the silence and asked, “This is the script I wrote after going back to the previous timeline and drawing from my own experiences. How does it feel?”
Nora Camp yawned hard and said faintly, “Actually, I watched it once when I was a kid. I really don’t want to lie…”
“Alright, I got it.”
Harrison rubbed his forehead.
Indeed, it was the worst movie he had ever made.
Among all his movies, this one had the most mediocre dialogue, the most ordinary plot, the worst narrative structure, and the worst box office and word of mouth.
It was only because he directed it that it hadn’t been entirely panned. However, many people in later generations considered it a piece of crap.
It was only because of his name that later generations reluctantly considered it passable.
Even though the film was later proven to be a great prophecy and had become mandatory in textbooks, the audience only cared about its accurate prediction of the Solar System Barrier that would inevitably be reached in 25oo years, as well as the possible technological advancements that would follow. As for the movie’s quality, well, cough.
A bad film is a bad film. Anyone who had watched it would undoubtedly reflect on what they had done in those four hours.
Was my time stolen?
Why didn’t I just spend ten minutes reading the movie’s synopsis instead of gritting my teeth and watching it through?
Nora Camp had already been tormented once when she was younger, and now it was her second time, so it was natural for her to lose her composure a bit. Seeing Harrison upset, Nora tried to comfort him, “It’s not that bad, actually. The main reason the film’s reputation is poor is that the story is so hopeless and in the end, all efforts are in vain. The pessimism in the story conflicts with the background of our rapidly developing age, where breakthroughs are being made in various fields.”
“At the time, many people believed that humans would eventually become the masters of the universe, so how could they accept such a tragedy? The dialogue and story were a bit weak, but not fatal. The reputation wasn’t very good during the first five hundred years, but even though people’s opinions changed later, their initial impressions had been shaped, so it wasn’t that bad.”
God knows if Nora’s conscience ached when she said these words.
Secretly, Harrison applauded Nora for her comforting skills.
Seeing that her comfort was working, Nora continued, “And you’re talented, too! Your other movies are classics, after all!”
Harrison’s face stiffened.
That hit home.
Harrison said, “The scripts for my other works were all plagiarized. Only the script for Compound Eye Invaders was my original work.”
Nora Camp: “Uh…”
Brown-nosing gone wrong—a truly sad story.
Harrison said indifferently, “The protagonist of Compound Eye Invaders is just a self-portrait of me. The way Nico Ross plagiarizes songs and movies is exactly how I do it. I am merely a name-stealing porter.”
This was another new attempt for him.
He wanted to know Nora’s opinion of this version of himself.
He was deliberately trying to shatter the impeccable leader image Nora had of him.
In the past, he definitely wouldn’t have had the heart to do this, nor would he have wanted to provoke trouble.
However, now that he had the identity of the Great Leader to back him up, Harrison decided to take advantage of the situation to test the waters and’ determine his future strategy.
What he never expected was for Nora to suddenly stand up, looking quite angry.
“What are you talking about! So what if those artistic works were plagiarized? Don’t you still have so many of your achievements in various scientific fields?”
Harrison:”…”
He sighed again, “Well… I brought those back from the previous timeline as well, didn’t I? Didn’t the movie show it all?”
Nora Camp: “Emmm…”
After a while, she said, “Let’s watch it again, then. This time I’ll pay closer attention!”
Harrison originally felt it was unnecessary, but it seemed there was no point in arguing. She was determined to find the silver lining in his movie.
Before starting the movie again, Harrison said, “Give it a serious evaluation after you finish watching, I want to hear the truth. Actually, after my communication with the Blank Ones’ collective consciousness today a previously overlooked issue has re-emerged. I want to know why I was chosen.”
Another four hours passed, and Nora Camp began to think carefully and organize her words.
“I’m going to say it.”
“Hmm.”
“You’re very ordinary.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t interrupt me.”
“Alright.”
Nora Camp took a deep breath.
“At first, I thought the protagonist was very conflicted, very humble. He was neither kind nor evil. He would plagiarize Carrie Thomas’ work but always feel guilty for plagiarizing the work of others. He detested Eric Mitchell, but although he already possessed the power of a super soldier, he still refused to quietly dispose of this disgusting piece of trash. He was not completely good or completely bad.”
“He doesn’t seem like a movie protagonist, just an ordinary person among the masses. Later, he changed, but not completely. That’s probably why the film didn’t perform well at the box office. Frankly, such a protagonist doesn’t fit well with military aesthetics, and it’s easy to feel uncomfortable watching
Harrison pondered for a moment, “Very fair.”
“Some viewers like the protagonist to be a pure villain, others like him to be a samt. A work can’t please everyone. A story with complex human nature always leaves the audience feeling uneasy, wanting to immerse themselves in the protagonist’s invincible pleasure but unwilling to experience his sadness and inner struggle..”