Chinese movie-goers have been rushing from screen to screen during the New Year's Day holiday, as several domestic movies were released near the beginning of 2018.

    2018年新年伊始，许多国产大片争相上映之时，中国影迷在元旦假期纷纷涌入电影院在屏幕前大快朵颐。

    From Youth, which was released half a month ago and topped the box office with one billion yuan ($150 million), to Miracles of the Namiya General Store which came out several days ago, domestic movies have been taking turns at the top of the trends on Chinese social media.

    从半个月前上映的《芳华》吸引十亿票房，到前几天刚刚上映的《解忧杂货铺》，国产电影轮番占领着国内社交网络的热议话题榜。

    Among the new releases, Legend of the Demon Cat directed by Chen Kaige, one of China's fifth-generation directors, became the one with the most polarized comments online. While many hailed it as the best Chinese film of the year, there are also some calling it another one of Chen's recent "bad productions".

    在众多新上映的影片中，由中国第五代导演之一的陈凯歌拍摄的《妖猫传》成为了网上评价两极化最严重的片子。有许多人称赞它是今年最好的中国电影，但也有人认为它只是陈凯歌最近又一部新的“烂片”。

    Legend of the Demon Cat is an adaptation of Japanese writer Yoneyama Mineo's novel Samana Kukai. Considering the limit of a cinematic run time , the movie sanded the edges and saved only the core scenario of Chinese poet Bai Juyi and Japanese monk Kukai's investigation on the truth behind the death of Yang Yuhuan, the most beloved concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

    影片《妖猫传》改编自日本作家梦枕貘（米山峰夫）的小说《沙门空海之大唐鬼宴》。考虑到电影时长限制，电影删去了其他情节，只保留了中国诗人白居易和日本和尚空海联手调查唐玄宗最宠爱的贵妃杨贵妃死因的主线故事。

    Despite the mysteries and suspense enveloping the whole movie, the grand vision of the Tang Dynasty in its heyday is a highlight of the movie and its recreation has impressed both audiences and film critics alike.

    尽管整部影片充满着神秘和悬疑色彩，但它最大的亮点还是对于盛唐的宏伟景象的还原，惊艳了观众和各路影评人。

    Polarized comments: Top-level film or another failed attempt?

    两极分化的评论：这到底是一部高水平影片还是又一次失败的尝试？

     However, after its opening, the polarized opinions have become even more popular than the film itself.

    然而，当它上映之后，两极化的观点甚至炒的比电影本身还要热。

    Most of the insiders gave a thumb up to the film. Han Han, an influential Chinese writer, film critic and new director, said it is a "top-level" domestic film, while director Lu Chuan said it is "a real visual feast, worth watching for a second and third time in the cinema".

    大多数业内人士都给这部影片点了赞。中国著名作家、影评人和新晋导演韩寒称，这是一部“顶级”国产影片。另外，导演陆川也称，这是一部“真正的视觉盛宴，值得大家走进影院二刷三刷”。

    "It would be unjust to smear it while deliberately ignoring the obvious effort of the crew and the outstanding performances of the actors," said Lu.

    陆川说，“如果连导演摄影美术等主创显而易见的努力以及等一众优秀演员的杰出表演都漠视，以烂片之名而棒杀，也真的是一桩冤案。”

    "It is a confrontation between the adolescent and the adult," said Jiang Fangzhou, one of China's young writers. Xia He, another post-1980s writer, called him "a master who has always devoted himself to exploring reincarnation and destiny".

    中国青年作家之一蒋方舟评价说“《妖猫传》是一次少年和成人世界的对抗。”另一位80后作家夏河称赞陈凯歌为“永远在用恢宏的篇幅探讨着轮回与宿命的那位大师。”

    The film was scored 6.9 on douban.com, a Rotten Tomatoes-like aggregation platform for movies, music and books. Most of those who gave the film the highest five-star rating said it is a highly-symbolic production that probes into truth and lies, love and hate, hypocrisy and sincerity, as well as the darkness and kindness in power and humanity.

    该片在豆瓣网，的评分为6.9。豆瓣网是类似于烂番茄一样的网站网站，主要提供各类电影、音乐及书籍的相关评论与信息。大多数给本片打出五星高分的观众称这是一部充满象征意味的电影，探讨了真相与谎言，爱与恨，虚伪与真实，展现了权力和人性之中的善与恶。