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Middle age is long, full and full of possibilities."Middle-aged Women" Series, presenting the multiple vitality of women in various fields.

Cate Blanchett

Yes, you read that right. Ever since the release of the new film "No Man's Land" starring "the big devil" Cate Blanchett, this film has been positioned by the industry and outside as "the worst Hollywood blockbuster of the year."

The film started with 0 positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (currently slightly up to 10%), and its box office performance was disastrous after its release in North America. On social media, it was fiercely criticized by critics and fans alike:

"Despite its A-list cast, Borderlands is the epitome of what a blockbuster should not do."

“So bland and cliche, even an AI would think it was plagiarized.”

“It’s kind of like a Guardians of the Galaxy knockoff, but without all the soul, humor, and imagination.”

"You might as well cut out a picture of Blanchett as Lilith and put it on the wall. You can throw away everything else."

Although there are not many successful examples of game-adapted movies, and even fewer that have achieved both good reputation and box office success, this result is obviously very bad for a commercial blockbuster with powerful actors such as Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis and a production budget of US$115 million.

However, we have nothing to blame for the protagonist Cate Blanchett. On the contrary, we want to praise her.

It may be difficult to associate such a commercially bad film and its poor performance with two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett.

Especially just two years after the release of "Tár", it was great to see this once-intimidating music conductor go from wielding a baton to holding a flamethrower and transforming into the red-haired space outlaw Lilith into such an extreme character.

《Tár》，2022

Borderlands, 2024

When she took on the role, the film and television industry was shut down during the epidemic. Blanchett said she was doing everything she could to keep her children away from playing video games, but then "Borderlands", which was adapted from the game, came knocking on her door.

Blanchett had been at home for too long, spending a lot of time tending to flowers and plants in the garden. She was troubled by how to use the chainsaw and had no idea how to use it, so she took the job with the encouragement of her husband.

The epidemic isolation also inspired her to play Lilith. In order to prepare for this role, Blanchett bought a PS5 specifically to play games. She was also addicted to the "Borderlands" game community. Not only did she look for fans and cosplayers online to communicate about the role, she also learned makeup tutorials.

When Blanchett first started designing the character, he thought that Lilith was

The gunman's appearance was too gentle, so he finally adopted her suggestion.

Created a signature sculptural red wig

What's more interesting is that this movie was shot just before Blanchett joined the crew of "Tár". During the breaks in filming "Borderlands", the same crew would often see Blanchett sitting in a chair on the set, wearing all of Lilith's character costumes, with a flaming hairstyle, listening to music, and conducting an invisible orchestra with her hands... "It's so divisive! But it's also very liberating. They are completely different in energy and consciousness."

Blanchett once said in an interview, “Art itself has no politics, but politics is generated in the process of dissemination and commentary.”

Throughout Blanchett's thirty-year acting career, the Australian actor seems to have deliberately avoided audience expectations and actively challenged roles that seemed politically incorrect, unsociable, or even villainous in the mainstream sense.

She has won applause and recognition from the industry for feature films or independent films such as "Elizabeth", "The Aviator", "Carol" and "Tower". She is also keen to take bold risks in various commercial projects, playing the roles of an evil stepmother, a thief, a Marvel villain... When she goes crazy, there are really few who can match her.

No one will doubt Blanchett's strength. Even in the most ridiculous and fierce villain roles, she can always dig out the wisdom and depth of the characters' hidden secrets and deliver them with convincing performances:

In Thor: Ragnarok, she is the goddess of death Hela, wearing a black tights and thick Gothic smoky makeup. She is the owner of deadly danger and absolute power, and it is no problem for her to crush Thor's hammer in a minute. She is also the first female villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before this, all the "big villains" in Marvel history were played by men.

In the live-action version of "Cinderella", she is no longer the "evil stepmother" who is bad for the sake of being bad in the traditional story, but Mrs. Tremaine's vanity, jealousy, and desire for power are portrayed in rich layers, making the decent characters seem monotonous and boring;

In "Ocean's 8", she is a thief who wears a retro suit and is full of fashion. She is meticulous and domineering. She can kill a lot of people in seconds by just lighting a fire. Her aggression cannot be concealed at all.

Of course, not every venture into blockbuster territory is a success.

The worst one was the 2008 "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in which Blanchett played a female spy with a bob haircut. Her image and accent received some negative reviews, and the film failed both at the box office and in terms of reputation. It was even named the worst prequel, remake, spoof or sequel by the Golden Raspberry Awards.

Blanchett herself admitted that movies like "Borderlands" cannot be called "art", but the process of participating in it is indeed full of fun: she can enjoy playing those crazy characters and do things she could not imagine before.

Just like playing the goddess of death Hela, Blanchett hopes that her appearance will open the door for more actresses to have the opportunity to play interesting and challenging female roles.

When asked by the media why she was so keen on playing these outrageous "small roles", Blanchett replied:

“Only when you understand who Gertrude is in Hamlet, who Claudius is… all these characters, you understand that they are all part of that dilemma. As a theater actor, I observed very early that all the characters are a whole. You can be typecast very quickly and then get tired of yourself, so I thought, let me play that small role and do that small thing.”

For a legendary actor who has won numerous award recognitions - including two Oscars, four Golden Globes, four BAFTAs and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and has served as jury president at several international film festivals, Blanchett's career path has been illustrious and clear enough.

Of course, she can choose the roles that suit her in her comfort zone at will, she can become the most dazzling protagonist in more movies, and she can refuse to shoot those works that don't seem to bring her any awards or reputation. There are indeed many "powerful" people who focus on shooting works that match their own artistic style and tonality, which is of course an admirable persistence.

However, Blanchett is a maverick who dares to make breakthrough choices such as acting crazy, ugly, and evil in commercial productions, which is also worthy of applause. At least she can let us see a more multifaceted and relaxed Blanchett, as well as more rich and three-dimensional female images on the screen.

Whether it's the elf goddess or the mad queen, whether she chooses to raise the baton or pick up the flamethrower, Blanchett's exploration of the role shows us again and again:

At a time when commercial blockbusters are criticized for becoming increasingly homogenous, and among works that are not recognized as "Cinema" by famous directors and actors, there are artists who are willing to go against the grain and take risks on the biggest stage instead of guarding the existing halo and reputation. This is crazy, cool, queen-like, and "devil-like".

Written by: KEKE

Editor: Hezi

Design: Lele