成敗在此一舉：盤點年“任重道遠”的好萊塢大片
2019必將是大片雲集的一年，許多備受期待的高成本電影都將於明年上映，包括《復仇者聯盟4》、《玩具總動員4》、《星戰9》、《終結者6》等。這些大製作電影能否滿足觀衆的期望值呢？要知道一旦掉鏈子，後果真是難以想象，整個系列都可能隨之終結。
Avengers 4
《復仇者聯盟4》
Avengers 4 has just about everything to prove, and that's not hyperbole. First and foremost, it has to provide a satisfying conclusion to one of the most jarring cinematic cliffhangers of all time. Effectively undoing "the snap" in a way that will please hundreds of millions of fans is no small undertaking, after all. The film also has studio pressure to outperform Avengers: Infinity War, the culmination of a decade's worth of storytelling and the proud owner of a $2 billion haul at the box office. Who knows what Marvel will do to get more butts in seats than they did for Infinity War, but what's for certain is that the marketing team for Avengers 4 has a mountain of expectations to climb.
《復仇者聯盟4》幾乎要證明所有東西，這麼說並不誇張。首先最重要的是，它得爲影史上最令人不快的一個電影懸念提供令人滿意的結局。畢竟，要想以讓億萬粉絲滿意的一種方式有效地抹去“響指”的影響不是一件容易事兒。而且還有來自漫威影業的壓力，《復聯4》要超越《復聯3》。作爲漫威十週年巔峯之作，《復聯3》狂攬了20億美元（合139億元人民幣）的票房。爲了讓更多人來觀影，誰知道漫威會幹出點什麼，但我們可以肯定的是，《復聯4》的營銷團隊必然要攀登觀衆期望值的高峯。
And, of course, this movie is going to pave the way for the rest of the MCU moving forward. In that sense, Disney has tens of billions of dollars riding on its success. Will Kevin Feige's massive, property-spanning vision pan out according to plan? Can Disney outdo its previous box office behemoth? Will Avengers 4 be a satisfying finale to Infinity War?
當然，這部電影將會爲漫威電影宇宙其他電影的進展鋪平道路。從這層意義上來說，迪士尼數百億美元的投資能否獲得回報都要仰仗於這部電影的成功。凱文·費吉龐大的跨產業憧憬能否按計劃實現？迪士尼的這部作品能超過先前的票房巨獸嗎？《復聯4》是否會給《無限戰爭》一個令人滿意的結局？
Captain Marvel
《驚奇隊長》
Captain Marvel is Marvel's big shot at showing it can match DC's Wonder Woman. If the studio fails, it'll be tough for the studio to come back from — they're planning to make this character the center of the MCU, after all.
《驚奇隊長》是漫威的大手筆，目標是匹敵DC的《神奇女俠》。如果漫威影業這次失敗了，想爬起來可就難了——畢竟他們打算讓驚奇隊長站在漫威電影宇宙的C位。
That's an awful lot of responsibility for a hero who's never been mentioned by name in the franchise thus far, and although they've certainly got star power in the title role — Brie Larson took home an Oscar for her work in Room not that long ago — it isn't unreasonable to argue that Captain Marvel is, in its own way, just as big a gamble as Avengers 4. Marvel's made billions at the box office with gambles that occasionally seemed outlandish at the time, but this picture is a cornerstone of the post-Infinity War MCU, and it's bearing more weight than most of the studio's releases. We've learned not to bet against the company that made movie stars out of a foul-mouthed raccoon and a tree-shaped alien, but still — if Captain Marvel tumbles, it could have a major ripple effect on everything that follows.
對於一個這麼久以來在系列影片中從未被提及的英雄角色來說，這個責任真是太大了，儘管這個角色有大牌明星保駕護航——驚奇隊長的扮演者布麗·拉爾森幾年前憑藉《房間》拿到了奧斯卡獎，但如果說《驚奇隊長》是和《復聯4》一樣大的賭局也不無道理。漫威過去也曾用風格怪異的影片做賭注贏得數十億票房，但這部電影作爲《無限戰爭》之後漫威電影宇宙的基石，揹負着比漫威影業以往多數影片都要沉的重擔。雖然我們知道不要和一個能把滿嘴髒話的浣熊和一個樹形的外星人都打造成影星的公司對賭，但是，如果《驚奇隊長》垮了，那將會對漫威之後的作品產生巨大的連鎖反應。
Toy Story 4
《玩具總動員4》
Toy Story 4 might just be the biggest risk Pixar has ever taken. The formerly sequel-averse studio has expanded a number of its hits into franchises, but going beyond a trilogy — and with the series that started filmgoers' love affair with Pixar in the first place — has a lot of potential downside. Unless this long-gestating fourth installment can somehow bring back the old crew in a way that makes sense and is justified beyond all doubt, Toy Story 4 will be seen as a cash grab from a studio that made its sterling reputation by conditioning its audience to expect much more. No one wants Pixar to dip back into the well solely to make money off Woody's and Buzz Lightyear's iconic mugs. The Toy Story trilogy has defined many peoples' childhoods — and many adulthoods as well. Grown men wept in theaters because of Toy Story 3. No one wants that sort of cinematic magic to be retroactively undone by a corporate quest for bigger bucks.
《玩具總動員4》或許是皮克斯下過的最險的一步棋。過去不願意拍續集的皮克斯已經爲幾部熱門電影拍攝了續集，但是考慮到許多影迷就是看了《玩具總動員》三部曲才喜歡上皮克斯的，第四部很有可能會走下坡路。除非醞釀已久的第四部作品能以合理的方式帶回原班人馬並且打破所有質疑，否則《玩具總動員4》就會被視爲皮克斯故意拉高觀衆期待值的搶錢之作了。如果只是爲了再次靠伍迪和巴斯光年的馬克杯賺錢，那麼大家都寧願皮克斯不要拍續集。《玩具總動員》三部曲成爲了很多人的童年回憶——以及很多人的成年記憶。因爲《玩具總動員3》，很多成年人在電影院裏哭紅了鼻子。畢竟，沒人願意看到這樣的電影魔力因爲公司時隔數年後想再多賺點錢而被抹去。
Star Wars: Episode 9
《星球大戰9》
Disney tapped a box office bonanza when it bought Lucasfilm from Star Wars creator George Lucas, but it also shouldered the weight of some of the heaviest expectations any franchise has ever faced. For the most part, things have gone pretty well — The Force Awakens started a new trilogy in style, and the first "anthology" effort, Rogue One, proved these movies could work just as well on a smaller scale by delving into unexplored corners of the canon.
迪士尼從《星球大戰》創造者喬治·盧卡斯手中買到盧卡斯影業以後，就相當於買回來一個票房金礦，但同時也揹負起了其他系列影片從未面臨過的巨大期望。在多數情況下，迪士尼拍得還挺不錯——《原力覺醒》炫酷地拉開了新三部曲的帷幕，而第一部外傳《俠盜一號》則證明了細心探索劇集中從未觸及的角落也能在較小的範圍內發揮作用。
It would be disingenuous to ignore the ups and downs the studio's also faced along the way, however. The Last Jedi was a critical hit that brought in an impressive sum, but it was also infamously divisive among fans; just a few months later, the anthology outing Solo: A Star Wars Story emerged from a troubled production to lukewarm reviews and disappointing ticket sales.
不過，要是忽略迪士尼電影工作室一路以來經歷的起伏，那就太不實誠了。《最後的絕地武士》撈了一大筆，但是口碑也在粉絲之間兩極分化；幾個月後的星戰外傳《遊俠索羅》票房口碑均慘敗。
All of which is to say that with the still publicly untitled Episode IX, the franchise — and director J.J. Abrams, returning after taking a one-chapter hiatus following The Force Awakens — faces a ton of responsibility. Not only will the pundits be waiting to see whether this chapter can reunite the fanbase, it also has to tie up the Skywalker saga and pave the way for the next trilogy to follow. If it stumbles, the future of this once unstoppable series will no doubt be called into question.
囉嗦這麼多就是想說《星戰9》以及導演J·J·艾布拉姆斯——在拍完《原力覺醒》後再次執導，中間隔了一部《星戰8》——揹負着巨大的責任。不僅權威人士想等着看這部影片是否會重獲粉絲的芳心，而且這一部影片還得完美銜接天行者的冒險故事併爲接下來的三部曲鋪平道路。如果這部影片敗了，曾經勢不可擋的星戰系列的香火或許就要滅了。
The New Mutants
《X戰警：新變種人》
The New Mutants has a couple of things to prove, including the studio's assurances that it'll eventually come out. It's suffered repeated delays and various troubling rumors — and if or when it does arrive, everyone will be trying to spot the seams while deciding whether the end result lives up to what's being billed as a superhero horror film.
《新變種人》需要證明一堆事兒，其中包括福克斯曾保證這部影片最終一定會上映。它經歷了反覆的推遲以及各種令人不安的傳言，而且假如有一天它真的上映了，觀衆們都會試着找出情節中的瑕疵，同時評判這部電影是否像宣傳時所說的那樣是一部超級英雄恐怖片。
We've already seen the genre prove it can pull off comedy, thanks to Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy, but we've yet to see a superhero movie go full-on horror. Rumor has it that New Mutants is eyeballing R-rated territory, and if this ends up being the case, it'll be a crucial test for just how far filmmakers are able to push the limits of moves about our favorite costumed crimefighters. Even if it forgoes an R rating, that just makes its job of delivering effective horror even harder. Can this be another X-Men spinoff to nail a new genre hybrid concept, or is this destined to be nothing more than millions of dollars being funneled down the drain?
我們已經見識過超級英雄電影可以拍成喜劇，比如《死侍》和《銀河護衛隊》，但我們還從未看過一部非常恐怖的超級英雄電影。有傳言稱《新變種人》要定爲R級，如果真是這樣，那對於製片人將會是個決定性的考驗：他們將在多大程度上挑戰我們所喜愛的超級英雄的極限。假如他們放棄了R級的分級，那麼想要上映真正的恐怖片將會更難。這部電影會成爲另一部能夠實現體裁新混搭的《X戰警》續作麼？還是一部註定要血本無歸的影片呢？
Terminator 6
《終結者6》
The Terminator movies haven't been doing well for quite some time. The series' reputation has been in decline with every movie after Terminator 2, and it hit a new nadir with Terminator: Genisys. Fans of the classic movies have decried these not-so-hot sequels quite vocally, though the recent outings' woeful box office hauls probably spoke even louder to the studio execs in charge. Between critical discontent and disappointing financial figures, the Terminator franchise hangs in the balance. Can the creative team currently at the reins make it work, or is the series destined to remain an icon of the '80s?
《終結者》電影系列走下坡路已經有一段時間了。這個系列的口碑自第二部之後一直在不斷下降，而《終結者：創世紀》則創下了新低。《終結者》粉絲大聲譴責這些平庸的續作，儘管最近幾部的慘淡票房或許更能讓片方意識到這一點。在不滿的批評聲和令人失望的票房之間，《終結者》系列命懸一線。這部新片的主創能否讓這一系列重獲生機？還是說這個系列註定只能成爲上世紀80年代的一個標誌？
That's the question dangling over the upcoming Terminator outing, which has been saddled with the responsibility of saving the franchise from itself. That's not an easy cross to bear — especially when you consider the torturously tangled timeline that's been woven around this saga over the last few sequels and/or reboot attempts. Hopefully the trailers — and the movie itself, when it eventually comes out — represent a solid rebound and provide us with an action blockbuster that saves its franchise from extinction.
這些就是在即將上映的《終結者6》頭上懸而未決的問題，新片也揹負着拯救這個系列的重擔。這不是一件易事——尤其是當你考慮到在最近幾部續集和/或重啓嘗試裏圍繞這個冒險故事編織出的令人痛苦的猶如亂麻的時間線。但願它的預告片——以及最終上映時的影片本身——能讓《終結者》口碑有力反彈，爲我們帶來一部讓該系列免於完結的動作大片。
