Writer: Gong Geer, Junce Ye, Yan Dongxu, Frant Gwo, Yang Zhixue (Screenplay) Cixin Liu (Story)
Starring: Jing Wu, Chuxiao Qu, Guangjie Li, Man-Tat Ng, Jin Mai Jaho, Mike Kai Sui, Hongchen Li
Plot: The sun was dying out, people all around the world built giant planet thrusters to move Earth out of its orbit and to sail Earth to a new star system. Yet the 2500 years journey came with unexpected dangers, and in order to save humanity, a group of young people in this age of a wandering Earth came out boldly and fought hard for everyone’s survival.
Runtime: 2 Hours 5 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Ambitious, Stunning & Original
Story: The Wandering Earth starts as the sun is starting to grown and engulf the Earth, the governments of the world have come together with the ambition idea of moving the Earth to a new solar system, which will see the select group of people living underground on Earth until they complete their 2500 year journey.
17-years into the journey Liu Qi (Qu) has been raised in the underground and along with his sister Han Doudou (Jaho) is trying to get out in time to see his father Liu Pieqiang (Wu) return from his mission as they get ready to pass Jupiter, which brings about the first danger the mission the Earth will face, can they pass on the impossible sounding journey.
Thoughts on The Wandering Earth
Characters – Liu Peiqiang is one of the astronauts that must leave his family for this mission which will see him leave his own father to care for his child in the safety zone. He does try to communicate through the years and tries to get back to them after the first danger occurs on the mission. Liu Qi is the ambitious young man that has lived most of his life underground, he wants to get to the surface, with his wild inventions being important to his quest for freedom. He does get himself in trouble by breaking the rules which is why he can find himself in trouble at times. He does hold resentment towards his father for leaving him behind. Wang Lei is the soldier that is leading the mission to try and bring the engine back to life in a hope of completing this mission, he will do anything to complete this mission. Han Ziang is the grandfather that worked on the rescue missions while raising the two children in the underground city, he will do everything he can to keep them safe and raise them well, however difficult Liu Qi can make it.
Performances – The performances in this film reminded me of the ones in Train to Busan, we get what feels and should be just generic characters that gain emotional impact. Jing Wu does most of his work away from the rest of the cast, he makes us feel the distance he has from his family, while knowing his mission is the important part of the mission. Chuxiao Qu does makes us believe his rebellious ways through the film, while being a protector for his little sister. Guangjie Li shows us just how a man following orders will do anything to save the planet from its potential problems.
Story – The story follows the Earth on a voyage to find a new solar system after the current sun is going to die and engulf the Earth, killing everybody. We meet the residents of Earth 17 years into the mission when they face their first major danger, which could see the Earth destroyed by Jupiter, one group of rescuers will risk everything to hopefully stop the ending coming to the population. The story here is ambitious to say the least, we have always looked into the ideas of how life could continue if we needed to leave our solar system, this story offers one which is wildly original and emotionally impactful. Even considering this idea to work is something special and to achieve it is another story all together. This is one you have to see the story unfold and you will be left wanting more.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action and sci-fi in this film play hand in hand, it keeps everything fully in the science fiction concept of two planets coming into each other’s gravity, with the action being the way to separate the two fields.
Settings – The film shows us a destroyed Earth from the disasters that have hit, the underground city which is mankind’s only chance of survival and the space station guiding the mission to potential take Earth to a new solar system. Each location looks brilliant and completely takes us into the environment we are entering.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are mixed through the film, we do get the large scale beautiful shots, while this is one of the first major sci-fi films to come out of the Chinese market, we can see moments of CGI not coming off to the best level.
Scene of the Movie – The final mission.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – This is should be cinema experience not Netflix.
Final Thoughts – This is a special film indeed, it is ambitious and a must watch for anybody that wants to see a sci-fi epic.
Overall: True Sci-Fi Epic.
Rating