The Wandering Earth is an adaptation of a novella, and China’s first sci fi blockbuster. The sun is expanding and threatening to consume the solar system so humanity comes together to move Earth, but faces a devastating blow during its travels, which may mean the death of hope.
Everyone in the US was so concerned about the size of China’s army and their influence on our economy that no one may have noticed that China is now a serious contender in the game of blockbusters with little thanks to or interest from US! The Wandering Earth, which feels like a summer sci fi popcorn film, was released in time for Chinese New Year. China is flipping the game, and the day may come when directors like James Cameron are coming to them with hat in hand because it is the biggest player in the game if you want to make movies! You heard it here first.
While The Wandering Earth noticeably borrows visual and narrative elements from various movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Gravity, Armageddon, Pacific Rim, The Day After Tomorrow and Snowpiercer, it is so well done and uniquely combined that it isn’t annoying. While it is definitely more action film than a thoughtful drama with a sci fi premise, visually it has a lot in common with Another Earth in which there is an unspoken fragility about humanity’s relationship with each other and the world in its shots of Earth in relation to other planets. I loved how Frant Gwo, the director, constantly wanted his audience to remember the spatial relationship of people and objects to each other. I’m not saying that I didn’t get confused, especially the logistics during the denouement, but I chalked it up to something getting lost in translation and my lack of familiarity with the geography of the region.
You know that The Wandering Earth was not made in America because an essential idea in the plot is that humanity believes science, works together and prioritizes an environmental crisis. No wonder there are no Americans in this movie! Some Americans believe that the Earth is flat. Also after engaging in such huge construction projects as the Xiluoudu Dam, it seems logical that nowadays only the Chinese can conceive of what it would take to literally move the Earth. It visually reminded me of Watermark, a very unstructured and magnificent documentary. They literally know what it feels like to move the Earth, just on a smaller scale.
The Wandering Earth is a treat because it gives fans everything that they could want from CGI without feeling like CGI: earthquakes, volcanoes, space adventures, meteors, freezing landscapes, etc. One thing that annoyed me about Star Trek: Into the Darkness is that the plot would say that if something happened, then it would lead to another thing happening then never delivered whereas if this movie hinted at something, we got to see what it would look like. It may have made the movie slightly predictable for me, especially since I paid close attention to the opening scene, but it worked. My favorite visual moment that delivered on an earlier narrative point was the vodka. It was freaking cool.
I was really surprised that The Wandering Earth definitely had a rebellious streak by emphasizing the difference between legal and moral. It glorifies people questioning orders if those orders prioritize a goal over people, even if that goal is to theoretically save humanity. How can you save humanity when you can’t save the people in front of you! People actively challenge their government’s decisions, and the government responds and occasionally relents! Why is the voice of the government French though? There is also a theme that different segments of society do not work together enough and once they do, the world will literally be a better place. The blue (in this case, red) collar civilians initially conflict with the black-outfitted military and the white suited scientists, but as the movie unfolds, resentment gives way to appreciation.
The Wandering Earth is definitely aiming to change some societal sensibilities by explicitly calling a biracial person a Chinese man, not a foreigner. The movie expands the definition of family—it doesn’t have to be blood, but includes adoption. Girls are considered an important part of the family (whether or not they are actually important is another matter). There were definitely deliberate sentimental manipulation breaks in the action, but they worked, especially since a number of the flashbacks weren’t scenes that I saw already so it genuinely felt like memories as someone was dying. Sorry, I’m going to sign the Spielberg begrudging appreciation of being emotionally manipulated waiver.
The Wandering Earth gave me some interesting insight on how China views people from other countries. In a complete contrast to our movies, the Russians are comedic relief and the reliable backup. Indians are lackluster. I nearly cracked up when the British had rosaries because not a Protestant thing, but I get it. You’re trying to show that they are Christians though probably not even. The Japanese are prone to suicide, but can be roused from it given enough motivation. Fun fact that I did not know until after I saw the movie: the countries featured are the ones that actually helped in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. There are some black people in the space station so a Chinese movie is officially better than a Woody Allen film set in New York.
The Wandering Earth is not where you go for character development. I didn’t like those two bad kids even though of course everything worked out for them, ugh. I loved the theoretical, final emotional dynamic between the son and the father because it reminded me of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s series finale episode, but until that moment, I was annoyed at the son. The daughter is young so she can grow out of being a dumb ass, but he should know better. Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes. Grandpa was basically the Judd Hirsch of the disaster film. My favorite characters were the father and Band Aid, but everyone else was underdeveloped so when someone died that the military unit gets really upset about, I responded with a genuine, not sarcastic, “Who?”
The Wandering Earth is long, but it was fun to watch. If you love movies like the original Independence Day or television shows like the Star Trek franchise, you will enjoy this movie. The movie definitely left room for sequels, and I will be there if I’m right. Obviously because it is a Chinese movie, there are subtitles so unlike most popcorn movies, you will have to use some brain power and bring your reading glasses. We haven’t made a solid disaster movie in a long time so Frant Gwo and China should be proud of themselves for reviving the genre. The end of the world is a blast again, not a dystopian mope fest.