The Wandering Earth

The Wandering Earth (Liu Lang Di Qiu) (2019)

Runtime: 125 minutes

Directed by: Frant Gwo

Starring: Guangjie Li, Chuxiao Qu, Man-Tat Ng, Jin Mai Jaho, Jing Wu

From: United Entertainment Partners

What a film I saw last night, and what a crowd it was with... I was one of only a few who was not Far East Asian in ethnicity: 

Don't nobody tell Neil Degrasse Tyson about this film.

It was only a few days prior that I had heard there would be a United States release (albeit the only showings are late at night on IMAX as otherwise those screens are tied up with the Lego Movie sequel) of a Chinese science fiction film-the first on this grand a scale-shot in the Cinemascope ratio of 2.55:1 and oh yeah, it's also in 3D. It did draw a good-sized crowd to the showing I was at last night; naturally, I was only one of a few who was not Far East Asian in heritage.

The plot I already knew of beforehand but wait until you hear this story, which was based on a novel. In the future, the sun suddenly disintegrates and in less than 100 years, the Earth is F'ed. The scenario they came out with was not abandoning Earth but instead: thousands of giant engines are created so that EARTH IS PHYSICALLY MOVED OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM and the destination is the next closest solar system (Alpha Centauri) and as it's over 4 light-years away, that will take 2,500 years. Yeah, people now live underground as above ground conditions are even worse than the recent Polar Vortex but Neil Degrasse Tyson's head would probably explode if he hears about this story. Then again, considering the recent allegations against him... a Scanners-like moment may be preferable.

Anyhow, Earth passes by Jupiter but there are major problems so a disparate group of characters have to work together to literally save the planet. This is like an American blockbuster, for better and for worse. Various characters die and some you barely get to know them beforehand. Many moments are reminiscent of famous Hollywood films, such as Gravity, Interstellar and (especially) 2001. Yet I can say this is fine overall; while the CG at times looks like cutscenes from a videogame, that can be said about big budget American movies at times. It does look and sound nice, at least.

Plus, there are exciting action scenes and instead of there being a lead character who gets the majority of the focus, this follows the typical Communist ideal by various characters receiving almost equal focus and there being teamwork. I have heard that some recent Chinese films are filled with propaganda and I don't know if that's the case here as it's not like I would immediately recognize it. There is preaching done by several characters to get cooperation from other countries; think of that how you will. For me, the premise is incredibly ludicrous but if you can accept that, you may feel like me and view this as an enjoyable sci-fi picture where there's melodrama and some gleefully over the top moments.