Sci-fi spectacle
Prequel to the hit film from China: “The Wandering Earth II”
A scene from the film “The Wandering Earth II”. photo
© -/Plaion Pictures GmbH/dpa
Many fear that the earth will one day come to an end. A Chinese sci-fi film shows action-packed rescue from destruction – and also provides insights into China’s cinema culture.
A space adventure from the Far East with a not so far-fetched doomsday scenario: With “The Wandering Earth II” connoisseurs of the Chinese cinema scene and fans of disaster films will get their money’s worth. Filled with special effects, director Frant Gwo’s film can keep up with Hollywood. When it comes to the story, you can tell that the film has Chinese origins. Fight scenes typical of Asian films are juxtaposed with huge explosions, and of course a love story shouldn’t be missing.
The predecessor “The Wandering Earth” was a cinema hit, which the industry magazine “Hollywood Reporter” described as ““China’s first interstellar spectacle on a large scale”. According to the PR agency responsible, both parts have so far grossed the equivalent of around 1.3 billion US dollars in box office worldwide. The film can be seen in Germany from December 21st. But don’t worry: you don’t necessarily have to know the first part.
It’s all about this
The film begins with chaos: within a century, the sun will grow so large that it will destroy the earth forever. The plan of a united government of Earth is to use gigantic engines to maneuver the blue planet far enough away from the sun so that humanity remains safe. However, terrorists try to sabotage the project. Their plan: Store the consciousness of all people digitally in a matrix where they can continue to live immortally. A group of heroes must therefore set out to guarantee the success of the project – but of course it doesn’t work that easily.
A lawyer in the director’s chair
Gwo already directed the successful first part. In fact, the second part is a prequel, meaning: the events within the story precede those of the older film. Gwo from the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, who is called Guo Fan in Chinese, actually studied law on the popular holiday island of Hainan in southern China. Only later did he find his way from television to film directing. James Cameron’s “Terminator 2” and Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” are among his favorite sci-fi films, as Gwo revealed a few years ago.
The film is based on the novel by China’s most famous science fiction author Liu Cixin. The end-of-the-world scenario isn’t that far-fetched. Some researchers expect that in five to seven billion years, the Sun will swell to such an extent that it will destroy surrounding planets, including Earth.
A film for China and the West
“The Wandering Earth 2” is intended to appeal to Asian and Western audiences. The burning of paper money to commemorate the dead at the beginning of the film is typically Chinese. Comedic insertions, for example in the fight scenes, or exaggerated characters such as a loud astronaut from Russia, an arrogant-looking US politician or the clever Chinese scientists are also included. You should bring a little bit of seating with you for the almost three hours of cinema entertainment.
The Wandering Earth II, China 2022, 173 minutes, by Frant Gwo, with Andy Lau, Jing Wu, Zhi Wang,