The Wandering Earth is based on a book of the same name by Liu Cixinand is potentially China's first full-scale sci-fi blockbuster. And what a movie! Currently just passing $600 million at the box office, the film is undoubtedly turning heads all around the world.
The premise follows Earth in the future when the sun dies out and the planet undergoes extensive climate change. The people of Earth band together to build giant thrusters to move the planet out of orbit and sail to a new star system 2500 years away.
Nearly everything about the film is epic. It's true that the film isn't overly thought-provoking, but otherwise, the effects are epic, the scale is epic, and the attention to detail is such quality.
One of the things that I like about the film, that I've noticed many reviewers are disliking, is the complete lack of the United States. Sure there is a flag here and there, but none of the actors and actresses are American. No token American in the cast. It's a rare thing to find in western cinemas. Being a Chinese film with most of the film located in China, the majority of the actors we see are Chinese, with French and Russian actors thrown in as well to portray the whole "Earth uniting" aspect of the premise.
The film does away with the western way of sci-fi action films as well. there are no gun-toting singular heroes in this film; The Wandering Earth is all about the team effort necessary to overcome these globally endangering problems. On the whole, I love the decision to do it that way. Sure it focuses on the protagonist family, but near enough every person involved has a contribution to make. The only real downside is the lack of female representation in the film. Only two women in the main circle of the cast, and one of them has pretty much no significant role to play at all.
Visually, the film is stunning. Unique environments, and the amount of detailing that goes into each room and vehicle shows a lot of thought has been put into it, making it feel incredibly authetic, with an aesthetic that is reminiscent of the detail in the set designs of Ridley Scott's Alien. The environments and backdrops were beautifully rendered often having that hazy painted look that is characteristic of classic sci-fi films.
This is a huge blockbuster with thrilling action scenes, on-the-edge-of-your-seat tension, and a premise that while scientifically laughable, is still put forward in a super engaging manner. The subtitles do disappear quickly so you definitely need to pay full attention, but wow. I was super impressed by this and I can't wait to see what else is to follow.