It seems like most of our best creative minds in the field of science fiction use their imagination to envision the many ways the world could end. There’s no shortage of semi-scientific apocalyptic scenarios across every medium, but some works find an interesting way to fight back. TakeThe Wandering Earth, which imagines the sun expanding and mankind finding an unorthodox solution.
The Wandering Earthand its recent prequel were inspired by Liu Cixin’s short story of the same name. Cixin is best known for his Hugo Award-winning novelThe Three-Body Problem, but his entire body of sci-fi has been hugely influential over the last decade. More of his work is set to be adapted, butThe Wandering Earthis the first to hit the screen.
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The Wandering Earthtakes place in the year 2058, making it either a nightmarish prediction of our upcoming conditions or a film worth looking back at 35 years from nowto see how they got it wrong. Scientists discover that the sun is set to begin expanding and heating up, gradually becoming a red giant. This event will happen, but it’s set to occur around five billion years from now, rather than 35. The people of Earth estimate they have around 100 years before the sun consumes the planet’s orbital path. Their Hail Mary is called The Wandering Earth Project, and it entails attaching 12,000 massive advanced engines to the planet’s surface and leaving the solar system forever. To escape the sun’s gravity, they’ll use Jupiter as a fulcrum to slingshot the planet straight toward Alpha Centauri. It’s agreat sci-fi premisethat sets the tone for the film’s actual plot.
The pitch of The Wandering Earth Project isn’t the most realistic concept ever put to the screen, but it does come with a startling display of cause and effect. As soon as Chinese astronaut Liu Peiqiang gets the program up and running, most ofhumanity dies in natural disasters. Tsunamis consume huge portions of the planet’s land mass, earthquakes destroy inland areas, and the increased distance from the sun freezes everything left over. As a result, the small remaining population flees to underground cities that enjoy the Earth Engines' warming glow. The story follows Liu Qi, the adult son of Peiqiang who struggles to survive under the new world. The scientists and astronauts mustface a rogue AI, a deadly gravity spike, and risk tearing apart under the force of Jupiter’s gravity to survive.
The Wandering Earthtakes its premise 100% seriously. There’s not an ounce of irony on display here. Several billion people die in the film’s first twenty minutes, and the story is more than happy to move on without acknowledging the sudden drop in population. The film is packed with massive epic CGI shots that make great computer wallpapers. The visuals are the real draw, from the beautiful colorful CGI maelstrom to the snowy landscapes.Wētā Workshop, the special effectsand prop masterminds behind everything fromThe Lord of the RingstoAvatar,stepped in to craft the weaponry, spacesuits, and exoskeletons. On top of looking great, the film sounds immaculate. The music was composed by Roc Chen, who put his stamp on over 100 other projects, and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It works with a much smaller budget thanAvatar, but it achieves a similar scale through sheer ambition.
Liu Cixin has been clear thatThe Wandering Earthand its prequels are entries in a new era. To hear them tell it, Chinese studios and audiences aren’t interested in science fiction from the nation. American audiences will evidently pick upsci-fi from any nation, but Chinese production studios don’t want to fund these large-scale projects.The Wandering Earthsuffered from some massive financial issues. Things got so rough that Wu Jing, one of the film’s biggest stars, did the project without pay and put some of his own money into the production. Qu Chuxiao, the lead actor, was paid only $15,000 for his performance. Despite its absurd scale,The Wandering Earthwas an act of love and sacrifice to create. The film was rewarded with $700 million on a $50 million budget and a prequel that’s in theaters now.
The Wandering Earth 2isa prequel that depictsthe building process before the Earth started wandering. It’s getting a much wider release than its predecessor and Wu Jing takes a more central role in the story. Unfortunately, there’s always a political aspect to this era of cinema, so most discussions ofThe Wandering Earthand its prequel will frame them as propaganda. Taken as they are, without any statements about the nation it’s supposedly set to prop up in the industry,The Wandering Earthis a gleefully weird sci-fi disaster film that has a lot of fun with its premise.
