ReviewThe Wandering Earth film review: Wu Jing leads deep space mission in Chinese sci-fi blockbuster
- Story of Chinese-led rescue mission to keep Earth on course in its journey to a new solar system is entertaining but nagglingly familiar
- Chinese film industry’s aversion to sci-fi may end with the success of Frant Gwo’s film, but on this evidence it has a long way to go to match Hollywood
3/5 stars
An interstellar hit at the Chinese box office (4 billion yuan [US$600 million] and counting), Frant Gwo’s science-fiction epic The Wandering Earth finally touches down in Hong Kong, days after Netflix announced it had acquired the film for worldwide streaming.
Adapted from a novella by Hugo Award-winning author Liu Cixin’, the film sees superstar Wu Jing ( Wolf Warrior 2 ) lead a deep space mission to save the planet.
The sun is expanding, and in 100 years will have engulfed the Earth. The United Earth Government launches The Wandering Earth project, shifting the Earth out of our solar system into a more hospitable location. This 2,500-year mission forces the entire population into subterranean cities, while thousands of giant engines propel the planet through outer space.
Progress is monitored by Lieutenant Colonel Liu Peiqiang (Wu) aboard the International Space Station, who cancels his long overdue trip home after Jupiter’s gravity sends Earth off course. Meanwhile, on the surface, Liu’s estranged family is recruited into a daring mission to restart a series of failing reactors, and safely reroute the planet’s trajectory.