Liu Lang Di Qiu / The Wandering Earth (2019) - Unrealistic escapism - 7/10 (22/02/19)

The Wandering Earth is a Chinese science-fiction blockbuster based upon the critically acclaimed novella of the same name by award-winning author Liu Cixin. The movie convinces with stunning visual and sound effects that bring a dystopian world to live. The action sequences are intense. The acting performances are solid enough to make you care about the fates of the characters until the spectacular ending. Imagine a revamped mixture of Armageddon and The Day After Tomorrow with all the contemporary aesthetics and you know what you will get from this film.

The movie tells the story of a dying sun that endangers our planet to a point that it needs to be moved out of the Solar System and to the Alpha Centauri system with giant thrusters running on fusion power. The film follows a family consisting of an experienced grandfather who has worked as a trucker on the planet's frozen surface, an absent father who works as an astronaut on an international space station, a rebellious son who is sick and tired of living in the underground and his naive adopted sister who dreams of discovering the world. The son and his adopted sister try to escape from the underground and are being followed by the grandfather who wants to save them while the father has to make sure the planet's voyage progresses smoothily. As Jupiter's gravity attracts the wandering planet which could lead to a fatal disintegration that would annihilate mankind, the four protagonists are suddenly in the middle of a desperate rescue mission.

The only issue I have with this movie is the story itself. This isn't a science-fiction story because the scientific part is so unrealistic that this can basically be categorized as a fantasy movie. It's hard to fully get into the story and appreciate the film because the plot is nonsensical to a point that it almost becomes ridiculous. That is obviously not exactly the fault of the filmmakers but of the source material and one has to wonder why such an unrealistic novella has achieved so much critical acclaim.

If you are ready to ignore the fact that the plot doesn't make any sense whatsoever, you can appreciate visually stunning popcorn cinema of epic proportions for two entertaining hours. However, the movie is slightly overrated and there are even better contemporary Chinese science-fiction movies like the gripping Reset that recalls elements of the film Looper.