The Wandering Earth Spiel

by Rian

The Wandering Earth is a trilogy loosely based on a sci-fi novella by the same name, and this is the first installment of the franchise. I won’t be talking about the novella or the author in depth. But I can add a bit of context for anyone who is wondering what it is in the first place. Quite literally, in the movie, the humanity has decided to literally “move” the Earth out of the solar system as the Sun is about to engulf the planet.

The Wandering Earth certainly tries a new sci-fi survival film, where the plot focuses on the survival of humanity, not select few individuals. In most survivals from blockbusters, journeys are centered around few people, either stranded on an alien planet, a space station, and/or a shuttle. Ridley Scott’s The Martian is a great example of this; all the other supporting characters and their arcs cannot finish until Matt Damon returns to the Earth. The Wandering Earth takes more survival simulator approach to the question, where death of characters is yet another obstacle in the grand scheme of things. It is rather a bleak take on the subject, and it is an acquired taste.

The movie does try to thin out the somber tone with corny moments, and frankly it blurs the focus on the tenacious spirit rather than absorbing the spill over. It’s as if the movie is undecided whether unwavering resolve of one character is manifestation of egocentrism. Every characters are bound to have some backstory, as we all do, but the plot didn’t need character developments. Do we need to know the details behind the family feuds of Liu family? We can assume there must have been ‘something’ to sour over, and the film didn’t need to invest too much time on every character.

We also get the moment of stereotypical sci-fi tropes; ones I would not divulge for the sake for the prospective viewers. But ultimately, I don’t see why they are included in the first place. The elements included work only to highlight we are watching a sci-fi film, but not much else. One such topic, to no one’s surprise, is a utilitarian AI. It’s one thing to be cold-hearted and logical. The AI portrayed in the movie is downright hostile. Did it also forget to expel air to space to extinguish fire?

Conclusions: Fun, Albeit Corny

The Wandering Earth isn’t competing to be a hardcore sci-fi space film. I believe audiences can watch the movie on Netflix with awe in the spectacle scenes where the entire Earth is propelled by human ingenuity. It is a sci-fi survival from the perspective that is for common for video games. But the film has its flaws, and the most significant part, for me, was its corny monologues delving into dying characters —who would literally exit the stage after the soliloquy is over. As any flaws go in the franchise, it can be developed as a plot element in the future installment. As much as I am eager to watch the prequel, The Wandering Earth 2, I hope to see more polished take on sci-fi.