鈥榃andering鈥 gives sci-fi genre films a boost
Print Edition
鈥淭he Wandering Earth鈥 was the surprising winner during China鈥檚 lucrative Spring Festival period, rocketing from fourth in the box office to top, and closing the seven-day holiday with a record-breaking US$349 million.
It was the highest one-week grosser in China and second only to 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens鈥 in the world.
With an average 8/10 rating on movie review sites and with more likely screenings, it could possibly break more records in weeks ahead. It also enjoyed a limited release in North America, and averaged a rating of 8.0 on IMDB from some 3,000 reviews.
The film fraternity and fans expected it to do well following great pre-screening reviews, but few had bet that it would break records. Many of them attributed its success to being the first Chinese big-budget sci-fi, or an opportunity to watch Chinese actors float in outer space after Chang鈥檈-4 landed on the far side of the moon earlier this year. But I think there is more to the success of the film 鈥 not necessarily a groundbreaker when compared with international blockbusters in the same genre, but definitely an indicator of the potential of Chinese filmmakers in dealing with sci-fi stories.
鈥淭he Wandering Earth鈥 may not be the best in the years to come, but it has all the highlights of a classy doomsday outer-space epic, a solid script, grandeur scenarios, above-average special effects and above all, a little Chinese twist.
The Sun is exploding. By lottery, half of the population is left to die, and the other half hides in the underground cities and takes the Earth with them on a long journey fleeing the exploding galaxy 鈥 hoping to reach another one after 2,500 years.
鈥淲e have to take home with us. It is too expensive!鈥 director Guo Fan joked about taking the Earth on the run in a recent interview.
Intriguingly, the director also said that he did not have the international audience in mind while making the movie.
Yet, I think this might be a movie that appeals to an global audience, not in any exotic sense, but because it highlights the similarities and differences between East and West, and the fact that we are really not so far apart.
The differences lie in details while the resemblance rises above that.
You may call it Homer鈥檚 Odyssey while I think of Li Bai鈥檚 poems, but both are longing to return home, a recurring theme in 鈥淭he Wandering Earth.鈥
When the protagonist, a rebellious and talented young man, decides to turn back and rescue the mission team, and international rescuers join the effort, it becomes a case of individualism versus collectivism. Think of the many Hollywood blockbusters where the protagonists turned from a lone wolf to appreciate teamwork.
The film is adapted from a short story by Liu Cixin, a recipient of top science fiction prize Hugo Award. Liu is most noted for his international best-seller 鈥 鈥淭he Three-Body Problem鈥 trilogy.
鈥淭he Wandering Earth鈥 reminds me of Liu鈥檚 efforts to transplant Chinese culture and characters into the science fiction universe created by writers such as Arthur C. Clarke.
It also reminds me of the engineer/author鈥檚 oddly matched blunt cruelty 鈥 the selfishness of humans or the unintended consequences of good intentions 鈥 and imaginative romanticism.
This time, in 鈥淭he Wandering Earth,鈥 home is on the run with us.
It is China鈥檚 first big-budget sci-fi, a long-awaited dream come true, especially as previous attempts by other filmmakers had failed 鈥 the most notable being the adaptation of 鈥淭he Three-Body Problem鈥 that has dragged on for years, with reports suggesting poor quality of first cuts.
Quite a few movie buffs attributed the success of 鈥淭he Wandering Earth鈥 to the pride in homegrown products.
Certainly, the rapidly growing Chinese movie market and its audience have long demanded more 鈥 both in terms of diversity and quality. Those who can deliver both are often rewarded at box office, especially if it鈥檚 the first in its genre.
The first Disney-fantasy-like 鈥淢onster Hunt鈥 was a raging success. The hot-blood-Rambo type 鈥淲olf Warrior 2鈥 also broke many records and swept the social media platforms. The 鈥淩ed Sea Operation,鈥 which is not so unlike the 鈥淪aving Private Ryan鈥 type, quietly won over the younger generation, surprising them by the grand scale of the production and the solid details in the war sequences.
The 鈥淒allas Buyers Club鈥 type 鈥淒ying to Survive鈥 inspired many to believe a realist drama can also become a blockbuster.
These may not be the best Chinese production in fantasy, action, war, realist movies, but they have opened the doors for more and better movies in their respective genres.
鈥淭he Wandering Earth鈥 is no exception, and I look forward to seeing more and better sci-fi productions.
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