(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 8.3
Director: Frant Gwo
Starring: Wu Jing, Andy Lau, Li Xuejian
Douban Comments: “Three and a half stars. Frant Gwo’s sincere approach to filmmaking is evident in the meticulous scene design and visual effects, once again raising the industrial standard for Chinese sci-fi. Veteran actor Li Xuejian is as skilled as ever, and Andy Lau takes on one of his most challenging roles in recent years. Unfortunately, the narrative of this sequel is too loose. The parallel storylines of Liu Peiqiang and Tu Hengyu, combined with the extensive focus on Zhou Zhezhi, lead to indecision in the plot’s pacing and structure – something that’s particularly problematic for a sci-fi film, where rhythm is key. The weight and depth of character development should be the top priority for the series moving forward.”
“The story is long and fragmented, trying to cover too much without fully explaining anything. The 2044 timeline doesn’t really need to be in this movie. The film touches on themes of life, civilization, reality, and the virtual world but only presents labels and slogans without any meaningful discussion.
Throughout, it’s about a group of stubborn individuals resisting nature, refusing to be swayed by anyone or anything, and imposing their will on Earth and all its life forms, which they call ‘courage’. They complain about ‘humanity using the strongest codes for weapons of mutual attack’, but then divide people into ‘us’ and ‘them’, claiming that ‘we are more right, great, and glorious than anyone else, and you should listen to us’. They try to appear conciliatory, saying they are acting for the good of all humanity and taking responsibility for the consequences of their ‘great, glorious, and correct decisions’, not trying to be domineering. The movie’s forced humor pales in comparison to the self-contradictions it presents.”
“Four and a half stars. ‘The Wandering Earth 2’ shows significant improvement over the first film and elevates domestic sci-fi to unprecedented heights. The world-building is impressively hardcore, and the action scenes and special effects are both grander and more detailed, particularly the portrayal of the space elevator, which is stunning.
The storytelling is also more solid, with two major crises (the space elevator disaster and the moon crash), two conflicting ideologies (the digital life plan vs. the mountain-moving plan), and two main characters with intertwined yet distinct roles. The conflicts are clear, and the characters are well-developed.
Additionally, Zhou Zhezhi represents the new era’s version of ‘Yugong’ (foolish old man), making it fitting that Li Xuejian was cast for this role. The film provides a richer and more powerful portrayal of the Yugong moving the mountain spirit, distinguishing itself from Hollywood blockbusters.”
“The Wandering Earth series single-handedly raised Chinese sci-fi to a world-class level. It’s not your typical personal hero story – it’s a grand epic about all of humanity.
However, the film’s 173-minute runtime, three separate storylines with little interaction, a slow start, and long segments about digital consciousness may please sci-fi fans, they make it hard for the general audience to get into.”
