Review:
"The Wandering Earth II"
Release Date: Jan. 22, 2023.
Rating: Not Rated Running Time: 175 minutes When did the moon become our mortal enemy? Last year, Roland Emmerich went lunar looney with Moonfall by transforming Earth’s sole natural satellite into an ancient space ark off orbit and on a collision path with our planet. Now comes The Wandering Earth II, a prequel that also positions the Moon as a possible agent of humanity’s destruction. One of China’s biggest hits of the past decade, and based on a novel by Liu Cixin, 2019’s The Wandering Earth was a sci-fi disaster epic with a premise so deliriously audacious that it is still hard to believe it was not cooked up by Emmerich. In the near future, the sun’s expansion threatens to encroach upon Earth’s orbit. To prevent the Earth’s destruction, a plan is enacted to move the planet out of the Solar System using giant engines and then employ Jupiter’s gravity to slingshot it toward its final destination of the Alpha Centauri system, a journey expected to take more than 2,000 years. The Wandering Earth glossed over the specifics of the planning, building, and igniting of the Earth Engines, instead moving decades into the future and focusing on the intense mission to prevent the planet from colliding with Jupiter. Directed by Frant Gwo with enough braggadocio to challenge Emmerich for the title of “Master of Disaster,” The Wandering Earth unfolds as an adrenaline-charged ticking-clock sci-fi thriller with impressive special effects to back up its earthbound and outer space shenanigans. With this prequel, Gwo turns back the clock to detail how a fractured world came together almost as one to embark on the so-called “Wandering Earth Project.” Prequels remain an iffy proposition. Sometimes a prequel proves superfluous by retelling in excruciating detail prior events glossed over for good reason in its predecessor. Sometimes a prequel tries too hard and regrettably overcomplicates instead of merely expanding upon existing mythology. The Wandering Earth II is the rare prequel that fills in gaps that do not necessarily need to be filled in while taking this franchise in a muddied and somber new direction. Gwo’s ambitions are greater with this prequel as he delves deep into the political and socioeconomic impacts of the Wandering Earth Project, drawing obvious parallels less from the COVID pandemic than from the current climate crisis. He presents a global community divided on how best to save humanity, with many embracing the Wandering Earth Project despite it being an expensive longshot proposition and others pushing hard to preserve humanity through digital lifeforms. The latter results in a rise of terrorist activity that, in 2044, culminates in an attack on a moon station pivotal to the Wandering Earth Project. The Digital Life Project is an intriguing one that is quickly dismissed and presented as a threat by Gwo and his cowriters. Of course, no one really wants to “live” a digital life based on their memories, but the film does not seem interested in presenting it as a true alternative or even a back-up plan for those who may not survive the natural disasters and catastrophes that viewers of The Wandering Earth know lie ahead for the planet and its dwindling population. The Wandering Earth II does recruit the legendary Andy Lau to play a scientist torn between his duties to save the world and his memories of his dead daughter. But the moody and contemplative Lau is not so much present to explore any actual benefits of the Digital Life Project rather than to frame it as dangerous at best, a major threat at worse. Jump to 2058 and Gwo raises the stakes with a technological crisis that sets the Moon on a collision course with Earth. So, essentially, the third act of The Wandering Part II is almost a remake of its predecessor. But there is so much that happens in the film’s last hour that doesn’t so much answer any lingering questions from The Wandering Earth—which seemed both self-contained and self-explanatory—but set in motion events for future installments in the franchise that are set after both films. This appears to be the justification for a prequel that otherwise treads on previously covered territory. While admirable and enlightening, Gwo’s unwavering commitment to dissecting the disaster’s political ramifications and social upheaval occasionally ends up bringing the proceedings to a grinding halt. This stands in stark contrast with the rapid-paced The Wandering Earth, which benefitted from being single-mission oriented. Also, the overt Chinese nationalism is significantly heightened in The Wandering Earth II compared to its predecessor, with certain Western nations perpetually and exhaustingly portrayed as ineffective, subservient, or obstructionist. (The Russians, however, make for great allies.) But this is a Chinese production, so this is only to be expected. Whenever Gwo puts politics aside in favor of the action, The Wandering Earth II proves to be just as spectacular as its predecessor. The attack on the moon base is a fully sustained burst of energy that is executed simultaneously in the air and inside a rising space elevator commandeered by terrorists. The mission to stop the Moon crashing into the Earth borrows heavily from but abbreviates the events of The Wandering Earth while unfolding in equally thrilling fashion. Also working in The Wandering Earth II’s favor is the return of Wu Jing as Liu Peiqiang, the astronaut whose noble endeavors proved pivotal to the outcome of The Wandering Earth. Wu’s every move in The Wandering Earth II goes a long way to enhancing Liu’s heroic legacy. In fact, if you have not watched The Wandering Earth, it may to be your advantage to first watch The Wandering Earth II to fully appreciate Liu’s gallantry and resourcefulness. Of course, doing so may also raise questions about The Wandering Earth that did not exist before this prequel, questions Gwo undoubtedly will answer if and when he makes a third Wandering Earth. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy Gwo once again out-Roland Emmerich Roland Emmerich. Robert Sims Aired: Jan. 24, 2023. Web sites: https://wellgousa.com/films/wandering-earth-ii |
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