Sci-fi spectacle - Prequel to the hit movie from China: "The Wandering Earth II"
A space adventure from the Far East with a not so far-fetched doomsday scenario: "The Wandering Earth II" will appeal to connoisseurs of the Chinese cinema scene and fans of disaster films. Filled with special effects, the film by director Frant Gwo can hold its own with Hollywood. The film's Chinese origins are evident in the story. Fight scenes typical of Asian films are juxtaposed with huge explosions, and of course there is also a love story.
The predecessor "The Wandering Earth" was a box office hit, which the industry magazine "Hollywood Reporter" described as"China's first large-scale interstellar spectacle". According to the PR agency responsible, both parts have so far grossed the equivalent of around 1.3 billion US dollars at the global box office. The film can be seen in Germany from December 21. But don't worry: you don't necessarily have to know the first part.
This is what it's all about
The movie begins with chaos: within a century, the sun will grow to such an extent that it will destroy the Earth forever. The plan of a United Earth Government is to use gigantic engines to maneuver the blue planet so far away from the sun that humanity remains safe. However, terrorists are trying to sabotage the project. Their plan: to digitally store the consciousness of all humans in a matrix where they can live on immortally. A group of heroes must therefore set out to guarantee the success of the project - but of course it doesn't work that easily.
A lawyer in the director's chair
Gwo already directed the successful first part. In fact, the second part is a prequel, meaning that the events within the story take place before those of the older film. Gwo from the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, who is called Guo Fan in Chinese, actually studied law on the popular vacation island of Hainan in southern China. It was only later that he found his way into film directing via television. James Cameron's "Terminator 2" and Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" are among his favorite sci-fi films, as Gwo revealed a few years ago.
The film is based on the novel by China's most famous science fiction author Liu Cixin. The doomsday scenario is not so far-fetched. Some researchers believe that in five to seven billion years, the sun will swell to such an extent, as is typical of dying stars, that it will destroy the surrounding planets - including the Earth.
A movie for China and the West
"The Wandering Earth 2" is intended to appeal to Asian and Western audiences. The burning of paper money to commemorate the dead at the beginning of the film is typically Chinese. Comedic interludes, for example in the battle scenes, or exaggerated characters such as a loud astronaut from Russia, an arrogant-looking US politician or the clever Chinese scientists, are also included. You should be prepared to sit down for almost three hours of movie entertainment.
The Wandering Earth II, China 2022, 173 minutes, by Frant Gwo, with Andy Lau, Jing Wu, Zhi Wang,
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Source: www.stern.de
