The Wandering Earth is a 2019 Chinese science fiction film based on the novel by Chinese engineer Liu Cixin (刘慈欣), the author of Three Body Problem that won Locus Award and Hugo Award.
The story is set in the far future when the sun has aged into a red giant and is about to engulf the earth. In order to save humanity, a united earth government initiates a project to move the planet out of the Solar System, and the move will be propelled by 10,000 engines installed across the planet.
The project, however, soon goes wrong when the Earth passes Jupiter, which prompts devastating earthquakes that have damaged most engines. Worst of all, the Earth is on the collision cause with Jupiter.
The volunteers from all over the world have worked together and restored the engines while an astronaut drives the spaceship towards Jupiter to ignite its hydrogen wave to push the Earth away from the giant planet.
The astronaut died but the project survives. The Earth resumes its 2,500-year journey to reach Alpha Centauri System, a system 4.37 light-years from the Sun and containing triple stars. It may suggest humanity will face a new challenge of the Three Body Problem.
The Wandering Earth is believed to be China’s first sci-fi film but it is a piece of genuine science fiction work like those classic sci-fi movies, which is quite different from many Hollywood blockbusters that are more Fantasy than Sci-fi.
The film stars Qu Chuxiao (屈楚萧) as the adventurous teenager, Li Guangjie (李光洁) as the head of a military rescue team, Wu Jing (吴京) as the heroic astronaut, Zhao Jinmai (赵今麦) as a brave teenager girl and Ng Man-tat (吴孟达) as the teenagers’ grandpa.
Some Chinese think the leading actor Qu Chuxiao looks like a reincarnated Terrocatto Warrior … hmm … I think the same when he ages with a mustache. ;-D
Has First Emperor Qin’s underground army eventually come to life? ~_^