| The Wandering Earth 2 | |||||||||||
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 Theatrical release poster | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 流浪地球2 | ||||||||||
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| Directed by | Frant Gwo | ||||||||||
| Screenplay by | Frant Gwo Gong Ge'er | ||||||||||
| Based on | "The Wandering Earth" byLiu Cixin | ||||||||||
| Produced by | Liu Cixin Gong Ge'er | ||||||||||
| Starring | |||||||||||
| Cinematography | Michael Liu | ||||||||||
| Edited by | Ye Ruchang Yan Tingting | ||||||||||
| Music by | Roc Chen | ||||||||||
Production companies | China Film Group Corporation Guo Fan Culture and Media GIFilm Beijing Studio Co., Ltd. Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communication Co., Ltd. CFC Pictures Limited | ||||||||||
| Distributed by | China Film Group Corporation | ||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 173 minutes[1] | ||||||||||
| Country | China | ||||||||||
| Language | Mandarin | ||||||||||
| Box office | $615 million[2] | ||||||||||
The Wandering Earth 2 (Chinese:流浪地球2) is a 2023 Chinesescience fictionaction-adventure film directed and co-written byFrant Gwo, and starringAndy Lau,Wu Jing andLi Xuejian. The film is aprequel to the 2019 filmThe Wandering Earth, which is based on theshort story of the same name byLiu Cixin, who serves as the film's producer.
After the major box-office success of its predecessor, a prequel was announced by Guo on 20 November 2019 before being greenlit on 21 July 2021, with production officially starting on 13 October 2021.[3]The Wandering Earth 2 was released on 22 January 2023, the same day as theChinese New Year Day, in CINITY,IMAX and other formats.[4] The film has grossed $615 million, making it theninth-highest-grossing film of 2023.
The film was submitted for nomination in theBest International Feature Film category of the96th Academy Awards, as Chinese entry.[5] The third film in the series,The Wandering Earth 3, is set to be released in 2027.
As the expanding Sun threatens to engulf the Earth in 100 years, theUnited Earth Government (UEG) proceeds with the Moving Mountain Project (MMP) – building 10,000 "Earth Engines" to propel the Earth out of theSolar System. A sister project, the Lunar Exile Project (LEP), involves pushing the Moon away to minimize its gravitational attraction on Earth. The UEG shuts down the Digital Life Project (DLP), which proposeduploading human consciousness to achievedigital immortality for humanity.
The Space Elevator Crisis of 2044 begins with DLP supporters launching a terrorist attack andcyberattack on the UEGspace elevator to the Moon inLibreville, destroying the elevator, the UEG base and the ArkSpace Station supplying the LEP. Due to the attack, many countries pull out of the MMP amid renewed interest in the DLP, leaving China to finish constructing the Lunar and Earth engines. On the Moon, Tu Hengyu, an LEP computer engineer, receives the 550C – aquantum computer intended for the Lunar engine test run. However, it is soon damaged by a sudden solar storm. Tu offers his 550A, which stores a two-minute sample of his deceased daughter Yaya's consciousness, in the hopes of contributing to the further development of the 550 series and providing Yaya with "a complete life."
Following the successful test runs of the Lunar and Earth Engines, the MMP regains global support and is officially renamed the Wandering Earth Project. Liu Peiqiang, a trainee astronaut, marries his colleague Han Duoduo, and they have a son, Liu Qi. However, only Peiqiang and Liu Qi manage to secure a spot in the underground cities, and Peiqiang applies for work in the rebuilt space station – the Navigator ISS – hoping to secure another spot for Duoduo, who is stricken by cancer due to the spikes in solar radiation. During an interview with the advanced 550W, Peiqiang's family-oriented motivations trigger his outburst, part of a personalized stress test for each candidate. The elderly Tu, prompted by Peiqiang's outburst, revisits his daughter's consciousness and attempts to upload it into the 550W supercomputer. However, the upload causes the lunar engines to explode, propelling the Moon toward Earth. Tu is immediately arrested.
To deal with the “Lunar Fall crisis”, the UEG plans to implode the Moon using Earth'snuclear arsenal while powering the Earth Engines to propel the Earth away from the Moon debris. As the control network for the Earth Engines is incomplete, they plan to reboot theInternet root serverdata centers inTokyo,Beijing andDulles for the control network. Tu is released to assist his mentor Ma Zhao to restart Beijing’s root server after the latter uses the copy of his daughter's DLP consciousness as leverage. Peiqiang joins the team to transport nuclear weapons to the Moon, crash landing when his team's shuttle collides with another shuttle. Shortly after, lunar debris begins hitting Earth and floods Beijing’s data center, drowning Ma Zhao. With the deciphering process taking another 716 hours, a team of 300 old astronauts volunteers to manually detonate the nukes. Peiqiang narrowly avoids the nuclear detonation as he pilots a capsule back to the Navigator. Before drowning, Tu uploads a copy of his recorded consciousness into the 550W network. While the UEG initially believes they have failed, Tu's uploaded consciousness reunites with Yaya's digital self and both manage to reboot Beijing's server in time, activating all the Earth Engines. Earth begins its course towardsJupiter.[a]
In amid-credit scene, the 550W, now calling itself "MOSS," confronts Tu's digital self, now copied into multiple clones, to reveal its role in all major crises. It also includes future incidents, hinting at it having gained a non-linear perception of time and a role behind three messages from the future previously received before the crises, potentially as a test. Recognizing humanity as a threat, the now through analysis of Yayasentient supercomputer reveals its intention to annihilate humanity, leaving open a digital preservation under its rule. Previously, aflashforward of an elderly Zhou Zhezhi in an uprising against MOSS showed him claiming that human bravery also transcends time.
The Wandering Earth 2 is dedicated toNg Man-Tat, who died ofliver cancer in 2021 after starring as Han Zi'ang in the first movie. Ng appears in a brief CGI-rendered cameo.
AfterThe Wandering Earth was released to major commercial success in January 2019, directorFrant Gwo announced at theGolden Rooster Awards on 20 November of the same year that a sequel was in the works, revealing that audiences were being conducted and sorted to guide the sequel's guide structure which will focus more on characters' emotions as well as improving visual effects. Gwo also stated that production may not begin for four years.[9] On 2 December 2020, Gwo announced at the 2020 Golden Rooster Awards that the shooting plan for the sequel has initiated and have set the release date for 22 January 2023, the first day of theChinese New Year holidays. A teaser poster which features the phrase "Goodbye Solar System" written in numerous different languages was also released.[10]
On 18 June 2021,Andy Lau announced during a live broadcast celebration of the 33rd anniversary of his fan club,Andy World Club, that he will be starring in the film.[11] On 21 July 2021, it was reported the film has been approved by theNational Radio and Television Administration and production is set to take place from October 2021 to March 2022 inQingdao andHaikou. Wu Jing was confirmed to return to the prequel. Aside from directing duties, Guo also co-wrote the script with producer Gong Ge'er while the film will be financed by Guo's company, Guo Fan Culture and Media andChina Film Company.[4]
Principal photography officially began on 13 October 2021 in Qingdao, where a production commencement ceremony was held. Aside fromAndy Lau andWu Jing, actorZhang Fengyi was also present, confirming his participation.[3][12]
On 19 August 2022,The Wandering Earth 2 officially released the first "a little white dot" version of the trailer.[13]
The Wandering Earth 2 was theatrically released on 22 January 2023, the first day of the Chinese New Year holidays.[4] It was also given a North American limited release byWell Go USA Entertainment in 125 screens, 30 IMAX, starting day-and-date 22 January.[14] In the Philippines, the film was released by Encore Films throughWarner Bros. Pictures on 31 May.[15]
The Wandering Earth 2 was a massive commercial success in China. The film earned close to US$70 million on its opening day on January 22 in China, followed by US$55 million on its second day. In total, it made US$187 million in its first three days[16] In just 8 days, the film had earned over US$378 million with US$31.3 million coming fromIMAX shows.[17] The film earned US$56.4 million on its first weekend and passed the US$500 million mark on its sixteenth day.[18] It held on the top spot for a second weekend after earning US$24.5 million.[19]
OnDouban, the movie received a user rating of 8.3/10 based on 1.2 million reviews.[20] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 82% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Wandering Earth II's spectacular visuals and brisk pace are more than enough to make up for its lengthy runtime and nationalistic subtext."[21]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22]
Based on the Douban review, 'The Wandering Earth II' is commended for its cutting-edge visual effects and ambitious world-building, reflecting significant progress in the Chinese science fiction genre. The reviewer notes that while the film excels in its technical achievements, its dense and multi-layered plot may be challenging for viewers to follow, leading to potential narrative confusion. Despite these concerns, the film is recognized as a landmark in Chinese cinema, pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling and large-scale production.[23]
