Hit Factory’s Aaron discusses with me The Wandering Earth (2019) and The Wandering Earth II (2023).
The films detail the story of an Earth that has been turned into a giant starship traveling to Alpha Centauri after the Sun begins to expand into a red giant, and the trials and tribulations the planet goes through as it pushes forward into uncharted territory for civilization, trials and tribulations that include trying to push the Earth out of a collision course with Jupiter as well as figuring out how to blow up the Moon .
In this discussion, we talked about the films’ successes at achieving an emotional core many American disaster films fail at, its rip-roaring absurd spectacle, its heartfelt inspirations from both Christopher Nolan and Roland Emmerich, its genuinely interesting philosophical discussions about what it means to be human, and how the films differentiate themselves from the rugged individualism of America’s blockbusters as well as the jingoistic nationalism of China’s modern blockbusters that attempts to ape America’s formula by focusing on the most important thing of all: love.
The Wandering Earth is available on Netflix in all countries and The Wandering Earth II is available to watch on Amazon Prime US.
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The Wandering Earth I+II (with Hit Factory's Aaron)