The deep reason behind foreign media bombarding "The Wandering Earth 2" is the rise of domestic sci-fi films

Text/Ziyi

As a big fan of the "The Wandering Earth" IP, I certainly can't miss "The Wandering Earth 2". On the first day of the new year, I went to the cinema to admire the ceiling of this domestic sci-fi film.

It is said that sequels are easy to produce bad movies, but "The Wandering Earth 2" easily breaks this curse.

Six days after the film's release, the box office has exceeded 2 billion, and the Douban score is as high as 8.3 points, which is the highest in the same schedule and also catches up with the 7.9 points of the first part.

Of course, behind the dazzling results, in addition to affirmation, there will be some strange sounds.

For example, the New York Times also commented on the film, and the article is full of non-objective and biased remarks.

The article believes that "The Wandering Earth 2" is full of Chinese nationalist spirit.

The main thesis of the text is "losing the joy of the previous game", "intricate storyline", "undercooked themes" and "chaotic subtext", but these ideas are far from the evaluation of foreign unofficial media.

The overseas ratings of "The Wandering Earth 2" continue to rise! With an IMDb rating of 8.2, the freshness of Rotten Tomatoes rose to 83% and the Popcorn Index rose to 95%.

Why are foreign official and non-official media two very different assessments?

Many people believe that it is because Chinese science fiction films have produced a certain deterrent to American science fiction films, so they smear our domestic films in this way.

Judging from the feedback of foreign netizens, the attendance rate of "The Wandering Earth 2" is very high, almost full.

Looking through YOUTUbe's comments, you can see the praise of foreign netizens everywhere, "It looks good" and "I was shocked."

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There are even people who think that if the first episode is a secondary school thesis, then this is a doctoral thesis, much better than Avatar, which is exciting.

Today, let's talk about what are the innovations of this masterpiece that shocked China at home and abroad and represents China's emergence in the field of science fiction, how is it different from Hollywood-style science fiction films, and why has it attracted the bombardment of foreign media?

(1) New concepts such as "space elevator" and "MOSS" are refreshing

As a large-scale film, its spiritual core is not only nationalism, but also the spirit of human community.

After watching the movie, my heart was shocked in addition to shock.

On the one hand, it is proud of the rise of domestic science fiction films, and its production team and level are not inferior to Hollywood blockbusters;

On the other hand, I was also moved by the general pattern reflected in the movie, and its spiritual core was very explosive.

I don't believe it, someone wasn't shocked by the space elevator?

There are many concepts of spaceships and have appeared many times in science fiction films, but "Space Elevator" was mentioned and filmed for the first time.

It is a longitudinal cosmic highway, and as one of the important scenes of this movie, its construction is very grand.

As soon as the space elevator appeared, the entire cinema people involuntarily exclaimed.

In addition to this, there are MOSS computers. In this movie, the 550 series computer is definitely a super attraction, and MOSS is the latest achievement of the 550 series computer. The 550 Series computers are responsible for the success of the Wandering Earth Project, and it is the command and operating system for the entire project. As the latest achievement of artificial intelligence, Moss replied to the question of the future of mankind: "It depends on human choice."

In the face of these technological ruthless goods, we have to marvel at the amazing speed of human scientific and technological development, as well as the screenwriting strength of domestic science fiction films.

(2) There is no individual heroism and savior here, but the best embodiment of a community with a shared future for mankind

There are no lone heroes in "The Wandering Earth 2", there is no savior, and every crisis is the joint efforts of everyone.

In the "Moon Fall Crisis", a group of astronauts over the age of 50 manually detonates a bomb on the moon, and technicians go deep into the sea floor to restore the Internet to successfully start the asteroid engine, and so on.

Every person, every location is indispensable and irreplaceable.

Different from the self-dedication of individual heroism, "The Wandering Earth 2" is more of a feeling.

When the senior astronaut played by Sha Yi, one second reluctant to go into battle to perform the task, the next second to persuade the young astronaut to quit, and stood up to say "over 50 years old", astronauts from other countries also responded, and finally 270 "death squads" voluntarily selected by various countries around the world collectively received this "one-way ticket" and completed the task at a critical moment.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese concepts, it not only reflects the licking feelings of predecessors for younger generations, but also the relay of human missions from generation to generation.

Heroes are never "late", and there is no shortage of heroes of the times in human beings, but this time, heroes are not individuals, but a type of people; Heroes are not just Chinese, but people of the same kind around the world.

Just like this, you will still say, the pattern of Chinese science fiction films is not big enough?

Chinese heroes can be fighter pilots from various countries who desperately protect space elevators, astronauts from various countries who died on the moon, and all the united people on earth.

But there can only be one Hollywood hero, and it must be American, and the biggest winner can only be American.

As for the heroes of the United States, they can be rich, such as Iron Man and Batman are super rich level, not only have family industries to inherit, but also squander endless wealth;

Of course, it can also be a scientist, such as Hulk, or a mutant of ordinary people - Spider-Man.

From the perspective of the underlying logic of heroes, "The Wandering Earth 2" obviously gives a possibility, China's own sci-fi films, by no means only produce Chinese individual heroes.

It is the concept of solidarity of all mankind that crises are solved together by collective wisdom.

When the UN government meets collectively to discuss solutions to the crisis, Chinese representative Zhou Zhezhi (Li Xuejian) brings out a broken and healed femur from 15,000 years ago to persuade everyone, "Some people should be protected, and we should shoulder the responsibility of taking care of them, so that mankind can continue and civilization can last." ”

I believe that the design of this plot is intentional and intentional, which is also what distinguishes "The Wandering Earth 2" from other main theme movies.

The main theme movies such as "Changjin Lake" and "My Motherland and Me" are more about showing the strength of China's national strength and the spirit of Chinese people fighting hard to resist foreign enemies, while "The Wandering Earth 2" directly enlarges the pattern to the world and gives all countries in the world a positive image of unity and cooperation.

Its main theme is not a bloody nationalism, but a simple sense of national pride and self-identity. Compared with Hollywood blockbusters, "The Wandering Earth 2" shows the scene of countries around the world using technology to benefit mankind.

In the movie, I don't see political divisions or scenes of countries fighting each other for nuclear weapons.

In essence, the film outputs the universal values of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Regarding the secrecy and research and development of nuclear weapons in various countries, the film specifically leaves a problem: when at a critical moment, countries around the world need to collect nuclear weapons equipment, but it is found that the decryption work is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the switches are different.

Without human unity, it will not be able to successfully face the catastrophe of the earth;

Humans cannot solve tough problems well without pooling resources;

If human beings do not trust each other, all preparations can be lost.

The values conveyed by the film, how can it not be positive energy, not to those who have their own small calculations, a blow?

3. All talk about digital life, but really "no civilization without any meaning?" ”

This sentence is the advice of computer scientist Ma Zhao to Tu Hengyu in the movie.

As a 550 series computer scientist, Tu Hengyu's personal wish is to give his dead daughter Tuya a complete life; But from the mainstream thinking, the Digital Life Initiative has been voted to terminate.

Is it a choice for digital life, or a wandering earth?

Digital life means rejecting the Wandering Earth plan and realizing the virtualization of human beings, while the Wandering Earth is to take the earth to a new home, and human beings continue to multiply.

Is the future of humanity "real" or "virtual"?

It depends on human choice.

"There is no civilization without any meaning." This sentence is worth pondering.

What exactly does this "person" mean?

I think it's referring to human emotions. Because emotions are what humans are most proud of, but machines don't.

People will impulsively make emotional choices knowing what the rational choice is, while machines will not, and digital life will not either.

In the face of human crisis, these emotions are the "invisible" motivator, because trust is also an important part and can play an unexpected role.

This is not mentioned in Hollywood science fiction films.

epilogue

"The Wandering Earth 2" is indeed a very successful science fiction movie.

Whether it is from the arrangement of the story line, the level of scientific and technological content, and the social views reflected are unprecedentedly avant-garde and profound. Such an exploding worldview is exactly the world that China longs for, and it is also the best template for all mankind in the face of crisis.

In the unprecedented changes in the world, we have stood at the crossroads of human civilization, and the button to choose the future of mankind is already in our hands.

Cooperation or confrontation? Peace or war?

I believe that the release of this film will definitely cause discussion in many aspects, as well as human thinking about itself.

Perhaps, this is exactly what some countries do not want to see, which is the main reason why foreign media bombarded "The Wandering Earth 2".