"Wandering Earth"

I like to sleep right next to a big window so that the sunlight wakes me up. I think its a better way to wake up than an alarm. In fact my second son will cover his ears and try to go back to sleep when the alarm goes off.
I woke up, feeling not so great. I had a weird dream about Jackie Chan using stunt double for all the dialogue in an old movie... this of course makes no sense, I think it had something to do with watching Wandering Earth on Netflix.

I watched half of it and had to stop because of time. The New York Times trashed it, everyone in China loved it, and Grace couldn't understand it.

Americans, even Chinese Americans, will find some of the concepts foreign, even for Sci Fi. But here's a little joke I have as a mixed guy whose dad is Chinese.


"So Americans don't really like Wandering Earth. The movie is about escaping the sun exploding my moving the earth to another Solar System 2,500 years away. I think the part they can't wrap their heads around is the mixed guy in it... has a Chinese Father and a white mom." a dudum cha!!

But other than that, the Chinese are taking the lead in this movie partnering with the Russians. ie... the US is not the most important country saving the world. They are involved though. In fact, (SPOILER ALERT!)


the HAL like robot lying to everyone has an American accent while speaking English.

Also there isn't a lot of Character development, or when there is, it is inserted after the fact. Like ths person is dying and you are wondering why this other character that seems to have just met them is so sad... so flash back,,, he raised her as his own daughter....

That's crazy in an American movie.

It's not that crazy in the many Hong Kong Movies I've seen. There are some digs at Cantonese and HK people too I think as one of the stars is a HK movie star. I think they dubbed his voice.

Also the concept of moving the earth instead of taking off in a ship to explore is kind of super mainland Chinese. Or super Beijing. Chinese Americans are the descendants or are actually people that left China to come to the states. But this movie wasn't made by Chinese Americans, it was made by people who stayed in China. I have only seen this type of concept once in a Stephen Chow film, where a scholar moves his house from Canton to Beijing or maybe the reverse of that, can;t remember. That Uncle Tat actor who is often in Stephen Chow and Andy Lau movies usually as a clown, but has sometimes played a scary Dai Lo here and there, is in Wandering Earth. You can tell he is a better actor then everyone else. The movie really isn't about acting, or words.

So I don't know why the New York Times and everyone else bashed it. Is it stupider than The concept of Thanos and the Infinity Rings or is it Stupider than Jupiter rising or really any other Sci Fi concept? no. Would it have been more developed as a series (that would have made less money)... well yes, but I answered why that didn't happen with the above sentence. I think it was a Chinese New year movie and it made a ton of money. Like everyone in China saw it.

It wasn't stupid at all... I think Americans just have a hard time watching a movie where China would take the lead on something like this. But it isn't like my favorite movie either.

I'll watch the rest of it. In fact I had wanted to see a real Chinese Sci Fi movie for a long time. I had seen a couple of HK ones. If this one is lacking in anything, it isn't budget and special effects. Its also not deep.... but it is thought provoking. The premise of the movie challenges you. It bothers you, more than other apocalyptic movies. That's another thing.. .so a zombie apocalypse is not difficult to understand but moving the earth with jets is?