Not only is it a milestone in China science fiction movies! Cheng Bo’s Comments on Wandering Earth 2

Original title:Hard enough, not only a new milestone in China’s science fiction movies.— — A Brief Comment on Wandering Earth 2, a New Year movie.

Wen Zhen Cheng Bo (Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Vice President of Shanghai Film Academy, Shanghai University)

New film viewpoint

Special fund support for the development of national film industry

How does the prequel become a sequel?The experience of a series of films tells us that each film should be a new "this one", not just a predecessor or sequel to a certain film, and should not be the so-called "second life, second life and third life" rhythm.

Why can science fiction be hard-core?Characters and stories must first stand up; Then the audio-visual realism and spectacle should be enough, and it is better if we can use new technologies and platforms; Furthermore, whether we can leap from "fantasy" to "thought", the discussion on ideology and philosophy lies in audio-visual and stories, but it is not closed, which can inspire questioning and reflection.

If we say that the "window opening" and "ceiling" of China’s sci-fi movies in 2019 have been going around for a few years, and the film market has changed due to the epidemic, it is difficult for domestic sci-fi movies to produce any hardcore masterpieces. By the Spring Festival in 2023, Wandering Earth 2, the second part of this series of movies, tells the story of The Wandering Earth’s prequel, but it has "broken the door" beyond the hardcore level of its predecessor.

Storytelling, Wandering Earth 2 shows how The Wandering Earth’s basic world outlook structure came into being, and two crises before Jupiter crisis — — The attack in 2044 and the moon crisis in 2058.

This is a step in the process from the present to the future, and it is a phased state from the near future to the farther. The "Wandering Earth" project is a grand human epic spanning 2,500 years. How it happened and how it was possible, and the credibility logic needs to be shown by movies.

On the surface, the crisis in 2044 is how the mainstream "Wandering Earth" faction responded to the "terrorist attack" of the opposition "Digital Life" faction. This is a routine of spy war and thrilling action movies, but at the same time, it has completed the personal construction of Liu Peiqiang and Han Duoduo (The Wandering Earth’s grandfather named his sister Han Duoduo to commemorate his daughter who died of illness), and the "space elevator" for those who face the wall in "Three-body".

At the same time, the appearance of Tu Hengyu leads to the clue of supercomputer artificial intelligence 550W. The mirror reverse writing "MOSS" not only appeared in Liu Cixin’s Supernova Age and China 2185, but also produced intertextuality with the supercomputer of the world’s classic sci-fi movies in some details, such as "Roaming in Space in 2001" and "Alpha City". When the red eye or camera of the supercomputer flashes, there will be a faint prompt sound.

The idea of reverse writing in the mirror of 550W may also be influenced by the classic mirror that says "redrum" and "murder" in reverse. The dual nature of artificial intelligence represented by 550W may be the underlying cause of the two crises. This is a technical ethics issue, a philosophical issue, and even a future realistic issue.

The "Moon Crisis" is the core plot of Wandering Earth 2. If Liu Peiqiang’s clue is the "real universe" directly traced forward, then Tu Hengyu can be said to be a "meta-universe" clue. The virtual reality and life and death were originally antagonistic and either-or, just like the crisis in 2044, but in the face of the crisis of all mankind, people from different countries can unite if they need it, because "there is no human civilization.

The nuclear bomb is used to destroy the moon, which is unity and trust in one dimension, but the key can’t be unlocked, which is division and suspicion in a higher dimension. Only with greater human sacrifice, hands-on operation will have the meaning of unity. Similarly, can the virtual and the real be United? The initial heart of Liu Peiqiang in the real world and Tu Hengyu in the virtual world is "ego", and the responsibility and kindness in human nature become the final choice.

This is not individual heroism, it is "human" collectivity and people’s nature.

Just as Tu Heng-yu’s crossing between the virtual and the real is like "Interstellar" passing through a black hole, he has become a higher-dimensional self, which can send back information to remind human beings of the crisis. In the choice between angels and demons, the continuation of nature is his own god. In this sense, should the community of human destiny include the unity of reality and falsehood, and can it transcend life and death in the process of drawing a blueprint like a foolish man moving mountains in 2500 years? The answer seems to be yes.

Wandering Earth 2 further interprets and deepens the theme, the so-called "Chinese scheme", in the openness of absorbing the nutrition of world science fiction movies. In the sci-fi coalition government, which is almost the same as the real United Nations, the emaciated "Miss Zhou" wearing a Chinese tunic suit with a national flag tells the story of the first healed thigh bone.

Yes, this character’s surname is Zhou. He can evoke Chinese’s collective memory. He can also make a decisive decision based on the belief that "our people are fine" in the face of tidal danger and surveillance cameras. This "last-minute rescue" routine seems to be a familiar way for us.

Wandering Earth 2 clearly shows that the industrial production level of China’s films has reached a new height. The special effects shots are real and full of details, and they dare to show them to the audience frankly, with no intention of concealing or hiding others.

The hardcore degree of paragraphs such as "Space Elevator", "Nuclear Explosion on the Moon", "Returning to Shanghai", "Diving to Restart the Internet Root", "Starting from the Space Station Warrior" and "Stupid Robot Dog" are not inferior in the history and forefront of the world science fiction movie history.

In the combination of narrative and special effects, the structure and rhythm of the so-called emotional drama and hardcore drama are not perfect, but they are basically compact and effective. Moreover, there are only two films in this series at present, and there should be a third film in the future, such as "Helium Flash Crisis in the Sun". If this is the case, the "Wandering Earth" series will show that China’s ability to incubate its own series of films from contemporary IP has reached a new and even global level, and it will also "go global" in the combination of creativity and craftsmanship, in the exploration and interpretation of the theme, and in China’s films.

In this sense, the hardcore of Wandering Earth 2 is not only in the field of science fiction movies, but also a new milestone of science fiction movies in China.