US scholar hails sci-fi blockbuster's 'spectacle' quality

The Chinese science-fiction blockbuster "The Wandering Earth II" has been a box office sensation in both China and North America and also been widely acclaimed by sci-fi lovers since its release on January 22.

Professor Mark J. Williams, a film scholar at the Department of Film and Media Studies of Dartmouth College, talked about the movie's cinematography and hailed it "a very distinctive and successful" film during a recent e-mail interview with Shanghai Daily.

Q: What's your opinion of "The Wandering Earth II?"

A: To describe the film as spectacular is a vast understatement. The "spectacle" quality is quite extraordinary, to the extent that at times it can seem rather overwhelming or even relentless.

It is a very long film and, therefore, must meet many high standards to render with care intimate emotional and melodramatic character-driven stories within its epic global, even inter-galactic, saga of technology-centered power struggles to save the planet.

Indeed, the film plays almost like a very complex mini-series that you are invited to "binge" on in one sitting. The characters it chooses to focus on are relatable and yet gifted in distinctive and ultimately heroic ways. The film deserves its critical acclaim and its box office success.

Q: What parts of the film most impressed you?

A: The thematic center is a set of troubling questions regarding the future of life. What possible recourse might exist in light of a cosmic event that would destroy the planet versus the possible extension of life via the virtual adaptive re-creation of recorded memories. These are depicted as competing research questions because the capacity for super-advanced computational power can evolve one but not both.

Political and military power clusters, activism and terrorism, enormous tech centers that gauge the action, and countless vehicles from land rovers to spaceships literally drive the peaks and valleys of the narrative.

As a result, there are so many extensive special-effects set pieces. The film truly resembles a carnival ride, taking its audience on a series of immersive and often violent encounters.

Q: Some viewers say that the film's visual arts top even those of Hollywood. But it's quite different from a typical Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster. What do you think?

A: They are indeed impressive and certainly equal the most top-budget film productions I have seen. This film is exceptional in this respect and will be pointed to for some time as exemplary.

Q: Many think "The Wandering Earth II" is such a breakthrough film that it has opened a path for Chinese sci-fi to be accepted in the West. Do you agree?

A: It is difficult for me to make broad predictions about the long tail of future endeavors that will be inspired, but surely the box office success of "The Wandering Earth II" will have the attention of almost everyone in the entertainment business!

In the industry press, there has been some attention comparing box office receipts with "Avatar: The Way of Water." But "The Wandering Earth II" is a very distinctive and successful film. It is a landmark, part of a large and evolving genre.

Q: The film has been criticized for nationalist elements. Do you agree?

A: These elements did not surprise me, so they also didn't bother me. When the senior gentleman Zhou insisted that the apparently destroyed Beijing Internet repair team would succeed on time, that was rather extreme. But the emphasis on the father and daughter in the VR space was very touching and balanced out.

Q: How do you view the development of Chinese cinema?

A: I am not an expert on all Chinese cinema history, which has been difficult to access in the West, though I truly love the silent era films.

Q: Hollywood sci-fi films used to dominate the Chinese market. Do you see Chinese sci-fi movies catching up?

A: It seems very much on the rise, especially warranted by the remarkable success of this sci-fi franchise.

Q: What's your opinion about women as sci-fi writers and filmmakers?

A: I honestly believe that women writers and filmmakers will be key to the future of media around the world, affording fresh and detailed perspectives that have been less readily available in previous eras. The attention to women characters and their experiences is one of the reasons I love silent and early Chinese cinema so much.

Regarding sci-fi, there will be multiple new horizons inspired by women writers and filmmakers, at times perhaps less focused on the impressive scale of major technology advances. There are already many important women fiction writers in this genre.

Q: What's your advice to Chinese sci-fi filmmakers and writers who also hope to attract a global audience?

A: Seek out original concepts, and don't be afraid to start small and intimate.