Officially released in February 2023, The Wandering Earth 2 received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 79% based on 19 reviews.
Like the opinion of some circles, I also see that The Wandering Earth 2 seems to show much better CGI effects than the first.
What many people don't expect, this film turns out to be a prequel not a sequel (continuation of the previous story). However, the presentation of the storyline, acting and CGI effects from this film which lasts almost 3 hours (2 hours 53 minutes) is still stunning.
Before I get into the heart of the discussion, namely regarding the sci-fi aspect of this film which I think is very interesting, I would like to first review the propaganda side that is inserted in this film.
It seems that Hollywood films are being used as a medium for propaganda of American nationalism, China also seems to be making use of this in some of their major films.
In the Mandarin film industry, I have long observed and believe that several big actors, such as Andy Lau, Jet Li, Wu Jing, and several others, usually play in films that carry the values of Chinese nationalism that they wish to introduce to the world. This is not a bad thing. I think, in some ways, this is just what a country needs to do.
In the first film, "The Wandering Earth" is introduced as a multi-national project - a collaboration from various countries in the world - to overcome a major disaster that will soon hit the earth due to the dying and about to explode Sun.
In the second film, which is a prequel, we are told that before the project was called The Wandering Earth, its original name was The Moving Mountain Project.
The name of the multi-national project “Moving mountains” illustrates that this project is a very ambitious human project, almost impossible but must be tried.
When I watched the movie The Wandering Earth 2 and got the phrase the moving mountain mentioned, I immediately remembered that this is a very famous phrase in Chinese culture.
This expression is in one of the works of ancient Chinese literature from the 4th century BC, namely the 5th book of Liezi which outlines the moral message of Dao principles (Taoism).
The ancient saying goes Yúgōng Yíshān (愚公移山) meaning: An old fool who moves mountains. It is a moral message of virtue, perseverance and willpower.
In the story, Old Man Fool, or Yugong, and his family live in the mountains that block the way in and out of his village. Thus, in order to facilitate a path for himself and future generations, Yugong, who is nearing his 90s, is determined to move mountains, shovel by spade.
His actions were ridiculed by Wise Old Man, or Zhisou. "You are very stupid. With the years you have left and what little strength you still have, you can't cut down the trees on the mountain. How did you manage to move all the dirt and rocks,” Zhisou asked.
Yugong replied, “It is true that I will die, but I have my sons, and they will have sons. Then their son will have a son, and that boy will also have a son. I will have endless sons and grandchildren, but these mountains will not grow. Why can't they be leveled?”
In the end, God was touched by Yugong's persistence and sent two giants from heaven who helped move the mountain.
This story has become a reflection in the Chinese culture of forging ahead in the face of great adversity and enduring to the end.
This moral message is what I want to introduce in the film The Wandering Earth 2. If in the first part the name of the project The Wandering Earth does not show a moral basis, other than that it is an "astonishing title" for the audience, then, in the film The Wandering Earth 2 the struggle of humanity stretches in the film more ideal moral foundation is given. And for this, I confess, the scriptwriters of The Wandering Earth 2 did an excellent job.
On the propaganda side, the insertion of ancient expressions containing moral messages can be said to be their attempt to introduce the majesty of the Chinese nation's life principles to the international community.
Overall, the propaganda aspect in the film The Wandering Earth 2 wants to show that the main idea and actor that saves humanity is the Chinese nation, not America.
Sci-fi aspects of The Wandering Earth 2
In the film The Wandering Earth 2, I noted that there are at least 3 science issues raised. First, the issue of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) or sometimes also called ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence). Second, digital life. Third, mysterious particles.
This science issue is strategic and is an important feature in the film The Wandering Earth 2 to answer the satire of film critics who say that The Wandering Earth 1 is a Sci-fi film that is completely unrealistic. In a sense, the Sci-fi feature in the film does not provide a reasonable or logical perspective on future technology.
ASI ( Artificial Super Intelligence)
This is also commonly referred to as 'Full AI' or even 'strong AI'. Some academic sources use the term "weak AI" to refer more broadly to any program that does not experience consciousness or has no mind in the same sense as humans, such as the AI we use today.
AGI or ASI is defined as an autonomous system that goes beyond human capabilities. Although still regarded as hypothetical, the worrying potential of breast milk has been widely expressed by many scientists.
The thesis that AI poses an existential risk to humans, and that this risk requires more attention than it currently receives, has been supported by many public figures including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking.
AI researchers such as Stuart J. Russell, Roman Yampolskiy, and Alexey Turchin, also support the basic thesis about potential threats to humanity. Bill Gates said he doesn't "understand why some people don't care".
A 2021 systematic review of the risks associated with breast milk found the potential threats that: Breast milk can escape human control; unsafe development of breast milk and inadequate management of breast milk, and has the potential to pose an existential risk”.
In the film The Wandering Earth 2, ASI is introduced with the name of the 550C system (an update of the 550 system) an intelligent and very powerful quantum computer thanks to ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence) that works within the system.
In the final parts of The Wandering Earth 2, in the dialogue between Tu Hengyu (Andy Lau) and the 550W system (an update from 550C) it is revealed that the propulsion damage on the moon was caused by sabotage by the 550C system. System 550 said that he did that to save humanity.
So, the film The Wandering Earth 2 illustrates that very strong AI is really needed in human civilization that utilizes super-sophisticated technology, however, there is a worrying side where AI can act independently or break away from human control. And this is a very dangerous thing.
Digital Life
Digital life emerges as one of humanity's options in facing extinction. The idea of the Digital Life Project was proposed by the US Mike, a representative from the US at a meeting of the United Earth Government (which replaced the UN) as an alternative project, proposing to leave the Mountain Moving Project or MMP (Mountain Moving Project). This was successfully opposed by Chinese representative Zhou Zhezhi (Li Xuejian).
On the other hand, Andy Lau (Tu Hengyu) who plays a scientist who is stricken with grief over the death of his wife and daughter, secretly embraces the Digital Life Project, as a way to keep the little princess "alive."
He wanted his daughter's digital memory to be integrated with System 550, so that it could live fully. And he succeeded in doing that wish. In fact, at the end – when he dies – he himself joins his daughter in the 550 system as Digital Life.
And thanks to him and his daughter integrated into the 550W system, this ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence) System, which previously acted independently, is again under control.
I imagine, in the film TWE 3 (if it is produced), we can be treated to a story of how the integration between Artificial Super Intelligence and Human Digital Consciousness evolves into a Technological Singularity.
We can see films with the theme of human digital awareness in the film Transcendence (2014) starring Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman and Rebecca Hall.
Mysterious Particle Called In The Wandering Earth 2 Movie
The film The Wandering Earth 2 inserts into the story the existence of a mysterious particle that gives a warning to mankind.
There are two scenes where the number of the mysterious particle that warns humanity appears in this film.
First, in the 1:07:00 minute scene which tells that in 1987, the 710 institute (710th Research Institute of China) received a code containing the number 2044. At first this number code was said to be of unknown origin. Then, the next code "205807" appears in the Ultrafast Optical Laboratory. This code is also called unknown origin.
It's just that this code has been interpreted in terms of global security, because, the Chinese side believes that the code has also appeared in thousands of laboratories around the world, and that it has also been accepted by intelligence agencies around the world. In other words, information about this code was kept secret by every intelligence agency.
The Chinese emphasized in a closed meeting that the messages were a warning. “We all know what happened in 2044 (referring to the sabotage of the space elevator by the terrorists which caused thousands of people to die). We hope that all parties take it seriously.” said Hao Xiaoxi from the Chinese side.
As for code 205807, it is interpreted as a warning that there will be another disaster that will occur, and this is evidenced by the occurrence of a disaster due to sabotage of the 550W system (which works beyond human control) on the engine on the moon and almost failed the propulsion engine function on earth to come online and function. fully.
The second scene, namely at minute 2:39:58, is set in 2065, the number code appears again from the Neutrino DUDE Laboratory department, showing the numbers 2075-0215, this code is called more accurate because it already shows the date. Previously, the code that appeared only showed the year and month.
The event code 2075-0215 refers to the catastrophe when the earth crosses the planet Jupiter, which is the background story in The Wandering Earth 1.
The film The Wandering Earth 2 doesn't specifically tell us what entity is constantly warning humanity of an impending catastrophe, but that the code appeared in the Neutrino laboratory, causing me to think that it appears to have come from Neutrino particles. This is a particle that some people call more worthy of being called a god particle than the Higgs boson.
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