Brandon Katz wonders in Observer What the Heck Is ‘The Wandering Earth,’ and Why Didn’t Netflix Tell Us About It?

The sci-fi blockbuster is only the third top film of 2019, earning $700,000,000 worldwide, albeit 99% of that in China.

The film was released for worldwide streaming by Netflix on April 30, 2019.

Here’s their short description:

“A looming collision with Jupiter threatens Earth as humans search for a new star. The planet’s fate now lies in the hands of a few unexpected heroes.”

And their long description:

“The Wandering Earth tells the story of a distant future in which the sun is about to expand into a red giant and devour the Earth, prompting mankind to make an audacious attempt to save planet. The multi-generational heroes build ten-thousand stellar engines in an effort to propel Planet Earth out the solar system, in the hope of finding a new celestial home. During the 2,500 year-long journey, a group of daring heroes emerge to defend human civilization from unexpected dangers and new enemies, and to ensure the survival of humanity in this age of the wandering Earth.”

My take: I watched this and saw the references to 2001 and Armageddon. I liked the sentimental payoff of the father-son dynamic but thought the CGI looked more like some video games than cinematic. More concerning is the way Netflix just buried this in their catalogue. Is that all producers of material that isn’t a Netflix Original can expect?