Ever since Chinese production companies have discovered the principles of the blockbusters, it seems like every year we are bombarded with a new feature about heroes facing a catastrophe or other odds. While the genre itself varies, many of these features feel as if they are throwbacks to US-American productions such as “Earthquake” or “The Towering Inferno”, as their focus lies on a group of people, their dynamics and the heroics with which they eventually overcome whatever is in their way. “Restart the Earth” by filmmaker Zhenzhao Lin, who also directed the trashy “Snakes”-franchise, goes in a similar direction, with a few nods to production such as “The Last of Us” thrown in for good measure, and there is also the ideological aspect in the mix.
After a world-wide catastrophe which saw plants growing disproportionately large after an experiment gone horribly wrong, the rest of mankind has gone into hiding, trying to survive one day at a time. At least, this is what life has become for Yang Hao (He Shengming) and his daughter Yuanyuan (Zhang Mingcan), who stumble upon a team of soldiers after a difficult battle with some of the plants. The two of them hear about their mission, which is to inject a certain substance into the roots of the plants in order for them to get back to normal and prevent the “green wave”, which will see the global flora grow even bigger and diminish all hopes of ever getting back to the way things were.
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Although he hesitates at first, Yang Hao, who was an engineer before the catastrophe, is convinced by his daughter to join the team in their mission. However, they only have a few hours left until the “green wave” gets into its final stages, with its first stages already leaving their mark on what remains of the once great cities, as the ground begins to crumble and skyscrapers start collapsing. As the group makes its way to their final destination, there are numerous challenges they must face and a revelation that could jeopardize the success of their operation.
At under 90 minutes, “Restart the Earth” may be an exception among the recent blockbusters which take up two hours to tell their oftentimes non-existent or simplistic story. In the case of Zhenzhao Lin's feature, there is, however, plenty of story there, sometimes squeezed in an already hectic scene. However, since the overall plot development is quite predictable, this should not be seen as a criticism, especially because the pro-Chinese notion, the heroism and the pathos is what drives much of these sequences. Similar to Western blockbusters, you are much better off switching off your brain for the duration of the movie and not questioning any of it.
If the aforementioned works for you, “Restart the Earth” may have a lot to offer, especially in terms of visuals. While it may not be on the same level as “The Wandering Earth”, the overall design of a world infested with mutated plants is quite impressive, especially as the “green waves” hit and the urban structures start to disintegrate even more. A scene involving the group crossing a collapsed metal frame to get to another building is very tense and dramatic, possibly the best sequence in the whole feature. Additionally, the look of the plants themselves is decent and some of them look suspiciously similar to the snakes in the director's other features, but it serves its purpose of creating this atmosphere of suspense and urgency, together with the other visuals mentioned.
Lastly, the actors themselves are also quite solid. With the soldiers essentially consisting of the kind of stereotypes known from other blockbuster/sci-fi movies, the focus lies on the two main characters, with Zhang Mingcan and He Shengming giving believable performances as a father and daughter who have learned to survive and deal with their grief. However, it would have been interesting to actually see them living in this new world, their bond and their daily routine, as the movie does not go into detail in this regard.
“Restart the Earth” delivers the typical blockbuster fare. You can expect lots of action, drama and some interesting visuals, combined with the usual amount of heroism and pro-China ideology.
