The first half-hour is a spectacular futuristic special effects battle between some people and some other people. It’s a visual spectacle, but what the heck is it all about? After that we have another 2½ hours mostly of politicking and Chinese propaganda, with poor acting and a pseudo-science plot that makes no sense. Hard to care, hard to sit through.
An attempt to make a simple story into something spectacular by adding individuals' stories and sub-plots.
Story, a bit thin perhaps but it makes for compelling scenarios. The CGI is spectacular, sustained realistic sets, exquisite detail, not over done with gaudy colour or fantasy. Subtitles in Chinese version difficult to follow. Too fast and action is missed trying to read them and keep up with the fast complex plot. Switched to dubbed version (I hate dubbed soundtracks) - but - the whole film improved as the narrative pace settled. Not a great Sci-Fi idea, but well executed, it stayed well away from monsters and aliens. The design of the craft and bases, the interiors and weapons were plenty enough.
The American and foreign actors are appalling - very cheap I'd imagine. Ignore the injections of Chinese chutzpah and the attempt to suggest international cooperation is a decent try. Very long at almost 3 hours but worth it in the end.
Great and creative visual effects.
But wtf happening here? Always there is a countdown. Once 3 in the same time: start engines, destroy Moon and recovery the internet. When was shut down?
In a scene we jump 15 years. The characters are not older.
Always there is a solution in the last seconds. Sometimes we do not know what (repairing the quantum computer snd recovery of internet)
Why are they building engines in the Moon? What is the plan with the Earth outside the solar system without sunshine? What is the plan against the interstellar medium?
Is it a timetraveller message in the middle of the movie?
How a pilot can be everywhere in the story?
When the Earth was flooded? What are they doing in the ocean?
The most important: Who wrote this chaotic scipt?