Synopsis: Get ready for thrilling sci-fi action in Restart the Earth! It’s The Last of Us meets Starship Troopers! When a drug to replicate plant cells creates a sentient form of flower, the planet is over taken by plant life and humankind is depleted. A Chinese task force, a widowed father and his young daughter fight to survive in a mission to inject an antidote to the core of the plants to reverse their growth. (89 Mins)

 

Views: Released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Media in the UK and Ireland by Dazzler Media, this Chinese sci-fi adventure offers a stark warning on the affects of global warming and proved to be quite an entertaining piece! In a bid to save mankind and planet earth from dying, a global team of scientists work together to produce a special chemical that can enhance and produce the reproduction of plant cells. But at the same time, the chemical awakens something else in the fauna, creating a worldwide spread of monster plants that have a mind of their own. As things get out of control; with people being attacked and killed, cities are engulfed in foliage, and the world is choked by giant vines, a global joint-action team pulls together to try and put a stop to their new threat and finally suppress the killer plants. During their mission, the Chinese team cross paths with a survivor and his daughter who may just be their only hope in saving the world so, together, they set off through the city ruins to complete their task before the feared global green tide strikes!

 

I quite enjoyed Restart The Earth. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it still had enough going on to hold my attention and proved to be a decent watch overall. While I'm sure the success of The Wandering Earth somewhat inspired the creative team involved to get to work in thinking that they possibly had another CGI packed epic on their hands, I have to admit that I was as amazed as much as I was disappointed with the effects work involved as it jumped from being visually impressive to looking slightly dated at times. That said, I know Restart The Earth didn't come close to sharing the same kind of budget as The Wandering Earth, and still feel it did a fine job in delivering the visuals needed to tell its story. While many have described it as a blend of Starship Troopers and The Last Of Us, I also felt it reminded me – at times – of Alan Yuen's fun 2019 flick, The Rookies, starring Milla Jovovich and the handsome Talu Wang. Although the majority of the film sees the team fighting their way through deadly giant vines, there's also the added enjoyment of snake-like branches and roots that grab for their victims. Some of these in particular come across like Chinese dragons, which is quite effective and brought back memories of the alien machines in Steven Speilberg's reimagining of War Of The Worlds.

 

But this is no shock given the past films that director Lin Zhen Zhao has delivered over the years, such as the fun Snake Trilogy and other web-movies including The Monkey King 2: The Volcano, The Enchanting Phantom, and Rat Disaster, as well as penning a few scripts for new Detective Dee television movies. In fact, aside from his directorial debut in 2018 that saw Vincent Zhao return to the role of Wong Fei Hung in the fun Unity Of Heroes, Lin has since put a lot of focus on CGI in his films and I'd be interested to see what he could do with a bigger budget and better production team behind him. Lin puts the watchable Mickey He as his main lead, Hao Yang, the doting scientist father who delivers some emotional moments next to his daughter played by Zhang Ming Can. To be honest, I haven't seen He in many productions – namely his brief role in Tsui Hark's Detective Dee: The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame – but he did a pretty good job here and gives a good performance. Mongolian born actor Naomen Eerdeni plays the kick-ass member of the team known as Old Ghost, with the wonderful Yu Rong Guang making a cameo as the commanding officer of the Chinese action team. Unfortunately though, and as with his role in Jackie Chan's Ride On, the legendary Hong Kong action-star once again fails to bust a move. The lovely Michelle Ye also helps beef things up as another member of the team, and looks fantastic while doing so. Initially starting life in the industry as a television actress in shows like Street Fighters, Treasure Raiders, Triumph In The Skies, and Eastern Battlefield, she's also proven herself in many Hong Kong movies such as Undercover Hidden Dragon, Simply Actors, Accident, Overheard 2 & 3, and more including Johnnie To's Drug War.

 

Initially released in China in 2021, Restart The Earth has taken its time in getting to the West, but I'm glad it did. The film may be just another eco-disaster flick to many, but it still offers a tale of humanity with a message to the world, and enough edge of the seat moments which should keep most people entertained. While its definitely a B-movie at heart, its still the kind of movie that gets away with having a wild plot, plenty of melodramatic moments, and scenes of action and horror that look like they were lifted right of a video-game. While I mentioned how some of the CGI was a let-down in places, I was still pretty impressed with the set-pieces, art direction, and plant design for the most part. And although it may only run for just under 90 minutes – which is relatively short these days for the kind of movie it is – there's still a decent pace under Lin's direction and you end up feeling that you've watched something a bit longer, with a pretty wild finale that ties it all up. Restart The Earth may be a case of having seen it all before or not be highly memorable to most, but it does try to do something a little different and is worth checking out!

 

Overall: Exciting, inventive, and watchable, Restart The Earth goes above and beyond its budgetary constraints to try and deliver something a little different!​