The long-awaited Chinese sci-fi film "Redland" was released on Chinese streaming platform iQiyi today, marking a milestone for China's sci-fi community.

A poster for "Redland." [Photo courtesy of iQiyi]

"Redland" is adapted from the award-winning novella "Red Earth" by Xiao Xinghan, its title referencing a subway station of the same name in Chongqing. The story plunges viewers into a post-nuclear dystopia: With the Earth's surface reduced to a wasteland, survivors take refuge in a vast underground maze built from the subway station's infrastructure, battling genetically mutated species while struggling to restore civilization. The source material won the Chinese Nebula Original Award in 2019.

Four years in the making, the film's production faced significant challenges, especially when principal photography coincided with the peak of the pandemic. Closely tied to one of China's most respected sci-fi writers and backed by top sci-fi award organizers, filmmakers and investors, the film's development captured broad attention across China's sci-fi community following the success of works like "The Wandering Earth" and "The Three-Body Problem."

Directed by Liu Kaiyi and Ma Ming, "Redland" has been hailed as China's first large-scale online sci-fi film based on original intellectual property. The producers stated it represents "a landmark work carrying the aspirations of Chinese sci-fi, delivering an unprecedented audio-visual experience." They aim to create a benchmark production combining hard sci-fi elements, authentic local culture and profound humanistic themes.

Directors Liu and Ma stated that they crafted a story pitting humanity against extreme environments, exploring themes of struggle, awakening and transcendence as mankind fights to reclaim the surface world.

The film's awe-inspiring visuals are powered by cutting-edge effects. Under VFX supervisor Meng Jifeng, the team crafted an immersive apocalyptic world: a radioactive surface wasteland evoking despair, claustrophobic underground tunnels and terrifying nuclear-mutated creatures that trigger visceral dread. Meng stated their goal: "Our aim was for viewers to not just 'see' the monster, but to 'feel' its lurking proximity — and shudder."

Author Xiao Xinghan praised the film for its profound exploration of cutting-edge issues like genetic technology and their societal impact, noting how it creatively leverages technology to enhance its realism.

Gan Weikang, the film's executive producer and president of Hainan Eternal Vision Science Fiction Media, remarked: "The journey of adapting 'Redland' from page to screen was arduous. Amid today's wave of AIGC adoption, it highlights the irreplaceable quality and warmth unique to human-crafted live-action sci-fi filmmaking."