Yu Si, a young writer who was then studying at the Beijing Film Academy, was recruited to pen the storyline. The scriptwriter born in 1986 spent a lot of time researching medical and oceanic history, and had around 2,000 sketches made to help her build a complete picture of the futuristic world she was creating and flesh out the sets and characters.

"Movies make dreams. I'm really interested in the themes of science fiction, horror and monsters," says Yu, who is a fan of such classics as Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak and the Resident Evil franchise.

"It's a story about North Pole, oceanic adventure and mutant monsters. These things fascinate me," she says.

Although the movie encountered a string of hurdles, mainly surrounding a shortage of qualified special effects hands and budget limitations, Wang says he believes the biggest challenge facing Chinese sci-fi films has nothing to do with funding.

"Great sci-fi stories are about the complexities of human life, which usually stem from daily concerns," says Wang.