“Space Sweepers” (승리호)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
July 19, 2021

Kim Tae-Ho (played by Song Joong-Ki)
Captain Jang / Jang Hyun-Sook (played by Kim Tae-Ri)
Tiger Park (played by Jin Seon-Kyu)

“Space Sweepers” has a lot of things going for it — great acting, cinematography, special effects. But once you’re done oohing and ahhing at the visual onslaught, it’ll sink in that what the film lacks is a cohesive storyline.

Song Joong-Ki (“Vincenzo“) and Kim Tae-Ri (“The Handmaiden,” “Mr. Sunshine“) star as part of the crew of Victory, a salvage ship that collects junk around Earth’s orbit to sell or use to sustain life on Earth.

Their enemy is the smarmy cult-like leader James Sullivan (Richard Armitage), who at 150 years old has a financial stake in keeping Earth unlivable. His corporation runs idyllic space colonies, where the rich and powerful can live without running into the poor. Though the movie doesn’t go into it much, Sullivan didn’t reach 150 by exercising and eating right. After he murders an inquisitive man who questions his dubious methods, Sullivan’s body is invigorated with strength.

Set in 2092, the film is helmed by Jo Sung-Hee, who first had success with the 2012 feature film, “A Werewolf Boy” / “늑대소년,” which also featured Song Joong-Ki.

Whether intentional or not, Jo’s space odyssey reminded me too much of the “Star Wars” films, “Blade Runner” and “The Fifth Element.” Even though the film is populated with a predominantly Korean cast, its storyline is too familiar to be considered anything more than a fun movie. Viewers can guess what will happen next and they’ll be correct.

I had no problem with the over two-hour run time. But I wish that time had been used more judiciously to flesh out central plot points. This could’ve been a truly revelatory dystopian space movie, tackling the haves and the have nots and the moral implication of preying on the poor, whose work doesn’t get them out of debt, but exacerbates it with fee and taxes. (Sound familiar, anyone? You don’t have to go to space to see how this is playing out in just about any society today.)

As mentioned earlier, all the actors do a great job with what they are given. Song played his conflicted role with the right amount of charm and pathos, while Kim Tae-Ri was perfect as the iron-fisted captain, whose leadership no man would dare to question. Then there was an ass-kicking robot named Bubs, who identified as a woman, and no one gave her flack for that.

Release date: Originally slated to premiere in South Korean movie theaters on September 23, 2020, the 136-minute film was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it released internationally on Netflix on February 5, 2021.

Running time: 2 hours 16 minutes.

Spoiler Alert: Tae-Ho had once been an elite soldier/killing machine. After slaughtering a group of immigrants, he feels bad enough about his actions to take the sole survivor — a baby girl — to raise as his own child. Reconciling himself to the harm his actions have caused, he refuses to kill on demand, which means his loses his job and privileged position. Now homeless and poor, he spends his time gambling in the hopes of providing a better life for Su-Ni and himself. During a catastrophe, he is separated from her. He spends the next three years trying to scrap together enough money to pay a service that can find anyone — for a hefty fee. In the end, he is unable to be reunited with her, except in a dream sequence that gives him a little bit of the closure he needs.

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