Space Sweepers
A space western about junk collectors and a child robot.
Space Sweepers is a 2021 South Korean space western film directed by Jo Sung-hee. Regarded as the first Korean film space blockbuster, it was released directly on Netflix worldwide on February 5, 2021. The film stars Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hae-jin.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Jo Sung-hee
- Producer
- Yoon In-beom, Kim Soo-jin
- Writer
- Yoon Seung-min
- Yoo-kang Seo-ae
- Jo Sung-hee
- Starring
- Song Joong-ki
- Kim Tae-ri
- Jin Seon-kyu
- Yoo Hae-jin
- Music
- Kim Tae-seong
- Cinematography
- Byun Bong-sun
- Editing
- Nam Na-young, Ha Mi-ra
- Studio
- Bidangil Pictures, Dexter Studios
Facts from the source article.
Plot summary
In the year 2092, after Earth becomes uninhabitable, Tae-ho, Captain Jang, Tiger Park, and an android named Bubs work as space sweepers from an orbiting space station created by the UTS corporation. Under the leadership of Sullivan, UTS has created artificial planetoids for a select group of humans and terraformed Mars, while 90% of humanity lives in poverty on a dying Earth. The crew, struggling with debts and competition, discovers a child robot named Dorothy during their work. Dorothy contains a weapon of mass destruction purportedly created by the terrorist group Black Foxes. A ransom plan fails when UTS soldiers stage a massacre at the exchange club and frame the crew as terrorists. The crew initially views Dorothy as an object but softens; Tae-ho is reminded of his adopted daughter Kim Su-ni, who was blown out into space during an accident. Tae-ho and Jang were once UTS soldiers but defected after being forced to kill refugees. The Black Foxes, led by Karum, reveal they are environmentalists seeking to return Dorothy to her father, scientist Kang Hyeon-u. Dorothy is revealed to be Kang Kot-nim, a human injected with nanobots by her father to heal her. Sullivan wants her because her nanobots can interact with others, making her a superweapon. Sullivan's forces kill the Black Foxes but spare the crew due to past relationships, offering amnesty and debt payment in exchange for Kang Kot-nim. Tae-ho uses his share to fund an expedition to find his lost daughter but feels guilty about betraying Kang. Sullivan plans to destroy the nanobots, Earth, and Kang with a thermonuclear blast. Tae-ho's team rescues Kang, enlists other spacers, and during a climactic battle, detaches the bomb from the orbital factory; Sullivan is killed when the bomb collides with his spaceship. After the battle, UTS makes reparations, Kang Kot-nim is adopted by the crew, Tae-ho reconnects with Kim Su-ni on the astral plane, and Bubs obtains a female human body.
Cast
Song Joong-ki plays Kim Tae-ho, former Commander of the Space Guards and the first ever UTS Genius. Kim Tae-ri portrays Captain Jang / Jang Hyun-sook, a former Special Forces Squad officer who deserted to create her own pirate organization and attempted to assassinate CEO James Sullivan. Jin Seon-kyu is Tiger Park / Park Kyung-soo, a former drug king who escaped Earth after being sentenced to death. Yoo Hae-jin voices Robot Bubs, a former military robot trying to save up for a skin graft, with Kim Hyang-gi as Bubs' new body. Richard Armitage plays James Sullivan, the CEO of UTS and main antagonist, a survivor of World War II who seeks to destroy Earth and start again on Mars. Kim Mu-yeol appears as Kang Hyeon-u, Kang Kot-nim's father and a scientist. Park Ye-rin plays Dorothy / Kang Kot-nim, a robot who is the target of pursuit. Oh Ji-yul is Kim Su-ni, Tae-ho's adopted daughter. Anupam Tripathi plays Sullivan's assistant, Christian Lagahit is the restaurant manager, and Nas Brown portrays Karum, leader of the Black Foxes.
Production
The early working title of the film was Lightning Arc. Jo Sung-hee started writing the story 10 years prior to the film's release, after a friend talked to him about the dangers of space junk. He said, 'It started with the idea of space travelers collecting space junk. I heard about how these fast-moving fragments of space debris are growing and leading to in-space collisions. I realized that this subject has already been dealt with in animations and games, but never in a film.' In May 2019, Huayi Tencent invested $4.2 million in the film. Visual effects company Dexter Studios, behind Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Ashfall, and Wandering Earth, was hired. Song Joong-ki agreed to star in June 2018, his second collaboration with Jo Sung-hee after A Werewolf Boy. Kim Tae-ri was offered the captain role in January 2019, Jin Seon-kyu in April, and the final lineup was confirmed in June 2019, with Yoo Hae-jin joining as robotic motion capture and voice acting. Richard Armitage revealed via Instagram that he would start filming in July 2019, making Space Sweepers his first Korean film. Principal photography began on July 3, 2019, and filming was completed on November 2.
Reception
The film debuted at number one on Netflix in 16 countries including France, Malaysia, Croatia, South Korea, and the Philippines, and dominated Netflix's daily top 10 rankings in 80 countries upon its premiere. It gathered more than 26 million household viewers on Netflix during the first 28 days of its release, or 53,340,000 hours watched. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating based on reviews, with the critics consensus reading: 'As a story, Space Sweepers isn't as adventurous as its star-navigating protagonists -- but relatable characters and impressive effects keep it from drifting out of orbit.' On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'. Zaki Hasan of IGN argued that 'even as [the film is] a concoction of various familiar sci-fi tropes, they've been reassembled with verve and passion enough to sand down any cynicism when taking it all in.' Dais Johnston of Inverse argued that the film 'proves that Netflix's big bet on international audiences is paying off.' Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of The Daily Dot compared the film to Cowboy Bebop and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the music for Space Sweepers?
The music for Space Sweepers was composed by Kim Tae-seong.
Who wrote Space Sweepers?
Space Sweepers was written by Yoon Seung-min, Yoo-kang Seo-ae and Jo Sung-hee.
How long is Space Sweepers?
Space Sweepers has a running time of 136 minutes.
More in South Korean Science Fiction Action Films
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