Space Sweepers Movie Review - A Sci-Fi That Flies Through Familiar Destinations

Space Sweepers is an okayish space-movie that sweeps bits from the debris of other similar films.

Watching Space Sweepers, you will be reminded of numerous other titles. The orange color palette takes you to the world of Blade Runner 2049. There's even an identical shot where the city is surveyed from above during the night. The action sequences set in space harkens back to the Star Wars films. If you are into video games, you will think about Mass Effect. Believe it or not, there's a shot that took me back to Hitman 3 (if you assassinated Hush by overloading his brain, you would know what I am talking about. There is no assassination here, only the chair is somewhat similar). The inference here is that Space Sweepers (directed by Jo Sung-hee and written along with Yoon Seung-min and Yoo-kang Seo-ae) is a been-there-seen-before extravaganza that treads on familiarity and comfort.

The year is 2092. By now, the audience must be well versed to conclude what this means - Earth is on the verge of extinction, and a rich asshole cum mad scientist would have found life in the darkness of space. Viola! Correct answer. Speaking in terms of Space Sweepers, UTS corporation (they are evil, and you know it) has built a new home for humankind. James Sullivan (Richard Armitage; Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit), the CEO of UTS, wants to eradicate the remaining life on Earth to successfully start a new society with wealthy people (the UTS residents) on Mars. These residents currently reside up in "the orbit." The poor are living below, the affluent are living above, get it? Does it also evoke memories of Alita: Battle Angel, a little?

You know what? To hell with the plot. There is nothing new I can say about it, and there is nothing new Space Sweepers will provide you with. Just note that there is a cute little young girl named Dorothy (Park Ye-rin) who is initially believed to be a robot with a bomb planted within her body. She mysteriously ends up with the crew of The Victory (no prizes for guessing who wins in the end), a space junk collector ship consisting of Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki), Tiger Park (Jin Seon-kyu), Robot Bubs (Yoo Hae-jin), and Captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri; you may remember her as Sook-hee from The Handmaiden). Their mission: to return Dorothy in return for a handsome ransom.

The CGI work is nicely rendered with distinguishable regions. The UTS 32nd Commercial District has a scenic disco while the Maintenance Hangar bursts with the sweats of mechanics and clangs with the sounds of machinery. The yellow lights bounce off the surface of the water spilled on the ground. Apart from visual vistas, Space Sweepers does not have many positives to sweep for it.

The action scenes begin with a promise of an explosion but end with a whimper. Consider the one that takes place on a bridge. As one of the enemies races towards our hero, we expect some punches or a thrilling chase sequence. What we get is a long jump towards safety. Or take the combat between Tiger Park and a soldier. Both of them carry a heavy dose of adrenaline, but it never spills on the screen. The space battles are also mundane (guns, laser bullets, standard shootings), offering nothing that could be termed as electrifying. We are shown glimpses of the villain's wickedness - weird lines crawl on his skin. It remains a peek into his viciousness until the final battle. Even when it arrives, it doesn't feel menacing. Here is a bad guy who lures the good ones into revealing their evil side. A journalist is made to shoot an innocent someone, and a man is made to succumb to his greed. Interesting but never goes anywhere fruitful, which can also be said for Bubs, who wants to appear human by covering his metallic parts with human skin. His manly voice over feminine habits can even stand-in for "follow the sexual orientation you desire" messaging.

Coming to the man who gave in to greed, he is the hero of the film: Tae-ho. I will leave his backstory for you to discover. For the review, let's just say there is a small girl, and Dorothy reminds Tae-ho of her. Oh yes, here is another highlight of Space Sweepers: Even with this background, Tae-ho does not immediately latch himself to Dorothy. Tae-ho's longing for his little girl is not instantly faded or replaced. Dorothy's cuteness keeps Space Sweepers watchable to an extent. But ultimately, Space Sweepers resorts to an overfamiliar safety shell as if it's afraid of taking risks. It's not as daring and bold as the crew of The Victory. There are a few heart-touching bits between Tae-ho and the young girl though they do not leave a lasting impression on us. I was ready to mist up during an emotional moment in the finale, but it is a "safe" film after all. The emotions are betrayed. It's equivalent to crying at a funeral only to realize that the body is still alive. Yup, all those tears were a waste.

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