Space Sweepers review: All-around thriller may just fail bid for masterpiece
Arguably South Korea’s first ever space film hits Netflix this February, and some reviews already praising it as a potential contender for movie of the year. Space Sweepers (2021), also known as Seungriho (Spaceship Victory), was made under the direction of Jo Sung-hee of Phantom Detective (2015) fame. While many welcomed Korea’s entry to the genre of space opera, there were also points of contention that may just deprive Space Sweepers of its bid for movie greatness. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Meeting good scifi qualities does not make it great?
It was 2092. Earth was beyond recovery, or so that was what the all-powerful conglomerate UTS made the people believe. In reality, UTS founder James Sullivan wanted to destroy Earth so there would be no choice but to find an alternative: terraforming Mars. The key to his grand scheme would be Kot-nim Kang, who was codenamed Dorothy because it was initially thought she was an android. In fact, she was a sickly child who was injected with nanobots by his father to be cured. Her ability to control these nanobots was later discovered to be capable of restoring the planet. What stood between Sullivan and Kot-nim were three space sweepers, who were called as such because they were contracted to clean up space debris. They would be Tae-ho Kim (Sullivan’s adopted child and a former Space Guard commander), Tiger Park (a convicted criminal who escaped from Earth), and Captain Jang (a former Special Forces squad officer who tried to assassinate Sullivan) of the Victory.
If the plot sounded familiar, it was probably because Earth’s decay due to human activity had been a theme among space films for years. Say, Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) or Wall-E (2008). Still, there were hints of originality along the way, incorporating almost every possible theme it could fit into the 2-hour film. For one, the internationalization of the cast which notably featured fellow Asians such as Chinese and Filipinos was a notable stroke of genius. It showed how Earth was not exactly a homogeneous English-speaking entity, even as the premise of the film was how societal hierarchy remained even in the vast expanse of outer space. The graphics were also stunning by today’s standards that the film could singlehandedly thrust Korean cinematography into the space genre easily enough. Then again, it was such a good film all-around that it seemingly failed to excel at any one aspect to bring it down the cultural memory lane with movies such as 2001: Space Odyssey (1968), Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984), Apollo 13 (1995), Cowboy Bebop (1998), and Interstellar (2014), among others. And while viewers may feel some parallels with the bounty hunters of Cowboy Bebop, Space Sweepers actually appeared more like Outlaw Star (1998) with its concept of grappling hooks and a woman being the focal point of the narrative’s struggles. Nonetheless, perhaps Outlaw Star’s mystery of the galactic leyline would still be a more complex setup compared to this film, which was somehow one-dimensional for the most part with its major characters. For one thing, the movie might have been way shorter if Sullivan decided not to let the Victory crew live another day, or even give them prize money, when he had cornered them. However, the ending might have been drastically different.
How it fared in putting the science in science fiction
The spacecraft Victory, and in extension the rest of the space sweeper ships roaming around Earth’s orbit, might ramp up some scientific minds with its climactic battle scenes. Victory itself was said to have 3.6 million pounds of thrust. In comparison, the powerful Saturn V that brought Apollo to the moon had 7.6 million. For Victory to be able to achieve escape velocity and reach more than 5,700 kilometers from the Earth’s atmosphere in less than 57 minutes, it would need more fuel capacity than what Saturn V ever used. Saying that it had a quantum engine did not really explain the physics behind its performance, considering its operators should have been poor space workers who could not even afford basic ship repairs. Another major plot device that lacked context was the space elevator itself. The concept was not new. As early as 1895, there were proposals on how to bring about elevators in Earth’s orbit. However, one may wonder how the elevator reenters Earth’s atmosphere. Exiting from the surface would not heat up the elevator, but going back down was another thing. Also, if Sullivan eventually planned to destroy Earth and its impoverished population, it would literally throw off all the space elevators to float aimlessly in space. It was not really established how the society of 2092 saw it more practical to operate space elevators, or how they were constructed anyway. Even Star Wars later saw it fit to rationalize how an immense, not to mention expensive, Death Star was destroyed through an exhaust port.
Personhood of artificial intelligence? How a robot showed character development
Bubs, the only robot crew of Victory, eventually showed what may be the most dynamic character development in the film. Her three companions had rather ambiguous backgrounds until later in the movie, but Bubs’s simple story of having an identity in the midst of all the chaos was probably the most relatable. To sum it, she wanted to show who she really was. Not everyone were great fighters nor excellent pilots, but here was Bubs with the harpoon, doing everything she could to help despite her skeletal form. They had no funds to even fix her parts, forcing Bubs to resort to saving her own money instead.
Even by the end of the film, Bubs still had more steps to go. Despite having a human form, she still had not yet achieved all her preferences. Meanwhile, this raised the question of AI citizenship. Could robots be considered persons when they have sufficient understanding of self? It may not be 2092 yet, but the rise of software-created virtual YouTubers, for instance, already brought to fore such an awareness. People enjoyed their entertainment presence, but could they also accept them as equals? With rights and responsibilities as humans do? With emotions and values as people have? As a case in point, it was Bubs who first discovered Kot-nim’s true identity, and she did not really have to use high technology like the UTS had with its soldiers in bulky exoskeleton uniforms. She only had to be with Kot-nim for a while. A subtle shot at humanity’s perception and treatment of others? Maybe. Maybe not.
Saibancho, the verdict
Much like similar films set in the near future, Space Sweepers would make one think of what tomorrow holds. The world may not be as technologically advanced seven decades from now, but it should not stop forward thinking either. History showed us how the most novel of ideas today may become mainstream in the future. And if we could spend so much in search for Planet B, it would indeed make one realize how much have we been investing for sustainable development of Planet A? For a decent foray to the space genre, the film could offer valuable lessons for producers the world over. If anything, the generally warm reception may be indicative that space opera could still capture the vivid imagination of an audience currently reeling from a global crisis.
The film would also be a good reminder of inequality in society, which theme some may compare to contemporary Korean films like Parasite (2019). While strides were made in the past centuries to lift many out of poverty, the problems remain to this day. Note the Victory’s backstory: The spaceship was named as such because it was said “winning is always a good thing.” It so happened that Victory’s crew of space sweepers had some noble intentions in their hearts, but what if Kot-nim fell to other hands? If UTS did not threaten to use the sweeper factory as a decoy for Earth’s devastation, would the rest of the space sweepers had helped their cause? Even the environmental group Black Foxes was labeled as a “terrorist organization” for its opposition to the UTS. Such was the state of affairs the film attempted to paint for the viewers. Observe how the aging Sullivan was confident of man’s primal desire to survive, yet unknowingly falling to the same pattern he effectively used to take advantage of others. Everyone wanted to win the simple and comfortable life, but at what cost would it come? What good is it to gain the world yet lose the soul? Man would want to be assured of his victory, but the outcome might not always be as he hoped.
(All photos from the film courtesy of Netflix, Bidangil Pictures, Dexter Studios)
