Directed by Jo Sung-Hee, Space Sweepers is the first of its kind: a space sci-fi epic that looks gorgeous despite a lean budget of only $21.5 million. It takes inspiration liberally from sources like Cowboy Bebop, Guardians of the Galaxy and Elysium, but the result is more than the sum of its parts.
In 2092, the Earth has become uninhabitable due to overwhelming air pollution. The wealthy elite have relocated to orbital cities built by the UTS corporation, leaving the rest of the population behind to scrape by with what little resources remain. Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki), a former UTS operative turned space sweeper, is part of the crew of the spaceship Victory. He, along with captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri), former gangster Tiger Park (Jin Seon-kyu) and resident human-like robot Bubs (Yoo Hae-jin) collect space junk and sell it. That’s not as easy as it sounds- often the debris is hurtling through space at dangerous speeds, and there is stiff competition from several other crews.
Tae-ho, of course, has a tortured past. His adopted daughter died during a disaster and her body was jettisoned into space, where she has remained for the last three years. Tae-ho is trying to earn enough money to fund the recovery effort. When a mysterious girl named Kot-nim (Park Ye-rin) is discovered in a space wreck and turns out to be worth a lot of money, Tae-ho’s goal seems to be finally within reach. However, it turns out there’s a bigger conspiracy afoot, one that involves the UTS corporation and soon lands the Victory crew in big trouble.
While Space Sweepers doesn’t come off as being particularly original, it’s still engaging and highly entertaining. There are plenty of clichés flying around, and the plot is fairly predictable. At times, it feels like a Marvel movie- and while some may feel that’s the movie equivalent of a cheeseburger and a 2 liter Coke combo deal, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing. The action in particular is highly enjoyable, rivaling the production quality of much more expensive blockbusters.
Some visuals, such as Bubs jumping around different ships in space like a Scout using ODM gear from Attack on Titan, are particularly memorable.
The likeable characters and their chemistry makes Space Sweepers a fun watch, leaning into the camaraderie we have seen in similar media like Guardians of the Galaxy and Cowboy Bebop. Song Joong-Ki is effective as the lead, while Kim Tae-ri and Jin Seon-kyu make strong impressions with their limited, slightly one-dimensional characters. Richard Armitage plays the antagonist well, but he is saddled with cheesy one liners.
One interesting choice that Space Sweepers makes is to make the robot character, Bubs, genderqueer. This sub-plot exists mostly at the fringes of the film, but it provides a different take on the usual ‘AI wants to be human’ trope.
Overall, Space Sweepers is an encouraging step in the right direction. International blockbusters on this scale are still a rarity. Hopefully, Space Sweepers’ success will pave the way for similar offerings from Korea and other markets.