Space Sweepers: The First-Ever Korean Space Blockbuster
A lot of science-fiction films have labeled the planet Earth as uninhabitable in x amount of years. Heralded as the first-ever Korean space blockbuster, Space Sweepers managed to rise above familiar concepts. Starring Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-Ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hae-jin, it revolves around a small crew of space junk collector ship The Victory as they come across a child who happens to be a humanoid robot known to be a weapon of mass destruction.
Jin Seon-Kyu as Tiger Park, Kim Tae-Ri as Captain Jang, Song Joong-Ki as Tae-Ho, and Yoo Hae-Jin as Bubs.
Park Ye-Rin as Dorothy, the seven-year-old girl who happens to be a humanoid robot built for mass destruction.
Space Sweepers: The First-Ever Korean Space Blockbuster
A lot of people have talked about Korean productions improving tremendously over the years, rivaling those of American’s. Space Sweepers becomes proof of this statement when the acting, cinematography, direction, and special effects come to play. Tae-Ri indirectly acknowledges this, noting that everybody remains used to seeing Hollywood science-fiction films that take place in outer space.
Kim Tae-Ri
“When you think of science fiction films, we are instantly reminded of Hollywood science fiction films. That’s what we are used to. So, to think about what an outer space sci-fi movie created in Korea… what that would look like, I think that’s exactly what we have created together. This is very Korean, I think. So, I am excited to see what kind of other films, other Korean sci-fi films taking place in outer space would come about. I hope that Space Sweepers started something. I am very proud to have created something as a team that we all worked so hard on.”
Motion capture.
Joong-ki plays Tae-ho, a former commander of the Space Guards and the first-ever UTS genius. Tae-Ri, on the other hand, plays Captain Jang, a former Special Forces Squad officer who later deserted her post to create her own pirate organization. Seon-kyu plays Tiger Park, the engineer of the ship who happened to be a former drug king who escaped Earth after being arrested and sentenced to death. Hae-Jin, on the other hand, plays Bubs – a robot assisting the whole crew. The actor expressed his feelings on getting experience for a new kind of role.
Yoo Hae-Jin
“At first, I thought that ‘I’ll get to the set and I’ll be able to do what I always do.’ But, it was quite challenging. I had all types of sensors on my body attached and I had to wear these tights. Then, we had to set zero points for each scene. All in all, it was a very new experience. And, it was fun – quite fun… We all have different walks, right? Sometimes, you see someone from the back and you immediately know who that person is. I think that when you see Bubs on the screen, I think you’ll be able to see a little bit of me.”
“I didn’t watch anything for reference – I just tried my best as I always do. And, I think that’s the best way to go – always. So, I just gave it a go and all the staff members helped me every step of the way throughout the experience.“
“I thought of Bubs as a robot made of metal but with a very warm heart.”
Female captains.
Aside from Hae-Jin, Tae-Ri also had a very different role that many viewers don’t usually on-screen. Usually, captains of the ship would be huge muscular males. As the captain of The Victory and the all-around boss, she gets to be the badass despite having a small feminine frame.
Kim Tae-Ri
“A typical captain tends to have very broad shoulders and they are also very charismatic. That’s the kind of visual that you would expect. So, I asked the director why did you want me to play the role. And, to that, I think that’s the director’s style – moving away from the obvious and I think there’s a lot of power. He actually told me that there’s great power in avoiding the obvious. When you look at the t-shirt that Captain Jang wears, it’s actually really cute. It’s colorful and it has little cutesy drawings. So, that’s the kind of character Captain Jang is. The director thought of the character and made her the most concrete… To me, I feel like the character Captain Jang is someone who is very determined. She lives like a pirate but she has something, at the core of her heart, that holds her.”
Space Sweepers: Ten Years in the Making
Joong-ki already had experience working with Director Jo Sung-hee with the 2021 South Korean fantasy romance film A Werewolf Boy. In a private press conference, Joong-ki reminisced about how Director Jo has never changed and remained a very fun person to work with. The director, on the other hand, gushed about their friendship. They also talked about how the two of them have been on this journey to create Space Sweepers with him for almost a decade.
Song Joong-Ki
“Back then, the storyline was a little bit different from what it came out to be. But, when I first heard it from the director, I was really shocked because it’s so new and fresh.”
“When I first read the script, it reminded me of when I was a young kid… at the beginning of an adventure.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie opted for a Netflix global release instead of a theatrical one. Tae-Ri encouraged everyone to increase the volume of the movie and watch in a dark room to have a more theatrical feel. Joong-Ki, on the other hand, pointed out how communicating with the audience and letting them see such art would remain the most important things.
Space Sweepers is streaming on Netflix now!
