Review: Space Sweepers is a blockbuster space adventure that doesn't try anything new

The future isn’t looking too good. 

Space Sweepers is a South Korean movie set in the far-flung future, and as usual, things aren’t looking too good for humanity then. Planet Earth has become almost uninhabitable, and the UTS corporation has built a new home in space for humans to flee to - though only a handpicked few can go there. Space has become full of debris due to back-and-forth space travel, and junkers like the crew of the spaceship Victory thrive off of turning that debris into profit. 

This Korean blockbuster was originally set to hit theaters, but thanks to the pandemic, it’s been picked up to stream on Netflix instead. Although the film boasts some pretty spectacular visuals for its budget, and plenty of charm shines through from its main cast’s banter with one another, Space Sweepers ultimately doesn’t offer much new story-wise. This story is a mish-mash of a bunch of different tropes we’ve seen play out elsewhere, and none of them are executed particularly well here. 

To infinity and beyond

Directed by Jo Sung-hee (A Werewolf Boy, Phantom Detective), Space Sweepers stars Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Sun-kyu and Yoo Hai-jin. The cast is easily this movie’s strongest point, holding together an unremarkable story. We’re introduced to the crew of Victory early on, which is a spaceship that frequently steals valuable space debris away from other junkers at lightning speed. They’re a legendary crew in the junker community - widely hated due to their skills at chasing down debris and making sure they’re the first to get hands on it. 

Victory’s crew are great at what they do, but that doesn’t mean they work well together. Living in space is no less dangerous (or expensive) than living on Earth, and the crew is barely keeping it together financially when they’re not at each other’s throats. The ship is piloted by a man named Tae-ho, who once worked for the UTS corporation. He scrapes the bottom of every barrel for enough cash to pursue the search for his missing daughter, a plotline that turns him into the emotional heart of the story. Tiger Park acts as the crew’s muscle when he needs to be, Bubs is a wise-cracking robot and Captain Jang is their cold, seemingly unemotional leader.

You’ve seen these mismatched characters before. The easiest comparison would be Guardians of the Galaxy - just swap out Captain Jang for Gamora, Bubs for Rocket Raccoon, Tiger Park for Drax and Tae-ho for Peter Quill. Boom, you’re done. The been-there-done-that-ness of these characters didn’t necessarily kill this movie for me, but it certainly kept me from feeling like I was watching something new. I will say that Bubs was a pretty fun character, though - he consistently delivered laughs, and he was animated really well. Visually, think of a sassier version of Star Wars: Rogue One’s K-2SO. 

The crew’s fussing over one another and cheating at card games really lend them a lot of personality, and these moments end up being the best that Space Sweepers has to offer - overshadowing even its impressive action sequences. Certain characters - like Tiger Park and Captain Jang - felt like they lacked a meaningful character arc, but the crew always shines when they’re sharing the same screen. 

Space wars

If you’re looking for big, explosive action scenes, Space Sweepers has you covered. The crew of Victory are constantly stumbling from one life-threatening shootout to the next, and the film’s special effects surprisingly hold up all this action very well. The main conflict concerns Dorothy, a young girl whom the crew finds hidden in one of their hard-earned pieces of space junk. After the UTS corporation sends a transmission throughout space naming her a dangerous android, the crew decide to hold her for ransom. Tae-ho in particular, finally has all the money he need to find his daughter within arm’s reach - and all he has to do is potentially send Dorothy to her doom. 

We’re soon introduced to UTS’ CEO James Sullivan too, who acts as the film’s antagonist. Sullivan’s motivations are enigmatic at first, but it soon becomes clear that his charms are all part of a dark facade. As far as villains go, Sullivan was really disappointing. His evil machinations are as predictable as they are worn out, and his wet-cardboard personality doesn’t do much for him otherwise. Anyone who’s seen Richard Armitage as Francis Dolarhyde in Hannibal knows that he can absolutely slay a good villain role, but the poor guy isn’t given much to work with here. Sullivan is just a really boring dude. 

Space Sweepers is also a little long in the tooth, although you could argue that some of its trimmable fat was necessary to establish Dorothy’s relationship with each of Victory’s crewmembers. Personally, it felt like the movie was treading water for a long time in between big, impactful scenes - only to dive into an action-packed, albeit predictable finale. When the movie goes big with space chases though, there’s no denying that it looks really impressive. 

Verdict

Space Sweepers doesn’t offer anything new to sci-fi fans, but I could see people getting invested in Dorothy and the cast’s journey anyway. Watching everyone grow close despite their originally selfish intentions is interesting, and those explosive action sequences do not disappoint. The film is let down by a bland villain and countless clichés, but it’s a fine choice if you want to watch something for two hours without thinking too hard about it. 

***

6 Bubses out of 10

Space Sweepers is now available to stream on Netflix

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