Space Sweepers: A Netflix Film Filled with Homages and Parodies

The next few months could be tough for movie fans. Due to the historic Hollywood strike, production on most Hollywood blockbuster films has been delayed. Dune: Part Two, for instance, has already been pushed back from the end of last year to March of this year. Only one of the three Marvel Cinematic Universe films scheduled for release this year will actually be released. Other Hollywood movies in development are completely silent.

Space Sweepers, released as a Netflix Original film in 2021, is a perfect movie to watch during this time. Despite borrowing settings from various Hollywood space opera films, it manages to create a unique and exciting cinematic experience.

The protagonists are, as the English title suggests, space debris collectors. Captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri), the leader of the spaceship Victory, has modified the vessel to be incredibly fast and sturdy. Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki), the pilot, is always on the lookout for money, and Updong-i (voiced by Yoo Hae-jin), a robot, is addicted to hwatu (an East Asian card game). Tiger Park, who always carries a titanium axe, boasts of his fighting skills, but no one seems to take him seriously.

They work hard, but they don't make a lot of money. Early in the film, they lose all the money they earned by damaging a UTS facility, having it claimed as compensation. UTS is a corporation that effectively controls the world. Earth has been ravaged by environmental pollution, but the wealthy live luxuriously in habitats built by the company in orbit. Earth's citizens dream of one day gaining entry to this paradise.

The Victory crew, always struggling financially, stumbles upon an unexpected treasure: a hydrogen bomb that UTS is searching for. However, instead of the bomb, they find a young girl where it should be. UTS, despite knowing that the 'hydrogen bomb' is a child, pursues her relentlessly. The Victory crew is faced with a choice: hand the child over to UTS and secure a place in the orbital habitat, or protect the enigmatic child.

If you're a fan of space opera, you've undoubtedly noticed some familiar elements in this introduction. Captain Jang's modified Victory ship bears a striking resemblance to the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. Like the Falcon, the Victory was originally just a cargo ship, but Captain Jang has modified it to be incredibly fast and strong, capable of withstanding attacks without sustaining damage.

In particular, the climax of the movie includes a scene that is an homage to the Millennium Falcon's infiltration of the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. The film is also filled with other homages and parodies of space operas, including 2001: A Space Odyssey.

If you were hoping for a fresh, innovative space opera, you might be disappointed. I was initially, at least. However, with the franchises that movie fans love currently on hold, this film is a welcome addition. It's a pretty great replacement for the Hollywood franchise blockbusters. Especially when you consider that the film's budget was only around 20 billion won (around $20 million), it's clear just how well-made it is.