There’s a certain Korean movie that I’ve always seen being mentioned all around the internet known as Save the Green Planet! That exclamation point isn’t there because I’m excited; It’s part of the title. But I digress. I realized that the title was so familiar because I had always seen it at my local library. Most reviews I read said that it’s either hilarious or gory. My interest had peaked. Not knowing much about it, I checked it out, watched some trailers, and watched the film. The trailers really made the film out to look like a hilarious multi-genre film, but primarily a comedy. But still, I didn’t really know what to think of it. I certainly thought it would be a comedy. Especially when you know what the movie’s about.
Save the Green Planet! is about a crazy dude named Lee Byeong-gu (Shin Ha-kyun) and his possibly crazier ballerina girlfriend, Su-ni (Hwang Jeong-min). They kidnap his boss because they believe he’s secretly an alien plotting to destroy the planet. In order to save the world, they plan on torturing him until he reveals his plans to destroy Earth before the Lunar Eclipse which is coming up in only 10 days.
Save the Green Planet! is about a crazy dude named Lee Byeong-gu (Shin Ha-kyun) and his possibly crazier ballerina girlfriend, Su-ni (Hwang Jeong-min). They kidnap his boss because they believe he’s secretly an alien plotting to destroy the planet. In order to save the world, they plan on torturing him until he reveals his plans to destroy Earth before the Lunar Eclipse which is coming up in only 10 days.
Doesn’t that sound hilarious. Well, I forgot to mention that our main character also has a troubled past in which he killed someone and has a drug problem. This movie, as I said earlier, was marketed as a comedy. In that case, this might be one of the most mis-marketed films in recent years. The trailer did get one thing right: This is unlike most other films.
Sure, there are some occasionally funny moments towards the beginning and bits towards the middle. One of the funniest parts of the movie is “the ‘UFO’ scene” where the detective comes to visit Lee’s home. Also, the scene where Lee says the “alien’s” name. There’s some funny comedy bits, but they’re incredibly brief and scarce. But I was shocked to find out that this movie is really a depressing social commentary about the conditions of the world and its residents.
Sure, there are some occasionally funny moments towards the beginning and bits towards the middle. One of the funniest parts of the movie is “the ‘UFO’ scene” where the detective comes to visit Lee’s home. Also, the scene where Lee says the “alien’s” name. There’s some funny comedy bits, but they’re incredibly brief and scarce. But I was shocked to find out that this movie is really a depressing social commentary about the conditions of the world and its residents.
The characters in this movie are very well developed, especially the main character, Lee. You don’t just think that this guy’s simply insane. You get to see things from his point of view. We get to see into his head and it’s a depressing place. Like most of the other characters in this movie, they’re desperate to do what they think is right, even if what they think is right isn’t. We can understand their motives and when bad things happen to them, we really feel it. I must say, the acting is also excellent in this movie.
Then comes the ending which is just terrible...in a good way, if that makes any sense. When the ending hits, all hell breaks lose. It’s just horrifying. After that, there’s the big twist at the end which is initially funny, but just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse...things get worse. The filmmakers also do something really clever during the end credits so make sure to stay through the whole thing. I wouldn’t say it’s satisfying, but it’s fitting in a way. This ending is utterly bleak and I think that’s a good way to describe the movie.
Then comes the ending which is just terrible...in a good way, if that makes any sense. When the ending hits, all hell breaks lose. It’s just horrifying. After that, there’s the big twist at the end which is initially funny, but just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse...things get worse. The filmmakers also do something really clever during the end credits so make sure to stay through the whole thing. I wouldn’t say it’s satisfying, but it’s fitting in a way. This ending is utterly bleak and I think that’s a good way to describe the movie.
I was expecting something different out of this movie (you know, a comedy), but instead I got a very smart and heartbreaking film. But this movie is incredibly hard to re-watch solely because of how bad it makes me feel. And if a movie can make me so emotional, it’s doing something right. I certainly don't think it's as funny or as gory as some people might say. If you go into this movie open minded, you might be pleasantly surprised by this very thoughtful and truly unique movie.
Images from Imp Awards and Han Cinema
Images from Imp Awards and Han Cinema