'Space Sweepers' takes us on a fun, disorienting ride across the stars

Warning: spoilers ahead!

The year is 2092. Earth is a toxic wasteland and the future is in outer space. A corporation called the UTS has created an Eden outside of the rotting planet. The problem? Only a small percentage of the human population could get in.

This is where the story of "Space Sweepers" is set. Touted as South Korea's first sci-fi blockbuster film, it carries the weight of the world's expectations. It has star power on its side: its main cast consists of Song Joong-ki ("Descendants of the Sun"), Kim Tae-ri ("Mr. Sunshine"), Jin Seon-kyu ("The Outlaws"), and Yoo Hae-jin ("A Taxi Driver").

The film kicks off by familiarizing viewers with the conditions of the future world, where technology is advanced, but society remains riddled with class warfare. The point is clear: despite the leaps made in science, not much has changed. Reality is bleak. People are running out of time.

^{Song Joong-ki as Tae-Ho in 'Space Sweepers.' Photo courtesy of Netflix}

This is further emphasized by the introduction of the crew of spaceship Victory: a group of misfits who have their own agendas, all of them desperate for money. To earn said money, they take to scavenging space for metal debris.

At first glance, it all seems ingenious — the CG is jaw-dropping, the characters look great, the story promises to be onto something. But things change when the crew find Dorothy, which according to the news is a ticking time bomb. Desperate as they are, they decide to sell her to the highest bidder.

Naturally, things go sideways and so does the entire film. It softens from a dark class conflict into a found family drama. And while this is highly fun and heartwarming, somewhere down the line, you start to wonder if the point got lost along the way.

"Space Sweepers" had a strong start — too strong, perhaps, because the expectations remained high throughout, ensuring that the ending felt like a flop.

^{Kim Tae-ri as Captain Jang in 'Space Sweepers.' Photo courtesy of Netflix}

The story felt cramped and everything post-climax seemed rushed and clumsily handled. It felt like it was saying, "Okay, the bad guy was defeated, everything's fine now, utopia was achieved eventually, everyone will now live happily ever after."

But this viewer was left with more questions than answers, the biggest of which was, "Why did those plot turning points not land?" Despite the length of the film (two hours and sixteen minutes), there seemed to be a lack of exploration of the elements randomly thrown in, and sometimes the exposition was told instead of shown.

So what's the verdict?

Play it! It was still easy to be caught up in the wild adventure that Victory took viewers in. There were badass fight scenes, spaceship battles, and fun trips across the stars. There were funny moments, and warm moments, and even brutal moments, which are a shock when you get used to the whole found family narrative.

For all its aimlessness, "Space Sweepers" was still shining, shimmering, splendid. The world that director Jo Sung-hee painstakingly built was a sight to see. All in all, it's pretty cool.

And while it kind of feels like you've seen this movie before, it was still quite a ride. Why not take it? —JCB, GMA News