Save the Green Planet! – Review

An absolutely nutty time, Save the Green Planet! has all sorts of creative moments. Lee Byeong-gu (Shin) is a troubled young man with a dark history. He wears a hi-tech helmet complete with a spinning radar device, a garbage bag on his body, and a toolbelt of strange items. As a big-shot drug company head Kang Man-shik (Baek) executive is driven into his parking garage, he gets out, unhappy that his regular driver is not there.

As he walks to his building elevator, Byeong-gu, and his girlfriend Su-ni (Hwang) who also is dressed like he is, take the man down and throw him into the back of his own BMW. They speed out of the building, along with the kidnapped man.

As they head to Byeong-gu’s remote home, things get even crazier. This gigantic property has been turned into a house of horrors. Outside there is a bee farm and large open areas of land. Inside… there are multiple levels of the home that go underground. One of these floors has been turned into a makeshift holding room for kidnapped people. A chair in the middle holds Man-shik. The surrounding area is full of mannequin parts and other ominous objects.

So, why the hell did all of this happen? Well, naturally, Byeong-gu knows that Man-shik is an alien from planet Andromeda PK 45. He knows the man has to contact his species’ Prince during a lunar eclipse which is a week away. How does he know this? …Yes! As Byeong-gu pops mysterious blue pills, he and Su-ni go to work on the “alien,” looking to prove they are right.

Save the Green Planet! walks a fine line of dark drama, gory horror, and darkly comedic moments. The creative plot and presentation keep the viewers’ attention, and it leads fully into insanity in most all possible ways. While not all viewers will appreciate the blood and grislier horror aspects, it is hard to deny its ingenuity in presentation which features animations, special effects and well directed shots.

The acting needed to be done correctly for this movie to be taken seriously, especially considering some of the outlandish moments it presents. Good thing this cast nails it, bringing seriousness where necessary and letting their emotions fly during wild scenes. The mystery elements are mostly fun, and the main character is fairly fleshed out by the end, while the supporting cast gets enough character to be mostly interesting.

While mileage will vary based on how “out-there” you like your films, and how much body destruction you can handle, Save the Green Planet! is a well done and quality picture.

This film was remade in America as “Bugonia.” I have not seen this version as I typically don’t really vibe with its director’s work. Someday I may see it to compare, but I am not in a hurry.