Blade Runner meets Goonies in 'Space Sweepers,' featuring Song Joong-ki

From left, actors Jin Sun-kyu, Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri and Yoo Hai-jin pose during a press conference for the film “Space Sweepers” in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Netflix

By Kwak Yeon-soo

The cast of “Space Sweepers,” Korea's first movie set in space, expressed satisfaction with the film's upcoming release at a press conference on Tuesday.

“Space Sweepers” is set in the year 2092 when Earth has become barely habitable, and follows the story of a spaceship crew who sell space junk for a living. During one of their searches for space debris, they discover a mysterious cybernetic being who, as they learn later, is a dangerous weapon capable of mass destruction.

When the crew members learn what she is capable of and that she is wanted by the UTS Space Guards, they decide to strike a profitable deal.

Song Joong-ki plays the intelligent pilot Kim Tae-ho of spaceship Victory, who is able to think on his feet and come up with useful schemes. Despite this, he's not entirely happy with his life.

“When I first came across Tae-ho's character, I imagined him as a stagnant character who's about to sink into despair. That's exactly how I felt in real life so I was able to relate to him very well,” he said during a press conference for the film, Tuesday.

On reuniting with director Jo Sung-hee for the second time after “A Werewolf Boy” (2012), Song said, “I really like Jo's unique style and consistency. He's fairly reserved, but has great confidence in his work. Even before reading the script for Space Sweepers, I was ready to join the project.”

Kim Tae-ri, who rose to stardom after appearing in director Park Chan-wook's “The Handmaiden” (2016), stars as Captain Jang who leads the crew.

“I initially had doubts about my character so I asked Jo why he cast me as Captain Jang. He said he wants to stay away from the stereotype of a captain having masculine charisma. Since our film is about misfits saving the world, I thought it was convincing,” she said.

“Because there were many special effects, we, the actors, had to do a lot of filming with green screen. But we're really proud of the outcome and I hope it will lead to more sci-fi offerings in the future,” Kim added.

Jin Sun-kyu plays Tiger Park, who works in the engine room. He looks tough on the outside but is soft-hearted and loves children.

“Tiger Park looks like a villain but he's meticulous. We actually filmed inside a ship's engine room, which was hot, humid and noisy. It was difficult, but I'm 120 percent satisfied with the film,” he said.

Yoo Hai-jin appears as a reprogrammed military robot named Bubs, an android that used to kill people on the battlefield.

“It was a new experience for me because bringing my character to life required motion capture technology. The setup process was complicated, but I was able to pull it off because of the help of the film crew,” he said.

Director Jo explained that he focused on the details to create a convincing sci-fi film.

“I contemplated the lighting effects and the speed at which space debris and spaceships fly. If the spaceship is too fast, it might look too light. If it moves too slowly, then the audience wouldn't be able to enjoy its dynamic effect,” he said.

“Space Sweepers” will premiere on Netflix, Feb. 5.