Save the Green Planet!

Title: Save the Green Planet! (Jigureul jikyeora! - Translated Title)
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: Joon-Hwan Jang
Starring: Ha-kyun Shin, Yun-shik Baek, Jeong-min Hwang
Language: Korean

Have you ever watched someone imitate lines of dialogue from a film, perhaps do a short “Are you talkin’ to me” or “I’ve had it with these motherfuckin’ snakes on this motherfuckin’ plane,” in an attempt to mimic a catchy phrase told by someone who defines ‘cool,’ only to have them do it in a manner that has them looking like a dorky twat? This is to the big hollywood blockbuster that very dorky twat, stumbling along with its self-indulgant delusional fantasies told through the eyes of a hyped up meth addict desperately trying to save the world from alien invasion.

Drugs fuelling his obsession, he is criticised and reprimanded for his outlandish views; humanity constructed in their own image, capable of communicating telepathically through their hair and with an immune system highly vulnerable to antihystamines (particularly through the feet); its not too difficult to see why. Taking matters into his own hands, he sets to work finding the leader so he can torture a confession out of him to reaffirm what little he has managed to piece together. With the police quickly finding themselves hot on his heels he’s quickly running out of time, and with the Royal prince soon to make his appearance, only one man can save the green planet.

But this film isn’t just about an insane man cruelly torturing a bemused ‘alien’ in a number of amusing ways, it’s the manner it’s often shot with a strong sense of seriousness about it; the fast paced and rapidly cut action sequences carefully done to mimic the style of many Hollywood blockbusters whilst leaving painfully apparent the limitations of their humanity, everything looking clumsily done and notably unchoreographed as they brawl and turn stereotypes on their head. The contrast between the victim and the torturers accepting girlfriend, happily doing the ironing nearby, or the dilemma of what to do when the victim needs to pee are just a couple of examples of convenient situations mimicked and then mocked lending an odd realism to the strong surreal underlying tone.

The characters themselves do little to detract from this realism either; the happy-go-lucky circus performer that adores him enough to overlook his obsession to the protagonist happily fantasising about being more assertive in public whilst meekly shuffling back to his hovel. It is also through the slow unfurling of his dramatic past of the lead that we get a break from the satire for some genuine heartfelt emotion, striving to strike a chord with an array of effective soundtracks and simple cinematography techniques, it allows the audience to understand what made him the shell of man presented.

This is anything but your standard affair film, genre hopping like they’re all going out of fashion; whilst good at all styles strived for, it’s sadly tried to pack in so much that nothing feels especially brilliant. The comedy sandwiched between the other elements; action that through its superficial satirical approach quickly becomes as tiring as the beast its mocking, the drama played to great effect with the use of light and sound but not given the time to develop and thus coming off a little flat towards the apathetic audience, and the horror element that occasionally presents us with Miike-live excessive carnage, failing to shock and instead coming off gratuitous for the sake of it. It has a genuine point to make about the corruption of large corporations but through its own desire for unbridled originality, this message gets swept away by the sea of insanity. This is not a film without its issues, but its high production value combined with unconventionality and genuine unpredictability makes this well worth a look from those tired of the same old jokes told in western cinema.