NO EXACT DETAILS HAVE BEEN MENTIONED WITHIN MY REVIEW, BUT I HAVE TICKED THE SPOILER BOX BECAUSE MY QUALMS DERIVE FROM THE FILMS FINAL TEN MINUTES...
Rarely do we see films that blend together so many elements and genres into one single spectacle, however 'Save The Green Planet' manages to achieve this near impossible feat successfully...until the end.
Fusing elements of science fiction and comedy with notably darker moments of psychological tension, Save The Green Planet is an extremely watchable film, which will have you hooked right from the get-go, the unfortunate issue being that by the films conclusion you may end up like myself being completely and totally revolted.
My revulsion does not derive from the perceived "torture" scenes, which are notably not as grim as other reviewers would have you believe (infact the graphic nature almost pales in comparison to "Sympathy For Mr Vengeance), but from the films conclusion, but we shall come to that during my own conclusion.
Save The Green Planet, for one hour forty minutes is a superb film, the fusion of the genres while possibly seeming far-fetched is an utter success but more importantly the narratives and sub plots which drive the story forward are plausible and engaging. The tri-tiered nature of the film stems from Byung-Gu's internal angst with his history, his insanity and his prisoner, and carries on throughout the film with Byung-Gu's abduction of the alleged alien, his mentally underdeveloped 'girlfriend' and her questioned loyalty to him and the police forces attempts to find Byung-Gu (not to mention the internal angst within various elements of the department).
The film is gripping, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable which keeps you hanging on til the end, when everything crumbles like a house of cards caught in a gust of wind, and the problem stems from everything that is so successful with this film. While Save The Green Planet has managed to fuse several styles, the director decides at the last minute to change direction and completely shift the dynamic of the film, so what works unravels. The point of Byung-Gu throughout the film is that due to the harsh upbringing he received, through all the violence that was bestowed upon him and the lack of love he received (tipified by his "losing it" when his mother dies) becomes a shell of a man who treads into insanity and is addicted to drugs which only further his delusions. However, after the twist everything is shattered. Byung-Gu's actions them become entirely justified, and all momentum all point and purpose of the film is lost. Those who have seen the film will know of what I speak, and some may derive enjoyment from the somewhat geeky twist, but I felt it spoilt what was turning out to be a riproaringly successful film, and trivialised it. Yes, you could say it's more in tune with the comedic nature of the film, but for me the comedy was only present to provide relief from the excessive tension and furore that was stemming from the battles within Byung's mind and his "laboratory".
I apologise for the somewhat disjointed nature of my review, but then the entire nature of Save The Green Planet is disjointed. It manages to fuse together so many genres and yet at the end, does not know what genre it wishes to be. There are so many possible endings for this film (and having noticed there are deleted scenes on the DVD, hazard a guess at one or two being alternate endings), but even if there are not the film should have stuck to its path. It was successful merely by the incorporation of the styles, without a need to chop and change between them, it worked well as a whole, but the director in the films finale breaks them up, throws away all the elements which were brought together and focuses on one. This film would have been an eight or higher had the ending just not been so damned infuriating. It does not make it funny nor poignant, and to be frank I don't want to have to watch this film again and be on the side of Byung knowing the outcome. This film had such promise and it pains me to be so scathing of it, I really enjoyed watching this film, but the ending for me has Spoilt The Green Planet.
Rarely do we see films that blend together so many elements and genres into one single spectacle, however 'Save The Green Planet' manages to achieve this near impossible feat successfully...until the end.
Fusing elements of science fiction and comedy with notably darker moments of psychological tension, Save The Green Planet is an extremely watchable film, which will have you hooked right from the get-go, the unfortunate issue being that by the films conclusion you may end up like myself being completely and totally revolted.
My revulsion does not derive from the perceived "torture" scenes, which are notably not as grim as other reviewers would have you believe (infact the graphic nature almost pales in comparison to "Sympathy For Mr Vengeance), but from the films conclusion, but we shall come to that during my own conclusion.
Save The Green Planet, for one hour forty minutes is a superb film, the fusion of the genres while possibly seeming far-fetched is an utter success but more importantly the narratives and sub plots which drive the story forward are plausible and engaging. The tri-tiered nature of the film stems from Byung-Gu's internal angst with his history, his insanity and his prisoner, and carries on throughout the film with Byung-Gu's abduction of the alleged alien, his mentally underdeveloped 'girlfriend' and her questioned loyalty to him and the police forces attempts to find Byung-Gu (not to mention the internal angst within various elements of the department).
The film is gripping, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable which keeps you hanging on til the end, when everything crumbles like a house of cards caught in a gust of wind, and the problem stems from everything that is so successful with this film. While Save The Green Planet has managed to fuse several styles, the director decides at the last minute to change direction and completely shift the dynamic of the film, so what works unravels. The point of Byung-Gu throughout the film is that due to the harsh upbringing he received, through all the violence that was bestowed upon him and the lack of love he received (tipified by his "losing it" when his mother dies) becomes a shell of a man who treads into insanity and is addicted to drugs which only further his delusions. However, after the twist everything is shattered. Byung-Gu's actions them become entirely justified, and all momentum all point and purpose of the film is lost. Those who have seen the film will know of what I speak, and some may derive enjoyment from the somewhat geeky twist, but I felt it spoilt what was turning out to be a riproaringly successful film, and trivialised it. Yes, you could say it's more in tune with the comedic nature of the film, but for me the comedy was only present to provide relief from the excessive tension and furore that was stemming from the battles within Byung's mind and his "laboratory".
I apologise for the somewhat disjointed nature of my review, but then the entire nature of Save The Green Planet is disjointed. It manages to fuse together so many genres and yet at the end, does not know what genre it wishes to be. There are so many possible endings for this film (and having noticed there are deleted scenes on the DVD, hazard a guess at one or two being alternate endings), but even if there are not the film should have stuck to its path. It was successful merely by the incorporation of the styles, without a need to chop and change between them, it worked well as a whole, but the director in the films finale breaks them up, throws away all the elements which were brought together and focuses on one. This film would have been an eight or higher had the ending just not been so damned infuriating. It does not make it funny nor poignant, and to be frank I don't want to have to watch this film again and be on the side of Byung knowing the outcome. This film had such promise and it pains me to be so scathing of it, I really enjoyed watching this film, but the ending for me has Spoilt The Green Planet.