User reviews

Now this is something different, that is one thing I can assure you. I didn't know what to expect from this piece. So let's start somewhere. If you like original movies, this one qualifies! It is a weird (but good) mix of different genres here, and all in all it is one superb hybrid film. It has it what it takes to keep you focused, changing rapidly between some more thriller/horror moments and all of a sudden there is a large dose of a more comedy touch - all blended with a feeling of sci-fi. Ha-Kyun Shin makes a superb performance here, and you develop some kind of hate-love for his character. South Korea keeps supplying us with great movies, and here's a solid 8/10. If you like "Oldboy" and familiar stuff, I bet you will like this one. At least give it a try.

I watched this movie quite some time ago. And I have to admit, that I wasn't so sure about the movie or how I should feel about it! I originally would've only have given it 6/10, if I had voted for it back then.

I don't think that there are many people who know this little gem, outside from Korea! And it's almost impossible to recommend it to somebody. Because it's a very special movie. It does go against the flow and it's not at all a Blockbuster! What it is, is unique, thought provoking, always challenging and disturbing. But mostly in a good way (even if it takes you longer to figure out, how you feel about it, as was the case with me)! To tell you anything at all about the story would be spoiling the fun of discovering it on your own ... If you think you can handle a movie, where you just don't know what to make of it ... watch this! That's all I'm going to say ...

I love Korean cinema. Even when it makes as little coherent sense as this, you still come out of it really refreshed and humbled by the sheer weirdness of it all. When you think you know what is coming you are driven right back to the park of the unknown. This bizarre story of a nobody who deems it a good idea to kidnap a successful businessman he believes to be an alien, incorporating torturous sanity, vigilante gumshoes and lots and lots of nastiness will stretch your basic emotions beyond their thresholds, making a mockery out of them in the latter acts. Usually when a film is as blatantly silly as this it would be easy to dismiss it as nonsensical whiff that was probably made up on the spot as the film went on. And believe me, you won't get much of an argument from me about that. Yet despite the obvious obscenity of the screenplay 'Save The Green Planet' never seems like a movie that wants to satisfy your expectations. It wants to throw them in the river and have them chewed up by sharks. The ride, itself, is a fantastically demented one, so if you can stomach the nastiness of it all, you shouldn't be hateful towards its blatant weirdness. You may even embrace it. Having you guessing right up until the final head-scratching scenes, the movie will leave you bewildered as whether to cry, laugh, shout or scream. Trying all four at once will probably give you the most satisfaction.

How many films can have you laughing one minute and totally freaked out the next? This movie, "Save the Green Planet", is not for the faint of heart. There are tons of disturbing scenes, but if you able to take everything in you will find an amazing piece of cinema. It's a shame that Hollywood wouldn't have the gall to but out something as amazing as this. This movie will twist your emotions like none other. You will not know who to cheer for, who's doing good, and who's evil. It's a crime to list this movie as a true comedy, it doesn't even fit the mold of "dark comedy", it's a true hybrid of multiple movie styles, only the Korean movie makers have been able to pull this off flawlessly. This isn't a film for everybody, however if you have a true passion for movies, and want to find out what the hype concerning Korean movies is all about, this is the place to go.

The set-up alone for Save the Green Planet demands your attention.

When a drugged up, marginalized bee-keeper (Ha-kyun Shin) researches the background of a powerful industrialist (Yun-shik Baek), he can draw only one conclusion: the latter is an alien from Andromeda with designs on taking over the Earth on the next eclipse. And he does what any paranoid, stimulant-addled citizen might do -- kidnap the man, shackle him in his basement, and torture the truth out of him.

From this wacky premise comes one of those rare films that successfully mixes dark comedy with true pathos. But the real excitement comes with the film-making, which offers cinematic parodies, inventive plotting, and some penetrating commentary on the evolution of humankind. If Charlie Kaufman were South Korean, this would be the kind of film he'd make.

Alternative history fans will roll in the aisles with the film's wry treatment of UFOs, the death of the dinosaurs, alien abduction, and all sorts of science fiction clichés. Save the Green Planet is just plain fun -- scary fun, uncomfortable fun -- but you won't dare doze off for even an instant.

I had no idea what I went into here when I sat down to watch "Save the Green Planet!" "(Jigureul jikyeora!"). But let me just say right now, that I am very glad that I did sit down to watch the movie.

"Save the Green Planet!" has it all; comedy, drama, Sci-Fi, and even a bit of horror. It does sound like a strange combo, yes, but ultimately it worked out quite well.

The story is about Byeong-gu (played by Ha-kyun Shin) who believes aliens are planning to invade Earth and he is the one chosen to protect planet Earth against the alien invaders. He kidnaps and tortures Kang Man-shik (played by Yun-shik Baek) whom he believes is the leader of the aliens. Helping Byeong-gu is his girlfriend Su-ni (played by Jeong-min Hwang).

The characters in the movie are really deep, with lots of characteristics, and they are so very well portrayed on the screen, which makes it so easy to submerge yourself into the storyline and the universe portrayed in the movie. And hats off to Ha-kyun Shin for his portrayal of Byeong-gu, he was just amazing.

"Save the Green Planet!" surprised me with the torture scenes that were in it. I hadn't expected anything like that from the movie. But it worked very well, especially because it was very crucial to the storyline. It is quite graphical at times, so be warned.

If you enjoy Korean movies, then you definitely have to watch "Save the Green Planet!", because it is well worth the time and effort. This movie is a rather amazing surprise.

SPOILERS!

Save the Green Planet is 2003 Korean film that must be seen to be believed (or appreciated). Full disclosure: It's one of my all time favorite films (from any country).

I typically won't bother writing a review for something when so many people have already done so. I try to keep my reviews focused on little known or reviewed works, so as to try to help other viewers decide if it would be something they like (as so many other IMDb reviewers have done for everyone else in the past). But, I felt I almost owed it to this movie to post a review, and since this director (& writer of this film) is soon going to FINALLY work on a new feature film, there's no better time than now to review this puppy.

I realize this film is not going to be to everyone's tastes. It can be considered being all over the place in tone and story, and it will get violent at times. You will definitely want to ignore the whimsical poster & box art that makes you think this is going to be some lighthearted adventure tale; that is certainly not the case. What this film is about, however, is quite difficult to fully describe. In fact, you're probably better offer just watching it yourself without knowing anything in advance, and forming your own opinions. That's how I first saw it years ago (knowing nothing about it prior to viewing); it was real late at night back in '04 or so, and it was either this Korean film I somehow hadn't heard of, or a Lorenzo Lamas helmed low budget action flick. I clearly chose wisely that evening (sorry Mr. Latin Heartthrob). As the movie I chose played out, I went from: "this is OK enough to watch, to this is a pretty interesting film, to this is getting a little bizarre, to this a mesmerizing piece of cinema". In all honesty, after the credits rolled, I was simply awestruck by WTF I had just watched.

If you want to watch the movie as I first did without prior knowledge as to what it's about (which I fully recommend), DON'T READ THIS PARAGRAPH!...Your story involves a "slightly off" young man who is convinced there are aliens among us that mean to do us harm. With the help of his girlfriend, he's determined to rid the world of these aliens, and hence; 'save the green planet'. He kidnaps what he believes is the leader of these aliens on earth, and systematically tortures him to find the truth about the alien plans. Then, it's a matter of slowly uncovering whether this captor is just a delusional loon, or the key to saving the entire world, or somewhere in between.

This film runs the gamut from being a standard crime mystery thriller, to a torture flick, to a simple tale about life & love & humanity, to an outrageous sci-fi film about the beginnings & end of mankind. You name it, and this movie probably has it; it's as strange as it is grounded, as devious as it is poignant, as simple as it is complex, etc; it somehow manages to successfully juggle so many differing emotions, ideas, and stories together in an astonishingly effortless way that doesn't even seem possible.

As for the acting: Your lead actor is played Shin Ha-kyun. He's always been a really good actor, but, he gives a terrific performance here as the man who's determined to save Earth at all costs. The rest of the actresses and actors involved in this film are all solid to excellent in their performances as well. Job Well Done by everyone involved.

Look; I'd been a huge fan of Asian cinema in general long since prior to watching this film, and, it was pretty clear to me that Korea was starting to bring it big time back in the early 2000's; with Park Chan-wook's vengeance trilogy already under away, and a number of decent spy thrillers, love stories, and rom-coms in the bag, you couldn't help but notice the talent on display in the up and coming Hallyu industry at that time. But, Save the Green Planet was perhaps the final tipping point (in my opinion anyway) that convinced the "non believers" once and for all. Most people look to Old Boy's release a year later, which is also a movie I dearly love, as THE seminal Korean film from that era (and rightfully so), but, you'd be doing yourself a huge disservice if you didn't at least give this "somewhat overlooked" film a look see.

You might not like it, you may love it, you be 'meh' about it. Regardless, I consider this movie to be mandatory viewing for any cinephile, or, any random moviegoer for that matter!...I just watched it again a month or so ago, and it's as awesome as it ever was! If you haven't seen it, I implore you to check it out someday when you get a chance!

Bottom Line: 9 out of 10 stars!...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

P.S. Save the Green Planet is the only feature film this director ever helmed. That alone is simply astonishing. Word is he's now back though, and has signed up one of Korea's highest profile actors to star in the new film he's directing. Hmmmm, CAN'T WAIT!!!

This is one of the most unprecented korean films I've ever seen. It contains almost every film genre, horror, comedy, action, thriller and so on. The story is very rare to find in the main stream movis. The plot was so surprising. Acting, and cinematography were also superb. Assuming that it's the director's dubut film, I expect that he becomes a great master as he keeps making movies. This is a true rule breaker. Other Korean fist timer directors, who made such crap as "Jungle Juice" and "My wife is a gangster" and there are so many, should reflect on themselves.

Great science-fiction cum thriller Korean comedy which actually ends up as a bitter social satire of South Korea's recent history. The film starts as the hero, a deranged beekeeper, kidnaps the wealthy CEO of a chemical conglomerate because the former believes that the latter is an evil alien. Then there a two stories unfolding in parallel: the criminal investigation by the Seoul police, and the confrontation between the kidnapped CEO and his abductor. During the time of the abduction, we slowly realise that the CEO and the deranged beekeeper have known each other for a while, and that the most wicked is not the one we thought... When the police finally find the CEO and his kidnapper, all hell breaks loose — the ending was the one part of the film I liked least. The film is still a must see. Very recommended.

Very strange film.. It's a comedy, drama, sometimes serious sometimes not.. And sad.

Anyone who is a true fan of film will find this interesting at worst..

UFO/Sci-fi fans stay away... This isn't an Alien film and you won't find what you're looking for.

The film tells the story of a fanatic who tracks down aliens that are living in our society. He comes across an important business man and keeps him in his basement to force him to give up information about his alien race.

As others have mentioned this film is marketed incorrectly. From the cover and the write up (having nothing else to go on), I thought it looked like a comedy. I expected more sci-fi, less sadism. I was thinking something like Brazil, odd, twisted, but not something where I had to close my eyes and/or fast forward through parts. I don't mind a little violence, but this was tasteless and unending!

I did kind of like the ending, but I only got there because I refuse to stop watching films. Otherwise I'd have been out of there after the first 20 minutes.

I wanted to like this film, to recommend it to friends, but I find myself unable to. I want to write a warning on the DVD case for the next deluded person who picks it up at the library and misinterprets the film.

Kathy Bates made audiences cringe with her portrayal of a fanatic woman gone mad. In later years, the formula was revisited to provide commentary and critique on obsessive behaviors. In "Save The Green Planet" the fanaticism centers around someone obsessed with UFOs and aliens, but the formula basically remains the same, though there are a few absurd twists to make it palatable to people who thrive on absurdity.

The acting is adequate, the production is slick and the mood is consistently stifling and dark. The requisite torture scenes are there as well as the brilliant sleuths who turn into bumbling idiots at convenient moments. Most of the plot is okay if not formulaic, but it's been done before and better. Lee Byeong-gu and Kang Man-shik both do great jobs and, for me, they're about the only things that save this movie from mediocrity.

I'd easily recommend this flick as it doesn't disappoint, but it's not entirely brilliant either. In fact, it's quite the opposite, yet it still manages to retain some desperate, silly charm. At moments it feels derivative--almost like a collection of movies were thrown into a permutation machine to produce this outcome--but over-analysis aside, it's mildly entertaining.

This movie was quite a shock, when I first watched it. It did very badly in the Korean Box office. But however, this films has some elements that I've never seen in a film before. It has almost all the genre you could think of. Its funny, serious, thrilling, sad, shocking, and the plot that will grab your attention from beginning of the movie. However, some people might not like it... because they might think is some stupid sci-fi junk that has been made before. But I strongly disagree. Watch this film! and you won't regret!

This is one of the most unusual, diversified and courageous movies you might ever see in your life. Don't get fooled by the silly trash cover or the strange movie title, the Korean cinema delivers once again a new masterpiece that easily beats any Hollywood movie. This flick is beyond compare and completely unique.

It mixes several genres such as comedy, drama, psychological thriller, investigation suspense, horror, science-fiction and more. This movie never fails to surprise and switches from slapstick elements and situation comedy to a dark criticism of modern society and melodramatic drama sequences. In one moment, you have a quite rough torture scene in a basement with a lot of blood and in the next minute, a completely ridiculous science-fiction tale will be told with a lot of entertaining absurdity. This experimental style fits surprisingly well and the movie doesn't seem incoherent. Everything remains clear and easy to follow which is not always the case in modern Asian cinema. The first fifteen minutes or so may seem strange because this movie is very unique but once you're into it which happens extremely fast, you will get drowned into a fantastic story. The movie is funny, sad, brutal, romantic and always energizing.

Maybe the ending was a little bit too predictable for me but most of the people who have the courage to check this movie out may still be surprised. There are still tons of surprises, twists and special events featured in this stunning flick. The rest of the movie is so close to perfection that I didn't want to give a lower rating than the perfect one. The acting is amazing and diversified. The movie is full of original ideas and surprises. The camera work is very well done and the music is also great. Anybody who likes the world of cinema must adore this maybe with the exceptions of more conservative science-fiction maniacs as this movie has not a lot to do with aliens, spaceships and invasion. It's in fact a very human and somewhat touching film.

If you like any kind of original and experimental cinema that is not too surreal and abstract but rather fast paced and diversified, this movie is your new bible. This is one of those movies which I would suggest you to see once in a lifetime.

This is a very good movie. I cannot say a lot of things in order to avoid spoilers, you should watch it without knowing too much about its plot. If you like insane movies, movies which are both creative and original, this is your movie. It doesn't obey to any rule, it's original as it gets. It doesn't always succeed, at times it became silly, at times it was messy but overall, this is a very good multiple genre movie which was exciting, even breath-taking, thrilling, intense, funny, even emotional. I didn't feel its running time, 120 minutes passed quickly.

Very good acting, even better directing. I can't say i loved the ending, i wanted something different but still, i admit it was interesting, to say the least.

Avoid spoilers, fasten your seatbelt and get ready, it's gonna be a hell of a ride.

I've been wanting to see this for a little while, knowing that it was just one of those films that didn't fit a category and was hard to describe. After having seen it I'm forced to agree with just about everybody in that it's impossible to describe per genre. It's got a bit of everything, so defining the film is nearly impossible. That doesn't really get me at all, What really gets me here is just how well the director seems to scooch around these genre blurring pieces and present such a deep, emotional story. After you dig through all the little jokes, the amazing cinematography and stylish editing, and the wonderful performances in this film you still have a very moving if not jarring plot that really uses its own devices and with out apologizing for any of the darker points, tells this guys story.

Despite my inability to really describe this film, I do have to say that is truly amazing. I haven't been this impressed with a film in a good long time. This is definately something special and I hope that it finds a following somewhere. It deserves to been seen by more people.

I saw this movie last night at the cinema and boy was it awful. It's basically a cross between Haneke's Funny Games and Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. You'd think that would make the quality of this film a no-brainer, but Save The Green Planet has no sense of irony or intelligence whatsoever.

A young man named Lee abducts the CEO of a chemical company thinking the businessman's leading an alien invasion. This would have been a great premise, except over 2/3's of the film is simply interested in figuring out whether Lee is right or just insane. Trust me, he's nuts and frankly, who cares? I was expecting a no-holds barred sci-fi blow-out but instead I got a tired hostage-drama that runs out of ideas before the opening credits even roll.

The 'shock-twist' at the conclusion of the film is pointless because it should have set up the film's SECOND ACT!! (Duh!)

The movie is salvaged by pretty good performances and the camera work is competent and sometimes inventive. Some of the production design is pretty great too, but you know the story's trash when you find yourself admiring a chair.

I also have a very serious problem with the use of real-death footage in the film's last reel. This includes actual scenes of concentration camp victims and race riots. This type of material was also used at the beginning of a very interesting Spanish horror film called "Who Could Kill A Child?" but was cut from most prints for obvious reasons. I feel that's a shame though, because in the context of WCKAC, it provides a sincere subtext to the story and the particular time it takes place. In STGP the death footage seems to be used for shock value and despite the film's super heavy-handed message about the nature of evil, I found it ridiculous and highly offensive.

It's amazing that the animal slaughter footage from Cannibal Holocaust draws so much ire even today, whereas this film, which flippantly displays vintage footage of concentration camp victims being bulldozed into a mass graves is a-OK! What nonsense! Maybe we are so desensitized to this kind of material that we don't even pay attention to it anymore. Or maybe we've gotten so soft as a society we can't even imagine relating to this kind of terrible suffering.

Sad.

I have been a fan of Asia movies for a while now, but this still came as a surprise. This film has it all, and the actors are simply incredible. I've seen two of them in Boksuneun naui geot and have only high praise for them. This movie stars of a bit funny I guess, all the silly suits for hounting aliens, etc. It soon becomes quite disturbing with all the torchering of the "alien" victim. You start to feel how disturbed this guy is. After a while, you start to feel sorry for him. And the end is totally unexpected. You simply must see this movie. You won't see anything like it coming from Hollywood. Or anywhere else I guess.