Product Description

A sensitive, blue collar sad sack hopped up on conspiracy theories and sci-fi is convinced that aliens have infiltrated human society and are planning to destroy the planet at the next lunar eclipse. He sets out to kidnap his boss to torture him until he confesses to his alien identity and stops the invasion. Of course, it’s hard to confess to something that’s just a delusion in a sick man’s mind.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66158 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-06
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Enhanced, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Korean
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 117 minutes

Customer Reviews

Twisted, strange and wrong... In the best way possible
"Save The Green Planet" is many things. It is funny, parodic and innovative. It is well made, although the story isn't terribly well constructed. It is sickeningly violent and gruesome, maddeningly cagey about its plot points, and completely and utterly insane. It's also a great movie, because of everything above.

It's important to note that this is not a film for everyone. The torture scenes are painful and plentiful, and make up the bulk of the film. They are NOT done in a slapstick fashion, as the title and opening sequence might suggest. There is repeated electroshock, stabbings, stranglings and an even gorier plot twist later on. Suffice it to say, this isn't a kids movie.

"Save The Green Planet" is about Byung Goo, a man who is even more messed up than is initially revealed when he begins saying that wealthy, successful industrialist Kang is an alien from the planet Andromeda. In fact, Byung Goo is patently psychotic, a kidnapper who cons his tightrope-dancing girlfriend into helping him carry out his paranoid schemes.

All the while, he pops powerful metamphetamines, robs banks to take care of his comatose mother, raises bees and creates manniquins. Byung Goo becomes the movie's simultaneous hero and villain, and it's clear that our sympathies are supposed to lie with this utterly screwed up loser. The odd thing is, more often than not, we do sympathize with him.

If you think that's weird enough as it is, the movie doesn't stop there. The tone swerves wildly from whacked-out comedy to brutal violence to teeth-on-edge suspense, swinging from one to the other as rapidly and disorientingly as possible. The plot is equally wobbly, the psychopathically quick and risky twists constantly threatening to lose the viewer. Some serious suspension of disbelief is required much of the time, just because it's unrealistic that several main characters haven't died from all the damage they've sustained.

But as many things that can be said against it can also be said for it. "Save the Green Planet" is a true original, a movie that only a total mind-job could make and is interesting, if not always pleasant, to watch. It helps that there are a number of entertaining references dispersed every so often to keep the viewer going, and that there's the occaisional glimmer of sanity in everything that's so terribly off-kilter. The filmmaking is as good as anything else in the film, well-executed and often joltingly original. It's a visionary film, if an undeniably strange one.

Not for the squeemish...
I was unprepared for the level of violence in the film, and was *this close* to turning it off, but opted not to. I'm glad I didn't. STGP is about a deranged young man (Ha Kyun Shin) who is convinced that aliens from Andromeda are trying to destroy the world. His chubby girlfriend as his accomplice, he kidnaps the head of a business who he believes is the only one who can communicate with the Head Prince of Andromeda.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Save the Green Planet, but one thing I was unprepared for was the amount of violence. I'm not much into violent movies (I shut off Ichi after the first ten minutes) but I stuck with it because I love Ha Kyun Shin. In the end, it turns out the violence is for a purpose, it is not meaningless, and it makes you think twice.
Another thing I liked about this movie was the relationship between the deranged young man and his girlfriend. The girl was not your typical asian beauty that you would expect. She's chubby, homely and insecure, and the perfect match for Ha Kyun. Ha Kyun's character genuinely loves her, but does not realize how much until she is gone.
There is a message in this movie, that is very clear at the end. And if you stick with the film through the ending credits you will see clips with the main characters that will break anyone's heart.

Excelent, if a tad over the top at times
let me preface by saying that Jun-Hawn Jeong is my favorite writer/director in Korean film right now so I'm probably a little biased.

As far as presentation, Save The Green Planet is very well shot. There are some very moving shots in the film that add a very lush and colorful package for the main story where the film really shines.

In short, a disgruntled man has become convinced that his boss is an alien from the planet "Andromida" and so kidnaps him and immediatly begins to torture him. While this doesnt sound like a good film, trust me it is. In context of the IMF fallout and other economic troubles and threats of violence, the film really starts to make sense on another layer; a much more real and personal one about the fate of humanity. Honestly though, words just cannot discribe this film. It is a darkly comic mix of sci-fi, horror, HK Action, and good old fasion drama/romance. The finest moment in the film comes with a retelling of the Andromidan history of earth which makes many good emotional and moral points without overmoralising (which would be very easy to do in a film like this)

On the downside, if the translation remains unchanged since the Asian Film Festival of Dallas where I got to see this, is the poor word choice. Repition of the same word over and over really hamper to poetic nature of the screen play. Also, some parts of the movie are dreadfully over the top such as the ending which cannot even be put into words.

Very graphic violence makes this movie not for the squeemish. If you cant handel leg amputation and nails being driven through hands then I'd stay away from this. In addition, strong language and some nudity make this film definatly 18+

Overall, Save The Green Planet is an excelent film from one of the best directors working in Korean film, or film period. I highly recomend it to anyone.

On a side note, if you like this film I suggest "Marrying The Mafia" also by Jun-Hwan Jeong