Review of Save The Green Planet (Two Discs)

Introduction

Eastern cinema is currently enjoying a creative renaissance of sorts, with films of all genres and styles being made. The Far East has always been the home of martial arts movies, but in recent years even Hollywood has been looking east for inspiration when it comes to horror movies. When it comes to films, Eastern filmmakers are more willing to take chances and push boundaries, there isn`t as much of an impetus to tailor films to audiences, to increase revenues, and the story and characters remain relatively sacrosanct. A relatively new genre to countries like Korea and Japan is the sci-fi movie, made possible by the ubiquitous nature of CGI effects and the requisite budgets, as well as audience demand. In 2003, Save The Green Planet was released in Korea, a sci-fi comedy that definitely walks on the dark side. Tartan releases this film in a two-disc edition that is practically brimming with extras.

Aliens walk among us. Telepathic beings from Andromeda are experimenting on unwitting humans for their own ends, and the only one who knows the truth is Lee Byung-Goo, a young recluse. He`s researched the alien menace and with the aid of his simple girlfriend Sooni, he`ll put into effect a plan to save the world. Seven days before the lunar eclipse (when Armageddon arrives) he tracks down and kidnaps influential businessman Kang Man-Shik, who Lee suspects to be an alien in human form. In his secluded home he imprisons Kang and proceeds to torture him into telling the truth. Meanwhile, the police are working on the kidnapping, although disgraced Detective Chu isn`t too welcome at the crime scene. But a young detective is in awe of Chu`s methodology, and despite his team leader`s objections decides to work with Chu to solve the crime. As time ticks away to the lunar eclipse, Lee keeps trying to extract the information from Kang, but it becomes apparent that Lee`s fragile state of mind and reliance on illicit medication may be clouding his judgement. But just because you`re paranoid, it doesn`t mean that they aren`t after you.

Video

The picture is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, and although it`s an NTSC to PAL transfer, the image is excellent, with good definition and strong colours. The detail levels are good, even during the darker scenes, and there is just a mere hint of grain. The film makes good use of CGI, although on occasion it can be quite unsubtle. Most of the time it blends in well with the rest of the film, and once I missed it completely until it was pointed out in the commentary.

Audio

There is a choice of three soundtracks on this disc, DTS 5.1, DD 5.1 and DD 2.0 Korean. The surround is excellent, making effective use of the speakers to reproduce the action and the music. There are subtitles in English naturally, although you`re unable to change audio or subtitle tracks on the fly. Over The Rainbow gets a whole new meaning in this film, as well as a punk re-imagining over the opening credits. The Wizard Of Oz this ain`t.

Features

Disc 2 contains the majority of the extra features, but as well as the film, Disc 1 contains the theatrical trailer, as well as audio commentary. Both discs have animated menus with scenes from the film running in the background.

Director, Jung Joon-Hwan and star Shin Ha-Kyun provide the audio commentary. It`s presented in DD 2.0 Korean with English subtitles. It`s a jovial light-hearted commentary with plenty of joking around and giggling. It`s a little gappy, and not the easiest track to listen to (or read). It does hold some interest if you have the patience to stick with it.

The remainder of the extras are on Disc 2.

There are 13 minutes of deleted scenes, 9 in total, and the director, who also relates why they were removed from the film, introduces them. They are interesting, but more of the same really, and it`s hard to see how the film would be improved except by restoring one or two.

Behind The Scenes contains eight featurettes, all presented in 4:3 and subtitled in English.

The CGI Featurette lasts 15 minutes and discusses the CG used in the film with reference to the appropriate scenes.
Double Vision (23 minutes) is actually 2 featurettes in one. First we meet Sooni`s double and the circus where she and the actress learned how to wire walk. This is the same circus that we see in the film, the Dong Chun circus, the last working circus in South Korea. They take the opportunity to put on a show for the cameras. Following this is a look at the art design for the film and how it relates to the film`s set and costume design, storyboarding and continuity.
Art Of The Green Planet (10 minutes) is not more art design, but rather the practical effects used in the film to accomplish some of the films more grisly scenes. Fake body parts and blood abound.
The Make Up (5 minutes) is pretty self explanatory, although this is the more horrific sort of make up rather than for glamour.
Stunt Practice (14 minutes) showcases the stunts and the stuntmen who perform them. While safety is paramount, there isn`t the excessive insurance that Hollywood would insist upon, and you are left fearing for their well-being. It`s understandable then that the actors take the opportunity to thank the stuntmen in this featurette.
Soundtrack Featurette (15 minutes) has the director and composer talking about the music used in the film with reference to the specific scenes.
Days Of The Green Planet (11 minutes) is a behind the scenes look at the shoot, the trials and tribulations as well as the high points.
Hello From The Set lasts 16 minutes, and the cast and crew otherwise not mentioned on this disc take the opportunity to talk a bit about themselves and what their role is in or on the film.

Next up are the Interviews, again 8 in all. Once again they are presented in 4:3 with Korean language and English subtitles. Quite a few are with the director in his home.

The Director`s Room lasts 6 minutes, and Jang Joon-Hwan gives us a brief and lighthearted tour of the room where he works.
The Concept (6 minutes) has more from the director, this time discussing what inspired him to make his film, and the meaning of the story.
On Production (4 minutes) has the director and cinematographer discussing the various techniques used for the different scenes in the film, and how certain scenes were lit.
Korean Premiere lasts 11 minutes, and is just that, followed by critical appraisal from fellow directors and other actors who attended the premiere, although one was reluctant to be interviewed. Finally there is the fan response.
Questions From The Fan Club (19 minutes) sees fans posing questions to the three main cast members, Shin Ha-Kyun, Hwang Jung-Min and Pack Yoon-Sik. Some of the questions are not exactly insightful.
The Detectives last 8 minutes and interviews Lee Jae-Yong and Lee Joo-Hyun who play Detectives Chu and Kim respectively in the film. They talk about their characters and what they feel about the film.
The Aliens (4 minutes) looks at the inclusion of the alien plot, why they were necessary and also the cast and crews personal beliefs regarding extra terrestrial life.
2001 Imagine lasts 6 minutes, and Jang Joon-Hwan talks about his graduation film, and the similarities it and it`s characters bear with Save The Green Planet.

Finally on this disc is The Lazy Mirror, Jang Joon-Hwan`s short film, inspired by a certain Marx brothers sketch. It`s an interesting if primitive little animation, and the director provides a commentary.

There`s well over 3 hours of material on this disc, quite a treasure trove for the film, but one thing I did notice was the reflective, almost apologetic mood of the interviews, not at all surprising given the lukewarm reception the film got in its home country.

Conclusion

They call this a `goofball comedy` in the blurb. When I think of goofball, I`m thinking Jerry Lewis, Goldie Hawn, the words ditzy, zany and madcap. This is as far as possible from what Save The Green Planet is. Save The Green Planet is also not a movie about eco-terrorism, although I had a sneaky suspicion it was when I popped the disc into my player. Save The Green Planet is a mixture of genres, among them comedy, but it is a dark, sinister and almost morbid sense of humour, appropriate given the subject matter. Add to that mix a touch of mystery, plenty of horror, both visceral and psychological as well as a police thriller and it adds up to an interesting package.

The start of the movie does indeed have a hint of goofiness; there is a montage of conspiracy theories and slides as Byung-Goo shows Sooni the evidence he has collected regarding alien infiltration. It`s a hint of the X-Files but when they don his patented anti-telepathic suits it seems to be playing directly for laughs. The kidnapping of business tycoon Kang is a humorous confrontation, and the first few days of interrogation are by parts painful and laughable, as Kang is stripped to his novelty underwear, shaved bald and strapped to a commode. The tortures that Byung-Goo has devised are odd to say the least, if no less painful.

While the film starts with this dark humour, that humour drains away as we learn more about Byung-Goo`s character. He is a typical Internet conspiracy nut, motivated by the darkness in his life, and the losses that he has accumulated. He is inspired by the figure of his mother to uncover the conspiracy at any cost, as she herself lies in a coma in hospital. The sense of humour is replaced with an initial sympathy for the character, then a growing sense of unease and horror at what is obviously a disturbed individual reliant on illicit medication, a sociopath whose belief in his own wild theories blinds him to the real world. The film gets relentlessly darker as it progresses, bleaker and bleaker until it reaches a sort of threshold at which point the comedy resurfaces, if only as a gallows humour where to do anything else but laugh would be impossible.

I won`t talk much about the ending, except that I`ve probably watched a sight too many films with plot twists in the final act. I`d probably have been more surprised if this film had ended without a sting in the tail.

Save The Green Planet isn`t an eco-movie per se, but like all sci-fi movies with a message, it does have something to say about the state of the world we are in, and just how we are responsible for our inevitable doom, thanks to global warming, nuclear war, or just being plain ornery apes with delusions of grandeur. This film isn`t any less preachy, and it`s when the socio-political message gets turned on with high beams, that the film begins to lose coherence. We get the full lecture on just how hateful, spiteful and self-destructive humanity is, as if Byung-Goo`s psychopathic behaviour isn`t enough of an insight. This includes plenty of imagery from the Third Reich, the Holocaust, Vietnam and any of the myriads of twentieth century travesties that the world has endured. From this point, the story seems a little piecemeal and flows clumsily to the ending.

Save The Green Planet flopped in Korea when it was released. On the evidence of the film, it doesn`t deserve to be consigned to the dustbin of history, as it is an interesting and enjoyable film for the most part. While the story isn`t the strongest piece of narrative, the film is redeemed by some excellent direction and powerful performances from the main actors, most notably Shin Ha-Kyun and Pack Yoon-Sik. It`s rare to find a film that can elicit laughs, tears and revulsion with equal facility. While the end is a let down given the powerful build up, it`s a film that impresses more often than not. It tips the hat to shows like The X-Files, films like Blade Runner and Men In Black, and wholeheartedly cribs from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It`s probably sacrilegious, but I prefer the monolith scene in this film to the one in Kubrick`s masterwork.

If goofball means torture, blood and dismemberment to you, then you are in the right place. Save The Green Planet is an intriguing blending of genres that doesn`t quite pull it off in the end, but makes the journey there an interesting one. This two-disc set from Tartan is splendid, and showcases the film wonderfully. A set packed with features serves as enticement indeed, while the film itself is given the best possible presentation. Well worth a few hours of anyone`s time, but I would rent first.