Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

cremea 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'd never 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 film, 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 (in his mind anyway) 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…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!!!

JoeB131 This is about the fourth Korean film I've watched. No, fifth. We really need to take away all Korea's move cameras until they knock it off.The movie details a complete whackjob who cobbles together a bizarre conspiracy theory, which just happens to rely on him kidnapping his ex-boss and torturing him for days...Meanwhile, there is a sub-plot where the police try to find him....Except maybe the guy really was an alien... and the Earth is blown up in the end... or maybe it's all surrealistic and who cares, really. Okay, not quite bizarre enough compared to Japanese cinema, but kind of pointless....

t-d-t-m82 An incredibly well acted and paced film about an individual who has consumed his life being in hold of knowledge of an alien species communicating from planet earth to their home via their hair strands. He is adamant that a genetical alternation results in that individual being an alien.He has seen it as his quest to thwart and challenge and overpower these individuals. Once these individuals are in his care he takes them to a mountainess compound full of gizmos and human extracts such as limbs and also his faithful dog - Earth.There he embarks on an Oldboy style vengeance sequence on these individuals whom he dictates as being aliens. He uses a voltage machine to see how much punishment they can stand and if they stand a certain amount then they have to be an alien species.He also has a sick mum who is in need of constant care which is costly. She is also his hope as she is also a believer of aliens being on earth.The plot is basically the above and the man captured is Klang. The police are on the hunt for Klang as he is very high up. They need to find Klang to save their jobs. The ex superhero Detective finds Klang but finds a sinister alternative. His budding apprentice to speak is then kean to find what is going on. This leads to a dramatic build up which has been supurbly paced.The drama is wonderful. The pace is spot on. The camera shots are reminiscent of Park Chan Wook's directing and with a polished style ala Kim Jee Woon. The movie is full of comedy; film noir and revenge. The cinematography is flawless. The only gripe is not enough wide shots of the mountainess area ala end of Oldboy. This could give a greater understanding of the remoteness of the area.All in all it's a superb effort by this ex film studies Director. This film has the quirky silly drama South Koreans are so exceptional at combined with the revenge sequences which propelled Kim Jee Woon and Park Chan Wook to fame. The acting is really top notch. The fight sequences are not spectacular but look real. The atmosphere is a huge element in this film and it is pulled off supurbly. The tense and build are long however thoroughly enjoyable.This is all in all a very typical South Korean film for those who follow South Korean cinema however it is backed up by awesome acting and great cinematography. A few more attention to camera work and maybe more early film direction could be interesting such as what happened before Klang was taken hostage (first sequence of the film lasting 1hour and 50 minutes at least).Get it and become entertained. I'm hoping this awesome new wave of South Korean directors doesn't stop. It's great news for cinema.

James Alex Neve 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.