Space Sweepers

Spaceship Victory) is a 2021 South Korean space western film directed by Jo Sung-hee, starring Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu and Yoo Hae-jin.

During their work, Captain discovers a child robot named Dorothy, who contains a weapon of mass destruction purportedly created by the terrorist group "Black Foxes".

They negotiate a ransom for returning Dorothy, but their plan is foiled when UTS soldiers stage a massacre at the club where the exchange was supposed to take place.

Tae-ho and Jang were once UTS soldiers but defected after being forced to kill refugees fleeing Earth and incurring the wrath of Sullivan.

Following a confrontation on a space station, Karum reveals that the Black Fox are not terrorists but rather environmentalists seeking to return Dorothy to her father Kang Hyeon-u, a dissident scientist who has fallen afoul of Sullivan.

In return for Tae-ho surrendering Kang Kot-nim, Sullivan grants the space sweepers an amnesty and a lump sum to cover their debts.

Tae-ho uses his share of the money to fund an expedition to find his lost daughter Kim Su-ni but feels guilty about betraying Kang.

[10] Jo Sung-hee started writing the story 10 years prior to the film's release, after a friend talked to him about the dangers of space junk.

[12] The visual effects company Dexter Studios, which was behind the production of the films Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Ashfall and Wandering Earth, was hired for Space Sweepers.

[16][17] The final lineup was confirmed in June 2019, with Yoo Hae-jin joining the main cast in the form of robotic motion capture and voice acting.

The site's critics consensus reads, "As a story, Space Sweepers isn't as adventurous as its star-navigating protagonists -- but relatable characters and impressive effects keep it from drifting out of orbit.

[32] Zaki Hasan of IGN argued that "even as [the film is] a concoction of various familiar sci-fi tropes, they’ve been reassembled with verve and passion enough to sand down any cynicism when taking it all in.

"[35] Karen Han of Slate stated that the film was "one of the rare space operas that doesn’t posit that English has somehow become a universal language" and that Bubs' arc "feels like one small step for transgender representation and, arguably, a giant one for blockbuster filmmaking from any nation.