In a recent remake, Yorgos Lanthimos' modern weird film "Bugonia" takes inspiration from the 2003 Korean film "Save the Green Planet". Directed by Jang Joon-hwan, the original's premise informs its Western remake. However, unlike the remake, which lets audiences coast on the promise of another slow-burn oddity, "Save the Green Planet" does not wait to get weird - it gets bizarre from frame one.
The film centers around Lee Byeong-gu, a young man who abducts Kang Man-shik, a top Korean executive, believing he's part of an insidious alien reptilian invasion trying to take over Earth. The abduction is part of a larger conspiracy theory that permeates the story. While the remake amplifies this premise, "Save the Green Planet" does not hold back on its madness - it frontloads its weirdness and declares its brand of environmentalism as less Greta Thunberg and more Giorgio Tsoukalos.
The film centers around Byeong-gu's attempts to extract a confession from Man-shik, whom he believes is part of an alien invasion. The abduction escalates into a series of gruesome experiments in Man-shik's secluded basement torture chamber/film studio. Despite the remake's chaotic and dry-humored tone, "Save the Green Planet" does not shy away from its darker themes - it takes them head-on, revealing layers like an infinite matryoshka doll.
Throughout the film, Jang blends elements of Korean dramas, dark comedies, and conspiracy theories to create a unique narrative. The story oscillates between intense scenes of torture and dark humor, creating a visual synesthesia that blurs mood and meaning. While "Bugonia" delivers some of this chaos, "Save the Green Planet" is more excessive - it is less cynical and more sincere in its environmentalism.
Unlike Western remakes, Jang does not just steal from his source material; he joyfully rips off elements to create something new and wild. This approach makes both films unique despite sharing a similar premise. By mining internet celebrity rumors and spoofsing "2001: A Space Odyssey", Jang creates a story that is both similar and different to the original, offering audiences two distinct takes on this bizarre narrative.
The film centers around Lee Byeong-gu, a young man who abducts Kang Man-shik, a top Korean executive, believing he's part of an insidious alien reptilian invasion trying to take over Earth. The abduction is part of a larger conspiracy theory that permeates the story. While the remake amplifies this premise, "Save the Green Planet" does not hold back on its madness - it frontloads its weirdness and declares its brand of environmentalism as less Greta Thunberg and more Giorgio Tsoukalos.
The film centers around Byeong-gu's attempts to extract a confession from Man-shik, whom he believes is part of an alien invasion. The abduction escalates into a series of gruesome experiments in Man-shik's secluded basement torture chamber/film studio. Despite the remake's chaotic and dry-humored tone, "Save the Green Planet" does not shy away from its darker themes - it takes them head-on, revealing layers like an infinite matryoshka doll.
Throughout the film, Jang blends elements of Korean dramas, dark comedies, and conspiracy theories to create a unique narrative. The story oscillates between intense scenes of torture and dark humor, creating a visual synesthesia that blurs mood and meaning. While "Bugonia" delivers some of this chaos, "Save the Green Planet" is more excessive - it is less cynical and more sincere in its environmentalism.
Unlike Western remakes, Jang does not just steal from his source material; he joyfully rips off elements to create something new and wild. This approach makes both films unique despite sharing a similar premise. By mining internet celebrity rumors and spoofsing "2001: A Space Odyssey", Jang creates a story that is both similar and different to the original, offering audiences two distinct takes on this bizarre narrative.
, but "Save the Green Planet" takes the cake. It's like someone took all these conspiracy theories from back in the day and mashed them together into a crazy film that just won't stop 
. And you know what? I kinda love it for its sheer audacity 
. The way Jang blends genres and tones is like nothing I've seen before - it's like he threw a bunch of weirdness at the wall and some of it stuck 
. Reminds me of old-school internet memes where people would take something normal and just add a million layers of absurdity on top. Anyway, if you're feeling adventurous, give "Save the Green Planet" a watch - but don't say I didn't warn you 
.
. And let's be real, the remake just can't keep up with Jang's sincerity on environmental issues - that's some real passion right there 
.
! It's like, you don't even need an intro to understand what's going on - it just dives into this crazy conspiracy theory and doesn't look back 
i mean wu tang clan's "protect ya neck" played on repeat while he got tortured 
but seriously, save the green planet just dives headfirst into this whole alien conspiracy thing and doesn't hold back 
whereas bugonia kinda just coasted on that premise without adding much to it 
don't get me wrong, bugonia's dry humor was funny 
but save the green planet is like a whole different beast 
its so bold and not afraid to get weird from the start, like it's not just trying to be quirky or edgy, it's actually trying to make you question everything