Space Sweepers is an expanse, sci-fi adventure straight out of South Korea. With impressive visuals, a tightly written screenplay and some nicely worked action, this Netflix Original is definitely one of the better movies to be released this year. If you’ve finished streaming this one and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top picks for alternate viewing. So without further ado, we present 10 movies to check out when you’ve finished watching Space Sweepers.
Wall-E
One of Pixar’s greatest animated films, Wall-E is a well written dystopian tale with a lot of warnings around humanity’s future. With the world uninhabitable, the opening shots of an eerily silent Earth, folding back to show our little clean-up robot dwarfed by skyscrapers of rubbish, is a pretty harrowing way to start this movie. From here, the adventures of little Wall-E see him wrapped up in a wide-spanning journey that takes him into space where we see humanity’s fate and what has befallen mankind. With strong themes surrounding the future, class, global warming and AI, Wall-E is a solid option in the sci-fi field.
Snowpiercer
Before TNT and Netflix snapped up the rights to turn this into a multi-season show, Bong Joon-Ho’s dystopian nightmare perfectly illustrated the growing divide between rich and poor. This claustrophobic, thought provoking film takes place in the future where a failed climate-change experiment has killed all life except for the “elite” few. These lucky souls have managed to board the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe. Inevitably, a new class system emerges between the different carriages as humanity is pushed to the brink. What’s particularly intriguing here though is the commentary, which plays into those ideas seen in Space Sweepers surrounding capitalism and the rich/poor divide. If you’re looking for more of that, Snowpiercer is definitely worth checking out.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Steven Spielberg’s intriguing, thought provoking sci-fi piece takes place in the no-so-distant future where the polar ice caps have melted and ocean waters have consumed many of the coastal cities in the world. With humanity gathered together, a mecha-producing company rises up and builds David, an artificial child that exhibits real feelings. Those feelings come in the form of never-ending love for his “Mother”, Monica. She adopts this child as a substitute for her real son, who’s in a comatose state. When he awakens however, Monica is left with two sons and one big dilemma. With interesting ideas around humanity, love and our purpose in life, A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a smartly written movie and well worth checking out.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Based on the book of the same name, Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy is a quirky, humorous deep dive into the wonders of the universe. Thankfully this trips wastes absolutely no time diving right into the heart of the drama. When aliens arrive and have orders to build a highway through the middle of our solar system, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” After seeing the destruction of Earth, Arthur is swept up on a wondrous journey that sees him meet an eclectic group of colourful characters as they head off on a wide-spanning adventure. Witty, full of intriguing characters and armed with some great visuals too, Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is well worth a watch.
Star Wars: A New Hope
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, before the sand hating prequels and the sequel Mary Sues, came a story that changed the face of science fiction forever. Taking the archetypal ‘Heroes Journey’ format, George Lucas penned Star Wars, a story about an epic battle between good and evil. For those who have been living under a rock since 1977, A New Hope is the first movie in the Star Wars trilogy and sees a teenage boy called Luke Skywalker whisked away on an adventure of a lifetime, with a fabled Jedi Knight called Ben Obi Wan Kenobi and a colourful ensemble of characters. A New Hope is essential viewing for any sci-fi fan.
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element offers a wonderful blend of action, sci-fi, comedy and romance, blending all these influences together into one heady trip through a futuristic vision of Earth. The story revolves around a cab driver called Korben Dallas who unwittingly becomes the central figure to a wide-spanning adventure when a woman called Leeloo literally falls into his life. She’s on an important mission, determined to find Father Vito Cornelius before it’s too late. Unfortunately the pair are hunted by mercenaries, and their daring escape is made ever-more-complicated by Korben beginning to fall in love with this mysterious woman. This sci-fi classic holds up to this day, delivering everything you’d expect from a movie like this; lots of impressive visual effects, imaginative ideas and some solid Direction helps keep this film feeling thrilling and fast-paced.
Armageddon
Armageddon is the ultimate guilty pleasure. It’s a film that falls into all the usual groan-inducing clichés that disaster movies bring but somehow manages to retain its sense of excitement and action throughout its run-time. The story revolves around an asteroid the size of Texas about to hit Earth in less than a month. With all hope seemingly lost, NASA recruits some deep-core drillers to head out into space, land on the asteroid and blow it up with explosives. Yes it’s silly, it doesn’t make much scientific sense but it’s an undeniably fun and action-packed ride that’s well worth watching.
Galaxy Quest
Galaxy Quest may be more comedic than Space Sweepers, but it’s a similar movie in terms of good storytelling and memorable characters. The main drama here revolves around stars of a 1970’s sci-fi TV show called Galaxy Quest. When this fictional crew are beamed aboard an alien spacecraft, with the Thermians believing these actors are actually heroes, the group are reluctantly thrown into a crazy adventure to try and overcome this oppressive regime, led by a mad dictator called Sarris. Funny, well-written and chock full of references and homages to Star Trek, Galaxy Quest is a love letter to the sci-fi genre and a fine movie in its own right. While Tim Allen fronts the casting, it’s Alan Rickman who really steals the show, in a funny and moving role as Alexander Dane.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
“I have been, and always shall be, your friend,” Arguably one of the best Star Trek films ever created, it wouldn’t be a space-faring list without mention to one of sci-fi’s greatest franchises. While it could be argued the 2009 remake has more similarities to Space Sweepers, Wrath of Khan is undeniably one of the best Trek movies and is essential viewing for any sci-fi fan. The story centers on James Kirk, who tries to live up to his father’s legacy. With big shoes to fill, Mr Spock lends a helping hand and tries to keep Kick in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future begins destroying the Federation one planet at a time, creating black holes at will. What’s particularly interesting here though is just how well written Khan is. While his actions are deplorable, the film does an excellent job building him up as a formidable foe that makes for an emotionally resonate and gripping sci-fi tale.
Serenity
Serving as the spiritual sequel to the much-loved TV series Firefly, Serenity is the movie that bears the most amount of similarities to Space Sweepers. It’s a gripping, solid movie set in the deep reaches of space, combining a gripping premise with some excellent characterisation. The name ‘Serenity’ refers to a Firefly class transport ship, operating illegally on the fringes of the lawless edges of a solar system. With many inhabited planets within, Captain Malcolm Reynolds finds himself stuck in a difficult situation after picking up Simon and his psychic sister River. Unfortunately a man known as the Operative (an Alliance agent) begins chasing them, stopping at nothing to bring his prize back. Well written, chock full of exciting moments and packed to the brim with impressive visuals, Serenity may not be a second season of Firefly, but it is a solid follow-up to that TV series nonetheless. So there we have it, our 10 Movie picks to keep you busy after watching Space Sweepers on Netflix. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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