This article discusses the ending of Netflix Korean film Space Sweepers, so it will contain major spoilers.
If you reached the end of this engaging space adventure… a lot happened! But I think when the final act throws every action sequence possible at the audience, it’s best to simplify what truly happened. The final act was about two things; saving Earth and saving Dorothy/Kot-nim from the evil idealist James Sullivan. Tae-ho is conflicted by his emotional eagerness to find Su-ni, his adopted daughter, and finds himself making a trade with the idealist for Kot-nim.
Netflix’s Space Sweepers – the ending explained
But with a change of heart and questioning his morality, Tae-ho joins the other junk-collectors to save Kot-nim for the impending doom on Earth. It’s not clear at first whether they can save both the young girl and the planet, and there are a lot of pessimistic views provided by Captain Jang about their chances. They need to get Kot-nim away from the Krypton wave; if she’s near the explosion, the nanobots will be destroyed, and she will get sick again. James Sullivan does not want Kot-nim’s recovery from the sickness to be revealed, as his motive is to destroy the polluted Earth and move to an ideal Mars. Throwing Kot-nim into the earth, with The Factory, is two birds with one stone — Earth will be destroyed, killing billions of humans in the process. A lot is playing on the ending.
But with all the firepower and action, the bandits distracted James Sullivan and his forces. Simultaneously, other neighbouring junk-collectors secretly rescued Kot-nim, and they ensured she was 5,000km away from the Krypton wave. There is a moment where Captain Jang, Tae-ho, the Robot and Tiger Park thought they would die by staying behind, but they all survive due to their efforts. Earth is also saved — the factory that relied on the hydrogen bomb and Kot-nim’s nanobots never hit the planet.
What happens next?
As the film ends, and Earth learns of James Sullivan’s true plans, Kot-nim helps out Tae-ho who has missed an opportunity to find his daughter. She acts as an advanced medium so that he can speak to Su-ni. Kot-nim and the junk-collectors become a happy family, and there’s a hint that there could be a continuation in the form of a sequel.
