WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Space Sweepers, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix's Space Sweepers doesn't let up at all as it focuses on Tae-ho, Captain Jang, Park and their robot, Bubs, as they try to unite a little girl, Dorothy, with her dad, Kang. She was being hunted by the sinister corporation building a colony on Mars, UTS, with word being put out she was a bomb. However, she's not an android -- Dorothy was actually infected with nanobots to cure a nerve illness, and now, UTS wants her dead to suit its money-making scheme.
This leads to the Sweepers, rogues who collect space junk to sell, having to make some hard decisions in a very intense, high-octane, explosive finale.
Dorothy's Capture
UTS and its boss, Sullivan, spread a slander campaign all across the cosmos. They built a habitat in space and want the elites to believe the Black Foxes are terrorists that created Dorothy to kill them and quash their plans to eventually move to Mars. However, while the Sweepers initially want to trade Dorothy for cash as they're selfish scoundrels, they grow to love her and want to get her back to her dad.
Sadly, UTS' soldiers raid the meeting point and kill the eco-group while beating the Sweepers down. Sullivan wants Dorothy dead because she's a perfect mix of human and nanotech, meaning she can sync with all the plant and vegetation life that's been infused with nanobots on Earth, and therefore, rebuild the planet, which would ruin his scheme. Still, he's an egotist and leaves them some money out of pity. He knows Tae-ho was a former soldier who turned his back on the military, so he gloats a bit before heading back to the Factory, where other junkers base.
The Sinister Plan
The Sweepers are broken and want to rescue Dorothy, especially after her dad was killed in the raid. However, a dispirited Tae-ho wants to take the money and leave as he thinks the war is done. He lost his own daughter, Su-ni, during an explosion years ago and now wants to use the cash to see if he can get a UTS team to retrieve her, thinking she's floating with debris in space still. However, he finds mementoes of Su-ni and him from their time on Earth, and decides to help the Sweepers attack Sullivan's goons.
They need to act fast, though, as Sullivan has put Dorothy in the center of the Factory with a hydrogen bomb that won't just kill her; it'll bring the giant sphere down on Earth. Once the planet's destroyed, the elites up top will speed up Sullivan's plans to make Mars their new home. It seems foolproof as he'll kill the key to saving mankind, as well as their old home, but he really didn't count on the junkers coming back.
The Big Rescue
The Sweepers race to the Factory's core but quickly realize that the hydrogen bomb can't be stopped. However, even once its detonated, there's a five kilometer radius of krypton waves that could be triggered when they enter, killing Dorothy. After Park defeats the war general, Camilla, Tae-ho decides that they can't stop the Factory from falling onto Earth but they can save Dorothy in a Hail Mary play.
They get her into their ship, the Victory, and fly out while Sullivan sends his drones after them. Luckily, the Sweepers get their rivals involved and all the ships work together to destroy the drones. Sullivan takes a mech-ship of his own and tracks the Victory as he wants them all dead, but when he latches onto the ship outside of the radius, a huge twist ensues: Dorothy's not on board.
Making The Sacrifice
The Sweepers all have guilt in them: Tae-ho's gambling saw him not concerned with his kid's whereabouts when debris hit the station; Park was a drug dealer who ruined lives, and Jang was an engineer that failed to bring UTS down. As a result, they pulled a bait-and-switch, keeping the bomb with them and slipping Dorothy to the other Sweepers. This means their colleagues, the Factory and Earth would be safe as the bomb detonates far away.
Sullivan is pissed as he's also a nanobot-infused human who wanted a utopia he could control, away from war and other societal ills. But the explosion incinerates him and the Victory. However, as Dorothy looks on, her eyes glow to indicate she's using her tech-syncing abilities, using indestructible nanobots scattered all over space to make a cocoon. It wraps around the Victory, protecting her new family, and she pulls them back where they're greeted like true heroes.
A Happy Ending
In the aftermath, UTS is exposed, as well as Sullivan, and they now have to do damage control months later to fix everything. The Sweepers, while still a fraternity built on competition, get along a bit better and Tae-ho's team have a more positive outlook on life with Dorothy as their catalyst for love. Bubs gets her female body as well, while Dorothy is enrolled in school, helping to also restart Earth by going down from time to time and getting nature to thrive again.
She also helps Tae-ho get closure through a nanobot connection with Su-ni. She connects with the girl's dead body in space, with the nanobots around Su-ni tapping into the remnants of her consciousness. Dorothy syncs her mind up with Tae-ho on the astral plane, and he finally gets to apologize and say goodbye. He accepts that he needs to look forward now, and as he leads the Sweepers with Jang, he's just happy he's got a second chance with a new family and daughter in Dorothy.
Directed by Jo Sung-hee, Space Sweepers stars Song Joong-ki as Tae-ho, Kim Tae-ri as Captain Jang, Jin Seon-kyu as Tiger Park, Yoo Hae-jin and Richard Armitage. The film is now streaming on Netflix.