The next incorporates spoilers for BugoniaBugonia follows a lot of the identical plot because the South Korean movie that impressed it, however the Emma Stone film makes some very impactful tweaks to Save the Inexperienced Planet!‘s particular character parts. Each movies concentrate on a pharmaceutical CEO who’s kidnapped by a disturbed man who believes the CEO is an alien.
Each movies are darkly comedic with a harsh view on humanity, with Bugonia‘s ending doing little to counteract the awful parts of Save the Inexperienced Planet!‘s finale. Nevertheless, the variations in Bugonia introduce some distinctive shades to the movie that the unique sci-fi satire lacked.
Save The Inexperienced Planet! Has Kang, Bugonia Has Michelle
Some of the fast variations between Bugonia and the South Korean movie that impressed it’s the approach it gender-flips the pharmaceutical govt on the coronary heart of the story. In Save the Inexperienced Planet!, the supposed alien is Kang Man-shik, an older man.
In contrast, Bugonia has Michelle Fuller, the CEO of Auxolith. This distinction introduces layers of subtext to Bugonia which might be absent from Save the Inexperienced Planet!, because the imagery of two conspiracy-minded males kidnapping a robust girl of trade is introduced up by Michelle in the course of the narrative.
In the end, each characters play related roles of their overarching narrative, together with within the final reveal that they’re certainly an alien. Nevertheless, whereas Kang is proven to be nearly vindictive in his order to destroy the Earth, Michelle appears genuinely saddened on the destiny of humanity.
This performs into the movie’s separate depictions of the alien races. Whereas the aliens of Save the Inexperienced Planet! are extra historically villainous and outright kill people whereas choosing up Kang, the aliens of Bugonia are extra somber and soft-spoken, higher reflecting the gravity of the scenario.
Teddy’s Backstory Is not As Tragic As Byeong-gu’s
Each Teddy and Byeong-gu have tragic motivations behind their hatred for the pharmaceutical govt, with each of their moms left in a coma after being subjected to medical trials by the corporate. Each moms additionally endure the identical destiny in Bugonia and Save the Inexperienced Planet!, by chance killed by their son.
Nevertheless, the precise circumstances of their backstories are hinted to be totally different. Teddy had an absent father whom he admits he in all probability would not acknowledge on sight. Byeong-gu’s father was extra current in his life, however is revealed to have been bodily abusive in direction of his son.
The movie hints that Casey, the native sheriff, had molested Teddy whereas babysitting him of their youth, however Teddy shortly tries to disregard or push that actuality apart. Whereas Byeong-gu did not have that actual trauma, his journals trace at a violent youth and the demise of a girlfriend throughout a protest.
All in all, each movies depict the disturbed protagonist as a well-intentioned however dangerously unstable determine, whose private historical past has formed them into their present kind. Nevertheless, Save the Inexperienced Planet! spends extra time unlocking Byeong-gu’s backstory than Bugonia devotes to Teddy.
Bugonia Replaces Su-ni With Don
Some of the vital characters in each movies is the prepared companion of Teddy and Byeong-gu. Nevertheless, whereas each characters are depicted as relative innocents wrapped up within the efforts of their family members, the characters are finally very totally different.
Su-ni is Byeong-gu’s girlfriend in Save the Inexperienced Planet!, a simple-minded however loving circus performer. In Bugonia, Teddy recruits his neurodivergent cousin Don to assist him take care of Michelle. Don is given extra focus than Su-ni, with Michelle making an attempt to particularly motive extra with Don than Teddy.
This additionally speaks to the largest distinction between the characters: their final destiny. Whereas each characters die by the top of their respective movies, Su-ni is just not killed till the ultimate confrontation at Kang’s manufacturing unit, the place the manager makes use of a robotic arm to dispatch Byeong-gu’s companion.
Don does not final that lengthy in Bugonia. When Michelle is ready to get by means of to Don, he provides in to despair and turns his gun on himself, taking his personal life in entrance of her. This units up the extra frantic third act of Bugonia, whereas giving Teddy extra causes to distrust Michelle.
The Police Officer Suffers A Totally different Destiny
The police are a extra current component in Save the Inexperienced Planet! than in Bugonia, however issues go very poorly for them each of their respective movies. In Save the Inexperienced Planet!, the investigation trying to find Kang includes a number of officers, in addition to the chief of police.
In Bugonia, there’s just one notable legislation enforcement character. Casey is the native sheriff, who involves Teddy partly to see if he is heard something associated to Michelle, however primarily to apologize for his personal misdeeds from their youth. Casey finally ends up stumbling into the case, getting himself killed.
Whereas one of many detectives is killed in Save the Inexperienced Planet! by Byeong-gu, overlaying him in honey and unleashing bees towards him, Casey is barely surprised by the bees that Teddy lets free towards him. As an alternative, Casey is killed instantly by Teddy, who beats him to demise.
The officers play a extra vital function within the authentic South Korean movie than the police do in Bugonia. This implies they’re additionally current when Kang’s alien compatriots arrive to take him again to house, resulting in their on-screen deaths lengthy earlier than the remainder of humanity.
Byeong-gu Is Crueler To Kang Than Teddy Is To Michelle
In each Bugonia and Save the Inexperienced Planet!, the human captors topic their prisoners to all types of painful procedures to find out if they’re aliens. Nevertheless, whereas Teddy is harmful and vulnerable to outbursts, his therapy of the aliens differs from Byeong-gu’s harsher actions.
Whereas Teddy topics Michelle to brutal assessments (together with some very critical electroshock ways), Byeong-gu goes so far as to virtually crucify Kang in a bid to drive out a confession. This additionally pays off the reveal that each Byeong-gu and Teddy have killed different “aliens” they’ve discovered.
Even there, Bugonia is not as horrifying as Save the Inexperienced Planet!. Whereas Teddy has captured and dissected a number of folks, they’re all seemingly related to his investigation. In contrast, Byeong-gu killed nearly a dozen folks, with lots of his victims being individuals who personally slighted him. This makes Byeong-gu much more unsympathetic than Teddy.
Byeong-gu Is Killed By The Police As an alternative Of By A Do-it-yourself Bomb
Neither Teddy or Byeong-gu survive the conclusion of their respective movies, each failing to reveal their goal as an alien earlier than it’s too late. Nevertheless, the precise nature of their deaths is totally different, albeit each throughout the CEO’s firm.
In Bugonia, Teddy makes an attempt to be transported as much as Michelle’s ship, however dons a bomb vest as an insurance coverage plan. Nevertheless, the vest goes off whereas Teddy is ready to be transported, killing him immediately and dismembering his physique. It is a brutal however bleakly absurd ending for the character.
Byeong-gu suffers a extra grounded destiny, befitting the extra confrontational nature of Save the Inexperienced Planet!‘s ending. Byeong-gu is shot by the police, bleeding out shortly earlier than Kang is recovered by the aliens. It provides a darkish layer of irony to the ending, because the folks Byeong-gu tried to avoid wasting turn out to be the reason for his demise.
The Destiny Of The World Is Totally different Between The Films
In each Bugonia and Save the Inexperienced Planet!, the alien emperor decides that humanity is a failure and orders the destruction of the species. Nevertheless, the precise nature of that disaster is modified between variations, talking to the final word distinction between Kang and Michelle.
In Save the Inexperienced Planet!, Kang contemptuously decides that Earth as an entire is a failure and has the aliens blow up the planet. This wipes out all life, even past humanity. In contrast, Michelle is recommended to have an appreciation for all times on Earth, even when she’s disgusted with people.
This leads her to order the eradication of humanity, however the Earth itself is spared. The ultimate photographs of the movie reveal that each one people have died on the planet, however that animals have been spared. The movie ends on the implication that endangered species like bees will start to get well from the injury people have completed to the world.
Each endings are tragic, however whereas Save the Inexperienced Planet! is a harsher condemnation of everybody concerned, Bugonia takes a bittersweet method by guaranteeing animals can dwell on. Bugonia is general a extra pointed satire than Save the Inexperienced Planet!, however with a softer coronary heart within the course of.
Bugonia
8/10
- Launch Date
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October 31, 2025
- Runtime
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118 minutes
- Director
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Yorgos Lanthimos
- Writers
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Will Tracy, Jang Joon-hwan