Hope Review

The generational run that cinema has been on in 2026 will be studied for generations to come. A run that includes everything and anything that the film industry can muster the money to make, create and bless the masses with. One of those films is Na Hong-Jin's Hope.

Hope originally debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and like many other cinephiles, I had to sit there on my phone reading updates and reactions of the various films that were competing for the Palme'Dor. Hope carried with it a special energy going into the festival due to this being Na Hong-Jin's first movie in 10 years! Yes, that's right, the guy that made the Wailing and Chaser, took a break from film releases to focus on various other projects, but to also cook up one of the most interesting and explosive films of the decade(might be a slight overexaguration but you know what I mean).

I finally got the chance to watch Hope following its UK release on 25 September, and my god was the wait worth it. If you expected me to keep you in suspense on whether or not I enjoyed it then I am going to have to disappoint you because I f***ing loved every single part of this insane cowboys v aliens thriller/horror/action movie.

Hope takes place in a rural South Korean port town called 'Hope Harbour" where a the local police chief Bum-seok ( Hwang Jung-min) and a group of local hunters discover a brutally mutilated cow carcass. The carcass has strange and large claw marks hinting that whatever killed it may not have been from this earth. What follows from there is what I can only describe as the most exhilarating opening 1 hour I've seen in cinema for a long time.

Once police chief Bum Seok and the hunters discover the carcass the entire film bursts into life and gives us a beatuiful cocktail of genres that all blend into one. Transformers, Jaws, your favorite cowboy movie, Hope borrows from a ton of different tropes and genres and delivers a generational action packed cowboys v aliens thriller that will age like the finest wine that you can think of.

Speaking of Chief Bum Seok, he has become one of my favourite Korean actors just from his role in this movie alone. One aspect of the film that I was suprised about was how incredibly hilarious and fun it is. There are numerous reoccuring gags and moments between the multiple characters that the show introduces. But seeing Bum Seok interact with the various town folk whilst all hell breaks loose in their small rural town is one the highlights of the entire movie for me.

During the first hour/act of the film you don't get to see the monster at all except for the carnage that it has left behind such as destroyed buildings, cars being thrown around and dead people everywhere. As mentioned earlier, that segment reminded me alot of Jaws where we barely get to see the threat and are put in the POV of a clumsy, scared yet good hearted cop who is trying to save everyone.

Eventually Bum Seok does come face to face with the monster and the movie then goes through a radical transformation and becomes this incredibly high octane gunslinging action thriller. The stunt work in this film is beautfully constructed, particulary that whiplash effect that the camera does is beyond entertaining. At this point in the story, the film is attempting to do so much at an incredibly high level and each and every minute of it is incredibly entertaining and worth the price of admission.

I dont want to spoil to much but the reminder of the film introduces additional characters and lore surrounding the monster and its origin. The few gripes that I have with the movie are mainly centered around the lore it feeds us on the monster which again takes the movie in a bigger and wider direction, which I dont think is necessary but its seems like they are setting things up for a sequel. Keep in mind this film is almost 3 hours long and by the end of it you really feel like you've been in this battle with Bum Seok and the other characters(in the best way possible of course). Speaking of other characters, Squid Games Hoyeon playes another favorite character of mine, the gunslinging rookie cop Im Sung-ae, who has an incredible entrance.

One last thing on the monster, I thought the design was interesting enough that it added more questions into the viewers mind. Think of the witch from the Banjo and Kazooie games fused with a titan from Attack on Titan. Frightening, creepy and disturbing, but it just works! The CGI at the beginning isnt great but its better and better as the film progresses and is never distracting. Eventhough this is the most expensive Korean film of all time, it still isnt a blockbuster hollywood level production.

Hope alongside recent releases like Digger, are gorgeous and daring original films that give us new options other than the usual marvel, DC and remakes that we've been getting accustomed to over the years. It is incredbily refreshing to see such a grand and big budget film in the hands of a master filmmaker that isnt a MCU, DC or Disney film. Hope is beauftiful, thrilling, non-stop and one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Bravo Na Hong Jin! And welcome back!