By Zoe Lewis, Second Year English
Director Na Hong-jin, known for combining elements of thriller, action and horror in projects like The Chaser (2008), attempts a similar blend in Hope (2026) with an added layer of comedy that verges on satire.
Unfortunately, the film struggles to strike the right balance with many scenes losing their footing on the multiple genres the film is attempting, resulting in a final product which lacks emotional impact. In addition, the escalating plot-line gets away from the filmmakers and never comes back, leaving you alone in the cinema with more questions than answers. When the lights came back on in my theatre, you could feel the confusion in the room with one man in the row in front even exclaiming ‘What the f***!?’ To be honest, I couldn’t have worded it better myself.
The film has received surprisingly strong ratings on online review sites with 6.8 on IMDb and 80% on rotten tomatoes so perhaps this is one for cult sci-fi lovers, especially those who appreciate a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. However, it didn’t quite pack the punch I expected from a film that claims to stand apart from the mainstream sci-fi market in many ways. But maybe we should forgive Hope for not meeting my impossible standards and instead focus on its intention to cater towards a smaller cult following. Perhaps there is something here for dedicated fans of Korean alien invasion films, Na Hong-Jin's directorial work or even Michael Fassbender, as they are currently getting to see a fun Korean sci-fi film go international.
The film follows Bum-Seok (played by Hwang Jung-min), sheriff of the fictional village of Hope, as he is called to investigate what, at first, appears to be a minor disturbance in the local area. When a local hunting party discovers the body of a dead cow with startlingly gruesome wounds, concerns are raised of a large animal on the loose. However, the local search rapidly escalates into a full-blown alien invasion and the ill-equipped Bum-Seok is forced to rely on his limited resources, the help of his deputy (Jung Ho-yeon, who plays Sae-byeok in Squid Game (2021-2025)) and a colourful host of local residents to take on the unknown, uncovering many surprising revelations along the way.
From the beginning of the film, the camera stays with Bum-Seok, forcing the audience to face the monster's arrival to the village with him and the chaos unfolds too close for comfort. It's a very charming angle to invite the audience to the action because it creates the sense that Bum-Seok is just as unprepared as we are to face the disaster zone. This characterisation serves as a great introduction to his character, who is obviously in over his head, and brings a relatable human feeling to a role that would usually be filled by a hardened, rugged badass.
The beginning of the film also seemed to show the potential to be an off-beat action horror comedy. The unprecedented nature of the monster attack on the unassuming village, emphasised by jarring moments of light comedy amidst the brutal violence, made for goofy scenes of mild peril which were rather enjoyable although slightly uneven. Jung-Min makes the most of these comedic moments, however few and far between they are.
These comedic moments suit the suspended disbelief of the characters at the start of the film by interrupting their complacency and highlighting the ridiculousness of the situation. However, they start to feel out of place when put in the middle of the film as they undermine the stakes of the action once the characters had started to realise the scope of the danger they were facing.
Another redeeming quality of this film was the choice of setting: a desolate rural town, which allowed the monster’s size to be large enough to be threatening and destructive but small enough to intelligently hide itself within the architecture of the village. This was partly effective in creating moments of suspense and the hopeless sense of enclosure. Rather than Godzilla in the big city, you are hiding from the bull in the china shop, which is a lot harder. Moreover, the separation of the rural village from the outside world means that the aliens are only witnessed by the small village, locked from the outside world, creating a mesmerising feeling of isolation.
Francesca O’Connor
However, the film is ultimately let down by its inconsistent pacing. While the first section drags out so much that the anticipation for the reveal of the monster soon dissolves into frustration, undermining the reveal itself, the film's conclusion unravels so quickly that there is barely any time to take in the desired emotional impact. The action scenes themselves, in which the aliens constantly blunder, slow the pace of the film as they contradict the original presentation of the creatures as unstoppable killing machines. This lowers the stakes and you find yourself waiting for them to be over rather than finding them engaging.
Ultimately, the film loses control of its plot, tone and pacing and there’s unfortunately was no way to reign in these elements enough to garner great critical acclaim. However, at least it’s fun to be taken on the film’s wild ride.
Featured image: IMDb / Hope
Do you think Hope is destined to be a cult classic?
