Wednesday 04 / November / 2026
HOPE is a strange, unpredictable ride. It brings together aliens, action, suspense and human insanity in a story that is as bizarre as it is emotional. Director Na Hong-jin, known for The Chaser and The Wailing, returns after a decade with an ambitious sci-fi thriller that refuses to follow the conventions.
The film opens with a mutilated bull on a deserted country road. What follows is a disturbing mystery that slowly draws an isolated coastal town into chaos. Set in Hope Harbour, near the Korean Demilitarised Zone, the story takes its time to reveal what is really happening. The first half focuses largely on building suspense. The aliens arrive much later than one might expect. Many times, the repeated scenes of destruction test your patience. Yet, the urge to discover what lies behind the mystery keeps you hooked.
At the centre of this chaos is determined police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min).
He must protect his town, but the situation gets the better of him soon. Hwang makes him believable, even when his authority and confidence look misplaced. And this helplessness brings in some unexpected humour. His deputy, Sung-ae (Hoyeon), is a refreshing presence. She is sharp, courageous and quick to act.
The high-speed car chases give her plenty of room to shine. Hoyeon handles the physical demands well and brings a restrained sense of humour to the role. Then there is Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), Bum-seok’s cousin and a hunter who ventures into the wilderness to confront the creature.
His horseback riding, physical effort, and determination add much energy to the film. His confidence, however, is sometimes more amusing than encouraging.
Na Hong-jin builds suspense without revealing too much too soon. Ruined buildings, bloody footprints, frightened villagers, and unsettling sounds often tell us more than the creature itself. Hong Kyung-pyo’s cinematography adds to the unease. The camera movements keep you alert, while the shift from the confined town to the huge, menacing woods gives the film a much larger backdrop. Even the unseen feels threatening - thanks to the sound design.
The arrival of the aliens adds another dimension to the story. Michael Fassbender (Ma’veyyo), Alicia Vikander (J’aur) and Taylor Russell (Ai’dovor) portray beings who initially appear frightening and destructive. But there is more to them than meets the eye. Their emotions, relationships, and motivations challenge our understanding of the conflict. The film gradually blurs the line between the predator and the prey. The visual effects are impressive in several sequences. The creatures’ movements and the scale of destruction create some striking moments, although there is some unevenness in the computer-generated imagery. What makes HOPE interesting is its mix of terror and absurd humour. It can be disturbing one moment and strangely funny the next. The film does overstay its welcome in places, but its ambition is hard to dismiss.
Ultimately, HOPE leaves us with an uncomfortable question: Who are the real monsters - the aliens who threaten us, or the humans who let fear, madness and insecurities take over?
Praveen Nagda, Founder Festival Director, KidzCINEMA and Culture Cinema Film Festivals
