Na Hong-jin’s Hope (2026) is one of the wildest movies to ever premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. This sci-fi monster thriller holds nothing back in its action-packed 160-minute runtime. Hong-jin, the South Korean writer-director behind The Chaser (2008), The Yellow Sea (2010), and The Wailing (2016), crafts numerous excessively long chase sequences with CGI alien monsters rendered with what looks like PS2-style graphics and mechanics. Hope will undoubtedly be divisive, as you have to embrace the utter chaos and silliness of Hong-jin’s story. While it surely will find its niche audience, others will probably view Hope as an overambitious hodgepodge of a film.
Set in a remote South Korean village named Hope Harbor, located near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-Min) investigates a suspected tiger attack that killed some cattle. Trouble ensues as the supposed beast bulldozes its way through the village, killing locals and destroying infrastructure. Loud, monstrous noises echo as the chief nervously approaches the threat. It quickly becomes clear that something much darker and deadlier is wreaking havoc in the isolated village than any wild animal.
Na Hong-jin Builds a Consistently Thrilling Story
Along the way, the police chief is joined by rookie cop Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon), local tracker Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), and a ragtag group of fellow hunters who try to help stop the creatures on the loose. A separate group heads out to the forest to track down the threat, but unbeknownst to them, they’ve walked into a trap. They have to fight their way out of the forest, with some on horseback and some on foot. Constant car chases, horse riding, and frantic running away from the mysterious monsters litter the film’s runtime. Hope is a non-stop thrill ride that is wildly entertaining. Na Hong-jin’s script keeps you constantly guessing; it’s impossible to predict what’s coming next.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo (Parasite, Burning) frames the extensive action sequences of Hope with intense detail, shooting them almost exclusively with wide-angle lenses. This leads to unnervingly distorted close-ups, while the wides capture the impressive scope of Hong-jin’s narrative. The filmmaking on display is sharp and sleek; the action scenes are shot in a similar, exhilarating fashion, with Kyung-pyo opting for an endless number of tracking shots that follow the characters at a fast pace. One thing is for sure: Hope delivers spectacle meant only for the big screen.
Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender’s Roles Are Perplexing
Early on, Na Hong-jin makes the choice to embrace B-movie tendencies in his epic creature feature. It’s knowingly daft and absurd, but Hong-jin has fun with it. There is a memorable scene where an unseen force grabs someone from the shadows — it’s instantly unnerving as your mind races to figure out what just happened. The fear of the unknown is often greater than actually seeing a freaky monster, so Hong-jin really slips up when he decides to reveal the creatures in broad daylight.
Viewers become desensitized to the deadly invaders after they are fully revealed, hence they become less scary. However, as the film’s ending makes clear, Hong-jin is more interested in creating something with a larger, expansive scope than any ordinary monster horror. Thus, the decision to expose the creatures is technically not a bad one, though it loses your suspension of disbelief.
Courtesy of Neon
South Korean actors Hwang Jung-min (Deliver Us from Evil), Zo In-sung (Moving), and Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game) lead the ensemble. Jung-min is a stellar lead; the fear on his face throughout the almost hour-long set piece at the film’s start really helps build initial tension. Surprisingly, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender are also here, but you would be forgiven for not noticing until the credits, as they speak in tongues. Their involvement is obviously a huge selling point that will intrigue many and promises a future even beyond Hope’s ending. Yet, it’s still perplexing why they would accept such minor and, frankly, strange roles as aliens. Then again, Hong-jin does have pull as a bold auteur.
A New Hope For South Korean Cinema?
Without delving into spoilers, it must be mentioned that the monsters are humanoid-looking. It creates an uncanny valley look. They are strange to look at, and it honestly feels like the film’s biggest letdown. At times, the creatures resemble the “Death Angels” from the A Quiet Place franchise, which is arguably a better, more freakish design choice. In hindsight, they could have stuck with that.
This is reportedly the most expensive movie ever made in South Korea (exact numbers to be determined), and it shows. However, the limitations of their budget, compared to CGI-filled Hollywood blockbusters, are evident in the visual effects, which will appear shoddy and video game-like to a Western audience. The monsters constantly clip around and never truly feel a part of the film’s environments. They are more like afterthoughts — the pace at which they move is rather threatening, but it’s hard to fully buy into everything with how odd the effect looks.
Hope is an untamed beast of a sci-fi monster epic that deserves to be watched on the big screen. It’s unabashedly wild and completely bizarre. Writer-director Na Hong-jin knows it and doesn’t care, though. Those who are willing to meet it on its wavelength will be in for a delightful treat that is funny, entertaining, and completely unpredictable. It’s destined to be a cult classic without a doubt. South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin already has plans for a sequel. Let’s hope he gets the funding, because this promises to be some sort of strange mix between sci-fi fantasy like Star Wars and the horror-thriller tendencies seen in Korean cinema.
★ ★ ★ 1/2
Hope premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival!
Release Date: TBA.
Korean Title: Hopeu (호프).
Directed by Na Hong-jin.
Written by Na Hong-jin.
Produced by Na Hong-jin, Saemin Kim, & Saerom Kim.
Executive Producer: Jeongin Hong.
Main Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Uhm Tae-goo, & Lee Kyu-hyung.
Cinematographer: Hong Kyung-pyo.
Composer: Michael Abels.
Editor: Kim Sun-min.
Production Companies: Forged Films & Plus M Entertainment.
Distirbutor: Neon (North America) & Plus M Entertainment (South Korea).
Runtime: 160 minutes.
