Hope (2026)
Hope Review: Na Hong-jin’s Genre-Disrupting Creature Feature Is a Wild, Unwieldy Spectacle
Hope is not a film that eases you in. Na Hong-jin’s first feature in a decadeāsince 2016’s The Wailingāopens with a fuse rather than a bang, and then makes you watch every inch of it burn. Set in a remote harbor village on the edge of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, this sci-fi action thriller begins as a creature feature before expanding into something far stranger: a cosmic tragedy about misunderstanding, violence, and the terrifying scale of unintended consequences. According to critics, it is ambitious, unwieldy, and frequently thrillingāa film that swings for the fences and occasionally misses, but never bores.
The numbers reflect a film that has divided critics while finding a receptive audience. On Rotten Tomatoes, Hope holds a 79% Tomatometer and a matching 79% Popcornmeter score, while Plex users have given it a 78% audience rating. Filmfare awarded it 4 out of 5, calling it “an audacious sci-fi action flick that literally has the ideas and execution to please every genre faithful out there.” Against a reported budget of $46 millionāthe highest ever for a Korean filmāit grossed $41.25 million worldwide, with 4.57 million admissions in South Korea alone.
Critics have been sharply divided since its Cannes premiere, where it drew a six-minute standing ovation alongside “a wave of sharply divided critical reaction, ranging from rapture to some notes of bafflement.” The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney landed firmly on the rapturous side, hailing it as a “rip-roaring sci-fi creature feature” that “has instant cult classic written all over it,” praising its “virtuoso camerawork, pulse-pounding score, adrenalized pacing and sharply drawn characters.” Filmfare’s Rachit Gupta echoed that enthusiasm, noting that “the apocalyptic mayhem is absolutely incredible” and that the action choreography, stunts, and practical effects “have outdone even the best of Hollywood.”
Not everyone was convinced. The Toledo Blade awarded three stars out of four, observing that “the CGI in Hope won’t win any awards” and that “the movie is overlong, sapping some of its momentum,” though it conceded the film is “often thrillingly shape-shifting: a gloriously unwieldy spectacle.” Plex reviewers noted that “the early stretch demands patience” and that “the world they race through during the monster’s pursuit feels bizarrely empty,” while still concluding that “once it gets going, its strange, thought-provoking world makes the demanding journey worthwhile.” The consensus is that Hope is a flawed but fascinating experimentāa blockbuster with the soul of an art film, and a creature feature that dares to aim for the cosmos.
Hope Cast: Hwang Jung-min and Hoyeon Lead a Stellar Ensemble
The film assembles an impressive blend of Korean cinema heavyweights and Hollywood stars:
Hwang Jung-min anchors the film as Ko Bum-seok, the police chief of Hope Harbor, a man perpetually a step behind the chaos unfolding around him. Filmfare noted that “the film’s best joke is its hero,” describing Bum-seok as someone who “is forever a step behind the monster,” arriving “after the carnage” while everyone else fights for their lives. Hoyeon, in her feature film debut after Squid Game, delivers what The Hollywood Reporter called “a hoot in her first feature role, from her action moves to her comic timing,” playing officer Im Sung-ae with determination and wit.
Zo In-sung brings volatility and presence as Ko Sung-ki, Bum-seok’s cousin and the leader of the local hunting party that finds itself becoming prey. Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell appear as alien characters through motion capture and voice work, though Filmfare noted that “their voices arrive only at the very end, in an alien language, so we never get the full glory of their delivery.” Cameron Britton provides the motion capture performance for the creature Va’migere, while Jung Ho-yeon appears in a supporting role. The ensemble also includes Eum Moon-suk, Lee Sang-hee, and Im Hyun-sik.
Hope Plot: A Small Town, A Cosmic Tragedy
The story unfolds in Hope Harbor, a remote coastal village near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, populated largely by elderly residents. Police chief Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) is called by his cousin Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) to investigate a dead bull found with severe wounds. Sung-ki and his fellow hunters claim a wild tiger has crossed the border and is responsible, but when they follow the trail to a nearby farm, they discover more dead cattle and the farmer himself, brutally killed.
Back in Hope Harbor, Bum-seok discovers that a massive creatureālater identified as Va’migereāhas attacked and slaughtered innocent villagers. With reinforcements diverted to battle widespread wildfires and all communications cut off, Bum-seok is forced to coordinate with Ahn Nak-yeon, a retired military colonel. During the pursuit, Bum-seok and Nak-yeon accidentally shoot and wound a local chef, forcing Bum-seok to leave Nak-yeon behind to provide aid while he continues alone after Va’migere.
After joining the local militia, Bum-seok realizes that the creature he is pursuing is actually a mutated humanoid possessing superior intelligence and strength. The entire militia is eventually wiped out by Va’migere, and Bum-seok is rescued by Im Sung-ae (Hoyeon), a rookie police officer who risked everything to break into the armory and managed to shoot off one of the creature’s legs. Noticing that Va’migere is shedding tears, Bum-seok hesitates but still firesābefore the creature is ultimately struck and killed by a tanker ship.
Meanwhile, Bum-seok assists a surgeon in examining the corpse, discovering its similarities to humans. At the police station, he and Nak-yeon meet a hunter named Yang-bae, who claims to have killed another monster days earlier. Following him to a freezer containing the creature’s body, they learn that Yang-bae killed a baby monsterāleading Bum-seok to conclude that the adult creature was searching for its child and that Yang-bae inadvertently triggered the disaster. In the forest, Sung-ki and the hunters discover an alien spacecraft and realize the creatures are aliens. They are attacked by Chief J’aur and his subordinate Ma’vey, and the film ends on a cliffhanger that sets up a potential sequel.
“What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster.”
