HOPE (2025)

In theaters now from Forged Films, Plus M Entertainment, and Westworld!
Directed/Written by Na Hong-jin.
Check out the
trailer here!

The South Korean town of Hope is not prepared for the gigantic threat that comes from a downed spaceship in the middle of the hills. Only a cop, his deputy, and a few civilians stand firm against a group of seemingly unstoppable creatures.

HOPE is an epic motion picture from Na Hong-jin, the man behind the equally epic THE WAILING. So epic that this is the most expansive and expensive movie ever to come from South Korea. Quite a bit of hype came from HOPE as it left the festival circuit to hit theaters and I’m thrilled to say most of that hype was warranted.

Though we don’t really see the creatures until about forty minutes into the movie, HOPE is a phenomenal creature feature. The film starts slowly as a sheriff in a small town Beom Seok (Heang Jung-Min), investigates a dead cow lying in the middle of the road. Debating whether it was a bear or tiger attack with some local hunters, led by Sung Ki (Zo-In Sung), the film escalates slowly from this simple beginning following the sheriff as he tracks the carnage into town, while the group of hunters tread into the nearby forest following their own trail of mayhem. HOPE then splits the narrative between two locations; the town and the outlying woods—both inhabited by something truly unearthly.

What impressed me the most about HOPE was the restraint the director used in telling this story. Instead of plopping all info down in an info dump, which so many Hollywood films love to do these days, HOPE doles out just enough info and then slathers it with tension in the first hour and non-stop action in the second. This first hour was my favorite part of the movie. Not knowing what is causing this carnage becomes maddening as the filmmaker holds back a reveal until the last possible time. Once the reveal occurs, HOPE almost becomes a completely different movie. The film can be dissected into three immense action-horror scenes. The first being the pursuit of the monster through the harbor town of Hope. The second following the hunters’ discoveries in the woods. And the big climax as both groups attempt to get away from the creatures along a long highway. Each segment has its own personality. High Tension in the first, strange discovery in the second, and balls splattered to the wall action and terror during the climax.

Filmmaker Na Hong-jin’s inspiration is obvious. He’s doing Spielberg like Spielberg can’t do anymore. This is the DISCLOSURE DAY that I wanted. Shades of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and JAWS are all over this film. At the same time, Na Hong-jin borrows heavily from the personality riddled films of Tarantino, specifically, PULP FICTION. Midway through, there is even a comedic monologue that is more than reminiscent of Christopher Walken’s famous watch speech. By the end, Na Hong-jin apes the grand scale of Cameron’s AVATAR but talking about that aspect feels like I’m getting into spoiler territory. Still, HOPE is its own beast, only borrowing story structure and elements of spectacle that those filmmakers often display in their films.

The large cast have wonderful personalities, each distinct and surprisingly funny. This is no spoof or farce with one liners and quips. The comedy comes from the genuine reactions these common people have to this insane situation. Though it’s been done a million times, scenes like having two people count to three before they enter a scary situation and then neither move when they get to three, neither does and it works! There’s a charming old school zaniness to this film that I don’t think would work if translated into English.

Heang Jung-Min is great as the sheriff out of his element. We follow most of the movie riding shotgun with him and the fear is palpable as he reluctantly tracks this creature through the carnage it leaves in its path. Though he is scared shitless, he pushes forward out of dedication to upholding the law, making this a fun character to watch. I also loved Hayeon as Sung Ae. Her character is a trope, the eager underling cop who is highly proficient in driving like a madwoman and using machine guns. Zo-In Sung plays the lead hunter and looks like a Korean Benicio Del Toro. He’s more of a gruff action star but is tossed around like a ragdoll by the creatures. It’s fun to see how much of a beating he can take.

Rounding out the cast is Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vickander, who I just this minute found out were married. They play the motion captured aliens and are surprisingly emotive despite their horrifying forms.

The story takes a very interesting turn in the last act and while I really dug it, I think some people will have issues with this curious decision by the filmmaker. I won’t reveal much, but going into this one, I had no idea that this was only the first movie in what looks to either be a series of films or a trilogy.

The major issue is that HOPE holds back a lot of answers, assuming the audience will be there for future installments. And that’s pretty ballsy from this first movie. It’s not a complete film as most pertinent questions are left open ended. This is definitely going to piss some people off, as this is over two and a half hours long, and I think some of the more tediously paced action (mostly from the repetitious third act) could have been trimmed in exchange for a clue or two as to what’s going on. I understand those who thought HOPE holds back too much.

Still, despite the long runtime, HOPE whizzed by for me. There is a lot left to demystify in HOPE and I hope the answers are just as thrilling as this first film. HOPE shifts perspectives in the final moments and what is to come should be a doozy of a sequel. I hope they will be successful enough to make it.

HOPE is surprisingly gory. Not only do the creatures leave a massive body count, but they are portrayed as monstrous beasts with multiple forms and powers. My theory is that they adapt themselves to what they eat as the various creatures look and act quite differently than one another. There is a gruesome autopsy scene with a jaded physician that is gorily hilarious yet filled with slime and grossness. While this might be called an action movie or a sci fi movie, the sheer amount of blood and different types of monsters plants it firmly into the horror genre just as comfortably.

HOPE is epic storytelling. It seems like Na Hong-Jin has a plan. Its AVATAR levels of narrative that delivers thrills, chills, and gacks, yet its not preachy or overly sweet, though there are some tender moments. It’s simply what James Cameron was trying to accomplish with AVATAR, yet in my opinion highly more successful. Na Hong-jin has taken a hodge podge of ideas from some of your favorite films and given it an undeniably South Korean edge to it. It’s pure epic storytelling yet never loses its grounded feel. Take a chance with HOPE. They just don’t make them like this anymore. If you can deal with the open-endedness, you’re the type of moviegoer this one is for.