By Staff Writer | September 16, 2026
There are monster movies that carefully follow the rules of the genre, and then there is Na Hong-jin’s Hope.
The Korean filmmaker’s first feature since 2016’s acclaimed The Wailing is an enormous, bizarre and frequently brutal science-fiction thriller that throws together horror, action, dark comedy and extraterrestrial mystery. At 160 minutes, it is also unapologetically long.
And somehow, despite its flaws, Hope manages to remain difficult to look away from.
Set in the isolated South Korean village of Hope Harbor, the film begins with what appears to be a fairly straightforward mystery. A mutilated bull is discovered, and local police chief Bum-seok, played by Hwang Jung-min, is called to investigate.
Before long, however, it becomes clear that something far more dangerous is moving through the surrounding area.
The village becomes a battlefield.
A Monster Movie That Takes Its Time
One of the boldest choices Na makes is how long he waits before fully revealing what is terrorizing the village.
For much of the opening act, audiences are left with pieces of information rather than a complete picture.
There are mutilated animals.
There are mysterious deaths.
There are strange movements in the forest.
And there are increasingly desperate attempts by the villagers to figure out what they are dealing with.
The approach creates genuine suspense because the audience’s imagination becomes part of the horror.
The film understands something that many modern creature features forget: sometimes what you don’t see is scarier than what you do.
But the strategy also contributes to one of the movie’s biggest problems.
At nearly two hours and 40 minutes, Hope sometimes feels like it is taking the scenic route to get where it is going.
Several scenes could have been shortened without losing much of the story.
The result is a movie that can be absolutely thrilling one moment and frustratingly slow the next.
Hwang Jung-min Anchors the Chaos
Hwang Jung-min gives the movie a strong emotional center as Bum-seok, the police chief attempting to protect the village while trying to understand the threat.
He isn’t presented as an unstoppable action hero.
Instead, Bum-seok often looks overwhelmed by events happening around him.
That makes the character more interesting.
He is a man attempting to maintain order while the rules of his world are rapidly disappearing.
Hoyeon is also impressive as Officer Sung-ae, bringing toughness and vulnerability to a character who finds herself increasingly caught in the middle of the chaos.
Zo In-sung brings another dimension to the story as Sung-ki, a hunter who becomes involved in the effort to track the creature.
The ensemble works particularly well when the movie allows its characters to interact naturally rather than pushing them from one action sequence to another.
The Action Is Where Hope Comes Alive
When Hope decides to unleash its action sequences, it becomes an entirely different movie.
Na Hong-jin stages several sequences with an almost reckless energy.
Cars race through dangerous terrain.
Hunters pursue creatures through forests.
People scramble through narrow streets.
And the film repeatedly turns ordinary locations into massive arenas of destruction.
The best sequences have a physicality that makes them feel considerably more dangerous than the polished action found in many Hollywood blockbusters.
The cinematography by Hong Kyung-pyo is particularly effective.
The camera frequently moves with the characters rather than simply observing them, creating a sense that the audience is caught inside the action.
The film’s visual ambition has been noted by critics as one of its strengths, with the Washington Post describing it as a mixture of spectacle, absurdity and inventive filmmaking.
Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander Bring Something Completely Unexpected
The arrival of Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander introduces another bizarre element into the story.
The two actors portray alien characters, Ma’veyyo and J’aur, through motion-capture performances.
Their involvement gives the film an unexpectedly international dimension and expands the story far beyond the boundaries of the Korean village.
Fassbender and Vikander don’t simply feel like celebrity cameos.
Their characters become part of the movie’s larger mythology and help explain that what is happening in Hope Harbor is much bigger than the residents initially understand.
Taylor Russell also appears as Ai’dovor, further expanding the film’s mysterious extraterrestrial world.
The Visual Effects Are a Mixed Bag
This is where Hope doesn’t always live up to its enormous ambitions.
Some of the creatures are genuinely unsettling, and the practical environments and cinematography are often spectacular.
But some of the computer-generated imagery looks noticeably less convincing.
Several critics have pointed to the CGI as one of the film’s weaker elements. The Los Angeles Times specifically described the visual effects as a weak point, while still praising Na’s large-scale filmmaking and action sequences.
That unevenness can be distracting.
There are moments when the movie looks like an expensive international blockbuster.
Then another creature or digital effect appears and suddenly the illusion becomes much less convincing.
It doesn’t destroy the experience, but it keeps Hope from reaching the visual heights it occasionally seems capable of achieving.
The Movie’s Biggest Problem Is Its Length
There is a fantastic movie inside Hope.
There may even be several fantastic movies inside it.
The problem is that Na Hong-jin tries to include all of them.
The first hour is deliberately mysterious.
The middle becomes an extended creature hunt.
The final stretch turns into increasingly massive action and science-fiction spectacle.
Each section has something worthwhile.
Together, however, they don’t always flow smoothly.
A little trimming could have made the film considerably more effective.
The movie’s 160-minute runtime is confirmed by the Cannes Film Festival and AFI Silver, which both list the film at roughly two hours and 40 minutes.
That said, the length is less damaging during the action-heavy portions because Na knows how to create momentum.
It’s the quieter stretches that sometimes test the audience’s patience.
A Strange Mixture of Horror, Comedy and Science Fiction
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Hope is that it refuses to settle into one genre.
It can be genuinely frightening.
Then it can become absurdly funny.
Then it suddenly turns into a violent action movie.
Then it becomes a science-fiction mystery.
That tonal unpredictability won’t work for everyone.
But it is also what gives the film its personality.
Na isn’t trying to make a conventional Hollywood monster movie.
Instead, he’s using the monster-movie framework to explore human behavior when people are frightened, confused and desperate.
The creatures may be dangerous, but the film repeatedly suggests that humans can be just as unpredictable.
The Ending Will Divide Audiences
Without giving away major spoilers, the conclusion is likely to be one of the most debated aspects of Hope.
Rather than wrapping everything up neatly, Na leaves the audience with additional questions.
Some viewers will appreciate the ambiguity and the possibility of a larger story.
Others may find the ending frustrating after investing nearly three hours in the movie.
The film’s conclusion certainly feels designed to leave the door open for more.
Whether that eventually happens remains to be seen.
Final Verdict
Hope is messy.
It’s excessive.
It’s occasionally ridiculous.
The CGI isn’t always convincing, and the nearly three-hour runtime could have benefited from some serious editing.
But there is also something undeniably exciting about watching a filmmaker take this many risks.
Na Hong-jin has created a monster movie that doesn’t feel like every other monster movie.
The film’s best sequences are spectacular, its action is frequently exhilarating, and the cast gives the strange material enough personality to keep it moving.
The result is not a perfect film—but it is a memorable one.
If you’re looking for a conventional creature feature, Hope may test your patience.
If you’re willing to embrace a strange, violent, unpredictable Korean sci-fi epic that occasionally goes completely off the rails, there is plenty here to enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best reason to see it: The action, atmosphere and sheer unpredictability.
Biggest weakness: The bloated runtime and uneven visual effects.
Bottom line: Hope is an ambitious, wonderfully strange monster movie that doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s an absolute blast.
