Hope (2026)

Hope is big ambitious film making. It is about the fear of invasion, about having your style of life taken from you. As a South Korean film set along the world's most infamous and militarized border, Hope obviously speaks to those things that divide us. Using the alien metaphor quite literally, it is somewhat unique in how it gives us so much of the alien point of view. But at its heart (pun intended for those who've seen it) Hope is a well crafted and deliberate monster movie whose goal is to get that heart pumping which it does very effectively. 

For me Na Hong-jin walked a very thin line between his desire to build suspense and his characters by slowing the film's pacing with risking occasionally making the film feel self-consciously like it was holding back. Sometimes this worked very well, especially in the first hour (it takes 50 minutes for the film to show us the monsters). The film edges its audience to the point we can barely breathe so once the first monster "attack" scene finally blows up it is extra powerful. His twist hits harder too because of his patience.

But I'm not sure this worked as well in the second half of the film where some sequences felt needlessly drawn out. There is a specific character "death" which happens near the end which is telegraphed in a way that attempts humour but felt sort of overdone and stretched beyond what it needs. There are a few times it felt like the film dawdles in the latter parts. But by then we have become quite invested in these characters so perhaps it is easier to forgive some of this. 

*Spoiler* the plans for Hope are longer than this long film can contain. The film ends on a cliff hanger with little being resolved. The story Na Hong-jin is weaving is epic. I would say Hope is a good first chapter with the way it forces us to see differing perspectives and consider the aliens and their point of view. I would hope the inevitable sequel will get into that further but I'd hope isn't afraid to let his action sequences truly roll. The things that is most memorable about the film is just how pulse pounding all of that is. 

Hope

Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender

Writer/Director: Na Hong-jin