“Hope” Review: A Masterclass in Action Undermined by Disastrous CGI

‘Hope’ wastes no time throwing viewers into chaos. Set in a remote village near the Korean DMZ, the film begins with reports of what is first rumoured to be a tiger attack. The police chief, local hunters, and terrified villagers set out to track the predator. However, they soon discover that they are being attacked by something far more dangerous than any known predator. In fact, a ferocious extra-terrestrial being is what is tearing through both people and animals alike, ripping bodies to shreds and scattering severed limbs across the village.

Ten years ago, Na Hong-jin released one of the greatest horror films ever made with ‘The Wailing’, and I’ve been waiting for his return ever since. Now, he’s competing in the main competition at Cannes Film Festival with this sci-fi epic. It’s been ten years since he last released a film. Naturally, you can imagine how excited I was walking into this. When I sat down and the film began, I found myself pleasantly surprised in both good and frustrating ways.

The first hour is among the most relentless stretches of blockbuster filmmaking I’ve seen in years. In fact, the first hour might be the greatest sustained action spectacle since “Mad Max: Fury Road”. The pacing is relentless. The film barely grants a moment to breathe. Each sequence crashing into the next with such primal urgency that momentum itself becomes the narrative. There is a sense of awe here I haven’t felt since first seeing “Jurassic Park” as a child. That feeling of witnessing something ambitious, unpredictable and operating on a scale few filmmakers would dare attempt. Then, about an hour in, as the film seems destined for greatness, it reveals the creature.

I’m not exaggerating when I say it may contain the most disappointing visual effects I’ve seen in years. The reveal is so jarring it felt like someone accidentally sat on the remote and switched the film to a PlayStation 2 story mode cutscene. And just like that, the terrifying illusion they've built over the last hour collapsed almost instantly. How can a film with such razor-sharp dialogue, memorable characters and astonishing cinematography end up with visual effects this distracting? It’s baffling, because nearly every other department operates at an exceptional level. This is reportedly Korea’s most expensive film to date, which makes the mishap all the more frustrating.

What ultimately stops “Hope” from collapsing under the weight of its own flaws are the characters themselves. They are so charismatic and likable that you momentarily forget about the effects surrounding them. The main cast, particularly Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Hoyeon, absolutely kill it. There is one pivotal sequence involving the group fleeing from the creature that led to one of the biggest laughs from the audience. Korean cinema seems to have mastered switching up genres. The film goes from grotesque violence to absurd comedy with remarkable ease. Few directors can pull off tonal whiplash like that without losing control. Na Hong-jin somehow does. But every time the performances and writing elevate the material to exhilarating heights, the CGI returns and drags the collective craft of everyone involved back down to earth.

Whether by horse, on foot or by car, “Hope” unfolds as one giant chase sequence. The best way to describe it is "Apocalypto" meets Aliens". Cinema has always progressed through filmmakers willing to overreach, because failure in pursuit of something extraordinary often remains more memorable than competence. “Hope” may not entirely hold together, but even in its messiest moments, Na Hong-jin proves he remains one of contemporary Korean cinema’s most exciting filmmakers. Ironically, after watching “Hope”, I found myself hoping too. Hoping that some of the visual effects might be refined before its wider release because beneath those distractions lies a film of astonishing ambition.