TIFF REVIEW: BY DARREN ZAKUS

SEPTEMBER 9, 2026

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Hope swings for the fences with its nerve wracking suspense and ambitious narrative, that even with some unavoidable drawbacks, the spellbinding cinematography and an outstanding musical score help Na Hong-jin to deliver an adrenaline fueled, science fiction action spectacle that is one of the year’s most exhilarating big screen experiences!

Ever since Parasite took home the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Award, North America has been exploring South Korean cinema, with every film blowing our collective minds because there is an audacity to their films that Hollywood would be too scared to think of attempting. Writer and director Na Hong-jin made waves with his last film, The Wailing, and while it has been a long ten year wait for his follow-up, Hope is more than worth the wait. Delivering some of the best filmmaking of monster cinema of all time in the film’s first hour, while swinging for the fences with his bonkers story and show-stopping action sequences, not only does Hong-jin deliver a spectacle that cannot be missed on the big screen, he ensures that Hope is a sensational movie going experience that will capture the attention of the entire world that will once again break that one inch barrier.

There is no question that not only is the first hour of Hope is not only some of the best filmmaking of the entire year, but it’s the best monster filmmaking since Jaws. The slow introduction to the situation faced by the remote Korean town of Hope Harbor slowly and confidently builds a sense of fear within the audience while introducing the film’s heroes. With long tracking shots showing the destruction of the mysterious creature that has descended on Hope Harbor teases an immense scale as you can hear attacks happening in the foreground, the anticipation as to the reveal of the creature builds. It only intensifies as you see the townsfolk begin to fight it, but as you’re watching the film from the perspective of Hwang Jung-min’s Ko Bum-seok, you never see the monster: only the bloody chaos it leaves in its wake. Propelled by Michael Abel’s phenomenal musical score that captures the intensifying danger and chaos of the attacks with an unnerving sense of mystery, with Hong Kyung-pyo’s cinematography delivering a visual tour de force that ensures your heart is racing as you watch Ko Bum-seok get closer and closer to seeing the monster, audiences will be on the edge of their seat waiting for the visual reveal of the monster. And when he finally does come face to face with the monster, the film gets its first proper action sequence, which would make James Cameron blush due to the ambitious sequence it pulls off. 

Ko Bum-seok’s first encounter with the monster wreaking havoc on Hope Harbor results in one of the best action sequences of the year. The energy is explosive as the film throws everything at the characters and audience, delivering a sequence that holds nothing back. From the “what the hell is this” reveal of the monster, to the balls to wall ambition and non-stop action of the sequence itself that ranges from vehicle chases, gunfire and destruction , Hong-jin launches the film into overdrive to deliver an absolutely heart pounding sequence that will leave audiences floored. Yes, the CGI is questionable for the monster itself during this sequence, but the fact that Hong-jin refuses to take his foot off the gas for the sequence’s entire duration ensures that this set piece closes the first act of the film out on a glorious high note. 

It’s a staggering standard set by Hong-jin in the first hour of Hope, but sadly it is one that the rest of the film cannot measure up to. While the technical aspects of the film remain outstanding, largely Kyung-pyo’s cinematography and Abel’s musical score which both are some of the best work of the year in their respective categories, and Jong-Jin’s direction of the action sequences remain an impeccable standard throughout with each one delivering an enormous spectacle (especially that chase sequence down the highway) that simultaneously capture the propulsive action of action films like T2: Judgement Day and the suspense of films like Aliens, the cracks begin to show elsewhere in Hope. Most notably, the film’s CGI is poor to say the least and with the overreliance on it during the film’s second two acts, it is challenging to forgive the film for this, causing the film to suffer as a whole. Not helping either is the film’s narrative destination. While the first act relies on the mystery of what is happening to Hope Harbor while poking fun at the Western stereotypical character types that are worked into the film (the bumbling cop, the not highly intelligent hunters, and the underestimated female co-worker), the second act moves to answer the question of how this is all happening. The answer behind it is not overly surprising given what has unfolded, as once the visual identity of the monster is revealed, its origins are easy to ascertain. But, it is what follows this reveal that causes the film to suffer. 

With a long runtime of just under two hours and forty minutes, Jong-jin’s screenplay does a very good job of keeping the pacing consistent and moving while working in some moments of excellent comedic relief, even if you are sitting starting to wonder where this story is actually going to end as you feel as if you are nearing the end of the film’s runtime without any clear indication of its destination. And that is the problem, as the film abruptly ends mid story. Yes, the film’s ending point gets to the central idea of hope amongst the various characters, what that means to each of them as they look forward to their future, which becomes an interesting contemplation for Jong-jin. It’s just all incredibly rushed in the last five minutes of the film when we truly meet the alien characters for the first time, leaving the audience feeling like they have not seen a complete story as the credits begin to roll. Setting up sequels is not an issue, and with Jong-jin having already written a sequel to the film audiences will hopefully see the conclusion to this epic story, but as a hole Hope feels narratively incomplete and fails to stand on its own as an independent story unlike other films that ended on major cliffhangers teasing a sequel. 

Helping to ground the film against its ambitious story and the out of this world CGI characters is a great cast. Jung-min leads the film as Ko Bum-seok, excellently building the tension in the film’s first act as his character races through the streets of Hope Harbor, witnessing the chaos and destruction realizing that what he is about to come face to face with is unlike anything he has ever encountered before, while blending it with a goofiness that captures the bumbling cop stereotype that defines Ko Bum-seok. With both a confident presence that gives a worthy hero while making Ko Bum-seok an ordinary man, Jung-min excels with his nuanced performance. Zo In-sung delivers an equally as impressive performance as Jung-min, as Ko Sung-ki, the lead hunter who is forced to grow into an unlikely hero despite his character’s country bumpkin personality. In-sung plays Ko Sung-ki’s simpleness to great comedic effect but also transforms into an epic action hero during the film’s second half as the central figure in two of the film’s most memorable sequences that will have you cheering for Ko Sung-ki. But stealing the entire film is Jung Ho-yeon as Sung-ae, a rookie cop, crafting an absolutely badass female character in every single one of her scenes. 

You won’t believe it, but while looking at the monsters you may think “doesn’t that look like…” and you would be right, as Jong-jin has cast Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton as the monsters. It's a smart commentary by Jong-jin on how Hollywood normally treats foreign actors, casting them in roles where they are hidden under layers of CGI and prosthetics to hide them while still displaying the talent, flipping the tables on the Hollywood talent in a foreign film. While the monsters don’t get their showcase until the film’s final act, the facial expression work that this group of actors does infuses the monsters with an aching emotion that builds the mystery around their sudden appearance and motives for attacking Hope Harbor, while the final moments of the film teases their characters’ future in the potential sequel.

There is no question that Hope will be remembered as one of the craziest films of 2026, as there is truly nothing else like it that audiences have ever experienced this year. Throwing everything he has at the film from both a narrative and directorial standpoint, Na Jong-jin takes one big ambitious swing with Hope that for the most part largely works thanks to the outstanding vision, cinematography and musical score for the film that overcompensates for the abrupt and unfulfilling ending to the story and subpar CGI. Led by the strong performances of Hwang Jung-min and Jung Ho-yeon and featuring some of the most exhilarating and exciting action set pieces outside of a Tom Cruise production, Hope delivers one of the most exciting monster movie setups in decades before blowing everything up and delivering the wildest science fiction action film that audiences have experienced in sometime that is worth the price of admission alone despite the film’s shortcomings.