HOPE

HOPE drops audiences into a village mystery and makes them piece together the carnage in real time, right alongside the characters. Na Hong-jin keeps the monster off-screen at first, and that patience cranks the tension up to an eleven. The first 45 minutes are some of the best, if not the best, filmmaking I’ve seen in 2026. You will not be disappointed until…

the rest of the movie shows up, and things come to a grinding halt. Here’s why:

• The backstory: I get that we need a backstory for why this is happening, but having it come after 45 minutes of pulsating action is a miss. Including the PULP FICTION-like watch story that takes up way too much screen time and isn’t about a watch… but instead about poop.
• The both-sides swing: Na wants to prove every conflict has two sides. I respect the ambition. The execution doesn’t gel, and the ending suffers as a result.
• Unfinished TV vibes: HOPE feels more like half of a TV season versus a complete movie. I understand why, since Na has discussed turning this into a trilogy. However, movies need a beginning, middle, and end. This is just a beginning and a middle.
• CGI: Just like the plot, it’s unfinished. There are moments where the creature effects look fantastic, and others where it looks like a PlayStation 4-style video game. Sadly, those moments take audiences out of the experience, making us care less than we should.

That said, the end action sequence is still pretty damn exciting. The car chase scene is so much fun. And it serves to move the plot forward (not just to exist on its own like any of the latest action scenes in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE).

Final Thoughts: By combining elements of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and ALIENS, HOPE had the potential to be one of the year’s best films. Instead, it settles for the best action sequence of 2026.

HOPE is playing in theaters now.