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An old saying maintains “Never put the cart before the horse,” an observation whose implications should be obvious. That applies in filmmaking, too: When a standalone production is thought to be the inspiration for a new franchise, the creators need to be careful not to get ahead of themselves. That’s to say that the first film in the proposed series absolutely must be a knock-out to earn the right to a sequel (or sequels) (“Star Trek” notwithstanding). But, if those behind the initial effort are so focused on what lies down the road in a potential franchise that they don’t get the first release right, it’s the equivalent of shooting themselves in the foot. And that is precisely what undermines this latest release from writer-director Na Hing-jin. In essence, this sci-fi action-adventure follows the improbable, occasionally strangely madcap attempts by a small town South Korean police force and others to hunt down a mysterious monster that’s wreaking all manner of havoc in their community and the surrounding environment. The problem, though, is that little is explained as the story unfolds, with an array of tropes that seem unconscionably thrown together – virtually no back story, a disjointed, poorly constructed narrative, woefully cheap CGI, a plot based almost entirely on clichés, frenetic action sequences, and absurd, sometimes patently inappropriate comic relief, and more overused expletives than seen in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013). While the film admittedly gets off to a reasonably well-managed start, coming across as a fusion between the “Godzilla” movies and the folksy, homespun nature of “Fargo” (1996), it’s an opening act that’s ultimately unforgivably drawn out (building suspense is one thing, but knowing that a big reveal is coming and taking 45 minutes to get there is a bit much). And, sadly, things go downhill from there, with a story that makes little sense stretched out to a stunning 2:39:00 runtime, overstaying its welcome by nearly an hour. My only “hope” for the picture at that point was that it was mercifully heading to wrap things up with some kind of coherent explanation that, unfortunately, never comes. And that’s where the focus of what’s to be included in future franchise installments intrudes upon the credibility and integrity of this release. What’s even more mystifying here is the high praise that this overlong saga has received both in critics’ circles and at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where “Hope” was inexplicably awarded a Palme d’Or nomination, the event’s highest honor. Moviegoers looking for entertaining scary fare along these lines have so many other, better choices to draw from, such as “Jaws” (1975), “Jurassic Park” (1993) and the recently released “The End of Oak Street” (2026). Please, watch one of those titles instead.

The discovery of a badly mauled cow is quite perplexing for the local police chief (Hwang Jung-min), especially when a few of his wise-cracking citizens suggest it might have been caused by a marauding tiger! It doesn't take him long to realise that whatever it is, it's a great deal bigger and more menacing than a cat as he returns to town and finds scenes of death and destruction with gunfire sounding regularly. What are they shooting at? Meantime, out in the woods his group of mischievous tiger-hunters are finding themselves embroiled in something altogether more mysterious, extra-terrestrial and perilous too! Ok, so it is far too long and for much of the later stages it reminded me of an hybrid of that lacklustre "65" (2023) and "Predator" (1987) - only with some added semi-slapstick comedy, but the first hour is quickly paced and entertaining end-to-end stuff. There's a bit of comedy horror; some welcome sarcasm delivered front and centre of the pithy and earthy script and the fact that we don't encounter their powerful new foe for almost all of that phase of the film manages to build an enjoyable sense of anticipation. Just what could be tossing people and cars so effortlessly? Once we meet their new nemesis, however, this plot quickly starts to lose it's sharpness and actually, despite a lively effort from the feisty "Sung Ae" (Hoyeon), becomes just a little too repetitious. Seemingly endless supplies of ammunition and never ending empty roads start to give the film a distinctly video-game feel supported by some CGI that can be a little ropey at times. The really quite disappointing conclusion left me wondering whether they just ran out of filming days or whether there might be plans for a sequel if this does well enough at the box office, but in any event it doesn't really satisfy and the few clues we are given about their visitors and their motivation are oblique at best. There's no denying that it's good fun to watch, though, with plenty of action, explosives and even a few horses - but it could have lost forty-five minutes and been none the worse for it.

*Hope* is one of the most well-rounded action thrillers of the year. The clunky ending does drop its otherwise action-packed masterpiece status down slightly, but *Hope* effortlessly blends so many genres with stellar performances, impressive gore, and intensely riveting action sequences. https://bit.ly/NaHopejin

This is a really bad day for Hope Harbor. You build tension in movies by the characters being relatable and putting them in peril that you can understand. This movie does this exceedingly well because you can tell just how terrified the characters are of what is going on around them. It effectively builds the tension and you get very engaged in what is happening. The movie shifts tonally a few times and yet manages to keep me engaged and invested throughout. It feels like the start of a multi-movie franchise and I am on board with it. This is a fun ride and I'm sure you will enjoy it and I highly recommend it.

So many good shots. Good creature movement. Funny sudden stuff. Great camera work. Reflective car hood. Cool monster throwing stuff. Sweet driving scenes... 2.5 hours. Booooooorrrriiiiiiiiinnnnngggggggg. What were they trying to prove? They could make a super long movie with too much crap in it? Well they did. So much potential lost in repetition, meandering and...too much stuff. I guess there's too much stuff strewn around the streets but it looks so cool. That creepy dude's house looks so cool. The old guy who would have talked about a tiger, so cool.

EXPECTATIONS SUBVERTED, HUZZAH! You'd think that'd be a good thing, but no. I was with this movie up until the twist, then everything went downhill. I was fine with sore thumb CGI creatures and a somewhat predictable ending, but that's not what we got in the end. What we got was poorly mo-capped "I WILL GIF HIM MY ALIEN BLOOD PUMPER, BABY!" sequel bait bullshit with... LOOK AT THESE NAMES: 1. Alicia Vikander -- Tomb Raider (2018) 2. Michael Fassbender -- X-Men: First Class (2011) 3. Taylor Russell -- Escape Room (2019) Why are they here?! IN THESE ROLES?! When I saw those names, I thought I was gonna be in for a treat! Instead I got some tropey "I REFUSE TO DIE! I AM BEST BOY!" bullshit, and what are supposed to be highly intelligent aliens, acting like absolute !@#$ing morons! If they mastered interstellar space travel, they are highly intelligent, not !@#$ing morons who run face first into bullets and grenades! This nonsense has a higher rating than Tomb Raider (2018) on this website! Y'all ain't !@#$in' serious. -- Brent said the following: > What’s even more mystifying here is the high praise that this overlong saga has received both in critics’ circles and at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where “Hope” was inexplicably awarded a Palme d’Or nomination, the event’s highest honor. How the flying !@#$ did this shit get awarded anything anywhere, let alone the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor? I'm sorry, but from someone who enjoyed the first two acts of this movie, the third act absolutely ruins it, and the ending is just added horse shit. Say "No!" to hard drugs, kids. They will rot your !@#$ing brain.

For lack of a better word, Na Hong-jin's return to the big screen offers a hopeful premise and nail-biting tension—only to squander both with bloated screen time, cut-rate CGI, and a frustrating fifth act that awkwardly attempts to lay the foundation for a future franchise after failing to stick the landing. Na's talents as a filmmaker are not in dispute—the brilliance of his 2016 film **THE WAILING** is testament to that. The ability to bring to life small, sleepy South Korean communities with their rich tapestry of characters on the big screen remains one of Na’s endearing charms—and this ability carries over seamlessly into **HOPE**. This is Na's biggest strength as a writer and director, and it helps draw audiences into the chaos of the first half of **HOPE**, as a fishing village discovers something monstrous and devastating has ambushed the town, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Local police chief Beom Seok (played by Hwang Jung-min) meets with some local hunters (including his nephew Sung-ki, played by Zo In-sung) who have discovered a horribly mutilated cow discarded in the middle of a country lane. The wounds look too severe to have been the work of any indigenous animals in the area—and in attempting to rule out a more understandable and manageable threat, Chief Beom Seok circles back into town to discover they truly have no idea what they're dealing with. Whole quarters of the town look to have been fed through a woodchopper, with bodies strewn across the streets in horrible, disturbing ways. Director Na does a superb job of keeping audiences in the dark, with careful editing and action sequences that give viewers the feeling they're just as clueless as the locals are. With heart-pounding action sequences racing through the dilapidated town streets, there is almost no opportunity for viewers to catch their breath. Na achieves this nerve-shredding tension by wisely prolonging the creature reveals until absolutely necessary. However, the second half of the film begins to drag, especially as Na clearly tries to set up a wider scope for the film with additional creatures with mysterious motives and shoddy CGI renderings—as the 2-hour-and-40-minute film stumbles to an abrupt ending on a cliffhanger. Ultimately, **HOPE** is a letdown because it appears to take its eye off the ball of just telling a standalone story, as it clearly is looking ahead to create more films. That kind of excess makes the film overstay its welcome in ways that will test audiences' patience. Nevertheless, there are some truly unforgettable action sequences, a humorous story of diarrhea, and great performances from Hwang, and Hoyeon (last seen in Netflix's SQUID GAME) as deputy Sung Ae -- but all in all, this is a mixed bag.