“Hope” takes place in the remote South Korean village of Hope Harbor, as mysterious creatures wreak havoc and create a conflict of cosmic proportions.
“Avatar” meets “Independence Day” meets… “Paul”? That’s “Hope” in a nutshell. In terms of length, writer-director Na Hong-jin creates a movie of epic proportions. In terms of story, it’s trivial at best.
Over the first third of the 156-minute runtime, Na does something brilliant: he keeps the creatures hidden. Despite obscuring the antagonists, their presence is still felt. This is through the dismembered corpses and rubble-filled streets. Because the destruction is visualized, the threat feels very much real. It’s once they actually appear that this diminishes.
The creatures’ designs are sure to be a hot topic of discussion — they stand out. Whether that’s in a good or bad way is for viewers to decide. Physical performances make up the movements and facial expressions of the aliens, but they’re completely wrapped in a CGI shell. From the second one of them appears, almost all reality is vacuumed out of “Hope.” This isn’t to discredit the special effects and visual effects. It’s more so the commitment to human-like faces that makes these creatures almost laughable rather than imposing.
Nonetheless, there are an abundance of other impressive effects in the film. First and foremost, there’s plenty of blood. Na doesn’t shy away from brutality, showcasing limbless bodies and carnage spread throughout entire settings. He also doesn’t shy away from gunfire and explosions, which are equally well-executed. Even when the creatures themselves don’t completely stick the landing, everything else around them does. Director of photography Hong Kyung-pyo aids in this. The camera is always moving, often being kept low to the ground and tracking right alongside characters. As individuals sprint through forests or cars race down tight roads, this adds a visceral quality.
The action is still plagued by bizarreness, however. Featuring creatures that are seemingly over 5x as fast as humans, these sequences (or the entire movie) could probably end in the blink of an eye. Instead, they are somehow never able to catch up. Audiences will be required to suspend disbelief as elongated chase sequences continue way longer than they should. Slow motion is also over-relied on, pausing the fast-paced action at its height time and time again. After so many rounds of sprinting contests, it all becomes repetitive.
The last two-thirds of “Hope” are a mess. What started as a compact narrative turns into three converging storylines. Plus… an additional fourth one at the very end. As it shifts between the various plot points, there is never a sense of cohesion. Some characters are fighting for their lives while others are laughing about poop jokes. Comedy will likely be another hit-or-miss aspect for many. While the individual gags are effective, they largely feel out of place. Most of this comes from Eum Moon-suk (Yang-bae) and Im Hyun-sik (Hae-sul). Both effectively play their parts, but their appearances are unnecessary in the grand scheme of the narrative. As comedic relief scenes drag out, momentum is taken away from the actual stakes at hand.
All of this culminates in a conclusion that suffocates any ounce of enjoyment that was had. There are instances in “Hope” where Na attempts to tackle heavy themes regarding human conflict and interspecies relations. After brief dialogue, they are largely forgotten about in favor of action. Except for the last 10 minutes. Rather than feeling like a legitimate ending, this feels tacked on as “sequel bait.”
Hwang Jun-min (Bum-seok), Zo In-sung (Sung-ki) and Hoyeon (Sung-ae) star. Hwang is present from the very start, maintaining an authoritative but also nervous presence. He throws “sh-t” around plenty and delivers true fear when faced with monsters. Zo is mostly one-note — heroic. He plays the stereotype well, with cheesy lines that turn him into an action hero archetype. Hoyeon doesn’t appear right away, but instantly makes her presence felt. After it seems like you have met all the involved characters, she comes in and adds adrenaline. Also appearing are Taylor Russell (Ai’dovor), Cameron Britton (Va’migere), Alicia Vikander (J’aur) and Michael Fassbender (Ma’veyyo).
“Hope” has unseen promise that is quickly squandered once the threat appears. An overstuffed screenplay and unrealistic outcomes turn this from frenzied to plodding.
Rating: 2 out of 5
