'Hope' Is Exhilarating and Strange

South Korea has been kicking Hollywood's ass when it comes to fresh, hard-hitting, well-made genre films since ... well, the beginning of the 21st century. But most of those movies — from auteurs like Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook and my personal favorite Kim Jee-woon — are solidly in the midbudget range. 

Hope, the latest from fellow South Korean New Wave filmmaker Na Hong-jin, scales things up significantly. The size and scope of the project, which is officially the most expensive production in South Korean film history, are larger than the down-and-dirty crime pictures or the unnerving horror tales the country's New Wave directors are often known for.  

Even though the budget (roughly $46 million) pales in comparison to that of a Hollywood blockbuster, it's a major step up for South Korea. And you can feel that during the movie's breathless opening 45 minutes, something like Michael Bay directing Jaws. As Hope Harbor Police Chief Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) chases a just-off-screen monster through a sleepy fishing village near the Korea Demilitarized Zone, the impeccable set design shines. It feels expensive. And then, the (first) creature appears. I won't say much more — I'll avoid spoiling the truly unexpected directions the story goes in — but there's a reason Hope's Cannes reception was extremely divisive. 

In typical Na Hong-jin fashion, the tension builds and builds to an almost unsustainable level as the police chief, rookie cop Im Sung-ae (Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon, excellent in her first film role) and a ragtag group of hunters search for the creatures attacking the village. The Spielberg-by-way-of-Bay first act morphs into a James Cameron-on-a-budget sci-fi/action/horror hybrid. 

But unlike the visceral brutality of The Chaser and Yellow Sea, or the full-on horror climax of The Wailing, Hope gets stranger and stranger as the story progresses. There are quirky characters in every corner of this small town: a mannequin-hoarding "carpenter" plucked straight from Zodiac; grandmas with enough firearms to supply a small militia; an old man describing a bowel movement for five straight minutes; a chainsaw-wielding medical examiner. And those are just the non-spoilery descriptions. 

As truly exhilarating as the set pieces are, the story takes some wild turns in its second and third acts before coming to a screeching halt with a Marvel-esque "part two is coming soon" ending. If you find yourself searching for married Hollywood film stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, as well as up-and-comer Taylor Russell and Mindhunter veteran Cameron Britton, during the nearly three-hour runtime, be on the lookout for some voice-only roles — that's all I'll say. 

Hope is a blast. The ride might be bumpy, but the thrills are almost nonstop, and there is much more humor than you would expect. Na Hong-jin successfully scaled up without losing any of his endearing qualities. If anything, his work became stranger with the budget upgrade. How often does that happen?