Hope (2026)    Neon/Sci-Fi-Action-Thriller    RT: 160 minutes    Rated R (strong bloody violent content and language throughout)    Director: Na Hong-Jin    Screenplay: Na Hong-Jin    Music: Michael Abels    Cinematography: Hong Kyung-Pyo    Release date: September 11, 2026 (US)    Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Zo In-Sung, Jung Ho-Yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Eum Moon-Suk, Lee Sang-Hee, Im Hyun-Sik.      Spoken in Korean w/English subtitles

Rating:  *** ½

Although it seems to invite comparison to the Godzilla movies, the Korean sci-fi action thriller Hope is NOT kaiju. There is so much more to it, so much that….. hmmm, how should I put it? Ah, I got it. The sequel has already been written; it’s just waiting for the green light from the studio. It depends on how this first movie does. If you ask me, it deserves to do very well. It’s GREAT!

 I’m going to keep the plot description brief and as vague as possible. I wouldn’t dream of spoiling any of the wild twists and turns Hope takes throughout its 160-minute run time. Yes, you read that right; it’s 2 hours and 40 minutes long except it never feels long. It hits the ground trotting, breaks into a run and never slows down. When it was over, I wanted more.

 ANYWAY, the first hour of Hope is one of those slow-burn deals. We know something’s up; we just don’t know exactly what. And it waits almost an hour before revealing its hand. A gruesome discovery by a group of hunters leads to an investigation by local police chief Bum-seok (Hwang) who doesn’t believe their story about a tiger being responsible. When he arrives back in town (a village called Hope Harbor), he finds the place in ruins with bloodied bodies everywhere. Long story short, Bum-seok discovers a monstrous creature is behind it. Killing it won’t be easy. This thing is fast and seemingly indestructible.

 While Bum-seok is doing his thing, the lead hunter Sung-ki (Zo) and his group are tracking the monster through the woods. They follow the carnage to…. I’m not going to tell you. I’ll only say it opens a door to something more epic.

 Written and directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing), Hope is almost perfect save for some wonky creature effects, shallow characters and an ending that some will find confusing. Now that last thing can be rationalized by explaining that it’s only the first part of the story. I implied as much in the first paragraph. There are so many questions left to answer. I’m sure a lot of viewers will still be put off by this, but at least now you know.

 I suppose the shallow characters can also be explained by Hope being only the beginning of the story. It’s highly likely we’ll learn more about the main characters in the next chapter. For now, we know all we need to know about the overwhelmed police chief, the hunter, the female deputy (Jung), the retired colonel (Lee) and the whack job local (Eum) who…… NOPE! I’m not telling! They’re an interesting lot who spend a lot of time yelling at each other. As for the acting, there’s not much to say. They deliver the performances the material calls for.

 There are some awesome sights in Hope, but the creature effects could have used a little more work. The CGI looks kind of rough for a finished movie. It’s the weakest link in an otherwise strong film. The gooey gore effects, practical all the way, are very good. The same goes for the stunt work, a lot of it mighty impressive and all of it the real thing. That’s right, real people doing unreal things like a mid-chase transfer from a horse to a car. It puts any given action scene in any given Marvel movie to shame.

 Hope is pure excitement and thrills. The action sequences are very well executed. The camerawork is fluid and smooth. Na doesn’t go for any of that jumpy, overedited cinematography that only makes the action confusing. He also keeps the suspense level high. He successfully keeps the audience on edge waiting to see what’s around the corner or hiding in the trees. He makes superb use of the natural locations in Korea and Romania (the scenes in the woods). This guy clearly knows what he’s doing.

 I think I’m going to stop here. I’ve told you enough about Hope. Based on what you just read, you know if you want to see it or not. I strongly urge you to check it out if you want to see a genre film done right. I know some of you are turned off by subtitles. Set it aside and treat yourself to one of the coolest movies of the year.