Chaos has found a new champion. Few films will ever quite reach the level of chaos introduced by the first half-hour of South Korean sci-fi horror Hope. Want an absolute wreck of a city where monsters have destroyed, destroyed, destroyed? I’m not talking Godzilla. That’s a model. The village of Hope Harbor looks like a team of sledge-hammer wielding thugs went to town on every single house in the Korean DMZ.
Initially, the focus is on police chief Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) who is perfect for his “WTF?” timidity. Oh, he wears a badge all right, but he’s not blind; he is clearly too [insert adjective here] for this shit. There is nothing but corpses and chaos and catastrophe in every direction. Whatever caused this is a beast. An uncontrollable and lethal beast. We know full well that if Ko isn’t wearing the badge, he’s heading for the hills.
Two other characters we’re going to see a lot are rookie cop Im Sung-ki (Hoyeon), a woman who might be too young to realize exactly how dangerous this creature is, and local militia leader Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), a guy who thinks taking a hunting party to the woods will get the job done. Hey, if nothing else, it’s nice to see rednecks can come in different flavors.
All of these folks are in for a big surprise. The creatures in Hope are every bit as quick, lethal, and indestructible as those in A Quiet Place. Now, do these things have an agenda? And are they just big humans? Why do they look so much like human beings? And why does the first two hours of this film feel like South Korean Predator?
Hope is one of the oddest films you’ll ever see. For well over two hours, it is a terrifying horror film. 
Like, “AHHHHH!!!! YOU’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!” stuff – or whatever the Korean equivalent of that sentiment is. Maybe Blackpink can sing about it. And then it shifts into being a South Korean pilot for “Resident Alien.” WTF?! Or whatever the Kpop equivalent of that is. Maybe Blackpink can sing about that, too.
The film is too long, no question. And the conclusion of Hope feels like a pilot for an upcoming TV series, maybe some new take on “Squid Game.” However, Hope definitely has its moments and should keep the attention of anyone into the bizarre and macabre. While I can’t claim to be a huge fan, I’m glad South Korean film is making more of an impact in the United States. It should; there’s some good stuff there, and I Hope one day we will watch more South Korean film than anything from Angel Studios.
Some aliens from way outer space
Crashed and made a mess of this place
Whatever they’re brewin’
Corpses and ruin
Then they disappear without a trace
Rated R, 160 Minutes
Director: Na Hong-jin
Writer: Na Hong-jin
Genre: MONSTER!!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Horror junkies
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “Wow, this is long”
