blessedmakerCurator
Overall7.6Fear4.3Atmos.7.8Gore7
Hope is an epic film, in the precise meaning of the word; it's long, filled with battles between its heroes that burst with bloodshed, all set on a huge and ambitious stage. It is, by every account, the most expensive Korean film ever made. Na Hong-jin (The Wailing) returns and we should be so lucky that it's a horror film (but not only - it's an action film for a good stretch of its runtime).
The film feels like two different halves (whether this is good or bad is up to you). The first is somewhat of a slow burn where major characters are established, and the monster reveal is held with restraint - you won't see anything for roughly an hour. It's well done: the tension is built gradually and the dread is firmly established as we inch closer and closer to what has caused this fishing village to erupt with cosmic violent death. The cinematography is top notch work. We follow the police chief through what looks like a war-torn fishing village in the 1980s, and the world building is hand crafted with intent. The Chief makes his way through farmlands on dirt backroads, claustrophobic alley walls, under bridges, butcher shops, the "downtown" area, all the while following a wake of blood and butchered corpses. It's extremely detailed and completely immerses you, which elevates the tension. It is through these moments that we experience the horror - piercing screams, gunshots, people that are instantly transformed into a downpour of blood and tissue from an entity the Chief seems too late to get eyes on.
Hwang Jung-min as the Chief is perfect. He's just competent enough to carry the film and the weight on his shoulders, and he comes with a major character flaw: a red-hot, seemingly uncontrollable temper (this leads to quite a few funny exchanges throughout the film; think dark humor though). When he first investigates the carnage he plays it terrified, pushing through on pure grit alone: fragility and willpower in concert.
Hoyeon is fine as rookie officer Sung-ae, though she doesn't leave much of a mark next to him. Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton play the aliens, performing in a language invented for the film and subtitled in every market, including Korea. The performances are serviceable, nothing more.
The second half shifts gears to being more action-oriented, and also shifts to a more flora and fauna setting. Slow motion CGI shots, death and destruction under a frenetic hail of bullets. Bodies and trees splintering apart into pulpy bits alike. Just when you think you've reached the climax of the action, there's another gear and the pacing is elevated. There's no room to breathe. Then it's over.
Now, to address the elephant in the room, for all its achievements, it does falter in the CGI department, and the aliens are where it shows. Some moments are worse than others, and the work on them can at times leave something to be desired. It is never bad enough to detract from the experience, the immersion, or the action. It just looks like some of it got pulled out of the oven too early. It's a minor eyesore on an otherwise tight and beautiful package.
Na Hong-jin brings a skilled hand to an ambitious alien creature feature and it's extremely well done. It's a different film than The Wailing, obviously; it's not as scary, but this doesn't call for that. It's a hybrid horror action film that leans heavily in either direction at the right points in the story. The horror DNA is instilled in the buildup. Then it pours gas on the fire and never backs down.
