In the small South Korean community of Hope Harbor, the local police chief and a rookie officer must defend their home from a bizarre, seemingly monstrous threat they are clearly unprepared for. The movie starts solidly and impactfully for its first couple of acts; however, filmmaker Na Hong-jin fails to deliver a realistic ending, which left me a bit baffled and somewhat frustrated. I get that Hong-jin and his team had limited funds, but the mix of bad CGI and unrealism definitely takes away from the overall experience. On the positive side, I do appreciate the sense of humor the writer/director brings to this movie. Still, I feel ambition derails this film’s chance to become a great cinematic piece.
Within the small community of Hope Harbor, police chief Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) doesn’t usually have much on his plate, as Hope Harbor is a mostly quiet rural community where everyone knows everyone, and crime is not really an issue. After investigating a bizarre animal killing that leads to the discovery of multiple similar incidents, the chief realizes he is in for a trying day. As things begin to escalate, he discovers that Hope Harbor is being torn apart by ravenous creatures destroying property and violently attacking its citizens. The chief and rookie Sung-ae (Zo In-sung) work feverishly to discover the truth behind the events that have ravaged their once sleepy town.
Written and directed by Na Hong-jin, Hope starts strong, with incredible sequences of suspense, tension, action, and peril. However, as things escalate and the monsters get visually revealed, the bad CGI becomes more of a distraction. I was genuinely invested in the characters and story until the bad effects and the director’s overzealousness to take things up a notch. As the audience moves into the final acts, the film becomes a cartoonish affair that derails the gravity of everything that preceded it.
For the most part, I was pleased with the principal cast’s performances. I found it interesting that the film is being promoted as a feature that has Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton prominently named as part of the cast. Of course, they contribute to the film, but naming them as a draw comes across as a cheap ploy to get people interested in an international movie with a more in-home-dominant cast.
I was actually excited for Hope. It sounded like a compelling, potentially great creature feature, but as entertaining as it is, it ultimately disappointed me. If anyone seriously feels the need to watch it, I recommend waiting until it is available to stream at