Overview
- Hope is Na Hong-jin’s first feature in a decade and was produced on a reported budget near 100 billion won (about US$74.3 million), making it the most expensive Korean film to date.
- Early reviews from the first screenings in early September praise a propulsive, stunt‑heavy opening built around tense chases and practical action.
- Critics uniformly say the film’s long running time (about 156–160 minutes) overstretches the story in the second half and that the ending explicitly signals future instalments.
- Several reviewers call out uneven CGI when the creatures are fully shown, noting that the visual effects sometimes undercut the movie’s otherwise physical, location‑rooted spectacle.
- The film stars Hwang Jung‑min and Hoyeon with international names including Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, and Neon’s wide, premium‑format release is being watched as a test of Korean genre cinema’s broader commercial appeal.