Overview
- The film, which premiered Sunday in Cannes’ main Competition, has become a focal point of this year’s lineup.
- Director Na Hong-jin told AFP the budget neared €30 million, making it the most expensive production in South Korean cinema.
- Korean leads Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon front the cast, while Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender and Taylor Russell played the creatures via motion capture in a two-stage shoot.
- Early reviews are divided, with some outlets hailing the film’s scale and genre mix and others faulting the digital effects and a late tilt toward blockbuster spectacle.
- The project’s ambition and reception highlight Korea’s rising profile at an edition chaired by jury president Park Chan-wook, with AFP noting Hollywood’s sparse presence this year.