South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin launched his latest feature, the sci-fi creature feature Hope, at the Cannes Film Festival and almost immediately after the premiere the film has generated buzz as a potential genre classic.
Na made his name for genre favorites like the horror The Wailing, the action thrillers The Chaser and The Yellow Sea and so there’s been a lot of interest in the filmmaker’s next feature project. The hype only increased as the film was entered into the main competition at Cannes and was acquired by hip indie distributor Neon before the festival kicked off. And the buzz around Hope was then turbocharged by early social media reaction to its Cannes premiere and a jaw-dropping teaser released by Neon on Sunday.
Hope is a epic sci-fi film that takes place on the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. The plot synopsis reads, “In the remote South Korea village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung- min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village. In the nearby forest, a coterie of hunters, including Sung- ki (Zo In-Sung) set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.”
The cast also includes Hollywood stars Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender.
At Hope‘s Cannes premiere, The Hollywood Reporter’s correspondent wrote that the festival crowd “cheered and applauded during the film’s three outstanding set pieces — perhaps muting some of the response at the end of a 2 hour and 40 minute epic.” The film then received a six-minute standing ovation when it finished.
THR‘s chief film critic David Rooney raved about the film in his review out of Cannes. “It’s a great feeling to know from a movie’s first frames that you’re in the hands of an assured genre auteur,” writes Rooney. “The rare action thriller that takes place almost entirely in broad daylight, Hope pulls you in immediately with its virtuoso camerwork, pulse-pounding score, adrenalized pacing and sharply drawn characters.”
Rooney’s view tallies with the opinions of some other professional critics who saw Hope in France, but it did have its detractors, and the film currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 75 percent from only 12 reviews. It goes without saying that it is still early, and more full reviews of Hope are to be expected.
However, the reaction on social media from people who saw Hope in Cannes range from unbridled amazement to genuine bafflement, a situation that is only likely to forment interest in Na’s film.
See the early reaction to Hope below.
Woke up from a hysterically entertaining night at Cannes thinking about Na Hong-Jin’s batshit HOPE, and its mere existence in competition at the festival. In its absurdity, it justified the whole trip for me.
— Sean Fennessey (@SeanFennessey) May 18, 2026
Na Hong-jin’s HOPE is an absolutely balls-to-the-walls, insane, adrenaline-pumping thrill ride from the first hour long opening action set piece all the way to the end of its nearly three hour runtime. The scale of the production design, visual effects, stunts and sound work are… pic.twitter.com/VtCTw4j7fr
— Matt Neglia @Cannes (@NextBestPicture) May 17, 2026
I have to believe that the CGI in Hope was incomplete and will be improved upon its official release. The first half’s VFX are shockingly bad, borderline indefensible; it improves dramatically in the second half. I wonder if they’ll address it at the press conference tomorrow.
— Brandon Lewis @ Cannes (@blewis1103) May 18, 2026
HOPE opens up with an hour long chase scene that is so fucking wild and turns into an insane mix of relentless action, mad sci-fi, gore and goofy humour. It’s tonally all over the place, frequently baffling (just wait until you see the “characters” Michael Fassbender and Alicia… pic.twitter.com/RtytiTAM7w
— FilmLand Empire (@FilmLandEmpire) May 17, 2026
#Cannes26 "Hope" (Na Hong-Jin). Le premier gros choc de Cannes. Une certaine vision de l’enfer pour un film d’horreur mené au rythme d’un cheval au galop qui met KO tout le reste de la compétition. Un opus de près de trois heures sans une minute de trop, une dinguerie absolue… pic.twitter.com/ueVMaysPbc
— Pascal Gavillet (@PascalGavillet) May 17, 2026
It’s official, Na Hong-jin’s HOPE has the most vocal and all-over-the-place reactions of any film in #Cannes2026. This feels genuinely like an absurdist midnight-screening through-and-through. Which is why when the film reached its conclusion, I was left so baffled that it’s… pic.twitter.com/sxixZZpsZ3
— Luke Hearfield @ Cannes (@LukeHearfield) May 18, 2026
The first hour of HOPE is action cinema at full force, with spectacle not seen since Mad Max: Fury Road, with a few glorious Spielberg-isms thrown in. It sags in the middle, and gets repetitive but the final chase brings the movie roaring back. Thin plot.. massive cinema. Cannes… pic.twitter.com/3bfmfAW9gH
— Saulo Ferreira @ Cannes (@saulocferreira) May 17, 2026
HOPE rules! A Spielbergian scifi action thriller via Korean dark comedy that starts with an hour long action scene that leads to a delightful creature feature. A bit War of the Worlds, Aliens, & Predator. Jung Ho-yeon has one of the great character intros of all time. A blast! pic.twitter.com/C1DRj51S54
— Karl Delossantos @ Cannes (@karl_delo) May 17, 2026
Na Hong-jin’s Hope is a wildly entertaining science fiction creature feature with two of the most exciting and visceral action scenes I’ve seen in a long time. The narrative itself doesn’t amount to much, complete with a bizarre non-ending, but in the moment boy is this thing fun pic.twitter.com/PcEY9gorpy
— Brian Rowe @ Cannes (@mrbrianrowe) May 17, 2026
HOPE hits the ground running and doesn’t let up for a 45 minute action sequence that leaves you breathless.
— Dallas King (@DallasKing1138) May 17, 2026
The setup for a Korean Kaiju movie turns into a serious case of “WTF I am watching?”
Flawed but fun and dammit if this was not the most entertaining watch of #Cannes so far pic.twitter.com/RJoroAIsd0
Na Hong-jin’s HOPE fucking rocks. Not much in the way of clear substance, just a super well-done action/monster movie. The Host meets Eddington, or if a Resident Evil was somehow up for the Palme d’Or. Michael Abels’ music rips. Some VFX crunchy (unfinished?). Strange conclusion. pic.twitter.com/MxgwwCbHCe
— Cody @ Cannes (@codymonster91) May 17, 2026
HOPE: Biggest mystery at #Cannes this year is how this steaming load of dodgy CGI and inane plotting managed to make it into the Palme competition, when so many worthier options were available. Na Hong-jin’s menagerie of alien invaders runs amok in a Korean DMZ border town and… pic.twitter.com/qDw6UMSHuC
— Peter Howell 🖊 (@peterhowellfilm) May 18, 2026
Na Hong-jin's HOPE was bonkers and a lot of fun, esp in its prolonged opening. I first thought, is it this year’s SÎRAT but by way of Jurassic Park-Alien-A Quiet Place? The baaad CGI is unfortunate & the film demands a trim. But it still delivered the vibe shift I needed. #Cannes
— Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) May 18, 2026
HOPE is an electrifying and batshit insane theater experience. Like if RRR was on crack cocaine laced with sci-fi and torched with jet fuel. The spectacle is incomprehensible in every way. It’s somehow War of the Worlds, Dune, and Alien wrapped up into one. Loved every second. pic.twitter.com/IPRJ9SUKCo
— Danny Jarabek @ #Cannes2026 (@dtjcinema) May 17, 2026
HOPE is FUCKING EPICCCCCC! Spectacle-driven cinema on a massive scale that makes it the best action movie since FURY ROAD. 2 hours and 40 minutes of pure fucking adrenaline. If you love kaiju movies and THE HOST, you’ll love this as much as I did. #Cannes2026 pic.twitter.com/E854in2Iid
— Sean Boelman @ #Cannes2026 (@bigtunaonfilm) May 17, 2026
HOPE de Na Hong-jin est exceptionnel. Je n'avais plus vécu ça en salle depuis FURY ROAD. N'en lisez pas trop, mais il s'agit de la rencontre entre FURY ROAD, PREDATOR, L'ATTAQUE DES TITANS et THE HOST. Il faut avoir du cran pour ça en compet. #cannes26 pic.twitter.com/4o30IlGeKU
— Thomas Gerber (@Th_Gerber) May 17, 2026
I’m still trying to process Hope. It’s basically a nonstop barrage of insane, wildly entertaining action set pieces, but in service to a story with characters we know nothing about. Na Hong-jin aims to make his The Host or Mad Max: Fury Road, but this felt more like Transformers. pic.twitter.com/APeO9NBu2r
— Ryan Casselman 🔜Cannes26 (@ryan_casselman) May 18, 2026
Wow. Once you get swept up by the wave that is Na Hong-Jin’s HOPE, there is no going back. Despite questionable VFX and its density, you cannot help but bellow out cheers and audible gasps for a movie experience that has to be seen to be believed. This is in competition?! pic.twitter.com/R0Ti9e6IbB
— Nandita @ #Cannes2026 (@deetsdoots) May 17, 2026
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