Director Na Hong-jin’s first new work in 10 years, the SF thriller ‘HOPE’ (produced by Forged Films), has become the hottest topic at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. After finally unveiling itself, ‘HOPE’ is shaking up Cannes with some of the most intense “love it or hate it” reactions in recent memory.
Invited to the competition section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, ‘HOPE’ had its world premiere on May 17th at 9:30 PM at the Lumiere Grand Theatre. The premiere was a star-studded event featuring director Na Hong-jin alongside Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell.
Boasting a massive runtime of 160 minutes (2 hours and 40 minutes), ‘HOPE’ proved it is the most talked-about film in the competition section as a flood of reviews poured in from foreign media and critics worldwide immediately after the premiere.
The praise was glowing. TheWrap called it “a monster movie worthy of a master, leaping freely between action, horror, and SF,” praising the thrilling pace and the tension built in the first hour. The Hollywood Reporter described it as “an exotic thriller unfolding in broad daylight,” noting that the scale is so huge that Na Hong-jin’s previous works (‘The Chaser’, ‘The Yellow Sea’, ‘The Wailing’) feel like a “warming-up” for this film. Next Best Picture highlighted the “continuous rush of adrenaline,” praising cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo’s breathtaking visuals, Michael Abels’ grand orchestral score, and the massive set design, noting that it achieved Hollywood-level visual pleasure with only a tenth of the budget. Some critics even compared its raw energy to Bong Joon-ho’s ‘The Host’ and George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’.
On the flip side, there were harsh critiques. IndieWire mentioned that while the first half boasts breathtaking suspense, the tone “completely falls apart” in the second half, questioning the need for long black comedy sequences involving the characters’ desire to lead or childish bathroom humor during a desperate survival situation. IBT criticized the visual effects (VFX) after the alien monsters are fully revealed, stating the CG textures and weight feel disconnected from the screen, breaking the tension. They warned that those expecting the raw horror of ‘The Wailing’ might be disappointed by the “clumsy” second-half battle scenes that seem to poorly imitate Hollywood blockbusters. As previously reported, ‘HOPE’ faced delays in post-production, and Cannes exceptionally extended the submission deadline for the film. Following the premiere, some suspect that director Na Hong-jin may have submitted the film without fully completing the post-production work due to the unfinished quality of the creatures.
As a result, ‘HOPE’ has become a “problematic masterpiece” sparking the most intense debates among critics at Cannes. It is gaining a reputation as a “bizarre film” where critics simply cannot reach a consensus. Along with the heated discussions, the film’s “report card” is also drawing attention.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the most popular review aggregator, ‘HOPE’ currently holds a freshness score of 78%. Immediately after the Cannes premiere, it started at 80% with 10 reviews, dipped slightly to 75% with two more, and then rose back to 78% as six more reviews were added. It remains a film with strong positive momentum, though its score may shift as more global critics post their reviews toward the end of the festival.
Screen Daily’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2026 jury grid also gave ‘HOPE’ a generous score. In the grid where renowned critics rate competition films, ‘HOPE’—the 12th film screened in the competition—received 2.8 points. Currently, the highest-rated work is Pavel Pavlikovsky’s ‘Fatherland’ with 3.3 out of 4. For context, the all-time highest score in the jury grid was recorded by Lee Chang-dong’s ‘Burning’ at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in 2018 with 3.8 points, while Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ scored 3.5 in 2019.
‘HOPE’ climbed the ranks thanks to critic Mathieu Macharet of the French outlet Le Monde, who gave it a perfect 4/4 (Excellent). With the majority of other critics giving it a 3 (Good), the film is proving to be a strong contender for awards. It is particularly notable that ‘HOPE’ received consistently positive marks despite the fact that hybrid genres like SF, monster, and thriller are rarely favored by the critic circle at Cannes.
While 10 competition films are yet to be reviewed, ‘HOPE’ is being mentioned as a strong candidate for the Best Director award and other technical achievement categories. All eyes are now on whether ‘HOPE’ can showcase the power of Korean cinema at Cannes once again, following the success of ‘Parasite’.
‘HOPE’ tells the story of a chief at the Hopo Port office located in the DMZ who hears from local youths that a tiger has appeared, leading the entire village into a state of emergency and a reality that is hard to believe. The film stars Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender, and is directed by Na Hong-jin (‘The Chaser’, ‘The Yellow Sea’, ‘The Wailing’). It is scheduled for release this summer.
