Hope

Rating 7/10

It begins with the discovery of a massive animal carcass, slashed by claw marks so deep that no one can explain what made them.  Things get weirder from there.

The animal is an enormous bull, found horribly maimed in Hope Harbor, a remote South Korean fishing village near the DMZ.  Local police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) is called in to investigate.  His cousin Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) and a group of hunters believe a tiger is responsible and head into the mountains to track it.  Meanwhile, Bum-seok returns to town, where he and fellow officer Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon) find a community under attack, with several residents dead and buildings smashed apart.  It becomes clear that something much larger than a tiger is terrorizing the town.  The film lets that mystery linger, teasing the eerie unknown before finally revealing the threat.  From there, it emerges as a fight for survival.

Sometimes a production can win you over with a great action sequence.  Director Na Hong-jin delivers three that rival the Mad Max series for sheer exhilaration.  The first sends Bum-seok through a devastated settlement to find a creature that remains mostly out of sight, with the camera racing with him as buildings crumble.  Later, a horseback ride through the mountains turns into a nightmare as a colossal alien transforms into a four-legged predator and pursues them through the forest at terrifying speed.

Best of all is a spectacular climactic chase, with Sung-ki galloping down the highway on horseback, the monster charging behind him and a police car speeding alongside.  His attempt to make a dangerous leap from horse to moving vehicle is the kind of spectacle where you forget to breathe.

These sequences are astonishing.  Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, who also shot Parasite and Burning, keeps the camera zooming backward ahead of the runners, capturing their terrified faces and the mayhem happening behind them in the same frame.  Every cut heightens the tension.  Michael Abels, best known for his work with Jordan Peele on Get Out, Us, and Nope, provides a heart-pounding score that pushes the action to a fever pitch.  The long tracking shots and practical stunt work gave me a rush.  They are, quite simply, the reason I loved this as much as I did.  In fact, for much of its running time, I thought I might be watching one of my favorite pictures of the year.

That is what makes what I have to say next so heartbreaking.  When a promising movie falls short these days, the culprit is usually one of two things: it overstays its welcome (i.e., it runs too long) or it fails to deliver a worthy finale.  Hope falls victim to both.  It clocks in at 160 minutes, but only half of its developments truly demand your attention.  Then, after all that buildup, it begins explaining who these life-forms are and why they may be here on Earth.  The final minutes toss around various names and a convoluted mythology.  The story grows more confusing just when it should be coming together.  Then the film abruptly ends like the setup for a sequel.  After such a brilliant foundation, I wanted a payoff, not a tease for another installment.

This may start like a strange little Korean creature feature, but nothing about it is small.  This is a substantial production with elaborate stunt work, extraordinary cinematography, and action on a Hollywood blockbuster scale.  Even Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell are involved, portraying CGI beings through motion capture.  Yet all that talent and ambition lead to an absolute mess of a conclusion that leaves the story frustratingly unfinished.  That is especially disappointing because much of what comes before is thrilling.  Hope gave me plenty of reasons to believe.  What it never gave me was a satisfying ending.

09-10-26