‘Hope’ Review: Na Hong-jin’s Blockbuster Creature Feature Is Undone by a Terrible Script and Some of the Worst CGI Since ‘The Mummy Returns’
Na Hong-jin's film 'Hope' is reportedly the most expensive movie ever made in Korea, with a budget rumored to be around ₩50 billion. Despite a promising start, the film ultimately disappoints with a lackluster script and poor CGI effects. The initial excitement fades quickly, leaving viewers feeling let down by the overall execution of the story.
- ▪The film 'Hope' has a rumored budget of ₩50 billion, making it the most expensive Korean movie to date.
- ▪The first third of the movie delivers excitement but fails to maintain momentum throughout its 160-minute runtime.
- ▪Critics have noted that the CGI effects in 'Hope' are among the worst seen in recent films.
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| Original publisher | IndieWire |
| Canonical URL | https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/hope-review-na-hong-jin-1235194495/ |
| Publication time | Sun, 17 May 2026 22:10:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-17T22:33:21.086Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-17T22:33:21.086Z |
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| Cluster | fQxlupczcXRb · 2 stories |
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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
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Exact numbers have yet to be confirmed, but Na Hong-jin’s “Hope” is reportedly the most expensive movie ever made in Korea, with a rumored budget of ₩50 billion (which only translates to about $33 million USD). Whatever this 160-minute blockbuster actually cost, it was both way too much and not nearly enough — too much for a trite and tedious bumpkins vs. monsters saga that only has the creative propulsion to sustain itself for about 45 minutes, and not enough to spare it from some of the worst creature effects this side of the Syfy Channel or “The Mummy Returns.” I know CGI hasn’t come a long way since the start of the century, but it’s absolutely wild to see Michael Fassbender get his own Scorpion King moment in the year of our lord 2026 (and in the main Competition at Cannes, no…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at IndieWire.
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