by Alyssa Martinez Barette
Hope, a film by visionary Na Hong-Jin, is a movie I’ve looked forward to since its announcement. In a year where there were so many incredible films to look forward to, Hope still managed to maintain one of the top spots of my “Most Expected Films of the Year” list.
When I got the opportunity to watch Hope at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre with Director Na Hong-Jin hosting a Q&A afterward, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity. Despite my excitement about the film, I made a conscious effort to keep my expectations low, as its debut at the Cannes Film Festival was…not the best.
At Cannes, many praised its incredible feats, especially as this is a clear attempt to make an original sci-fi franchise that’s quick, clever and at its best with action scenes. However, this feedback was quickly overshadowed by swarms of critics that voiced their disappointment in the film. Most of the negative criticism claimed that for a movie that relied so heavily on its big scale and grandiose spectacle, it somehow fails at delivering consistent CGI. Some festivalgoers even called the CGI distractingly bad.
Such harsh criticisms were definitely in mind while I watched, but I didn’t let the color my opinions of the film. Ultimately, I believe Hope is an incredible new story that’s surprisingly funny, witty, and with action scenes like no other. Despite its lackluster CGI, I believe the criticism isn’t enough for me to deny the greatness of its presentation and the possibilities for future films.
My appreciation of the film is probably biased since I had the opportunity to hear the director’s thoughts on the process. He was transparent enough to admit that the CGI and special effects teams he worked with in Korea didn’t have the resources or experience of Hollywood teams. He admitted that if he gets the opportunity to make a continuation to this story (as set up by its ending), the team would be much more prepared for the task.
He also admitted in the Q&A that his idea for a second film would be reliant on a change of POVs where the alien perspective is prioritized over the human perspective, something that I found intriguing enough to believe that this film has earned more than a sequel. Despite its imperfections, Hope still managed to leave an impact in a saturated genre, proposing ideas that I believe deserve to be explored beyond the confines of one film.
