I’m not certain, especially sitting in the pale afterglow, that there was a movie more mysterious this year than Hope. The first I saw was the teaser trailer, scrolling on whichever social media feed: stark daylight horror imagery, sweeping camera with a lens I can only describe as “big,” and the hint of some sort of monster? Okay, so, it’s directed by Na Hong-jin, which explains its opening at the Cannes Film Festival, and it’s also got Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender, so that makes sense. Maybe they’ll be American scientists or government officials brought in to provide exposition – oh, no, they’re aliens? Is this an arthouse movie or a weird blockbuster? And why is it almost three hours long?! The response I saw out of the festival was decidedly mixed, with criticism for unfinished-looking visual effects but praise for its thrilling action. Like, superlative praise. There was at least one and maybe two comparisons made to Mad Max: Fury Road, which frankly, only deepened the mystery. I thought this was an alien movie? What the hell is it? There is some satisfaction in finally knowing the answer, though it probably came after hour two. … More Ppalli, Ppalli! | Hope (2026) Review