Hope is a fitting title for this creature-feature romp that almost finds a groove amid its fast-paced, bonkers scenes. There were always moments that kept drawing me back into this destructive picture, with plenty of exciting chases, absurd humor, and a fearless nature that is darkly comedic, as it is gross. Yet the film never finds a groove for all its kick-butt bombast, coming off more like a collection of incredibly cool scenes that never meld into the offbeat monster picture it almost becomes.

The small harbor town of Hope is under attack by some strange forces that have been mutilating livestock and ripping up streets. Investigating the mystery are frustrated police chief Ko Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) and a hunting party led by local marksman Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), who rarely see eye to eye on topics like gun legality. As Sung-ki ventures through the woods, Bum-seok charges into the town’s path of destruction, hoping to catch up to the beast that tosses cars and gores the populace. Unfortunately, Bum-seok isn’t exactly the bravest or most competent of cops for such a situation, as he’s hesitant to charge in guns blazing. That’s understandable for the monstrous threat he’s dealing with, but also hilarious for the absurd byproducts of the few times he does shoot off a few rounds.

There’s a certain B-movie charm in how this film mixes touches of bizarre humor with the budgeted computer graphics of giant creatures that stomp, romp, and roar. I smirked at how the anticipation of the monsters is so grand for the details in the destruction they leave behind, only to arrive at the monster being a lukewarm-composited creature more passable for terror in 1999. I can’t help but smile at witnessing such fine china being used to serve up a TV dinner. The way the rules keep changing is also amusing, especially as they become more visible as a cross between The Inhumanoids and Transformers. I could sense some Gen-Xers’ geeky hearts explode the moment one of the many beasts morphs into a speedier form. And the roles given to Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender in relation to these mysterious monsters are so baffling that the casting is far funnier than the tongue-in-cheek ridiculousness the film ends with.

It’d be far too easy to dismiss this movie on its less-than-stellar visual effects and scattershot humor, ranging from the failures of local law enforcement to an extended poop joke over the discovery of the aliens. But at over two hours, the film’s pacing is exhausting, zooming through its explosive action too quickly and inconsistent with its tone and characters. Bum-seok might portray an ineffective and spread-thin police force, until the rookie cop Yim Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon) bursts onto the scene like an action hero, almost effortlessly whipping around town in her police car as she wields heavy-duty weapons without issue. Yang-bae (Eum Moon-suk) is a crazed carpenter who makes a big discovery, but that revelation is quickly sidelined to push him into scenes where he can drive the car as the running and gunning continues. And while the ultimate reveal of the aliens feels more akin to Skyline, the last-minute twist of an entirely different movie feels more routine than wild for how frantically this film darts between so many tones.

Hope is an action-packed creature feature that is more enjoyable in chunks than as a full meal. It’s the type of film that is destined to be fondly regarded for the many clips that will splash on social media, only to be less rousing when taken as a whole. While watching this movie, I was reminded of Skyline, a similar film, because it starts with an engaging premise but gets dumber the more you learn about the aliens. Where Hope has an edge is that it keeps running with its weirdness, hoping to find a movie somewhere within its 2.5 hours of grand-scale violence, CGI creatures, and jokes about police brutality and poop. All of it is best captured in a scene where Bum-seok and Sung-ae run for their lives, unsure what to do next and unwilling to waste their breath slowing down. This film just keeps running, and there’s something mildly more admirable about the energy it exerts than the path it takes.

Not available on any streaming platforms.

Source: